What size should I get?

Jeepster47

DoubleEgger said:

Jeepster47 said:

Saw this on a flashlight forum ... 

Flashlight forum? Wow. Something for everybody out there. 

@DoubleEgger ... You think we're OCD on the BGE forum ... you should peruse candlepowerforums.  I needed to replace a simple 3D Maglight, so checked it out to see what the latest options were ... wow did I disappear down the rabbit hole for a couple days.

@DuckDogDr ... are you any closer to a final decision?  I haven't seen @badinfluence check in with a comment.  You might drop him a PM and ask for a phone call.  He has owned at least one of every size egg, so should be able to give you some good advice.  Don't forget the main thing that @pgprescott (and others) pointed out ... you can go vertical for those 10% cooks.

The perfect egg size doesn't exist, which is why you'll notice that most dedicated eggers own at least two eggs.  That way they're like a 3-way light bulb ... small for small cooks, larger for larger cooks, and both for even bigger cooks. Oh yes, although it's not ideal, you can cook ahead of time and warm up for the feed.

Wolfpack

One other point for me- the money I have spent in accessories has far eclipsed the price of the grill.  If I had to buy two sets of those when something changed and I now needed more space I would have been far better off buying the XL to start. 

But you will be happy with whatever you choose- if something does change, there are accessories to help you get more food on whatever size you get.  

pgprescott

Why do you not have an XXL? Just in case things change?
 People here just love to justify their personal choices vicariously through others without regard for the OP's input as a basis, but rather their own input or criteria. Hey, whatever, I'm just saying. The large is more than enough for what he is asking for and describing. The XL is even bigger and able to cook even more food. 

DMW

pgprescott said:

Why do you not have an XXL? Just in case things change?
 People here just love to justify their personal choices vicariously through others without regard for the OP's input as a basis, but rather their own input or criteria. Hey, whatever, I'm just saying. The large is more than enough for what he is asking for and describing. The XL is even bigger and able to cook even more food. 

For the price of an XXL you can buy 3 XL's. That can't be said for XL vs Large. When the XXL was announced I was sure I would get one. When the price landed, not so much. For that kind of money I can get a fully tricked out Meadow Creek PR-72 along with an XL BGE. I have an XL BGE, but not a PR-72, but that might change soon...

DuckDogDr

I may get a large ....and a mini. I want something to travel with on my hunting trips (and be consistent with) 

being practical large would most likely fit my needs

Jupiter Jim

oldmandawg said:

I went with a large because it is just me and the wife. But there have been daze I wish I had an XL. It sounds like I need an AR. 

Yes you do need an AR for sure or another Egg!

Austin Egghead

Purchase the largest one you can afford.  You can always save up and get smaller egg for quick small cooks. 

bgebrent

DuckDogDr said:

I may get a large ....and a mini. I want something to travel with on my hunting trips (and be consistent with) 

being practical large would most likely fit my needs

You've answered your question.  Sounds like the practical answer to me.  I have  L and an XL.  The L is my everyday egg.  The XL when I have a crowd.  

Jai-Bo

Age old question.....

Folks will tell ya XL due to the wonderful belief of: I'd rather need it and have it then need it and don't.  You must break it down fer your personal needs, not the needs of everyone else.  You said you cook mainly fer yourself, so lighting up an XL fer a burger or 2 is not practicle.  The 1st egg I got was a Large.  At the time, I had a family of 5 and most cooks were purty large and I did what I needed to on mine.  I have the 3 tier grate system, and only used it a handful of times.  

Right now, I am waiting fer my dealer to get his stock of MM in and I will be buying one.  This one is mainly fer camping/boating and away from home cooks!  If I ever need overflow cooking, I will be able to use this too....  This maybe an alternative fer you too.  

Whatever you decide, you WILL NOT BE SORRY!!!  and Good Luck!

THEBuckeye

Large

WeberWho

DoubleEgger said:

Jeepster47 said:

Saw this on a flashlight forum ... 

Flashlight forum? Wow. Something for everybody out there. 

My dad is a flashlight guru and I know he's mentioned the candlepowerforum before. I just checked their forum status and it mentions  265,584 members! I guess my dad isn't the only one.

WeberWho

I use my Large 9 times out of 10 over my XL. It's nice to have the extra room with the XL but not needed majority of the time. 

pgprescott

DMW said:

pgprescott said:

Why do you not have an XXL? Just in case things change?
 People here just love to justify their personal choices vicariously through others without regard for the OP's input as a basis, but rather their own input or criteria. Hey, whatever, I'm just saying. The large is more than enough for what he is asking for and describing. The XL is even bigger and able to cook even more food. 

For the price of an XXL you can buy 3 XL's. That can't be said for XL vs Large. When the XXL was announced I was sure I would get one. When the price landed, not so much. For that kind of money I can get a fully tricked out Meadow Creek PR-72 along with an XL BGE. I have an XL BGE, but not a PR-72, but that might change soon...

It was a joke. Although it does demonstrate need or lack there of, regardless the price. 

