Need Some Advice Please.

gmac

I have a large and wish I had bought an XL instead.  That said, the Large has done some pretty good sized cooks.  The only difference I could foresee based on no experience with the XL is that you'd need a bit more charcoal and maybe take a touch longer to get temps stable because of the extra mass but other than that I can't envision any difference.

I don't believe that it would be any harder to get used to an XL than a L.  Seems like you're doing your homework so I am going to assume you'd do fine with either.  If it's just you and the Mrs., large is likely enough but if you have a big family or entertain a lot than the XL might be the way to go.  I have 4 kids and we entertain at least a couple times a month in the summer so that's why I'd go XL now but having said that, I can do most anything I need to on the Large so far.

Good luck and be sure to post pics of the finished project!!!

SGH

They do not cook identical. None of them do. But if you can cook on one of them then you can cook on any of them as they are very similar. Not identical but similar. Go for it my friend.

westernbbq

the first one I got was the XL, and then a year later got the L.  the L gets used more often (smaller firebox, more contained fire, smaller meals just for family)  BUT the fire concentration problem is resolved on XL with firebox metal insert (lots available but I am a loyal customer of Ceramic Grill Store).  If you do long low and slow cooks (let's say 18-24 hours), then the XL will be the one you won't add fuel to because it simply holds more charcoal.  I seem to be able to get hotter fires for pizza making in the XL as well- and higher temperatures in XL for searing steak or ahi tuna on cast iron grill grate.  I think this is due to improved design, more capacity to hold larger volume of fuel and more better air circulation than the Large.   

 

On long cooks on the Large, I've had to remove everything to add charcoal keep a long-time low and slow cook going. 

On an XL, you definitely have room to cook more items at once, so an entire meal can be prepped without taking turns cooking as one would need to do on a Large. 

Lastly, if you want to make a whole king salmon, (especially for presentation purposes) or a whole brisket, most will fit on an XL grid whereas you'd have to trim one up to fit on the Large.

 

I am not anti large but having the Large and the XL definitely have shown me advantages and disadvantages of having just one of them. If only one of these two were the option i'd be facing, after having cooked on them for almost two years now, the XL would be the way to go.

 

I want the XXL!

Good luck

SJ21XDC

westernbbq said:

the first one I got was the XL, and then a year later got the L.  the L gets used more often (smaller firebox, more contained fire, smaller meals just for family)  BUT the fire concentration problem is resolved on XL with firebox metal insert (lots available but I am a loyal customer of Ceramic Grill Store).  If you do long low and slow cooks (let's say 18-24 hours), then the XL will be the one you won't add fuel to because it simply holds more charcoal.  I seem to be able to get hotter fires for pizza making in the XL as well- and higher temperatures in XL for searing steak or ahi tuna on cast iron grill grate.  I think this is due to improved design, more capacity to hold larger volume of fuel and more better air circulation than the Large.   

 

On long cooks on the Large, I've had to remove everything to add charcoal keep a long-time low and slow cook going. 

On an XL, you definitely have room to cook more items at once, so an entire meal can be prepped without taking turns cooking as one would need to do on a Large. 

Lastly, if you want to make a whole king salmon, (especially for presentation purposes) or a whole brisket, most will fit on an XL grid whereas you'd have to trim one up to fit on the Large.

 

I am not anti large but having the Large and the XL definitely have shown me advantages and disadvantages of having just one of them. If only one of these two were the option i'd be facing, after having cooked on them for almost two years now, the XL would be the way to go.

 

I want the XXL!

Good luck

Thanks for the info.  I spent an hour looking at both the large and XL at a local ACE Hardware last weekend and I'm 95% sure I'm going with the XL.  I think the large would work, but since the XL will fit in the space, I can't really see any reason not to have the extra cooking area.

I spoke with my contractor and he is going to get started this Friday and I will probably purchase the XL this weekend so we can make sure everything fits properly.

I'm really getting excited about the whole Green Egg experience!

It also looks like I'm going to be learning about sous vide.  Thanks to this forum, I ordered a Demi Monday LOL!

Thanks again

grege345

@SJ21XDC‌ remember pic or it didn't happen

SJ21XDC

Gotcha!

tcampbell

Get a large are xl plus a mini for when u just want to do a couple steaks ,burgers are a few wings.You will love the mini and it takes up no room.

cortguitarman

The XL is awesome. I have no regrets about buying my XL. I'm considering a smaller egg at some point because it heats up faster for weeknight cooks. Lump consumption isn't a problem. I use Angle L Brackets die the ceramicgrillstore.com. They allow me to divide the firebox for direct and indirect cooks. It also allows me to use half the charcoal. The downside is that it takes longer to heat up all of the ceramic with less charcoal.

Also, you haven't mentioned a platesetter or some other indirect piece. You need an indirect piece for low and slows, pizzas, or other things where direct fire is no bueno. I have a platesetter. If it breaks when it is out of warranty (3 year warranty and I'm on my 3rd one) I'll get a different setup from ceramicgrillstore.

SJ21XDC

Thanks. Yes, I can see a small or mini down the road if I get the hang of this.  I will keep the dividers in mind, but I can't see the extra charcoal usage being a real concern.

I had the dealer include the cost of the platesetter in his quote, so I think I will stay with it starting out and change out later if I have problems in the future.

CheeseheadinAZ

Just go get an xl. You'll love it. I have 4 in the family. If you grill you'll want all the space it provides which is really no more than a weber kettle.

Ladeback69

I have the XL and love it. They both should cook the same, but you have to play with the vent settings to figure out what temp you want. Remember when you are getting it up to temp catch it on the way up, because to takes a while to bring it down if it gets to high. There are a lot of videos showing how to cook on the egg and a lot of good advice on this forum.