Help - large versus XL

Unknown · July 2008

I am sold on buying my first Egg and will do so in the next week or so. I can't decide which size. I have had two different pieces of advice. One (from another blog) said to buy the biggest you could afford even if you only need the larger size once/year. Oddly enough, my local dealer disagrees. (Shows how honest he is pushing the less expensive unit.) He thinks the more appropriate test is what is your most common use. His concern is that the XL will use so much more fuel for those times when I am cooking for just my family.

Here is my current use (which may increase once I get my first egg!) - I grill once a week for about 6-8 people (even if it is just my family of 4 I cook for leftovers). I do burgers or individual chicken pieces fairly often which requires a lot of grill space. Every few months I might be cooking for about 15 or so. About once a year I may have my Sunday School class over which with kids is about 60 people. For that I would smoking brisket, chicken etc.

What do you recommend? What are the disadvantages of the XL?

Michael B · July 2008

.
Unless you have a compelling reason to do otherwise, get the large.

XL capacity
Large capacity

I've had 2 - 15 pound briskets in my large.
There are people here who have had 5 pork butts in a large.
With a little planning I've kept up with 15 boys, all high school seniors, with a large.

gdenby · July 2008

This topic comes up somewhat often. From my recollection, the most common advice is that if you have the $ for an XL, its still better to buy a large and small. There have been very few people who have been unhappy with the XL. But it really is for l-a-r-g-e meals.

In fact, many people end up buying 2 or more Eggs for versatility, not quantity. Having more than 1 Egg lets you easily cook things that require different times and temperatures. It allows you to just cook as much as you need for smaller meals, but then you can expand for larger feasts.

And, as already mentioned, you can get alot of food out of a large if you are cooking pork butts, briskets, turkeys.

civil eggineer · July 2008

Your dealer gave you good honest advice. I would get the large. You can cook anything size wise and uses less lump then the XL.

I have a medium and love it.

Can cook 15 pounds of butt or brisket or steaks for 6. Usually just my wife and I so it works out perfectly for our lifestyle. Also uses less lump then the Large. :laugh:

Smokin Tiger · July 2008

I feed a family of 5 and cook for 7 at least once a week on a large. Spend some of the money you save on an adjustable rig from:

http://www.eggaccessories.com/adjustableRig.html

The capacity and flexabilty of the rig are fantastic. I almost bought an XL when I bought my large. I have never regreted buying the large.

Hope this helps.

TC

Eggin-smurff · July 2008

I have a large and a small. That's works for my wife and I. Small for just the two of us, and large for parties.

I agree with getting a large. It's the most versatile and easiest to control in the fleet. If I had to choose only one egg, it would be the large. If after using a large for some time, you feel you need more, then add another egg. You will find that many of the veteran users have more than one egg.

cigarstock · July 2008

I have an XL and have had it for approx.3 months. I have cooked 3 times a week and never filled my cooking space. A large would have been fine and I,too, cook for a lot of people. I wish I had gotten a lg and a small.
Concerning fuel use, I find I am using a whole lot less than I did with my weber. For instance, Saturday I did 5 slabs of baby back ribs for 5 hours. When I opened yesterday to do my Atomic Buffalo Turds, vidalia onions, then my steaks.....I still had what looked like ALL my charcoal. Good luck. The people on this forum have beena huge help to me

ewillie · July 2008

I'm a newbie have had my Large BGE for just a week. I had 10 large chicken breasts on it Saturday, and then did several pounds of kielbasa.

I think a large would be fine, but I'll defer to the more experienced group.

Let us know what you get. Erik

mattm · July 2008

I just bought an XL a month ago...Then I bought a Medium a few weeks ago.

The XL can be used like a weber....put lump on one half of the grill and leave the other side empty so you have a "safety Zone" if you need it. The large, based on what you are saying you will cook for may be too small for what you need...you can consider buying a large AND a small or medium, for about the same money and have much more versatility. That is why I bought the medium....versatility.

If your budget allows, get the XL, but realize that you may want to do a brisket or two on the XL and in the meantime do some wings or pizza and for that scenario, you will need two eggs.

The XL requires additional components to do a low and slow with a drip pan...the XL plate setter legs are only about 3/4 inch and that does not allow for a drip pan without some "engineering" with foil on your part and even then, it is not an ideal set up. the large allows more flexibility in my opinion..that said, I do not own a large...just know that from reading this forum. Finally, I am ordering accessories from Tom at Egg accessories.com and those should solve my XL drip pan problem.

Bottom line...go with your gut and you will be fine...but do consider that you might be using it more than you are currently, and you may end up with 2 eggs...so if money is a factor, consider that into the equation.

