Decision Large or XL Big Green Egg

sjm1027

I have a small family but am the type that hem and haw about purchasing something. I am ready to buy my BGE in the next week and am really battling over L or XL egg. I figure this will be my only Egg and want to make sure I am making the right decision. I was thinking about the amount of lump coal, the height of the grill for making pizza... Surface area, do I really need the XL? Does anyone have a Large and wishes I got an XL? Anyone get an XL and wishes they got the L? Interested to hear the pro's and conn's
Thanks

DoubleEgger

Get the XL and don't look back. Remember when cooking indirect, your effective cooking area is the size of the platesetter. 

blasting

Welcome to the forum.  

If you're going to do full packer briskets or multiple racks of ribs etc, then an XL is better suited as your only cooker.  Yes, it can be done on a large, but sometimes you're squeezing.  I cook for two most of the time, but if I were to do it again, I would go for an XL first, and then supplement with a medium for smaller cooks.

bhedges1987

I have a large and would never see the need for a XL for my family. 

WeberWho

My large gets used way more than my XL ever will. Most cooks fit in my large 95% of the time. The XL is nice for bigger cooks. The XL is the safe bet but maybe not the most practical for smaller cooks

Hans61

only have an xl. I don't wish it was smaller, and I don't need the extra $400.00 it cost.

wouldn't trade it for anything 

BilZol

I started with an L cooking for six. Got a second one and still found I preferred more area. Got an XL and wished I would have had it from the beginning. If I could only have one it would be the XL. I still use the two L's as appropriate and am glad I have them, but I couldn't get by with just one of them for what we like to do. 

lousubcap

I would offer the following just to change it up- many figure out that while the real estate of the XL is  a great thing to have, you soon find that you want to have two different cooking styles (direct and indirect) running at around the same time.  Thus another BGE -  if you even think that would be in your future I would go with the LBGE and either a SBGE or MM for the second.  I would guess the total initial $$ outlay is fairly comparable to a XL.  I am not counting the after-market gear you would feel compelled to buy down the road.  Wherever you land you will enjoy.  FWIW-

sjm1027

lousubcap said:

I would offer the following just to change it up- many figure out that while the real estate of the XL is  a great thing to have, you soon find that you want to have two different cooking styles (direct and indirect) running at around the same time.  Thus another BGE -  if you even think that would be in your future I would go with the LBGE and either a SBGE or MM for the second.  I would guess the total initial $$ outlay is fairly comparable to a XL.  I am not counting the after-market gear you would feel compelled to buy down the road.  Wherever you land you will enjoy.  FWIW-

All great points and thanks. I feel this will be my only BGE and the rest of the cooking would be done on a Weber propane grill. This way I have a good mix. Of course it's much more than I ever thought I would spend but I think it's a great investment. The propane for a quick after work dinner but on the weekends I would use the BGE to make some special things, my new hobby sort of thing. That is my intent... I just sold my Weber smoker to go for the BGE. Felt the Weber Smoker was a boring cooker... I liked it the food was great and tasty but sort of a one trick pony. The BGE is on a different level with bread and pizza just to mention a few ideas. Looks like it would be much easier to hold a steady temp in the cold winter. I will bat this around until next Saturday and make the plunge.

lousubcap

BTW I neglected to extend the appropriate "Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey."  
And yes the BGE is an any temperature work-horse without flinching.  

tikigriller

I agree 100%. I just got my large 28 days ago. Have used the heck out of it in that time frame as people here will be able to attest to. There was a time I almost took it back for an XL as I had that option. I decided to stay with the Large, with the thought of adding a medium or a second large to it in the coming months. The desire to have TWO cooking surfaces and styles available is way to enticing for me. I already think of many things I would do for a meal on an egg if I had two of them. 

If you can swing it now, while the approval to buy is there, I would get a large and a medium, or at least a small. The more you read these threads, you will see many many of these guys and gals have 2-8 or more of these eggs and use them!!!  

Hope that helps. I am excited for you and what you are about to experience. Such an extremely cool thing to cook with!

sjm1027

lousubcap said:

BTW I neglected to extend the appropriate "Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey."  
And yes the BGE is an any temperature work-horse without flinching.  

And that's what sold me... Had a few burgers from a local dealer 2 weeks ago. Just listening to ho much he loves his got me excited. Told me he even baked a cake in it. Used different coals to keep the smoke away... But just the same, you can't do that with any other grill that I know if... And as you can see I love Green

SmokingPiney

When in doubt, go for the capacity. You never know when you might need the extra room. 

tikigriller

@sjm1027 where are you from?

Durangler

Ok ... You have a propane grill for your weekday cooking ... cool. That's great.
You have saved for a BGE ... More cool.
Get a XL and don't look back.
You can dial down your lump consumption with a couple fire bricks on the fire grate and cook high heat or low heat too. 
You can load the firebox with 10 - 15# of lump and cook low n slow for 30 hours. Back to back butts, ribs or briskets.
No need to load it up every time. You have head room to raise grids.
The firebricks allow for indirect/direct at the same time without a platesetter!
Fire bricks divide the fire grate, fire on one half, protein on the other half.
Grid space is king. Don't wish you had more grid space. Be happy you have extra grid space
You will have leftover lump most every time. Just stir and burn again.
I've done 8 - 10 hours at 300 with 1/2 a load of lump using firebricks dividing the grate. Lump consumption is not an issue.

