Minimax or ??? I know I know many other discussion about this

mlc2013

Okay im relatively new here and I have an XL which I have started using this year and love the outcome so far. My household is my lovely wife and I. I do entertain a lot which is why I bought the XL to start. Most of the meals I make are for the 2 of us and the XL is a little big for us. I have looked at some previous threads and saw pros and cons for the MM and everything I read made sense as far as lump consumption (or lack of), ability to get up to temp fast, big enough for the 2 of us, plus I can use a second grill when Low and Slow on the other, and side dishes.
Now comes the big question;
Is the MM the only choice or is there another komato (KJ, Vision) or other type of grill I should be looking at?
I have a large 6' bakers pride gas grill (2x 3' hoods) that was my go to, and a original kettle charcoal 18" weber (I use as a portable grill)
Secondly;
Does anyone have a MM for sale? Near Long Island NY.

EggMcMic

I like my MMax. I got it more for travel but find I use it more and more at home when it is just the wife and I. I can get a couple steaks and potatoes on it without a problem. When the daughter is home I can sometimes use it, when the son is home forget it. Have to move to the large (and wish I had the XL!). I haven't had any issues with temps, have used it for low and slow as well as searing steaks. 

ColtsFan

IMO, find a Costco, wait for their Kamado Joe roadshow and buy a Joe Jr. for $400. Won't find a better deal

thetrim

Wassi's in Melbourne, FL (I know you can't benefit from this) has the Minimax for $399 all the time.

cookingdude555

I have owned every size below the XXL. I currently have a MM, and I don’t consider it a portable egg. My favorite egg is the medium. It is way more versatile and lump usage is going to be negligible, like arguing which hybrid gets the best gas mileage. But if you are set on an egg of that size, you will probably like it. 

SciAggie

Think about what you cook. When you entertain what do you cook? Is the XL loaded with ribs, pork butt, brisket, or whatever? What apps do you cook? What sides? Do you need a second egg to take care of those? 
I like the MM. When I’m cooking something on the large that takes all day, I can cook something else on the MM. I use the MM for stir fries. If I’m doing steaks on the large, I can cook sides on the MM. Some week nights I just use the MM to cook a quick meal for me and my wife. 
A lot of what I cook on the MM I could cook indoors, but I enjoy cooking outside. You have a gasser as a second cooking tool, so you might want to use that. In any case, I like having a second smaller egg. Now - MM, Mini, small, or medium - that’s wide open and your choice. 

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Tiny eggs are not my jam but you will find I am in the minority here. Lots of folks putting out good food on Mini/Minimax/Small/Medium on here. 

EGGjlmh

just get the MM, it rocks!  you will not regret it!

mlc2013

ColtsFan said:

IMO, find a Costco, wait for their Kamado Joe roadshow and buy a Joe Jr. for $400. Won't find a better deal

 For some reason Komodo Joe does not do a roadshow in the New York area  or at least it does not show on the 2018 schedule 

mlc2013

thetrim said:

Wassi's in Melbourne, FL (I know you can't benefit from this) has the Minimax for $399 all the time.

 I have not gone to my local dealer yet to see what his price is hopefully if I decide to go with the minimax he will be willing to sell at a discounted price Since I purchased an XL and a ton of accessories from him already but something tells me that means nothing in their eyes also I can’t seem to find a used one anywhere in my area 

mlc2013

cookingdude555 said:

I have owned every size below the XXL. I currently have 

  That’s exactly where my thought process started to go. I already have the Weber Grill as my portable grill do I need a mini max for the semi portability or do I just get a medium and have an excuse to build a table to hold both grills.  I have not looked to see if there any used mediums in my area maybe that’s my next step still undecided  

mlc2013

SciAggie said:

Think about what you cook. 

