XL vs Large egg

SonVolt

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 XL has sufficient room to smoke even the largest of Turkeys. 

SemolinaPilchard

Get a large and a small. You will have about the same amount of cooking space, and also have the ability to cook two things at once at two different temps.

Mark_B_Good

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.

But the XL dome is still higher off the grid isn't it. What does the ratio matter if you have more overall height anyhow on the XL?

fishlessman

the new xl verse the old xl.  big difference in dome shape

RyanStl

SemolinaPilchard said:

Get a large and a small. You will have about the same amount of cooking space, and also have the ability to cook two things at once at two different temps.

He already has a medium.

Mark_B_Good

Wow that is a big difference in the dome heights. So was the old XL a lower dome height off the grid than the L??

cookingdude555

fishlessman said:

the new xl verse the old xl.  big difference in dome shape

hey, those are my XL's! I sold the older style on the right when I bought the 2XL, but still have the one on the left.  The older one on the right cooked a better pizza (lower dome radiating heat), but since getting a blackstone/roccbox/ooni, the eggs have been demoted from pizza duty

cookingdude555

Mark_B_Good said:

Wow that is a big difference in the dome heights. So was the old XL a lower dome height off the grid than the L??

yes, cooked pizza much better.  Part of that height difference is the casters you see below on the nests.  They were the same height up to the top of the base.  I initially missed the lower dome, but I am glad I kept the newer one now.

DonWW

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. 

There are two of us and I have a medium and XL and use both.  The Med is great for a couple of steaks or a chicken, but I love my XL for when we might have some friends or family over.  Or when I spatchcock a turkey for TGiving. 

YukonRon

Faced the same choice when I went with the XL. Very happy with my decision. I do so many low and slow cooks, the extra size with the CGS upgrades has been the best set up for me. My other is a mMx, love it as well, as it has become the perfect combination for our needs.

GrateEggspectations

Some good pro-XL considerations above. 

On the downside, the XL is bigger and heavier than the Large, which makes for more cumbersome warranty claims when you have to bring cracked parts to the dealer. Also, I would expect that the XL’s lump consumption is noticeably greater than the Large. Finally, there aren’t as many accessories - both BGE and aftermarket - made for the XL as there are for the Large. 

I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but just wanted to add these considerations for balance. 

cookingdude555

@GrateEggspectations, I suppose we all have different experiences, and it sounds like you have had higher lump use when you used your XL compared to the large.  I have found that while the XL holds a lot more food and charcoal, it does not mean that it consumes a lot more charcoal. I find it uses a little more, but is a miser like all kamados.  Regarding taking parts to the dealer, I have never done that.  I email a picture and they email back when it is ready.  Then I throw the old one out (used to keep them, but don't do that anymore).  There are two main accessories for the XL, BGEs expander, and ceramic grill stores adjustable rig/woo.  Its as dynamic as the large setup, even more so because it is so much bigger.  The biggest accessory for the XL is simply banking the fuel to one side, it sets it (and the XXL/2XL) apart from every other egg in the lineup.  Zone cooking on a Kamado is killer, and blows tiered cooking out of the water.

Photo Egg

GrateEggspectations said:

Some good pro-XL considerations above. 

On the downside, the XL is bigger and heavier than the Large, which makes for more cumbersome warranty claims when you have to bring cracked parts to the dealer. Also, I would expect that the XL’s lump consumption is noticeably greater than the Large. Finally, there aren’t as many accessories - both BGE and aftermarket - made for the XL as there are for the Large. 

I don’t think you can go wrong with either, but just wanted to add these considerations for balance. 

Most of the good stuff made for the large are also made for the XL. Adjustable Rigs, Woo, rotisserie stuff, pizza stones, raised grids. Not sure what advantage the Large has in accessories?
Yes, accessories for the larger XL are more expensive compared to the Large BGE.
Being the owner of both, I find that the large is more limited. Because the XL is larger, it’s easier to find things that fit inside. Dutch ovens, pans WITH handles easily fit AND still have room to cook other things at the same time.
XL Burning more lump than Large? Sure, it probably costs another dollar for a pound of lump to cook dinner or 2-3 dollars more for a long low and slow. But on the plus side, I can cook many more times on the XL in between ash clean out because the XL has so much more room for ash under the lump grate.
Nothing wrong with the Large. But if I already owned a Medium, and several other cookers that he posted, just increasing to the Large would not be worth it to me.

