Egghead Wannabe.

dcolhoun

I have been looking at Big Green Eggs for many years. I have just retired and am going to treat myself and buy one. There only 2 of us and I know a Medium would be large enough for us for 90% of the time! but worry about the other 10% when entertaining or family dinners. Anyone out there that has bought a medium and regretted not going for the large? Any comments on this from anyone? Thanks.

NDG

I have a large but I bought my parents a medium.  They really like it.  Nice vessel to cook a protein or a side for two on a weeknight.    

Personally, I feel as though cooking on the large is easier. Especially if your goal is to get many add-ons (woo for raised direct, wok, grid extender, etc) because I feel like the add-ons for a medium are not as user friendly.  Maybe this is just me, but I feel they make the temperature adjust quicker when swapping one in for another (ex: reverse sear).  Maybe that just my lack of experience on the medium? not sure. 

Also, I like to have numerous things going at once (ex: potato / chicken / corn on the cob) and would not be happy with a medium.  The large is a beast and for a little extra $ it can handle everything.  Here is a shot of my large with the woo (raised direct), then the factory grate, then my grid extender on top . . . sooooo roomy you can use it as a bunk bed for the kids!

stemc33

I had the same dilemma last year. Pretty much the same scenario. After reading several post, I was still undecided when I actually went to get my egg. So when I got to the store I lifted each lid and quickly decided to get the large. Indecision can just eat a guy up. I am 100% satisfied with the LBGE. The extra space is nice. Go with the large.

NPHuskerFL

+1 LBGE would be the most versatile given your family size and occasional entertaining of guests.

boboegg

I started with a medium, and within a year traded up to a large. While there are only 2 of us, cooking for guests or adding a second course was difficult on the Medium. I don't see much difference in charcoal consumption, heat-up time, or space on the deck. Doing things with a raised grate like pizza is easier too. Large all the way!

gdenby

Its a hard choice.

I started w. a medium. I went w. it because I was daunted by the price of a large, and the dealer gave me a break on a medium.

It was fine most of the time for my wife and I and the three kids we still had at home. Was kind of difficult to manage a birthday dinner for 12 for one of my daughters, so after 2 years, bought another medium. Both were used a lot for a few years, but once the kids moved away, there isn't a lot of need except at big holiday meals. A single medium can sear lots of steak, or make enough PP for 8 w/o any problem. The main use for both is when I want 2 different cooking environments. Last Christmas, I did a turkey breast "porchetta" on one, while the other was used to sear wing sections that had been SV'd for 8 hours. To get 2 different cooking environments, lots of people go w. a Large-small combo. Perhaps a medium-small combo would work for you.

tksmoke

@dcolhoun - Welcome to insanity central!!  If you search the forum, you will find a great number of threads detailing the agonizing choice of Egg size.  The choice of size is a personal thing and can be affected by a number of factor, including finances, space, etc.  One gem of advice is this: forget your preconceived notions about the BGE.  Buy the largest size you can afford and space will allow.  You will virtually never hear anyone say - darn, I wish I'd bought a medium instead of an XL.  However the opposite sentiment is expressed frequently.  A lot of folks here have multiple eggs.  There is a justification for that in some cases.  Sometimes it is because their initial purchase was too small for all the uses they found for the egg.  I'm sort of a gadget guy, and like having nice things.  I'm thinking about buying a smaller egg now, but it is very hard for the Vulcan in me to rationalize that choice.  The XL does everything.  If you are thinking one egg now (and realize that may change), make it the largest you can afford.  That way you won't be bemoaning the fact you can't cook this or that because you don't have enough grill space.  On the XL, you can do it all - racks of ribs or brisket, along with vegetables at the same time. 

You will love whatever you end up with - but will you want more???  That is the issue here.

JerkChicken

GET THE LARGE

Fred19Flintstone

Welcome! Go with the large. There are way more accessories and more room for entertaining. You can cook turkeys in a large, but I don't know if one would fit in a medium.

fishlessman

i would get the large,pass on the platesetter, and buy the adjustable rig combo from the ceramic grill store. its a really well thought out system and there isnt alot you cant do with that setup unless your trying to feed a hundred people. you could get by with the medium but the accessories arent as many, you could even get by with a mini cooking for two but your limiting what you can cook
)

RAC

Welcome aboard! I would go with the large for sure.

BYS1981

I have an XL and a medium, I had the medium for 2 years before buying the XL. At the time of purchase, I couldn't get past the price of an XL or L. I ended up buying the XL because I now have 3 children, instead of only my son, and I found that during parties the extra space was a great plus. The only cook I found awkward space wise was a full packer brisket, ribs can be cut in half, chicken no worries, turkeys, steaks, etc all fit easily on the medium.

Entertaining was surely possible with a medium, but the extra space makes it a bit easier on my XL. It isn't REQUIRED tho.

I still regularly use my medium, and I think it gets a bad wrap.

RollTideRob

I have a large and a medium. It's also just me and the wife and I use the large more than the medium. You won't regret going with the large.