Thatgrimguy

The XL is perfect. You will love it. Later on get a 2nd xl. Or a shirley fabrication trailer smoker

Miked125

Depends on price, an XL in Canada I was better off going with two larges if I got the XL. I decided to get a large with an AR..... awesome setup. Also you won't burn through as much charcoal.

GATraveller

For the OP needs I would suggest a large.  I have a family of 5 and feed them quite well with the grid space on a large.  There have been very few occasions where I felt I needed more real estate.  

fishlessman

DuckDogDr said:

I may get a large ....and a mini. I want something to travel with on my hunting trips (and be consistent with) 

being practical large would most likely fit my needs

just so you know, the mini is a grilling machine when cooking for two, it uses very little lump compared to the larger eggs and the savings is huge if you grill alot. you will use it more than just on trips. with the large i would skip the platesetter and buy either the woo or adjustable rig from the ceramic grill store, a spider, and pizza stone for indirect setups. this setup gives you alot of options from pizza to wok cooking, to multiple level cooking if you ever decide to use it for a big party, ive done up to 80 servings of pulled pork in one cook in a large and have seen bigger cooks

Jeepster47

WeberWho? said:

DoubleEgger said:

Jeepster47 said:

Saw this on a flashlight forum ... 

Flashlight forum? Wow. Something for everybody out there. 

My dad is a flashlight guru and I know he's mentioned the candlepowerforum before. I just checked their forum status and it mentions  265,584 members! I guess my dad isn't the only one.

@WeberWho? ... the funny thing is that they run similar to this forum.  I wanted a simple 3D Maglite ... no problem right?  Advice was, if I insisted on going old school, to purchase a Generation 2 Maglite for ~$30 ... then drop in a new and improved aftermarket LED for ~$75 ... then change out the "alkaleakers" for Lithium-Ion D-cells to the tune of ~$45.  Oops, then I'd need a charger that is gentle with the Lithium-Ion cells and maybe a backup set of batteries.

Oh yes, they argue about which size cells are best, which brand is best, etc..  Which LED brand and bin number is best.  Folks advocate for their particular tricked out flashlight ... yep, very few people there buy off the shelf and leave it alone.  Most of the effort seems geared towards "I want to" not "I have to."

If you're a bystander it's funny ...

DoubleEgger

Sounds like a troll heaven at the flashlight forum

WeberWho

Jeepster47 said:

WeberWho? said:

DoubleEgger said:

Jeepster47 said:

Saw this on a flashlight forum ... 

Flashlight forum? Wow. Something for everybody out there. 

My dad is a flashlight guru and I know he's mentioned the candlepowerforum before. I just checked their forum status and it mentions  265,584 members! I guess my dad isn't the only one.

@WeberWho? ... the funny thing is that they run similar to this forum.  I wanted a simple 3D Maglite ... no problem right?  Advice was, if I insisted on going old school, to purchase a Generation 2 Maglite for ~$30 ... then drop in a new and improved aftermarket LED for ~$75 ... then change out the "alkaleakers" for Lithium-Ion D-cells to the tune of ~$45.  Oops, then I'd need a charger that is gentle with the Lithium-Ion cells and maybe a backup set of batteries.

Oh yes, they argue about which size cells are best, which brand is best, etc..  Which LED brand and bin number is best.  Folks advocate for their particular tricked out flashlight ... yep, very few people there buy off the shelf and leave it alone.  Most of the effort seems geared towards "I want to" not "I have to."

If you're a bystander it's funny ...

@Jeepster47

Haha I know exactly what you mean. It's crazy. I think I have 5 flashlights in my house because of my dad. He will buy a new one a gift me his old one. One of his favorite gifts ever is when my sister took him to some flashlight museum. It's his hobby. Hell, I take pictures of my food and comment on other people's pictures of their food. I guess my hobby is just as strange!

dstearn

I bought the XL. You can easily set up a two zone cook on the XL plus fit a 15 lb packer without having to drape it over a rack.

JohnnyTarheel

Large is more than sufficient for you.  Add your MM for traveling and 1 or 2 person cooks

badinfluence

@jeepster47 yeah I normally don't tell people what size egg they need as there are way to many veribles involved. The original post he made I would suggest a med. egg. It has been said many times before the med eggs are my favorite sized eggs of all, and you can cook for 1 or a family on one. I'm sure he will make up the best decision for HIS needs. Any way he goes he will be happy.

Sea2Ski

Jeepster47 said:

WeberWho? said:

DoubleEgger said:

Jeepster47 said:

Saw this on a flashlight forum ... 

Flashlight forum? Wow. Something for everybody out there. 

My dad is a flashlight guru and I know he's mentioned the candlepowerforum before. I just checked their forum status and it mentions  265,584 members! I guess my dad isn't the only one.

@WeberWho? ... the funny thing is that they run similar to this forum.  I wanted a simple 3D Maglite ... no problem right?  Advice was, if I insisted on going old school, to purchase a Generation 2 Maglite for ~$30 ... then drop in a new and improved aftermarket LED for ~$75 ... then change out the "alkaleakers" for Lithium-Ion D-cells to the tune of ~$45.  Oops, then I'd need a charger that is gentle with the Lithium-Ion cells and maybe a backup set of batteries.

