Dry Results

jtyler

jtyler

I'm seriously debating whether to buy an LGE or XLGE. I appreciate all the help and suggestions that you all provide but someone recently mentioned an article from Cook's Illustrated that gave the Weber Smokey Mounty Cooker a better rating than the LGE. They said that the LGE had less room and produced dryer results because it didn't have a water pan. Help! Can someone tell me about dry results for an LGE and space vs. the Weber? 

terry_b

Look here - http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1151215/cook-s-illustrated-summer-grilling-issue-rates-large-bge-below-weber-smokey-mountain

Foghorn

The link from @terry_b really covers it all, but I'll pile on anyway.

I don't have a WSM, but I have worked my way up from a 22" Weber kettle with a Smokenator, to a 20" ProQ vertical water smoker (now sold under the brand name Napoleon), to an XL BGE.

It is easy enough to put a water pan in an egg, but it is not necessary.  Think of it this way.  If you want to set an egg at 250 degrees, you get it to temp and then crack the air openings at the top and bottom less than 1/4".  Very little air actually passes through the chamber relative to a smoker made of thin metal (or even 1/4" steel like my Klose).  As a result, much less humidity is escaping out the top the entire time you are cooking.  

In terms of capacity, you can do the math and see how much surface area you have to work with.  Then you can look at sites that have ways to increase your capacity like the Ceramic Grill Store and Ceramic Grillworks and see if they have something you like.

The egg and the accessories do get pricey and if that is an issue then the WSM is a fine cooker and many (probably most) of us have made some great bbq on a WSM or something like it.  But it is much more effort and as a result, much more room for error - and that leads most of us to inconsistent results relative to the consistency of the egg.

Good luck with whatever you decide... and if you go the WSM route we look forward to seeing you here in 2-3 years when you finally get the egg.

ShadowNick

Foghorn said:

The link from @terry_b really covers it all, but I'll pile on anyway.

I don't have a WSM, but I have worked my way up from a 22" Weber kettle with a Smokenator, to a 20" ProQ vertical water smoker (now sold under the brand name Napoleon), to an XL BGE.

It is easy enough to put a water pan in an egg, but it is not necessary.  Think of it this way.  If you want to set an egg at 250 degrees, you get it to temp and then crack the air openings at the top and bottom less than 1/4".  Very little air actually passes through the chamber relative to a smoker made of thin metal (or even 1/4" steel like my Klose).  As a result, much less humidity is escaping out the top the entire time you are cooking.  

In terms of capacity, you can do the math and see how much surface area you have to work with.  Then you can look at sites that have ways to increase your capacity like the Ceramic Grill Store and Ceramic Grillworks and see if they have something you like.

The egg and the accessories do get pricey and if that is an issue then the WSM is a fine cooker and many (probably most) of us have made some great bbq on a WSM or something like it.  But it is much more effort and as a result, much more room for error - and that leads most of us to inconsistent results relative to the consistency of the egg.

Good luck with whatever you decide... and if you go the WSM route we look forward to seeing you here in 2-3 years when you finally get the egg.

+1 I was about to type the same thing talking about airflow.  Thanks for saving me the effort   Just to expound a bit though, the ceramics of the BGE retain far more heat than a metal smoker, meaning far less lump needs to be lit to maintain the tempurature, which leads to far less air having to cycle through the smoker to maintain the fire, leading to the air staying very humid in the Egg mimicking the effect you get in a traditional smoker with a water pan.

My guess is the writer of the article was brought up always believing you need a water pan to get moist results, and just assumed since the BGE doesn't normally have a water pan involved, the final product would be drier.  He made no note of doing side by side test and measuring moisture loss in a controlled experiment, so it looks like the statement was made on assumption, rather than fact.

henapple

Stew, chili, pizza on a weber? Overnight with no aattention. 24 hour cook. 40 lbs pulled pork. ???

bud812

I came to BGE from a WSM and the BGE it far better for moist cooks. But the WSM is better for beer consumption as you have to watch it more to mantain temps. So i guess the WSM keeps the cook moist but not the meat. YMMV

Buckdodger

Once you get through the learning curve on how to control temps on the egg you will agree with the previous posts about why the egg is the best choice. IMHO. Never had a dry cook come off of my egg in 5 yrs.  

1cajuncook

Apples vs oranges. Mercedes vs pinto. WSM vs BGE. You can't compare the 2.

Little Steven

There is a steeper learning curve on a Weber IMHO. You have to factor in the amount of fuel, wind, ambient temp and briquette ash. I don't dis the weber and it's a great cooker for the price but the egg is a whole different thing. Using a water pan in an egg causes all sorts of problems.

td66snrf

jtyler said:

jtyler

I'm seriously debating whether to buy an LGE or XLGE. I appreciate all the help and suggestions that you all provide but someone recently mentioned an article from Cook's Illustrated that gave the Weber Smokey Mounty Cooker a better rating than the LGE. They said that the LGE had less room and produced dryer results because it didn't have a water pan. Help! Can someone tell me about dry results for an LGE and space vs. the Weber? 

What do they say on the Weber Smokey Mounty Cooker forum?

pab

I made the jump from a wsm to my LBGE and I am glad I did. I kept a log with the wsm writing down the temps every 30 minutes and there were always adjustments that needed made due to ambient weather conditions. On my first low and slow on the egg I started to do the same and quickly found it wasn't necessary. I like them both, but there is no contest, the egg wins hands down. Still have the wsm in the garage

QDude

bud812 said:

I came to BGE from a WSM and the BGE it far better for moist cooks. But the WSM is better for beer consumption as you have to watch it more to mantain temps. So i guess the WSM keeps the cook moist but not the meat. YMMV

Same here.  Had two WSM's before I bought my XL. Couldn't be happier with the XL  The WSM does a good job but is so much tougher to maintain temps.  It is also limited in what it can cook.  It won't do normal grilling (burgers, dogs, chicken) easily and high heat cooks, like pizza, can't be done on the WSM.  I loved my WSM but the Egg is superior in every way.

QDude

In case you end up with a WSM, the WSM does not need water in the pan either to make moist food.

buzd504

bud812 said:

I came to BGE from a WSM and the BGE it far better for moist cooks. But the WSM is better for beer consumption as you have to watch it more to mantain temps. So i guess the WSM keeps the cook moist but not the meat. YMMV

This is easily addressed by closing the bottom vent a small amount to allow the chef address any moisture issues for a longer period of time during the cook.

grussem

I have never used a water pan with my large BGE and have never had dry food.

SmokinDAWG82

I have a WSM and MY LBGE Loved the WSM but hardly ever use it anymore. I'd go Egg if I were you

SWVABeanCounter

The dry food I've had on my egg was the result of operator error and not the eggs fault.  Temp control is so easy, that I've went to do something else, got distracted and let some food stay on longer than was necessary and overcooked it.

jtyler

Thank you ALL very much; your comments are a HUGE help!!!

I would rather pay the extra money for a far superior product like the LBGE and I'll continue to march (saving dollars) toward purchasing the LBGE.

QDude

You won't regret it!!!

SWVABeanCounter

You may find the egg will pay for itself.  We eat out so infrequently now that I'm sure the break even was less than a year.