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BGE - grilling vs other grills?

Petie
Petie Posts: 29
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
First post - not an owner - yet! Really tempted by the Egg. Had a Weber kettle for years then a gasser for the last 8 years. Want to go back to a charcoal grill. I am no real cook. I mainly cook steaks, burgers, BBQ grilled chicken, brats and such. Have not tried much else. There are just the 2 of us and sometimes my son and girl friend. Of course struggling with the decision of size - medium or large - leaning large.

My real question - and a tough one to ask this crowd as you all are just a little biased!! For someone who does virtually nothing but grilling, is the Egg a wise choice versus a conventional kettle? For about triple the price of a nice Weber package, I just have to question the purchase. I have read nothing but positives here but have read some complaints on the Egg's grilling capabilities elsewhere. Seems to be no doubt about the Egg's qualities as a smoker or slow cooker. Oh sure, an Egg owner will probably start experimenting but not sure that describes me. Ok, pizza experiments sure sound like a great idea :) . So, focusing on grilling only, is this a wise choice?
Thanks.
Pete in Louisiana
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Comments

  • I was also basically a griller...burgers, steaks, chicken. However, when I purchased my first BGE, I was thrown into this world of cooking I never even dreamed of. I am glad I did, and you will too. Bought my 1st egg, XL, then added a Lge. Am now considering a small, for traveling, and for smaller cooks. You don't need to wait any longer, esp if you like to grill out.
  • Eggscriber
    Eggscriber Posts: 276
    Hopefully, you can find someone locally, maybe somebody on the forum, to show you their egg. Of course, since I now have three eggs, I think that they are phenomenal. As the other poster says, your grilling will evolve into roasting, baking and smoking on the egg. If you are toen between charcoal cooking on a metal kettle versus a ceramic cooker, I can't comment. Where I live, it gets darned cold in the winter, and a metal kettle will not hold the heat for long cooks. The egg has so much mass, and is so well insulated, that it holds its temp very well for long cooks. I love grilling on the egg because of the flavor and the consistant high temp that you can achieve. The only issue is that it takes a little while to get a bed of red-hot coals that will give you that perfect char on your steak or breasts. Find a local person with an egg and get a demo. You'll be sold!
  • You are headed in the right direction in considering an Egg. Yes the cost more than a Weber but the quality of the food is worth much more than that. No problem starting out grilling, It will get you comfortable using the Egg. Once you start smoking and baking you will never look back at that Weber. There is just no comparison to other cookers. It has a lifetime warranty and BGE stands behind there product and has a great customer service. The best part of the Egg is this forum where there are many talented and knowledgeable people to assist you with virtually any question you could come up with. I know you eat more than steaks, burgers, BBQ grilled chicken, brats so why not cook it yourself, Pulled pork and beef, BBQ ribs, Pizzas, breads, Smoked fish and much more. I recommend the large to allow you to do more as it the most popular and the most versatile. There are so many accessories available for the large. It has the capability to cook for just a few or for 20 or more. I would recommend going to an Eggfest if you have one near you to sample some of the food.
  • Where In Louisiana?
  • loco_engr
    loco_engr Posts: 5,759
    I was in your same situation before I brought my BGE Lrg last Oct. I knew from the first cook that the BGE was an entire step above what I had been using (gasser).
    More flavor and moisture was immediately event.
    Wish I had a egg 10 years ago!
    aka marysvilleksegghead
    Lrg 2008
    mini 2009
    XL 2021 (sold 8/24/23)
    Henny Youngman:
    I said to my wife, 'Where do you want to go for our anniversary?' She said, 'I want to go somewhere I've never been before.' I said, 'Try the kitchen.'
    Bob Hope: When I wake up in the morning, I don’t feel anything until noon, and then it’s time for my nap
  • Petie
    Petie Posts: 29
    Just North of Baton Rouge. Have 2 good local dealers. One that cooks samples - just have to time my visit!
  • Even if the only thing you will ever do is grill, how many metal smokers will you have to replace for the rest of your life. Buying an egg will actually save you money. Most parts have a lifetime warranty, and I would venture to say that you have not yet dealt with a company that provides better customer service, and warranty service as BGE, I know I have not.
    Pre egg I only used a pit for grilling, and I am no chef either. I now cook ribs that blow people away, have done briskets that turn out great, pizza, pork butt, pork shoulder, loin, etc.
    Food cooked on the egg is so much juicier. Chicken I do direct on a raised grid is juicier than chicken I did indirect on my old metal cooker.
    Yes we are biased, but we earned it. :laugh: Good luck in whatever decision you make.
  • Jupiter Jim
    Jupiter Jim Posts: 3,351
    Yep, what the others said and I'm now in my 4th year with the Egg and have 3 Eggs and would love to have an XL and a Small. :) Got a Lg, Med and a Mini.
    Are there really other ways????? :laugh:
    JJ