OKCegger · July 2008

I have a XL and I like it. Saturday I cooked 15 lbs of spare ribs for 6.5 hrs then shut it almost all the way down for 6 hrs. At 11 pm I added about a pound of lump and cooked a brisket at 225 for 18 hrs until 5pm Sunday. Then I raised the temp to 350, cooked 16 hot links and about 2 foot of sausage. After that I closed the vent and put the rain cap on. I just went out to get the XL ready for a popper cook tomorrow night. After stirring the ashes down it took no more than 2 lbs of lump to fill it up. That being said I argee with everbody that 2 eggs would be better than one. My brother-in-law has a large, he loves his. I think what ever you get you will be happy!

Here's to good cookin

Pat

Unknown · July 2008

Thanks so much guys for the great advice! Two weeks ago I had only heard about the BGE but didn't know ANYthing about it. Now I feel like a part of a community, and I haven't even bought mine yet!

I was definitely leaning toward the XL, but after reading suggestions on here I will most likely start with the large and then, if need be, add a second egg. But I am still thinking about it, and as someone posted - it sounds like I really can't go wrong.

Eggamuffin · July 2008

Although I am new to the forum, I have used BGEs for 15 years. I have a XL and a L and I wish I had a small or medium. I truly believe you will be happy with whichever size you decide on. The XL is handy at Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. but it costs more on the front end, takes up more real estate, takes more fuel, requires two or three "starters" to get it going, and, it seems to me, responds more slowly (which could be a good thing). Unless you are going to be doing turkeys for all of your friends at Thanksgiving, I suggest you give thought to buying a L and aplying the extra cash to either some nice eggcessories or a small to compliment the large. It really is nice to have two units.

Hope this helps.

Eggamuffin

[Deleted User] · July 2008

I love my Large... the XL probably would use more fuel... The one eggcessory I would get with a large is the 2" fire ring to complement the 4" fire ring that comes with it... for thanksgiving turkey, the extra 2" of headroom using the 2" fire ring will come in handy... especially with a vertical turkey roaster... vertical roasting ROCKS!

Celtic Wolf · July 2008

I actually own both..

I am one of those people who have cooked 5+ butts on one large. In fact it was 18 butts on 3 large Eggs. That would easily handle the 60 people.

Lets bring this even further. I did a pig pickin' a few weeks ago for 100+ people. While I did not cook the pig on my eggs I did cook about 15+ pounds of chicken breast and 4 pound of hot dog on a large eggs.

When my family decides to get together and make me cook there are 20 people there. One of my large eggs sees the smoke.

My XL gets used to cook the really big stuff or if I find I need to double the capacity on a single egg.

Around my house my small gets the most use because I am mainly cooking for me.

I won't even go into the fuel consumption of the Large vs. the XL.

Bottom line: Get a Large.. If you can afford it get a small too.

Mahi-Mahi · July 2008

I would buy the XL. Especially if you like to grill. I use the kit for eggaccesories with the hanger and flip ring and grate. Take a look at this site if you get a XL.
Everyone here says to get two eggs but do you really want two on your patio.
Do you like to cook your ribs flat doing three to six at a time.
Do you like to spread your food out and be able to move it around when grilling?
I have cooked seven boston butts at one time and I freeze the ones I have left over. That way you are not cooking 16 hours for just two or three boston butts.
I do not like my food near the edges getting burnt when cooking indirect.
I know a lot of people that have two large gas grills that would equal four large eggs but everyone things you want only one large egg on here.
In my case I grilling more fish and trying to eat more healthy. I want all my fish off at one time becasue it does not taste good cold or dried out and does keep warm well. I want a lot of space on the grate so I can cook all my hamburgers at one time and take it off all at the same time.
If time or convience is important and not money I would get a XL.

Celtic Wolf · July 2008

200 pounds in one egg versus 235 pounds (140 for a large, 95 for the small) in two eggs. Not a whole lot of difference there, except the 200 pound XL is concentrated in a smaller space.

How much fish do you eat at one sitting that you can not cook all your fish at the same time on a large?

I can cook 3-6 racks of ribs flat or six butts at the same time on my large. Never really burnt anything near the edge.

How this for spread out

Now I do cooks like this on my small.

Those people have the huge gassers don't really use all that space. In most cases a large is all they really need.

Your argument is getting better though

Broc · July 2008

I just love my Medium --

This coming weekend, I'm cooking for 36. Then, July 26th, I'm cooking for 80. My largest cook was for 150.

Now -- they say confession is good for the soul -- so let it be known to all Nations, Kindreds and Tongues, that my large cooks are "meat only," as others have provided sides.

Also, they all were various roasts [like full pork loin, tri-tip] which can be HDfoiled, wrapped in towels and placed in coolers, while more cook -- all served hot at the same time.

My humile opinion -- unless you're regularly cooking for an army, a Large is... uh... plenty large. I'd love to have one. But I wouldn't surrender my Medium!

~ B

Help - large versus XL

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