XL vs Large egg

wilkmeister

need advice on whether or not to buy an XL.  Was going to buy a large but salesman is advising an XL. Thoughts?   

RRP

How many people do you regularly cook for? 

Do you entertain a lot?

Will the BGE be your only grill?

What types and numbers of meats do you plan to cook on it on a regular basis? (IOW how many racks of ribs at a time, how many butts, how many steaks? etc etc)

wilkmeister

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

hoosier_egger

If I were to have only 1 egg it would be the XL. Fuel efficient and the extra real estate are worth the extra $

stlcharcoal

I feed my 4 kids on the Large.  I have an XL, but it rarely gets used.  If I had it to do over, two larges with CGS rigs would be the way to go for me.

nolaegghead

Get the one you don't want because if you get the one you do want you'll just regret not getting that "other one" once you start using your first choice and seeing all the short-falls in it and the advantages to the one you don't have otherwise you'll spiral into a painful despair and deep depression and end up spending a fortune on therapy before you drive off all your friends and family and die alone and miserable.

Or not.  Opinions are like a-holes.

SonVolt

I already run out of cooking space on the XL as it is, I couldn't imagine having less room. Larges look tiny to me. Subtract the unusable space around the perimeter when using a platesetter and you're just asking to be cramped. Yes you can stack food on top of each other with  CGS and BGE multi-level systems, but personally I find them a pain in the ass. My recommendation is get the biggest you can afford. It's easier to cook less on an XL than more on an L. 

Money_Hillbilly

I have 2 Larges and an XL.  I started out with an XL and after a few years I added a Large and found I used the Large exclusively unless we are entertaining.  I added a second large and use them both at the same time to cook things at different temps.  I generally only use the XL now for briskets and pork butts.  My vote would be for a Large and CGS adjustable rig.  If you find you need more real estate I would add a second large.  Not a whole lot more money and much more flexible.  

RRP

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

Just curious what questions did that salesperson ask you and what were your answers (since they don't jive with this reply) which led him or her to advise you to go XL? 
Personally I think you were getting hustled!

Botch

RRP said:

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

Just curious what questions did that salesperson ask you and what were your answers (since they don't jive with this reply) which led him or her to advise you to go XL? 
Personally I think you were getting hustled!

I was kind've curious as to how many XLs, and Ls, they had in stock at the time (their profit margin on each would be great to know, but don't hold your breath for that info).    

Teefus

I got my large at a local Egg Fest after having a long talk with a BGE factory guy. I’m an empty nester that doesn’t entertain much. Just my bride and I most of the time. After  five years I’m pleased with my choice of Large versus XL most of the time. If I had it all to do again though, I’d get the XL. I run out of space occasionally. I’d rather have the space and not need it than need it and not have it. 

Photo Egg

You already have a good range of cookers. What are you lacking now that makes you want another BGE?
Your needs should answer your own question. No one else can answer questions about your cooking wants or needs. But rational question would be how much can you buy a Large vs XL in your area?

WeberWho

I miss my XL at times but I sold it as I didn't use it very often. I found I used my Large 95% of the time or some other smaller egg. The XL was too big to fire up just for the wife and I for basic cooks. I do miss the XL for bigger cooks but not not enough to justify keeping it around. 

ColbyLang

XL. Nothing to regret except maybe the added MSRP. I got a CGS set up for my XL just so I could put even more on it at the same time. 

Gulfcoastguy

A large and a medium can cover a lot of cooking. I’ve had both though not at the same time. 

RRP

RRP said:

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

Just curious what questions did that salesperson ask you and what were your answers (since they don't jive with this reply) which led him or her to advise you to go XL? 
Personally I think you were getting hustled!

LOL I see the flagging LOSER has found me again! Cheer up weenie! Your miserable life MAY get better, but then with your outlook you will probably die soon and nobody will give a sh*t...including your parents!

HogFather

RRP said:

RRP said:

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

Just curious what questions did that salesperson ask you and what were your answers (since they don't jive with this reply) which led him or her to advise you to go XL? 
Personally I think you were getting hustled!

