Will a BGE replace my Weber grill? What size egg?

bpric · July 2010

Hi all,

I've been cooking on a gas Weber for years, and now I'm looking to buy a BGE. I usually cook pork and chicken, sometimes seafood, never beef. Baby back ribs and cedar planked salmon are favorites as are pizzas and flatbreads, and I'll often throw on chicken chicken breasts if I'm looking to do something quick-and-easy.
I've got limited space on my deck, so if I won't be needing the Weber, then I can set up a nice egg-table. Otherwise, I'll just get an egg/nest setup.

Second question - What Size?
I'll typically cook six racks of ribs when I've got friends over, but occasionally I'll do nine. I know that stacks/racks are involved, but I don't really know if I'll need the XL or will a Large be adequate?

Any input is appreciated.

Cheers,
Bryan

BENTE · July 2010

the answer to question number one is yes it will replace your gasser. it will also replace your oven in your house if you use it right..

i have two large's and a small. my first egg was a large you want a egg large enough for thanksgiving turkey.. trust me if you have one large enough to do your turkey on you will never regrett it.. but a word of caution if you don't host thanksgiving dont offer to bring a bird you will be stuck bringing it forever. i actually had to take my egg to my dads house twice a year for a few years cause i made a better bird

your size will depend on your needs.. most get a large but some do buy the other sizes

HTH

welcome to the forum

Florida Grillin Girl · July 2010

The overwhelming response to this question is to get the large. Yes, it will completely replace your Weber. Try to get to an eggfest and buy a demo egg at a discounted price.

Welcome to the forum. You will love cooking on the Big Green Egg.

Faith

crghc98 · July 2010

on my large I do 6 racks of BBacks on the homemade two tier grid I have...I'm sure I could get to 9 if I used a rib rack on one of the levels.

[Deleted User] · July 2010

On my Large, using rib rack I frequently do 6 racks of Babybacks. More than that is doable but would take a bit of creativity.

I know others here do it.

Boss Hogg · July 2010

Bryan, If you can, get a large. There are lots of aftermarket accessories that will add tons of versatility to your grill. You can trick it out with special racks, drip pans, etc. Check out ceramicgrillstore.com I almost never use my Weber anymore, except to set my hot platesetter on!!
Brian
PS-You spelled your name wrong :woohoo:

troutman · July 2010

Great idea, you should buy a large BGE.

Here is what I would do if I could start over:

Large BGE
Adjustable rig and spider from www.ceramicgrillstore.com
Pizza stone from BGE - cover with foil to use as a heat barrier INSTEAD of buying a platesetter
Thermapen

You will love it. I now have a Large and a Small, and...

Good luck.

Little Steven · July 2010

bpric,

I would have a look at the new style XL. It has a rounder dome geometry and will allow for more accessories in time. That or the large which has all the stuff available now. I don't own a gasser anymore but have a few eggs.

Steve

Pharmer · July 2010

I am going to dissent, having both a Weber and a large BGE sitting on my deck, and say NO, it won't replace your Weber ... Compliment? Yes. Replace? No.

The BGE is great provided you have the 30 to 45 minutes to light and calibrate your BGE and to have the lump burn clean before cooking. If you are like me and have a family, a >40 hour-per-week job, and little time for the above on an average weekday, you still need the gasser to grill a fast meal.

The BGE is fantastic for longer cooks or high-temp searing if time permits and accessories are available.

Keep the Weber as well.

sharhamm · July 2010

Started off with the medium, then along came Mini, then Large.
The Weber, which I loved and really thought I cooked good on, sat around unused. If you think you food really tasted good on your Weber, wait until you get your Egg. You'll think you've died and gone to heaven! Oldest daughter is now the proud owner of our Weber and is loving it over her old CharBroil.
I'd recommend a Large, then the others.

Frobozz · July 2010

First of all, people here are generally so enthusiastic that they'll tell you the Egg will replace your *car* if you ask.

The Egg is no gasser. Gassers heat up faster and I think they're better at grilling a whole lot of food, although the Egg can be set up to do a lot. But the Egg is far more versatile, is a much better smoker and makes better-tasting food, IMHO.

To start your Egg fires quickly, buy a $20 propane torch and go to town. You can get an Egg to grilling temps in 15 minutes or less this way.

cookingdude555 · July 2010

Why replace the Weber? Webers are great. It sounds like you have a space constraint, so I can understand replacing it. You might have a capacity issue based on how much you are cooking, so you may want to get the XL.

I just recently acquired more eggs than I have Webers (only one Weber gasser, that is the least used), but I would never dream of letting my Webers go. They are not eggs, I know this, but they have their place.