    I'm only hungry when I'm awake!

    Okeechobee FL. Winter

    West Jefferson NC Summer

  • uglydog
    uglydog Posts: 256
    Welcome, Petie. I've had my large since Memorial Day, 2009. This has been a totally new experience for me, and has led me to eggsperiment with new things to cook. Today I did some pork ribs, thanks to this forum and the recipes available here. Pre-egg, I would have never thought of doing ribs; don't think they could be done on a gasser, and certainly not as good as on the BGE. (Did I mention that they were fantastic?)Most people recommend getting a large, and I agree with that, even if you're cooking for only 2. There's plenty of good advice and encouragement here on the forum.
  • Jeffersonian
    Jeffersonian Posts: 4,244
    I've had my Egg for around eight years now, and it's completely spoiled me. I went on vacation at a lovely "cabin" (more like a 7,000 sf log mansion) in the Smokies in July with the intention of cooking two pork butts for a family dinner one night. The place had a conventional charcoal grill, not an Egg, and it was like wrestling one of the bears that visited the place at night trying to get the thing to settle at an acceptable temperature. I eventually had to stuff foil into a dozen openings in the silly thing and make a complex set of foil barriers and tents to keep the butts from scorching. It ate lump like a locomotive.

    Everything came out "okay," but man, did I ever appreciate the Egg after contending with that thing. Seriously, you can't go wrong with a BGE for smoking, barbecuing or grilling.
  • Eggscriber
    Eggscriber Posts: 276
    The other thing I forgot to mention is that you can do other things that you might not have considered. You can also use a cast iron skillet on the egg to make blackened fish or other seared seafood that my wife enjoys but will not cook in our house. You can look at my other posts from today. I cooked chocolate chip cookies and a pan of macaroni and cheese. I had already cooked some turkey wings and legs, and there was no point in heating up the oven with my egg already "on".
  • Wanabe
    Wanabe Posts: 355
    I to was in your position last year at this time. I had looked at the BGE over 10 years ago and didn't buy because of the cost.
    I now own a Mini and a LG. I regret waiting so long to buy the "egg". If I had found the forum then I probably would be a real veteran. If you love grilling and great tasting food you can't go wrong with the BGE.
  • llrickman
    llrickman Posts: 654
    I regret waiting so long to buy the "egg".

    If i had a dollar for everytime my dad has told me that id be rich

    My dad is 70 and has been a lifelong griller/smoker chef :)

    He is the reason i now have a LBGE

    He told me many times how he wishes he had found the egg sooner and how many thousands of dollars he would have saved purchasing wood smokers/grill/gassers etc...

    I made 2 pork butts yesterday put them on at 10:30pm went to bed at midnight woke up at 8 went did some shopping came home and pulled them off. Had friends over and everyone raved about the pulled pork


    Even if person had never done anything but burgers n dogs on a grill with the BGE you will be smoking and baking in no time
    a couple weeks ago i did a peach cobbler on mine
    2 LBGE
    Digi Q
    green Thermapen
    AR

    Albuquerque, NM
  • Buckethead
    Buckethead Posts: 285
    I was a 25 year Webber die hard. Now a 5 year convert to the Egg. If budget is not an issue the Egg is the way to go. You will go from just "grilling out" to having and experience everytime you light your cooker. You will find out you have more options. AND you will find out how smart you become once you own your very Egg.
  • Hey Petie, welcome to the forum, there is a lot of information that you can soak up here. I bought my BGE in June, and so far I love it. I came into the BGE from the low and slow cooking method, doing pulled pork and brisket on my weber kettle, and then my weber smokey mountain (still have and love both of those cookers). The BGE is great and does many things. I still love my other cookers as well, and they have a place. I actually bought a used weber gas grill last night for a really good price.