 Being relatively new to the Egg community  all of my cooks Have been on the larger side but have cooked things indoors that I said I should have cooked outside with that said I think the medium might be the better choice I’m going to go to my local dealer and touch and feel the different sizes and see which one speaks to me and of course to see if he’s willing to give a discount on  any of the sizes in particular 

mlc2013

 Another question to those who have owned miniMax and mediums and Xl’s how much quicker does the minimax or medium come to Temp then the XL or is it a minuscule difference?

distanceman

What is your main concern with the XL? Using too much Lump or slow to get up to temp, or both? 

I have an XL, had it for about 5 months. Most of the time I put two bricks in there and use coal on only half (family of 4--two young boys). Coming from 10 years on a Weber 22" and a year on an Akron Jr (same size as MM), I love having a cool space on the XL for grilling. I also do simple indirects (1 rack of ribs, reverse Sear Tri Tip or Prime Rib, etc) on this setup so I don't have to use additional kit. 

On using half the grill, I just got 13 cooks on a bag of RO (all grilling this go, so no low and slow). It comes up to temp in about 30 mins. Lump consumption won't compare to a MM, but I was happy with 13 cooks on a single bag. 

mlc2013

distanceman said:

What is your main concern with the XL? Using too much Lump or slow to get up to temp, or both? 

Not so concerned about lump as I am with time to come to Temp.  I just purchased some angle racks from ceramic grill store and will try using less lump in the XL see how that works out that might be the fix for now.  Although I do like the idea of having a second egg/grill to cook foods at a different time but I think I will continue to use my gas grill for that and live with only one egg for a while longer and see if I need a second  in the future. I was planning on building a table for my xL and started to think I should make a  decision on whether or not I want a second egg now so I can make a table that holds two but after more thought, I think I’ll make the table for the one egg and if in the future if I see the need for a second egg I’ll just make another table as opposed to having one real big table I can make two smaller tables that lineup next to each other 

mlc2013

 Actually that statement above may not be correct I’m no expert but I am assuming the amount of lump being used will not affect the time it takes to come to temperature I would think it has more to do with the air space so with that said using less lump in the XL will allow  A hot and a cold section but won’t necessarily allowed me to cook any faster as of now I normally light the grill and let it burn off for 30 minutes before I set it to temperature so initial start up takes anywhere from 45 min to a hour not a problem when you have cook plans but when you want to do a last-minute grill  it just takes too long sometimes I don’t have the time to wait an hour before I start to cook which is why I was looking for a n alternative weather it be a smaller egg or something else.  I know I have a gas grill but how do you go back to gas grilling after tasting what can be done on the egg. So I guess what I should Be asking is does egg mean less prep time and if so how much less approximately?

Eoin

mlc2013 said:

 Another question to those who have owned miniMax and mediums and Xl’s how much quicker does the minimax or medium come to Temp then the XL or is it a minuscule difference?

The MMX heats up more quickly because it has less thermal mass - I think much faster than my XL. Also, if just cooking small stuff, there's no issue of excess lump burning (waste). 

distanceman

@mlc2013 If time coming up to temp is your main concern, then from experience with an Akron Jr (not MM, obviously but similar)--it was 15-20 for the Jr and I'm at 25-30 on the XL using half the grill filled with charcoal. 

ksmyrl

I have a large and MiniMax. The minimax is my daily driver for a family of 4. Weeknight chicken breasts, pork chops, 5 or 6 burgers, kabobs, fish, skirt steak etc etc. I use my large just as much but mainly on the weekends. I do like having both when cooking for a crowd, the mini max is great for apps and sides for up to about 8, maybe 10 folks. I’ve used the mini max as a warming oven too. Get it going around 250 and when cooking a ton of burgers or steaks I take them off before they are completely done and stack them on the mini max. I love mine, you won’t be disappointed if you choose to go this route. 

minniemoh

I started with a L and then added a used M as my second egg. Thought two L eggs would be perfect so I sold the M. After a few months, I missed the M so much that I bought another one. Hands down my favorite egg for my family of 5. We use the mini quite often too but the M gets a very high percentage of the cooks. The M and mini are fastest to temp for me. My S is my "portable" egg when my back is feeling like I can carry it.

mlc2013

distanceman said:

@mlc2013 If time coming up to temp is your main concern, then from experience with an Akron Jr (not MM, obviously but similar)--it was 15-20 for the Jr and I'm at 25-30 on the XL using half the grill filled with charcoal. 