4TheGrillOfIt

I have been contemplating the XL for a while now and just pulled the trigger today.  Looking forward to the extra space.  

TEXASBGE2018

You've already received 47 opinions but I'll give mine. We feed my family of 4 on my mini Max. My large is only used for big cooks. The XL to me is overkill unless you need to cook 2 briskets side by side or have to feed 15people regularly. 

Bar

It’s like flying first class vs. coach.  Sure, both will get you to your destination, but the extra leg room sure is nice.

Eoin

XL and MMX here and use them both. Never used a L but have had a 30 lb turkey in the XL.

Langner91

I have responded similarly to every thread of this nature.  I didn't even look to see if I had responded above.

But,

I have never read a post where someone says "Damn, I wish I had bought the smaller egg."

If you cook for more than one or two, buy the XL.

Srpete01

I have a large but got an XL for the following reasons:
- Large can only fit 2racks of ribs (unless you cut more into small pieces). The XL can do like 10 with an eggspander
- Doing a Turkey in the large is tight
- Doing a big packer is pretty tight.
- I could throw a party for 10 and cook enough burgers that I didn’t need my gasser anymore.

SonVolt

You can always cook less food in a bigger egg. The opposite isn't true. 

AB1234

I had a large and upgraded to an XL.  I'm glad I upgraded.  I can fit an 8 bone standing rib roast on the XL without cutting it in half.

Mark_B_Good

SonVolt said:

You can always cook less food in a bigger egg. The opposite isn't true. 

Agreed ... I don't think this needs to be discussed any further. This is a case-closed point.

SGH

@RRP
Ron it looks like you have made a few folks mad. 6 flags on one post. Impressive 👍

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 went through the same decision process when I bought the XL. Even though there are only two of us, its nice to have the extra space for a brisket. 

Dondgc

Mark_B_Good said:

Wow that is a big difference in the dome heights. So was the old XL a lower dome Pheight off the grid than the L??

Certainly lower than the height of the current XL. It took away some of the size advantage of the old model XL

RRP

SGH said:

@RRP
Ron it looks like you have made a few folks mad. 6 flags on one post. Impressive 👍

LOL, Scottie. I just know that my choice was going in a different direction for 6 years by buying a L, M, S and a Mini. 4 eggs give me multiple ways of enjoying rather than just having spent all my money on just one egg. BTW when I posted  and got slammed for what I thought was help the OP from my 21 years of eggperience I had said:

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)

I just still believe a person should be able to express his opinion, but as a 77 year old dude I may not understand mankind much anymore!

4TheGrillOfIt

I still use my Large the most and try to use my small as often as I can. The XL is great, but it is not a zero sum game.  

ColbyLang

Have a L at the lake house and an XL at the house. My dad keeps asking when we’re upgrading to the XL at the lake. Hard to feed our immediate family ( 17 of us) on the L sometimes. 

Gulfcoastguy

ColbyLang said:

Have a L at the lake house and an XL at the house. My dad keeps asking when we’re upgrading to the XL at the lake. Hard to feed our immediate family ( 17 of us) on the L sometimes. 

“When you write the check” sounds about right.

ColbyLang

Gulfcoastguy said:

ColbyLang said:

Have a L at the lake house and an XL at the house. My dad keeps asking when we’re upgrading to the XL at the lake. Hard to feed our immediate family ( 17 of us) on the L sometimes. 

“When you write the check” sounds about right.

He’s got no issue paying for it. It is, after all, his lake house. He was adamantly against BGe for the longest, caught him rolling 3-2-1 on some baby backs not that long ago when we showed up unannounced