Good luck with your decision 

SmokingPiney

I really don't understand the issue some take with lump consumption. 

An XL isn't going to burn through a noticeably larger amount of lump than a Large will, depending on the cook. 

This said, we all paid big bucks for our BGEs. Are we going to cheat ourselves out of capability based on lump consumption? 

In the grand scheme, lump is cheap. 

DynaGlide

I bought the large two weeks ago and am kind of wondering if the XL might have been a better fit . Not because I can't cook for my family but because there are some larger meats that won't fit like the big brisket I can get at restaurant Depot. Not really an issue as I won't throw  parties often , it would be nice to have the room though 

Toxarch

Had my large for 18 months. Most of my cooks are for 2 people. Only time I wish there was more grill space is when cooking for bigger parties. Like next weekend I'm cooking for 30 people. But, I have an adjustable rig so that gives a lot more room for food. I can easily do 2 packer briskets with the AR. So far I have not NEEDED more space, but there were times when a second egg would have been nice. Think I'll be adding a KJ jr very soon.

pgprescott

The formula is this, get as big as you reasonably need and can afford. If you are between XL and l and can afford the XL go for it. The second school is to buy two eggs which is the superior choice as you open up multiple cooking styles and temps. 

chuckytheegghead

XL

THEBuckeye

Large

Never once have wished I'd bought an XL. 

If you need additional cooking surface, there are eggcessories for that. 

GrateEggspectations

As others have noted, two sub-XL sizes will give you more versatility than one XL (including true dual-zone cooking when running both units). Personally, I opted for a Large and Mini Max and couldn't be happier. The thought of moving the XL alone turned me off the idea. My local dealer had also told me heat up times were very long for the XL, though I'm sure others will chime in with other perspectives on this.

For the record, my family is quite small but we host a lot of big groups. Don't forget that you can use additional racks on your Eggs. Just check out this 5 lb load of wings on the Mini Max....



....This was during a party where we cooked on municipal Large and Mini Max for a group of 20......



No no matter your choice, it will be a good one.

XLentEGG

I will fire up my XL today to smoke one solitary rack of St. Louis ribs.  I might use my lump reducing ring , I may not. but what I will do is this... I will be able to lay that whole rack of ribs out nice and flat over an 18 in. drip pan . If needed , I can cook six racks of ribs , and not have to worry about cutting them in half or standing them up in a rack.  Just my two cents worth... I love my XL.
 The pic is two baby backs on the " mid -level " 18in grill. I have 24 inches of grill below it , and another 16 inch grill for above it.

sjm1027

Durangler said:

Ok ... You have a propane grill for your weekday cooking ... cool. That's great.
You have saved for a BGE ... More cool.
Get a XL and don't look back.
You can dial down your lump consumption with a couple fire bricks on the fire grate and cook high heat or low heat too. 
You can load the firebox with 10 - 15# of lump and cook low n slow for 30 hours. Back to back butts, ribs or briskets.
No need to load it up every time. You have head room to raise grids.
The firebricks allow for indirect/direct at the same time without a platesetter!
Fire bricks divide the fire grate, fire on one half, protein on the other half.
Grid space is king. Don't wish you had more grid space. Be happy you have extra grid space
You will have leftover lump most every time. Just stir and burn again.
I've done 8 - 10 hours at 300 with 1/2 a load of lump using firebricks dividing the grate. Lump consumption is not an issue.

Good luck with your decision 


Interesting comment with the firebrick. I talked to a dealer yesterday about coal consumption and what I could do to save coal with XL. We are empty nesters and I am sure 65% of my cooking will be for 2 but we will have my daughter, her husband and other family over. We also host parties on the holidays and I just love to grill. So this brick, he told me not necessary but in my head it makes a lot of sense. How do you lay them in, flat or a teepee? I assume you need the air to get under them?

tikigriller said:

@sjm1027 where are you from?

tikigriller said:

@sjm1027 where are you from?

tikigriller said:

@sjm1027 where are you from?

sjm1027

15 minutes south of Boston

sjm1027

XLentEGG said:

I will fire up my XL today to smoke one solitary rack of St. Louis ribs.  I might use my lump reducing ring , I may not. but what I will do is this... I will be able to lay that whole rack of ribs out nice and flat over an 18 in. drip pan . If needed , I can cook six racks of ribs , and not have to worry about cutting them in half or standing them up in a rack.  Just my two cents worth... I love my XL.
 The pic is two baby backs on the " mid -level " 18in grill. I have 24 inches of grill below it , and another 16 inch grill for above it.

What's wrapped in bacon?  

XLentEGG

Jalepenos peppers , cut in half , stuffed with chedderjack and cream cheese, two or three hours at 250* depending on how you like your bacon :-)

JMCXL

I have a XL and love it, great air flow

rifrench

I started with a large, soon found I wanted to fix something quick for supper while the butt was still cooking. I bought a small for the quick cooks, and am happy. there are more accessories available for the large, at least the last time that I looked.

txhawkeye

I have had a large for nearly seven years. I am going to add a XL soon. I would have purchased the XL if I had to do it over again. But I am looking forward to having two cookers that will be the best scenario for me. 

sjm1027

XLentEGG said:

Jalepenos peppers , cut in half , stuffed with chedderjack and cream cheese, two or three hours at 250* depending on how you like your bacon :-)

Simply awesome, nice job!!!