Weber Bullet vs. Big Green Egg

Unknown · December 2006

All,[p]I am a long time user of a weber smokey mountain smoker. I bought the smoker some time back and have absolutely loved it. Now when I go to the hardware store up the road, I am fascinated by this BGE.[p]Any comments/comparisons on the BGE vs a Weber Bullet?[p]Cheers,
Will
[ul][li]Saucehog: BBQ Sauce Lover[/ul]

Morro Bay Rich · December 2006

Will,
Ever try using a metal smoker at 27 degrees with the wind blowing? I did ONCE. Took 9 hrs instead of 3 and I had to drape burlap bags all over the thing just to try to keep it warm ,,,, never again. With the BGE I have not run into that problem in 5 years of use.

Nessmuk · December 2006

Morro Bay Rich,
Experienced that on Christmas day. The temp was 32 & the wind in excess of 30 knots.[p]In the metal cooker, the meats were cooking on the bottom but there was no heat above the grid level.[p]I fired the BGE & moved all products to the BGE. Problem solved as the BGE is impervious to temp changes.[p]Bravo to the BGE.

WessB · December 2006

Will,
Nope..no comparison...can U say VW to mercedes..kinda what you`re asking[p]
Wess

Wise One · December 2006

Will, not that this will be a fair comparison because it will be biased toward the BGE. The BGE uses less lump to maintain a constant temperature over a period of time. It can do thsi because it is made of ceramic which retains the heat much better. The ceramic also allows the cooker to maintain more moisture so that you do not need to use a water pan to provide additional moisture. Basically anything you can cook on a Weber, you can cook on a BGE except it will be more moist and use less lump. On the negative side, the BGE only comes in green (now).

MasterMason · December 2006

Will,[p]No rust... I used to buy a new grill every 2 years like clock work... no more they don't rust out

Wyldwood · December 2006

Will,
No comparison. I've had them both. Now I have only the Egg.

thirdeye · December 2006

Will,[p]That's easy.... One of them is fantastic cooker, loved by everyone that owns one, easy to operate, has a dedicated internet forum, can be used for barbecuing, grilling or baking, is Guru compatible, is right at home at competitions and is an excellent value for the price.[p]The other one is green, has all the attributes of the first one plus a few more like thermal mass, better fuel efficiency and no problem cooking in foul weather. [p]If you can run a WSM, you will fit into an Egg like an old pair of boots. (plus you don't have to fool with a water or sand pan)[p]~t<html>h<html>i<html><html>r<html>d<html>e<html>y<html>e~<html><html>

Pharmeggist · December 2006

Will,
I never have owned a WSM but I do have a Weber Silver Genesis Gas Grill. The weber now sereves as a egg-cessory holder. I love my Big green egg... best investment I have ever made. I did a lot of homework before I bought a smoker/grill. Check out the site below. This is your homework for Ceramic cookers. If this doesn't convince you nothing will!!! Feel free to write me if you have any questions. I know that everyone in this forum are more than willing to share recipes and advice. To tell you how sold on this grill I am my Dad owns a Medium BGE, My Brother owns a Medium BGE, My Sister and her husband owns a large BGE and so do I. My neigbor bought a large Big Green Egg after he sampled food off several of my cooks!
If you can master the WSM you will be a whiz at the BGE cooker it is very forgiving... even your mistakes will taste better!! Check out the site below!![p]Best Regards, Pharmeggist
P.S. I look forward to hearing when you are a proud BGE owner... and are giving me pointers :=)
[ul][li]http://www.nakedwhiz.com/[/ul]

Unknown · December 2006

Will,[p]Like you until 6 years ago, I raved about my Weber grills. I even cooked pizzas on my weber. It wasn't until I purchased a Big Green Egg 6 years ago that I realized the limitations of the Weber. My family and friends loved my cooking when I cooked on the weber - now they rave about my cooking and request that I cook on the BGE for all family gatherings. I cooked a 10 lb prime rib roast Christmas day. It was to die for. My family commented that the meat melted in their mouth like nothing ever before. I suggest that you try the large egg and you too will be hooked.[p]Ben

AlaskanC · December 2006

Pharmeggist,[p]I think you have the same Weber as me! Does it have a side burner? If so, get yourself one of those perforated grilling wok type things and use the side burner to start a batch of lump for the egg. It works great!

Unknown · December 2006

Will,[p]I have both too and tend to use the Egg about 90% of the time and the WSM the rest. Both have space limitations especially when cooking ribs and use the same methods to compensate. I've used both with 3 levels of grates, the Egg uses two for meat and the 3rd for water and indirection. The WSM can use all three levels for meat. The Egg will require much, much less watching and coal on long cooks. I find the WSM to be a mess after a cook as I tend to spray down the whole unit with cleaner the next day while the Egg requires nothing other than cleaning the grates and some splashed sauce. [p]Not sure what you are looking for if you are happy with the Weber.....Is it more room, versatility, charcoal ecomony, etc.?[p]I would say overall the Egg is easier to use, the Weber can do all the Egg can do (ask Old Dave) but it's easier and cleaner with the Egg. There are substantial more costs involved though, $190 vs. $600-700 but a good investment.[p]Howard

Pharmeggist · December 2006

AlaskanC,
Unfortunately, my Genesis is a Silver A without the side burner. Hopefully, in a few weeks I am going to sell the Weber to make room for the Small BGE (to complement my Large) I plan to purchase sometime in 2007. Still thinking about the mini, too ;=) [p]Best Regards, Pharmeggist