Thank you 

mlc2013

minniemoh said:

I started with a L and then added a used M as my second egg. Thought two L eggs would be perfect so I sold the M. After a few months, I missed the M so much that I bought another one. Hands down my favorite egg for my family of 5. We use the mini quite often too but the M gets a very high percentage of the cooks. The M and mini are fastest to temp for me. My S is my "portable" egg when my back is feeling like I can carry it.

Thanks looks like I'm leaning towards the Medium right now as well

cookingdude555

mlc2013 said:

 Another question to those who have owned miniMax and mediums and Xl’s how much quicker does the minimax or medium come to Temp then the XL or is it a minuscule difference?

I currently have all three. The medium performs the best, it’s a rocket ship. The medium has the vents of a large and xl. The MM has the vents of a small. Having owned all three, the medium beats the other two hands down on performance. 

mlc2013

I’m trying to resist and be smart and think this through, but after looking at the eggs at my local dealer today I’m thinking I might get a medium and a minimax.  So much for taking my time and seeing whether or not I need a second egg let alone a third.  I know everyone’s going to say you can never have too many eggs, but is it wrong to go from 1 to 3 overnight should I earn the other eggs or just Give in to impulse and just get them.  There should really be a warning on the store saying adult candy shop enter at your own risk or something like that.  Had my dealer offered me any type of discount I would’ve pulled the trigger right then and there but since he didn’t I’m going to scour the Internet and other distributors see if they might be inclined to swell for a little less.  So with that said anyone near Long Island New York looking to sell a used mini max or medium let me know thanks 

bgebrent

There you go.

mlc2013

bgebrent said:

There you go.

 I read another post that people on the site are really good at spending other People’s Money I apparently have no problem doing it on my own now the question is how do I get the wife’s approval.  She’s already jealous of the time I spend with the egg when I’m home versus her, but doesn’t complain when she’s eating the treasures Cooked on egg. 

SciAggie

Dude, it's your money. Consider this. If you're going to shell out that kind of money - how about a medium and a Roccbox? Instead of having three Swiss Army knives, have a Swiss Army knife and a cleaver. (I hope the analogy makes some sense).

Carolina Q

Forget eggs. Just buy a CharGriller Akorn Jr. $150, 14" grid, cooks just like an egg, weighs the same as a Mini, built in handles, travels well, lump miser, heats up quickly. Bought mine to replace my broken Mini... LOVE it!! Home Depot, Walmart, Amazon all sell them.

bgebrent

mlc2013 said:

bgebrent said:

There you go.

 I read another post that people on the site are really good at spending other People’s Money I apparently have no problem doing it on my own now the question is how do I get the wife’s approval.  She’s already jealous of the time I spend with the egg when I’m home versus her, but doesn’t complain when she’s eating the treasures Cooked on egg. 

Question answered perfectly.  Egg on brother.

mlc2013

SciAggie said:

Dude, it's your money. Consider this. If you're going to shell out that kind of money - how about a medium and a Roccbox? Instead of having three Swiss Army knives, have a Swiss Army knife and a cleaver. (I hope the analogy makes some sense).

Thanks for the suggestion as I am looking for alternative ideas unfortunately not the roccbox. A friend of mine has a roccbox I’m not a big fan, the steaks don’t come out as good and it takes a long time to get the temperature especially in the winter months here in LI NY. Plus when using wood it burns pretty fast at high temps and is hard to control if multi tasking ie. using 2 grills at once. I’m not a big pizza maker so there’s that as well. 

Carolina Q

mlc2013 said:

Now comes the big question;
Is the MM the only choice or is there another komato (KJ, Vision) or other type of grill I should be looking at?

I offered an alternative, answering your question. How is that Off Topic?