To BGE or Not To BGE - that is the question?

My recommendation would be a Medium BGE (or a Large),
and to light the lump charcoal, get a Looftlighter.

I have never worn a glove while using my egg.

Edit: i have used pot holders now that i think of it - to remove 9x13 pans off the egg when dinner was ready.

Dondgc said:

kl8ton said:

I have never worn a glove while using my egg.

Edit: i have used pot holders now that i think of it - to remove 9x13 pans off the egg when dinner was ready.

You have more heat resistance than me.  Searing steaks @650+ with flames coming through the grate is a miserable experience without a glove.

Long handled Pig tail flipper for the win.

A good pair of welders gloves & a long handled pigtail are nice to have.

It depends what you are trying to keep warm. The egg naturally has some areas that are hotter than others (the back is usually hotter). For small things (i.e. chicken thighs) that are nearly finished, I'll move them to a cooler spot while the other items finish. For large items (i.e. pork shoulder) you can wrap in 2 layers of foil and a few beach towels and hold it in a cooler for up to 4 hours. 

Finally, the people on this forum is a great resource and extremely helpful. If you have a question or problem - Ask. You'll likely get an answer within 5 minutes.

SRQLI said:

Wow - what a great forum. THanks for all the helpful information, and the FOOD for thought!  I'm pretty darn close to saying "the heck with a gas line - build around the BGE."   2 more "simple" questions:   Do you have to have a glove on pretty much all the time while cooking?   And if you want to keep food warm, can that be done on the BGE, or is some kind of accessory needed?
Thanks again.

I only use welders gloves when pulling the plate setter to go direct or to put it in to go indirect.  When you get over 400 on the Egg you want to burp it or lift the top slowly up a couple times before lift it all the way up.  I speak from experience on this, you will get a flashback.  Sometimes when the grill is real full I will use a glove to turn burgers, but most of the time no.

As for holding temps, the only thing I usually hold over are things like; ribs, brisket, pork butt and chicken.  I do this by FTC; wrap in foil, wrap in warm towels and place in warm cooler.  I have held briskets and pork butts for over 6 hours this way and they were still hot.  FTC is used a lot on this and other BBQ forums and in competition. 

I  use a glove when a) removing daisy wheel at end of cook to replace with Ceramic top to tamp down the fire to save lump and b) when removing my woo/platesetter to go from indirect to direct during a cook,

Old pot holders or cheap(er) fire gloves will work just fine IMHO. Don't need gloves during most cooks. 

I will add that fully 50% of the value of buying an egg is found in this group of crazy individuals. You may already have noticed, but almost any question will be answered as accurately as possible given all circumstances. You may find help on matters not related to eggs and you will undoubtedly be offered help directly or indirectly weather or not you ask for it. I will promise you this. The people here on this forum have collectively forgotten more about eggs and cooking on them than any ten dealers anywhere in the country. They simply cannot keep up with the pace at which eggs are explored by these folks. I can also vouch for the fact that any food group of almost any type has been tested and there is temperature or time or guidance available upon request--essentially like instant chat. Now with all that and the above recommendations and questions asked it might still not be the best choice for you in this situation. But it's sure hard to not want to join the fun.

There was more to that but apparently the smiley screwed it up. Anyway. Get an egg. 

Welcome to the forum and indeed a good question.  I have a large Egg, Weber kettle, and Weber gas grill.  For overall versatility you cannot beat the Egg.  It can do almost anything, and does it well.  No comparison to what comes off a gas grill period.  I still use my gas grill, but only in hurry up cooking.  However, I still have a huge soft spot for my Weber kettle.  When it comes to grilling hot and fast I actually prefer it over the Egg.  Primarily because it is super easy to move the coals about to setup direct/indirect zones.  At the end of the day though the Egg is my go too cooker by far.  I'd say 75% of cooks on Egg, 20 on kettle, and 5 on the gas.  As far as the learning curve that's part of the fun in my opinion.  All the best on whatever you choose:)

Why an outdoor kitchen? The microwave is quicker and easier. There are even complete meals that can be heated in the microwave.
If food quality is a concern, then there is a learning curve even using a gas stove indoors.
A bag of charcoal may weight 8.8 pounds so it is not a problem to pick up. Even an 18 pound bag is not heavy for this old man with a decade on you. A twenty pound propane cylinder costs less than twenty to exchange at your local hardware or builders supply store and most corner gas stations. So neither of these should be the deciding factor.
If it doesn't cook on the stove it cooks on the egg at my house.
Only you can evaluated the value of charcoal cooked food verses other methods.