Unknown · December 2006

Will,
Late to the party again, but I'd like to add:[p]The WSM has volume, portability, and cost on its side. I've read, several times on other sites, that you can buy 3 WSMs for the price of 1 large BGE, still be money ahead, and each WSM will have twice the capacity of the Egg. Also consider that the LG-BGE weighs about 140 pounds.[p]Many people on this board have owned WSMs, and some still do. This summer I considered a WSM, but purchased a second Egg instead. I remembered 18 years ago, after using it weekly for several years, I gave my bullet smoker away. Why? For more than a year it sat idle while I did all my cooking on the new Egg. And not just once a week.[p]The Egg is easier to use, more versatile, requires practically no cleanup, uses no water pan, burns a fraction of the charcoal per cook, is virtually oblivious to weather conditions, and is safer to use. SAFER?? Do you have kids? Friends with kids? Ever accidentally touch a metal smoker or grill while its in use? You can have a turkey cooking for a couple hours at 350* in an Egg, lean on the shell, and not get burned.[p]I do still use my Weber kettle about once every month or so, when the weather is nice.[p]Like your site. You should consider adding Peter Lugar's sauce to your list.[p]
[ul][li]Peter Lugar's[/ul]

egret · December 2006

thirdeye,
Dang! I think I'm gonna go get me one of them......

Clay Q · December 2006

Will,
I like sauces, just made some sweet/sour grilling sauce. Think I'll marinate baby backs in Chinese marinade and smoke'em for 5 hours, 250 degrees steady, no water pan, in the wind and cold, a little apple wood smoke trailing out of the heavy cast iron vent, warm my hands on the massive and beautiful glazed green dome. Oh, those ribs are going to be good. Yes sir.

Chuck Roast · December 2006

Will,
I think the words...."Lifetime Warranty" best describes the reason I can justify the more expensive cost of a BGE! As for the quality of the product...does the Weber, Sunbeam, NewBraunsfeld, et al sites have this active and committed of a forum? Finally the EXTREEEEME quality of the product that the BGE gives you and your family. I have been Grilling since I was 12 and could assist my dad on the weekends he would grill! My first steak on the BGE was the best steak I have EVER prepared in the 28 years since helping dad! It's because you can SEAR and then minutely control the temp! And you loose no moisture in the meat![p]Let's ALL raise the BAR - B-Q![p]

tomo · December 2006

Will,
I own both. Started out with the WSM and use it now as a back up. Both are nice, but the WSM has a limited temperature range, in my opinion. The BGE is easier to use and I use it most of the time. Weber Smokey Mountain has an excellent forum and I find it very useful....tom

Wise One · December 2006

Will, you have just seen the best of the forum here. Normally when soemone asks for comparisons, folks start running down the competition and the thread deteriorates quickly. I just read through all of these replies and am amazed. It must be the holiday spirit. No flames, no bad-mouthing, just a lot of very honest and fair messages. However, I will correct one point from one post. There are some very good Weber forums where a lot of good information is exchanged. If you have not visited this site, do. It has a lot of good information that applies to the Big Green Egg as well. As much as I'm biased toward the Big Green Egg, I can learn a lot from others. Hopefully you'll get yourself a BGE but if not, I hope you will share your cooking experiences with us (without mentioning that you are not cooking on a BGE :-) )

[ul][li]Virtual Bullet[/ul]

Unknown · December 2006

Wise One,
hey, i was on that site yesterday after viewing this thread. i wanted to check on baking bread on the weber. i found it interesting weber recommends a big green egg grid extender for baking:
"BGE Grid Extender: a 15-1/2" extension grate that attaches to a WSM cooking grate to increase cooking capacity. In this instance, the grid extender is used to elevate the pizza stone. See Increasing Cooking Capacity for more details on this item and how to order."[p]i, for one, prefer the design of the egg... aesthetically.[p]*you can get to the store many ways to buy meat...*[p][p]

thirdeye · December 2006

Wise One,[p]You are correct about the "Cooking Topics" section of the Weber site. Not to downplay any of the other articles on meat, but it has one of the finest series of brisket articles I have ever seen. The "Reference Topic" section is top notch also.[p]~t<html>h<html>i<html><html>r<html>d<html>e<html>y<html>e~<html><html>

Unknown · December 2006

Rick's Tropical Delight,[p]Fwiw, that is NOT a Weber site but a private site. Weber doesn't recommend anything but the author of that article who is just one handsome and charming fellow uses the BGE Grid Extender for several of the setups in the WSM including baking. Hope you enjoyed the article as most of the information will also apply to the Egg. [p]Dave

Unknown · December 2006

Old Dave,
oh, sorry about that...
i was kinda wondering about why weber didn't make a raised grid themselves.[p]my apologies and thanks for the correction.

FatDog · December 2006

Pharmeggist,
I, too, held on to my Weber kettle for a while after getting my egg. It made a great place to sift dust from lump when sorting for size. When it finally rusted out (can't actually throw away anything that may have a purpose), I got a small egg to go with the large. Now, with just me and my bride at home (the kids have grown and gone), we use the small almost exclusively. You will enjoy the addition.[p]Doc

Unknown · December 2006

Thanks to all who commented.[p]I love to see that BGE owners are passionate about their cookers. Guess I know what I am putting on me birthday wish list. Tis the season to go for a BGE.[p]Cheers and Happy New Year.
Will
[ul][li]Saucehog BBQ Sauce - The Ultimate Condiment[/ul]

Weber Bullet vs. Big Green Egg

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