    The cost between a weber 22.5 kettle and a BGE is vast, and if you cant afford a BGE just yet, the weber kettle will be an excellent choice until you can. But I would recommend getting the egg when you can afford it, I dont think you will regret it.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     

    Welcome to the forum. We are not biased here.

    Hmmmmm, Oh where to start.

    First off, large without question. I have the large, medium, small and mini for the wife and I and once a month 26 other family members. I use the mini and large the most for the wife and I.

    I remember when I thought grilling, bbqing and smoking were all the same thing. That was until I had my egg for a a little while, about 3 years ago not.

    Late last fall I was at my 10 year old grandsons foot ball early game. 8 teams on the same field and we were way down on the end. The FB group always sets up cooks for dogs, burgers and such to raise money. Cooking on the egg for a while at that time I remember smelling the lighter fluid and the Kingsford briquettes starting up. It brought back good memories but made me think I sure wish I could bring my egg down and open their eyes (and taste buds) to the real world.

    I don't understand why there are not any pictures up in this post.

    You said "steaks, burgers, BBQ grilled chicken, brats and such." I would be interested to hear the complaints because I haven't had anyone say they didn't like or my steaks, burgers, grilled chicken brats were just good or not all that good.

    I am really not a very good cook compared to a lot of people on the forum. Hopefully some people will put up some burger pictures.

    Come on eggheads lets get some grillin pictures up.

    I hope you enjoy.

    I am guessing a lot of these cooks could be done on another type cooker but I have tried both and, well I guess partial.

    Brats and some extras
    bratsonionpepper.jpg

    bratsonmini.jpg

    brats.jpg

    bratstuffpepper.jpg

    Chicken
    chicken2plug3rdeyeplug.jpg

    corn1_400.jpg

    chickenwhitesau1.jpg

    chickenwhitesau2.jpg

    chicken2.jpg

    chicken3.jpg

    Some steaks, these were seared at 800° then a roast at 350° - not sure if a kettle can do that
    steak1-1.jpg

    steak2-1.jpg

    Bacon

    bbbutt4.jpg

    bbloin3.jpg

    More steak
    steak1.jpg

    Chicken & Potatoes
    chickspud2.jpg

    chickspud3.jpg

    chickspud5.jpg

    Fried some omlets
    omletpineapple.jpg

    1stcookonsmall-1.jpg

    Grilled fish
    blackncatntrout.jpg

    Can't forget chili
    chili2.jpg

    My first try at fajita's, cooked the meat directly on the lump (coals) upper left.
    Fajita.jpg

    GG
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Dont get an egg.
    Let us have all the fun.
  • NoVA Bill
    NoVA Bill Posts: 3,005
    Kent, you can send me a plate of the chilis - everything looks so good but the chili caught my eye :woohoo:
  • NoVA Bill
    NoVA Bill Posts: 3,005
    I'm not nearly as elegant an egger as most here on the forum rather I call my style heavy handed. But the food is great.

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    http://i606.photobucket.com/albums/tt146/bhohenstein/DSCN0160.jpg
  • JPF
    JPF Posts: 592
    You should really make it a point to get by there on sample day. Make sure to take your pocketbook, cause the samples will blow you over and make you take a egg home. I know it's more money than a kettle but in the long run it's well worth it. Not to mention it will become a family heirloom. Don't be surprised if soon you come to want a second one and be saying to yourself wish I had got one of these earlier in life. I had a offset and we made bbq a handful of times a month in the nice weather season, now we have 95% of all meals off of the eggs(yes eggs I have 4)year round. If anything at all take some time and surf threw this forum, their is a wealth of knowledge located on this board. Best of luck to you on your decision
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    if all you do is grill? no.

