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Companion for the large BGE

Powak
Powak Posts: 1,391
I'm sitting on some play money and I'd like to get a buddy for my large. Looking for something I can be cooking some extra stuff for large cookouts, take camping here and there and cooking for 1-4 people. I'm down to a mini-max, small or medium. What's the way to go?
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Comments

  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 5,629
    I vote small

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    edited July 2016
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,008
    Small. Not too much heavier than a MM and functions like it's bigger siblings.   
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    I have a MM and like it. When it's just my wife and me we cook on it often. I also use it in conjunction with my large. I have discovered I never take it anywhere. For that reason if I had it to do over again I think I might choose the small instead. I have not used a small however. I think you should ask yourself just how portable it needs to be and how much indirect cooking you intend to do on this cooker. Glad I could help make your decision more difficult. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • dcc
    dcc Posts: 90
    Im happy with my L/MM combo. Probably use the MM twice as much as the L. The MM is easy to take camping.  It does make it difficult to leave the campsite unattended with a MM and a Yeti sitting around.  Keep that in mind when you consider taking any egg camping.
    Houston (Clear Lake) TX
    2 LBGE, 1 Mini-Max

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    SciAggie said:
    I have a MM and like it. When it's just my wife and me we cook on it often. I also use it in conjunction with my large. I have discovered I never take it anywhere. For that reason if I had it to do over again I think I might choose the small instead. I have not used a small however. I think you should ask yourself just how portable it needs to be and how much indirect cooking you intend to do on this cooker. Glad I could help make your decision more difficult. 
    Does the small do better with indirect?
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
    Loaded a Small weighs 77 not 80, plus when I transport it I remove the firebox and fire ring. Those two pieces weigh 10 pounds so we are down to 67 pounds. Doing a deadlift of 67 pounds with my back straight and using my legs for the lifting strength needed then using a PotLifter is very doable even for this 72 year old guy. Since you have never tried it yourself then you don't have a clue and why you keep harping on it makes no sense! 

    BTW when my wife helps me carry our Medium WITHOUT removing the firebox and fire ring then it weighs 114 pounds and we have no problem transporting it! 
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,945
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
    I've met Ron in person.  He is 6'6" and 280 easy.  All muscle.  No jersey shore fake muscle either.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    I thought today was Sunday...not  Friday  ;)
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,945
    Btw, to the OP, unless you really plan to travel a lot, my vote is Medium.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    RRP said:
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
    Loaded a Small weighs 77 not 80, plus when I transport it I remove the firebox and fire ring. Those two pieces weigh 10 pounds so we are down to 67 pounds. Doing a deadlift of 67 pounds with my back straight and using my legs for the lifting strength needed then using a PotLifter is very doable even for this 72 year old guy. Since you have never tried it yourself then you don't have a clue and why you keep harping on it makes no sense! 

    BTW when my wife helps me carry our Medium WITHOUT removing the firebox and fire ring then it weighs 114 pounds and we have no problem transporting it! 
    Your full of crap Ron it's ok.
  • Powak
    Powak Posts: 1,391
    Btw, to the OP, unless you really plan to travel a lot, my vote is Medium.
    I've heard the medium is good and read a forum where these guys used the mediums more than their other eggs.
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Powak said:
    SciAggie said:
    I have a MM and like it. When it's just my wife and me we cook on it often. I also use it in conjunction with my large. I have discovered I never take it anywhere. For that reason if I had it to do over again I think I might choose the small instead. I have not used a small however. I think you should ask yourself just how portable it needs to be and how much indirect cooking you intend to do on this cooker. Glad I could help make your decision more difficult. 
    Does the small do better with indirect?
    I don't have a small but from what I have seen I believe it would be easier to manage with indirect heat. I do not know this for certain however. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262