LOL I see the flagging LOSER has found me again! Cheer up weenie! Your miserable life MAY get better, but then with your outlook you will probably die soon and nobody will give a sh*t...including your parents!

Oh great! Ron’s wishing death upon people AGAIN! You better watch it old man; someone may be saying the same about you. 

Jcl5150

I had the same dilemma as you when I was looking into getting an Egg, and I went with the XL. I’m glad I did.  I’ve never once found myself wishing that I had less space to Egg with.

RRP

HogFather said:

RRP said:

RRP said:

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

Just curious what questions did that salesperson ask you and what were your answers (since they don't jive with this reply) which led him or her to advise you to go XL? 
Personally I think you were getting hustled!

LOL I see the flagging LOSER has found me again! Cheer up weenie! Your miserable life MAY get better, but then with your outlook you will probably die soon and nobody will give a sh*t...including your parents!

Oh great! Ron’s wishing death upon people AGAIN! You better watch it old man; someone may be saying the same about you. 

LOL...222 posts and you know anything about me? much less REVEALING anything for the basis for your post? Looks like you have multiple identities! What else you want to say, LOSER? 

wilkmeister

I appreciate the discussion and advice shared above. Thanks for the help!

Mustache_Vol

Welcome. 

cookingdude555

Enjoy whatever you get @wilkmeister. I started large and eventually went XL. Love both. 

SmokeyPitt

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

If you already have a medium then I would go with the XL. For quick cooks for two people the medium could be your go to and use the XL for larger cooks. 

Yno

I bought the XL and never looked back. There are just the two of us with occasional (pre Covid) parties of four to six. But I like having the real estate.

If I am going to fire up the Egg, I will load it up and have left-overs of anything I cook. I can do lots of food without crowding or hanging over the edge of the platesetter. I am happy to cook enough protein for a week at a time, or to put some away in the freezer. 

I thought about getting a medium or even a small for quick cooks, but we very rarely eat hot dogs or hamburgers. If I want something like that, it will go on the gas grill.

fishlessman

for two a tiny mini works for me. with the large i can feed pulled pork to a crowd of 60.  setup takes more thought with the large and big cooks than an xl.  you dont have a blackstone griddle so i would add that to a large and an adjustable rig from the ceramic grill store and probably skip the platesetter for a large.  get a wok and spider as well

dstearn

wilkmeister said:

need advice on whether or not to buy an XL.  Was going to buy a large but salesman is advising an XL. Thoughts?   

I struggled with this decision 8 years ago. I went with the XL and have never looked back. It is just two of us but being able to cook a few slabs of ribs without having to split them or use a rib rack was my main reason for the XL. When we do entertain the extra space comes in handy. 

RyanStl

wilkmeister said:

There are two of us. Sometimes entertain. Five grown kids with families of their own.
I have a medium BGE, a a charcoal Weber and a Weber gasser. Do not entertain a lot. 

I also started out with a medium (still have it) and then got an XL. This covers my needs very well.  With a large brisket on the XL there is room for veggies like potatoes and squash. Unless you go with a tiered cooking setup all that probably wouldn't fit on a large without being crammed in

ewyllins

I had a large with the MM combo and always regretted not purchasing the XL because I do a lot of entertaining. Was able to purchase the XL and find the combo with the MM is perfect for me. 

Mark_B_Good

You can cook smaller meals on the XL, you can't cook larger meals on the Large.  I'm all about having the options. The only issue with the XL is you're burning more charcoal each meal. If you can get over that ... I'd get the XL.

SmokinGolfer

I went through the L vs XL decision ten years ago.  The sales guy pointed out the XL has a shorter grid to dome height compared to the Large.  Since I occasionally smoke a turkey I went with the Large and haven't regretted it.

fishlessman

SmokinGolfer said:

I went through the L vs XL decision ten years ago.  The sales guy pointed out the XL has a shorter grid to dome height compared to the Large.  Since I occasionally smoke a turkey I went with the Large and haven't regretted it.

the domes were shorter/flatter with the early xl eggs. i think it may be better for pizza compared with the taller rounder domes they have today.