Enjoy your Weber with your egg if you can. As an owner and user of both brands, if I HAD to let one go, it probably would be a black one, and not a green one. Good thing that scenario has not come up yet. Good luck and enjoy your cooking either way.

Phrettbender · July 2010

I've had/have jut about every type of cooker there is and recently got an egg. Have not done BBQ on it yet, but it easily outshines the kettle and gasser in most situations but time is a sacrifice. Just like my pellet grill, the egg will have it's place in cooking, but if you want to cook some burgers or a few steaks the ease and efficincy of the gasser can't be beat and the kettle gives you the same, unless you want to sear the steaks at 600 degrees and get some Ruth's Chris style food at a fraction of the price. If you don't cook outside allot and just want excellent quality food the egg can replace a gasser as your only cooker, but if you cook outside often and like things quick and easy the egg may not be the best choice as the only cooker.

NCSU-Q · July 2010

I agree with some of the others here. I work 40+ per week and have a family with 2 young boys that are hungry when I get home from work. I need to be able to get food prepped, cooked and on the table in 20-30 minutes from when I set foot in the door.
Essentially, my Weber gasser is my weeknight "need it cooked, and need it fast" cooker. My BGE is my relax on the weekend, take my time cooker. I personally would not want to do without either one and think that they compliment each other nicely.

P.S. I have a large, but if i had it to do over, I would go with the XL. I don't "need" it very often, but the extra space would be nice to have at times.

If the cost difference is not a killer for you, go with the XL in a nest and keep the Weber.

Really, only you can decide what is right for you and how you typically cook.

deepsouth · July 2010

chiming in to say, yes, get a large!

SGT BBQ · July 2010

Weber may be quicker but nothing taste better than food cooked over wood. I would buy the large egg. I havent used my Weber in two years. But with that bein said the Weber is still a good grill.

Sundazes · July 2010

I have a Weber Summit gasser. I loved it and believed I mastered it. Then the birthday gods delivered a BGE. First it was a med. Then several months later my father in law talked to the same gods and delivered a large. So those same gods found a mini and delivered that. So now the Gasser sits.
I work a full time job, travel and have 3 young kids. I find it relaxing to egg after long hard day. I dont use the Weber. The only reason I keep it is form my wife.

Ripnem · July 2010

Steve,

Ya mean a few, few? :laugh:

redneck6497 · July 2010

I agree with some of the posts here. The gasser is better for just knocking out stuff like burgers and dogs for lots of people. I have a 3 burner TEC that I used to cook a buttload of burgers and dogs for my daughters 2nd bday party. It was 102 degrees, and messing with charcoal was just not what I wanted to be doing.

However, the next day I made a Mad Max Turkey which I wouldn't do on the TEC.

I also have a Weber kettle grill (which will work great until I can afford another egg). One day I made pizzas on the egg (for an appetizer), and then ribs on the kettle grill. The kettle grill will make fine ribs, but it won't make a pizza!

Unknown · July 2010

Mr. redneck6497,

Like yourself, I sure love my Eggs but I don't want to sell the Weber charcoal cookers short.

This is a 14" pizza going on to my hearth on my Weber kettle.

The calzones that followed.

The results of the cook.

This is some Focaccia pan bread going on my Weber.

Very tasty pan bread.

Thick and chewy crust pizza on my hearth in my WSM.

I also have pictures and methods of baking many types of bread and pizza on my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker on my page along with much Egg baking.

http://olddavespo-farm.blogspot.com/2009/06/pizza-and-calzones-on-weber-kettle.html

Dipstick

RiverFarm · July 2010

When we bought our large egg last fall we were concerned because we often used the side burner on our Blue Flame gas grill and wondered how we'd manage without it. DH likes to sauté long peppers in olive oil with garlic and serve it with provolone cheese on a roll for lunch. It's better done on the porch but the egg wasn't a good choice for that maneuver. We solved the problem by getting a Coleman one-burner propane stove. The model we got turned out coincidentally to be the same green as the egg. When we want to use it we can set it up on an egg mate et voilà. Best of both worlds.

h20egg · July 2010

Glad to see others willing to engage in the blasphemy of continuing to use a gasser! :woohoo: I don't think the gasser can do anything better than an egg, and a lot of things maybe equal. After all, there are some things that just want heat, and want it quick. The one advantage of gas is it's quick and no muss.

That said, there's some primal joy of relaxing with an egg fire start, getting it just right, even if it is for something as mundane as hot dogs.

Will a BGE replace my Weber grill? What size egg?

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