    I like my medium, but I sure wouldn't want to go any smaller.  I'm not a fan of feeling crowded.
    Phoenix 
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    I can only comment on the SBGE:  I don't transport it so no info there.  But if you want a hacker then trick it out with a High Q grate and woo and stone from CGS.  Just yesterday I ran it at 260+/- for a good seven hours and still had plenty of lump left for several additional hours.  
    You decide the parameters that matter then let those drive the final answer.  Wherever you land you will enjoy the flexibility of a second BGE.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
  • egger ave
    egger ave Posts: 721
    The Small gets hot faster and temp is harder to manage than my MM. Suspect it's about the dimensions of the grill. MM grill is big enough for 2 of us and then some. MM is easy to move.
    1 Large BGE, 1 Mini BGE, 1 Minimax BGE, Original wife and 3 dogs living in the heart of BBQ country in Round Rock Texas. 

    "The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."

    Albert Einstein
  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 18,945
    Powak said:
    Btw, to the OP, unless you really plan to travel a lot, my vote is Medium.
    I've heard the medium is good and read a forum where these guys used the mediums more than their other eggs.
    I have an XL, a MM, and a Medium.  I love all of them, but the Medium is my work horse.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,791
    I have an XL, a MM, and a Medium.  I love all of them, but the Medium is my work horse.
    It's kind of a shame that the medium is not very popular. I cooked on Nola's two years ago at the crawfish festival and it was a joy to cook on. 

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 16,984
    MM
    Good talk.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
  • I do like the MM but also like the medium. It really depends how portable you want it to be and how much you comfortably want to spend. 
  • gmac
    gmac Posts: 1,814
    I thought the grill dimensions for the small and MM were the same. Not sure then why one over the other but really, with 4 boys (10-16), I am finding I can't cook enough ribs etc on the large. But is that reason enough to add a Medium?  I think for me, given I don't plan to travel with it, a 2nd large may even be the best bet.  Likely Medium or Large will be my next but I do love the thought of a MM for some reason. 
    Mt Elgin Ontario - just a Large.
  • AVEngineer
    AVEngineer Posts: 120
    I only have a medium and will agree with others, it gets up to temp quickly and is manageable to move if needed. As for cooking space, I did 3 racks of ribs last weekend using a rib rack and cutting them in half, it was tight. I also did a 13lb brisket for Father's Day and had to separate the point from the flat and use my DIY second level grate. I am disappointed in the number of rack options and accessories available for anything smaller than a large. 
    Medium BGE , iGrill2
    Virginia Beach, VA
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
    Loaded a Small weighs 77 not 80, plus when I transport it I remove the firebox and fire ring. Those two pieces weigh 10 pounds so we are down to 67 pounds. Doing a deadlift of 67 pounds with my back straight and using my legs for the lifting strength needed then using a PotLifter is very doable even for this 72 year old guy. Since you have never tried it yourself then you don't have a clue and why you keep harping on it makes no sense! 

    BTW when my wife helps me carry our Medium WITHOUT removing the firebox and fire ring then it weighs 114 pounds and we have no problem transporting it! 
    Your full of crap Ron it's ok.
    This just cracks me up! Why would he lie? Just to impress you? Therapy @Lit! Get help for your issues! So angry.  I can't believe you took the bait. Impulse control. 

    I still ill love your cooks. They blow mine away. Happy 4th!
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
    Loaded a Small weighs 77 not 80, plus when I transport it I remove the firebox and fire ring. Those two pieces weigh 10 pounds so we are down to 67 pounds. Doing a deadlift of 67 pounds with my back straight and using my legs for the lifting strength needed then using a PotLifter is very doable even for this 72 year old guy. Since you have never tried it yourself then you don't have a clue and why you keep harping on it makes no sense! 

    BTW when my wife helps me carry our Medium WITHOUT removing the firebox and fire ring then it weighs 114 pounds and we have no problem transporting it! 
    Your full of crap Ron it's ok.
    This just cracks me up! Why would he lie? Just to impress you? Therapy @Lit! Get help for your issues! So angry.  I can't believe you took the bait. Impulse control. 