Oh yes, they argue about which size cells are best, which brand is best, etc..  Which LED brand and bin number is best.  Folks advocate for their particular tricked out flashlight ... yep, very few people there buy off the shelf and leave it alone.  Most of the effort seems geared towards "I want to" not "I have to."

If you're a bystander it's funny ...

They shed a lot of light on the topic, huh?      Sorry - I had to....


OP - Only you have enough information to make a well educated, informed decision.  Only you know the answers to all the questions and considerations that really need to be made in order to choose the "perfect size" egg for you.

However, because because you asked, everyone will provide an answer based on everything they take into consideration. This is normal, human behavior.

First I will answer objectively and take nothing else into consideration other than what was in your original post:

@DuckDogDr said:

About to get my first egg shortly. Debating between a large or XL . I cook mainly for myself 90% of the time.. Steak, hamburgers, chicken breasts etc... But when I cook for others I do it big.. 2-3 slabs of ribs , Boston butts etc.. Several bags of wings

Objective answer: You can do all that with no problem with with one rack in a large.

Available options from this point vary greatly. One you may want to consider: If you find yourself needing more space, go vertical with multiple racks as someone stated above.  If after a year or two you still need more space, get a second large and use the interchangeable accessories. That will also give the option of cooking at the same or different temperatures which provides flexibility for your cooks. Or you can get a different sized egg - as I said, there are a lot of options at this point.

Now if you provided other factors to be considered, I (we) might come up with a different answer.

However, a large is my recommendation based on what you asked and the information you provided. 

Regardless, use my answer as you wish. Use it, consider it, or throw it away.

However you choose to proceed, you will not go wrong. That is one thing that we will all probably agree on. Just choose soon, visit here often, and post cooks with pictures!

cookingdude555

I have the XL, L, M, S, Mi.  The mini is sitting in the shed, the small sits unused.  The Large doesnt have a gasket so I just dont use it anymore.  For me, the medium and XL are the best.  I disagree with the large and small combo so many advocate.  The medium is so versatile, and is still a lump miser.  The XL is just the bomb.  But look back at my posts over history, I used to say how awesome the large and small were before I got the medium and the XL.  My point is that no matter how many eggs I have, I basically use two of them, and the rest stay dormant.  I would recommend getting the largest you can afford, and then a medium, or if you need to go smaller, the mini max.

Thatgrimguy

cookingdude555 said:

 I would recommend getting the largest you can afford

Unless you can afford the xxl. That one is stupid for the money it costs.

fishlessman

cookingdude555 said:

I have the XL, L, M, S, Mi.  The mini is sitting in the shed, the small sits unused.  The Large doesnt have a gasket so I just dont use it anymore.  For me, the medium and XL are the best.  I disagree with the large and small combo so many advocate.  The medium is so versatile, and is still a lump miser.  The XL is just the bomb.  But look back at my posts over history, I used to say how awesome the large and small were before I got the medium and the XL.  My point is that no matter how many eggs I have, I basically use two of them, and the rest stay dormant.  I would recommend getting the largest you can afford, and then a medium, or if you need to go smaller, the mini max.

i used to have the large small combo, i really came to dislike the small. the small doesnt cook right and i wonder about the minimax as well with the small lower vent. i put the small at a friends camp which results in free food, spread those eggs out

Thatgrimguy

fishlessman said:

cookingdude555 said:

I have the XL, L, M, S, Mi.  The mini is sitting in the shed, the small sits unused.  The Large doesnt have a gasket so I just dont use it anymore.  For me, the medium and XL are the best.  I disagree with the large and small combo so many advocate.  The medium is so versatile, and is still a lump miser.  The XL is just the bomb.  But look back at my posts over history, I used to say how awesome the large and small were before I got the medium and the XL.  My point is that no matter how many eggs I have, I basically use two of them, and the rest stay dormant.  I would recommend getting the largest you can afford, and then a medium, or if you need to go smaller, the mini max.

i used to have the large small combo, i really came to dislike the small. the small doesnt cook right and i wonder about the minimax as well with the small lower vent. i put the small at a friends camp which results in free food, spread those eggs out

I've not had that experience. I use the snot out of my small. But I never try to do big butts in it or push it's limits because I have plenty of other cookers with more real estate.

YukonRon

I have done plenty of successful cooks on the mini. I will also tell you I have sacrificed a few cooks to the God of Stupid Egging, learning how to use it. I really, really like it, it is a great little universal cooker. I will, and have, recommended the MM to all that is interested in getting into egging. Awesome cooking tool.

lousubcap

I'm with @Thatgrimguy , based on a great recommendation from @DMW I had a high-que grate and CGS woo and stone in hand when I picked up the SBGE.  Definitely a great cooker-low and slow for 8-10 hours and can hit the high temps in no time.