trying to decide whether to purchase a BGE or not

The Egg is easy to cook on, particularly if you've been grilling for awhile. Easy to clean. There's a tool that you use to get the ashes out of the bottom of the Egg. If you have the inclination, register for Eggtoberfest in Atlanta and buy an Egg at half price. That way you can learn to cook on it with hundreds of other people there to give you advice! Catherine

ckrum,
On the Egg the most replaced part is the food, your always putting new food on everyday, it just never stops. soon you'll be replacing your food with your neighbors food, then then their friends food. Pretty soon the whole world wants their food on your Egg. I dont know what else can go wrong!

ckrum,
I got my Lg BGE in July and am already thinking about another one! It can cook as fast as you want (700 F +) to as long as you want (30 hrs for a lo-n-slo).[p]There is no doubt that a large will cook a lot of food (three levels if needed) and for pulled pork or brisket, you could probably cook for many more than 20, but for steaks and chops, it would be a stretch. If you really cook for a mob, frequently, you should consider the XL, IMHO. The alternate route would be to test the water with a LG and then get a second LG for more volume and also more flexability (a hot and a low temp cook at the same time).[p]You will love it -- just look at the pictures posted.[p]I rebuilt my Ducane gasser at the same time I got my BGE and have never had it fired up....

ckrum,
the one thing to consider that might not be overly obvious (despite the raves below) is that if you NEVER used it to cook steaks, it would probably be the most versatile/best performing smoker you've owned so far. ...once did a back-to-back butt and brisket for more than 32 hours on a single load of lump. cooked on that lump afterward, too, but the point is, the egg will cruise along merrily without needing to open it, overly adjust it, or add lump for the entire cook.[p]that said, if you NEVER did barbecue, and only used it for steaks and grilling, it'd be the best grill you ever had. some nutjobs here go to 900 degrees... most of us probably Trex the steaks at 700 then 400. you can do that on a weber, sure. but add that to the potential for lo-and-slo (above) and i don't think you can beat it.[p]then there're all the cooks in between....[p]

ckrum,
I saw the BGE and decided that there was no way it could be worth that much money. Then I won one with a $5 raffle ticket! If anything ever happened to my egg, I'd buy a new one the next day. Best grill I have ever seen. For smoking, it blows away my big offset fire-box smoker. Easy to use. Stingy with charcoal. Pretty to look at. Damn it, I sometimes find myself petting it like a dog. (I shouldn't have admitted that.)

I never used a charcoal grill before I bought my Big Green Egg. When I bought it, I was a little concerned that after the newness wore off, it would not be used all that much, or that I would get tired of firing up the charcoal or that the charcoal expense would be higher than what I thought, none of which is true. I look forward to finding something new and fun to cook on my egg, something I never did on gas. When I get some nice filets from the butcher that are 2 1/2" thick, there is no concern whatsoever that I can turn out fantastic steaks cooked perfectly. If anything, I am amazed at how long the lump charcoal lasts, and with the help of a MAPP gas torch, I can cook within 10 to 15 minutes of lighting, depending on what is going on the grill. Low & slow is easy on the egg. I have cooked for neighbors, something like 10 people, but I have not tried 20 or more, I think an XL would be best for frequent large groups, especially burgers and steaks.

We gave away our old gasser, and have never regretted it a bit. I have never owned one of the really expensive gas grills, but I have had some pretty nice grills. There is no comparison for me, from the smell of the charcoal wafting through the air, to the temperature control to the evenly cooked steaks, moist chicken and pork chops, smoked briskets and pork butts..., I can't imagine going back.

The only thing I have heard of breaking is the fire ring. You can just leave it alone, as a broken (cracked) fire ring really makes no difference, or you can get a new, free one from BGE under warranty.

Cleaning is a snap, ash cleanout is very easy.

Eggtoberfest is the place you want to be to see a lot of different foods cooked a lot of different ways by one of the nicest groups of people you will find.

Happy grilling,
John

ckrum,
Meatballs[p][p]Pork butts (4-8 pounders)[p][p]Steaks[p][p][p]And much more...
One of the best things I've ever bought... Got rid of my gasser within 6 weeks and have never regretted it.[p]Ed[p]

ckrum,
I cook on the egg everyday. Trust us, best move you'll ever make. Only drawback is it won't help the waistline, But I don't trust a skinny cook anyway.[p]Cheers, Glenn

c krumholt,
Congrats!!! You'll never look back now...except to wonder why you didn't enter the BGE world earlier! Stay around the board too, cauz it is a wonderful meeting spot for avid eggers and it sounds like you folks have lifetime cooking experiences to share too! BTW someone will be by shortly with the green Kool-Aid to drink and teach you the secret handshake!

Egg head,[p]I only pat my egg to warm my hands. I rarely talk to her except when I'm cooking something or thinking about cooking something or else I just happen to be standing near her thinking about cooking something.[p]A lot of the time, we just stand together and look up at the stars in the sky. It's nice.