    I still ill love your cooks. They blow mine away. Happy 4th!
    If you can't tell I was trolling Ron just like you were trolling me trying to get him going. I still don't think Ron can carry it but I do know for sure his statement that its better to carry a heavy object to one side ofyour body instead of with both hands in front of you is not right for sure. There's all sorts of articles online about how bad the back packs that go over one shoulder are for you and it's better to use one that does over both shoulders. Not sure how anyone would ever think carrying something to your side would be better for your body than carrying it straight on.
  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Lit said:
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    Lit said:
    RRP said:
    I have always and still do say the best backyard combo is a Large and a Small. On top of that using a PotLifter then that small becomes very portable. I can carry mine by myself like a duffle bag!

    Where's @lit? He still doesn't believe you Ron. The pot lifter is a great little tool. 
    Yeah I don't believe an 80 yr old can lift an 80 lb egg with 1 arm out to his side my bad. Plus his argument that it's better for your back to carry something to your side rather than with 2 arms out in front of you is about as wrong as you can get.
    Loaded a Small weighs 77 not 80, plus when I transport it I remove the firebox and fire ring. Those two pieces weigh 10 pounds so we are down to 67 pounds. Doing a deadlift of 67 pounds with my back straight and using my legs for the lifting strength needed then using a PotLifter is very doable even for this 72 year old guy. Since you have never tried it yourself then you don't have a clue and why you keep harping on it makes no sense! 

    BTW when my wife helps me carry our Medium WITHOUT removing the firebox and fire ring then it weighs 114 pounds and we have no problem transporting it! 
    Your full of crap Ron it's ok.
    This just cracks me up! Why would he lie? Just to impress you? Therapy @Lit! Get help for your issues! So angry.  I can't believe you took the bait. Impulse control. 

    I still ill love your cooks. They blow mine away. Happy 4th!
    If you can't tell I was trolling Ron just like you were trolling me trying to get him going. I still don't think Ron can carry it but I do know for sure his statement that its better to carry a heavy object to one side ofyour body instead of with both hands in front of you is not right for sure. There's all sorts of articles online about how bad the back packs that go over one shoulder are for you and it's better to use one that does over both shoulders. Not sure how anyone would ever think carrying something to your side would be better for your body than carrying it straight on.
    Touché!
  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 9,795
    @caliking should chime in here.  If I'm not mistaken, he has a small and he got to cook on Centex's minimax this weekend. 

    I don't have either, but it is my impression that the small is better for indirect cooks.

    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,880
    Lit said:

    If you can't tell I was trolling Ron just like you were trolling me trying to get him going. I still don't think Ron can carry it but I do know for sure his statement that its better to carry a heavy object to one side ofyour body instead of with both hands in front of you is not right for sure. There's all sorts of articles online about how bad the back packs that go over one shoulder are for you and it's better to use one that does over both shoulders. Not sure how anyone would ever think carrying something to your side would be better for your body than carrying it straight on.
    Since you think you "know everything" here's something you don't know - I have had a back problem for over 40 years and if I carry much of any weight in front of me two handed like you say my back goes out and it is quite painful for a couple weeks. Once I lifted a crock pot full of chili from one side of our kitchen to the other and SNAP - out went my back! BUT using a PotLifter with my back straight and using my legs to provide the lifting strength I CAN CARRY MY SMALL BGE SANS THE GUTS to my side like a duffle bag!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
  • Mattman3969
    Mattman3969 Posts: 10,457
    Foghorn said:

    I don't have either, but it is my impression that the small is better for indirect cooks.
    I don't have a MM but do have a small and mini.  I prefer the small for indirect over the mini just because of the distance from the fire.  Even when using the woo and stone the food cooks from the heat radiating from the hot stone and I have to flip the protein so it cooks evenly. I have no first hand info but would imagine the MM would be similar 

    -----------------------------------------

    analyze adapt overcome

    2008 -Large BGE. 2013- Small BGE and 2015 - Mini. Henderson, Ky.