Jackh

There is only two of us bought a large. Then bought a small use both of them

stevesails

fishlessman said:

i would get the large,pass on the platesetter, and buy the adjustable rig combo from the ceramic grill store. its a really well thought out system and there isnt alot you cant do with that setup unless your trying to feed a hundred people. you could get by with the medium but the accessories arent as many, you could even get by with a mini cooking for two but your limiting what you can cook
)

I have and XL. and I don't regret it, but if I was starting over, I would do this.

ads75

I originally wanted a medium, went large instead. No regrets. Medium would be fine 90% of the time. But I really like that other 10% of the time.

xiphoid007

I have a large and love it. You can always grill less on a set surface, but you can never grill more than u can fit. The only benefit of the medium in my mind is less money up front. If it's a choice between medium egg or no egg, that's one thing. Otherwise I'd say go with the large. The egg is so efficient with charcoal, I don't see it wasting much in the way with heat.

Also, if I were to do again, I would skip the platesetter and get the AR combo as others have said. More versatile and inceasea your cooking space for ribs, brisket, butt, etc.

I also recommend building your own table. If u have even modest skills you can make it happen, its fun, and you'll have an awesome table to look at for years. There are tons of plans available on this forum.

Good luck and happy retirement!

r8rs4lf

I had the same problem as you when I first looked into purchasing an egg. There are just three of us in the house, but a lot more extended family that frequently get together for holidays, etc.

I ended up leaving the store with a large. Made it halfway home and turned back around for an XL. Never regretted purchasing the XL. Along with the AR, Woo, CI grid, etc. it has served me well.

As time went by I realized for 'during the week' cooks, the XL was a bit much for just us three. 

My wife ended up purchasing the Vision Kub for me for father's day a few years ago. Got the Woo ring and pizza stone for it and it definitely has put in some work. It's great for searing steaks and cooking wings just for us. The only drawback for me was that if we were having steaks, I had to do one at a time. The really good thing about it is it's very mobile. I can take it camping or wherever I go.

Just a few weeks ago I purchased a medium as well. Got the Woo, (2) pizza stones, and CI grid. I've been using the medium more than anything now. Just this past week I used it 5 days. The medium doesn't have all the bells and whistles available from the CGS like the large, but it works for us.

I found that by purchasing "bigger", there are no regrets. How does the saying go, it's better to have more and not need than to need more and not have? Something like that. 

Everyones needs are different and we all buy what is better for us. If you have a rather large extended family and expect them to eat at your home often with out having to transport the egg, I would definitely recommend the XL. If the XL is too pricey, then get the L and you could always get the Maxx when it comes out.

dcolhoun

Thanks everyone. Those are all great comments. The local dealer doesn't have any large in stock but I have now decided to wait. Cheers. dcolhoun

SWVABeanCounter

+1 on the large.

+1 on building your own table.  My woodworking skills suck, but I'm still proud of my table.

I did build this myself.

Monty77

Large all the way, plenty of options and room to cook just about anything!  

Enjoy your new toy whatever you choose though!  

tksmoke

@dcolhoun - It is now eggfest season.  At eggfests typically there are brand new egg used just for the day, that are sold at a reasonable discount.  See if there are any coming up near you.  Welcome to the madhouse...  See you are already getting a list of add-ons you "need".  Trust me, it only gets worse...

Kosko

Large!

DaveRichardson

tksmoke said:

@dcolhoun - It is now eggfest season.  At eggfests typically there are brand new egg used just for the day, that are sold at a reasonable discount.  See if there are any coming up near you.  Welcome to the madhouse...  See you are already getting a list of add-ons you "need".  Trust me, it only gets worse...

That's exactly what I did for my LBGE! Eggfests are the way to go. Check out the list of upcoming fears; they will all have options for buying demo eggs! Got mine in Haiwassee GA at the Georgia Mountain Eggfest from @egret and his crew at Hiawassee Hardware. Will probably get a Small or MiniMax next year just for traveling!

FloridaCreekIndian

Do yourself a favor and get the large. I didn't know a whole lot about eggs prior to buying one so I went cheaper and bought a medium. I found myself smoking something on the egg just about every weekend and started regretting not purchasing the large because I was limited in the amount of food I could prepare.

I have since upgraded to the large. My dad wanted an egg but the large was too big for him so he bought a large, I then traded him my medium plus a little cash to even things out. Go figure, now I want a small one!

stemc33

Here's a pic just to give you an idea. I haven't cooked on an upper deck and don't use space wisely, but here is a meal for three. I am just happy I got the large.

jllbms

Although not popular among the forum members, there are third party "lump reducers", metal rings that fit inside the L or XL, effectively limiting the burn size to the next lower size. I'm using one in the L and it's great for cooking for two.

Dave in Florida

I have a large. Only two of us here and I wished I would have went ahead and bought an XL.  But then again, we like to vacuum seal left over for easy meals at other times or for those family / friends meals. 

tksmoke

+1 on the XL if it fits the budget!! It's so easy to fit everything, and don't need to use different fire grates, the holes in newer Xl's are large enuf that clogging isn't a problem. I also mainly cook for 2 here, but even cooking a full dinner for 2 would be a challenge on even a large. And you never would wish you had bought a XYZ. If you plan to only have one, for my money it would be the XL.

Jeffroe189

Large for sure. They make tons of accessories and add ons for the large. Plus I see the added width being a plus when doing ribs or any larger cut of meat.