    most of us, though, buy for one reason and find ten more.
    i bought it so i could do ribs.

    pizzas, paella, wellington, turkey, ANMD the best steaks i've ever had.

    but seriously, if you truly have no desire to expand your capabilities, and try something new, stick with a weber.

    i'd never recommend a high end car to someone who only wanted to drive into town once or twice a week. i don't meant that as a criticism, just as a practical reality.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • OttawaEgg
    OttawaEgg Posts: 283
    I've grilled a few items - never had a weber, but was using the gasser.

    The most impressive thing to me was doing chicken breasts - bone in, skin ON.

    Now, whenever I did them on the gasser, the skin would stick or fall apart. Then there were those nasty flare-ups. Doing them indirect on the gasser didn't do much either, more like baking them and still the skin issue.

    I did some on my egg (I've had it since april). Skin side down first, direct heat at about 3750-375 I think. When I was ready to turn them, I had the spatula ready to scrape the skin off the grill. Guess what? No need.

    The skin was perfect, and no sticking. I just turned them over and finished cooking them. Wife thought it was the best BBQ chicken she'd ever had.
  • stike
    stike Posts: 15,597
    actually. i was wrong. you mentioned something that i used to harp about, and which i'd completely forgotten.

    flare-ups. you don't get them in the egg.

    i've done chicken raised-direct while i mowed the lawn, flipping them after maybe 20 or 30 minutes, and they were unattended (but in sight). they just don't flare up. neither will rib-eyes, which smoke and flare horribly on a gasser or even weber.

    "Petie" might be interested to learn that the oxygen in an egg is restricted to coming in through the lower vent, and is entirely consumed by the fire before the air and hot gasses enter the cooker and head out. there is no spare oxygen to create fire from dripping fat.

    only when you open the dome will there be enough free air to cause flames to come up. and when you shut the dome, they go out.

    excellent point, ottawa egg.
    ed egli avea del cul fatto trombetta -Dante
  • Petie
    Petie Posts: 29
    Dang Bill!!!! That is food picture overload. Making me hungry :) .
  • Petie
    Petie Posts: 29
    Thank you all!! The posts with the pictures are just cruel - how can anyone resist against that!! I am going back to the local dealers to look again at the Medium vs Large if I can sneak out of work a little early today.

    Have been browsing using the search function - dang you all sure have posted a lot! Has the Egg taken over your lives? Kidding.

    Pete
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    The chili is an easy cook, I used Egret's recipe which is in the forum menu section.

    GG
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
     
    Taken over our lives, no just makes bbq'n more fun and so more time is spent. Then we see/taste how much better things are and begin looking for more recipes and different cooks.

    No one has mentioned using the WOK on the egg there are some great looking cooks off of the WOK.

    Never thought I would be bbq'n pinapple, almonds or baking bread.

    abread1.jpg

    abread2.jpg

    abread3.jpg

    How about some Cioppino - I didn't do the sourdough bread on the egg but there are many eggers that have
    eggcioppinob.jpg

    GG
  • I was also basically a griller...burgers, steaks, chicken. However, when I purchased my first BGE, I was thrown into this world of cooking I never even dreamed of. I am glad I did, and you will too.
    That goes for me too.

    I was just a griller before I got my Egg (large) and now I cook all sorts of stuff. Two Saturdays ago I baked two pies, one Blueberry and one Peach. Response was so good I made them again last Saturday. I had never baked a pie before I got my Egg. All of the following I cook on the Egg but had never cooked on my gasser before: Fish, Shrimp, Ribs, Roast Beef, Leg o Lamb (bone in and boneless), Roast Beef, Roast Pork, Picnic Shoulder, Pork Butts (pulled pork), Whole Chicken, Duck, Pizza, Bread, Pies, Potatoes, asparagus, romaine, and Wokked stuff (yes, I like many others here sometimes use a Wok in my Egg)
  • Bacchus
    Bacchus Posts: 6,019
    Here ya go....

    square_smoker_grill.jpg