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Mini vs. Small

Fireboy
Fireboy Posts: 26
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
Hello everyone!

I have had a Large now for about a month and am looking to buy another. I calmly explained to my wife that my addiction could be of a differnt sort......

Well anyway, I am thinking of a Mini or Small to complement the Large. What do you guys (and gals) think? Pros and cons. Which is more useful for you? Thanks in advance for your imput!

Love the forum and our BGE!!!

Comments

  • Fireboy
    Fireboy Posts: 26
    Sorry...input.
    I always see these mistakes AFTER I hit the post button!
  • i have a large and a mini. and am very happy with that combination. most i cook for is 3 and when my sons are not home it is just me and the mini. i did two racks of lamb ribs set up like a crown roast on the mini two weeks ago and have done 2.5 lbs of beef ribs on it. the grease was a bit of an issue but they were good.
    happy eggin
  • Get the small if you want a smoker. The mini is more of a grill. I enjoy having both, but the mini is REAL restricted as to food volume. If two people want a steak it is two cooks. There are no accessories for it, of which I am aware. It is great for chicken breasts, "sliders", hotdogs, etc. I think I'll do kabobs on mine tonight. The small is everything the large is, in a reduced size. And it is easily portable. We just smoked a small ham in ours...can't do that with a mini. By the way, we got the small first, and then the mini, and I wouldn't trade either one .
  • Avocados
    Avocados Posts: 465
    Depends on what you want to do with it.

    The mini is very small and portable but is really only good for grilling over direct heat.

    The small has a bit larger grill and more vertical space so you can use a plate setter for both indirect cooking and direct grilling. There will be more options and 3rd party add-ons available for the small ie: Grate Mates (see Naked Whiz site) and future Woo2, etc. (see Eggaccessories.com)

    It weighs more than the mini but can still be used portable with some planning.

    I have a small and it is a great compliment to my Large eggs.
  • Beanie-Bean
    Beanie-Bean Posts: 3,092
    Hi Fireboy,

    I've been an egger since October, and just recently added a SBGE:

    IMG_9260.jpg

    Still in the experimentation mode for that one. I'm still holding my dollars for the XL :)
  • aaind
    aaind Posts: 235
    I would go with the small you can do all things like the large ,I have not done pizza ,Mine was not set up right at first but now that i got that fix I can go at least 10 hrs at 225
    I love my eggs
    Dave
    http://i275.photobucket.com/albums/jj311/aaind/100_2522.jpg
    100_2522.jpg
  • I have an XL and a small - I like the small for camping trips as it is easier to move around and I can do almost all of the same cooking as the XL - mini does seem more like a grill although I do not own one.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    you will be able to cook maybe 80% of your meals on the small. it cooks for two (or a small family) really well.

    It's also portable, even if it's a bit ungainly to easily carry around. i tailgate with it, and it feeds four just fine.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • CampCook
    CampCook Posts: 157
    Sort of depends on what you want to do. We have Large, Small and Mini. The mini is quite restricted but very useful for camping and the like. Having said that, I have done rack of lamb for eight people using a staging scheme that finished four racks together following a sear of individual racks. Took some planning but it worked well. When we are on the raod in the fiver, we frequently do steaks for me and my wife on the mini. It is easy to handle and easy to cleanup so a set up for a single cook atop a picnic bench works just fine.

    I much prefer taking the small but given its weight it is a much larger problem to setup, cleanup and pack. We have an outdoor portable kitchen that works for us when we do take it along. You can see it at.
    http://www.brickner.com/db/activities/vittles/bge/campegg.html
    Dave
  • FlaPoolman
    FlaPoolman Posts: 11,676
    That is an incredible set up. Looks like alot of planning.
    happy haulin
    Pat
  • 2EggTim
    2EggTim Posts: 170
    We bought a small and I think it's the perfect companion to the large. To me, the small is just more versitile than the mini. Just depends on what your needs are.
  • Fireboy
    Fireboy Posts: 26
    Thanks for all the input!
    Well, it seems that the small has a much wider range in cooking than the mini.
    I'll cross the mini off my wishlist and add the small!!
    Good night all.
  • SSN686
    SSN686 Posts: 3,500
    Morning RVH:

    I beg to differ -- a small ham can be done on the mini. See the link for the one we did on vacation this past September.

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/archives/2007/messages/422247.htm[url][/url]

    Have a GREAT day!

       Jay

    Brandon, FL


     

  • Wow!! I don't know how you do it.

    I got my large back in October. With all of the accessories, I have acquired since I can't imagine my wife allowing me to get anything especially not another EGG.

    I am hoping that she might be warmed up by the time EGGtoberfest comes around again.

    With that said, I think I will be going with the small. The mini looks cool and seems to be more portable, but seems to lack some of the features that make the EGG so cool.

    Greg
  • Rollocks
    Rollocks Posts: 570
    I've got a small and an XL. The small behaves much like the XL I just did my first low and slow overnighter on the small. Took 20 hours and had plenty of lump left.
  • Fireboy
    Fireboy Posts: 26
    I think that there is a definate "coolness" factor with the Mini. But at the end of the day, I think that the Small may be a more useful tool.

    Oh, I am also considering a Stoker, which again would be more useful with the Small.

    Thanks for all the help!
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    20 hours on the small is the most i have heard about. that's pretty impressive. i did maybe 7. had lump left, but was nervous about going much longer. since it was spares, i didn't need to go overnight. good to know it's possible.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Well, I can't argue with success. That looks really good. We very much enjoy our mini, but I would not have thought to try a ham in one...shows what I know!