Contemplating an XL

BigBuford

Anytime someone wants to purchase an Egg, I always try and steer them to the XL because it is much more versitle. 
He is a picture cooking several slabs of ribs
I do have most of the accessories including aftermarket products from the Ceramic Grill Store

RyanStl

WildmanWilson said:

I had a large for years then won an XL in a contest. I sold the large and am very happy with the XL. I made a lump reducer ring and a divider for my Joetisserie and smaller cooks. You can cook smaller on the XL so there's no reason to worry. Go for it.

I use the two L brackets from CGS to make a no coal zone when grilling. They were inexpensive and work well. I forgot what they call them.

Mayberry

Well, I did it.   Price was too good to pass up.   They got down to a ridiculously low price, so I jumped on it.   They will be delivering it and putting it on my deck on Tuesday.

i’m definitely going to keep the large for now. It’s partially a brand new egg because the base was replaced last year and my old dome did not fit it well, so BGE sent me a new dome, too.  Hinge  assembly was changed out a couple of years back, so I’m basically going to have two brand new eggs this week. I don’t want to fill the Lord until I have had time to acclimate to the XL and make sure I like it. For the price I’m getting the XL for, I can almost sell it used and maybe lose a hundred dollars or so.  

Gamecockeggman

Lmao you got stung by the bge bee!!!  Congratulations!!  I have the xl it was my first.  I have since added a mini max.  I also have a Yoder ys1500.  I love them all equally.  The eggs provide a huge array of cooking options and consistently  great flavored cooks.  The yoder allows me to put out a large volume of food when needed.  You will love the xl I am positive.  Enjoy the journey.

littlerascal56

That YS1500 is one heck of a cooker!  Built to last forever!  Have been to their welding-fab shop, and it’s top notch. As are all their employees.

wps456

Congrats, you’ll love it! I’ve got both L and XL too. Keep the L, when the kids move out you’ll use it more but you’ll still have the XL for when they visit.

Mayberry

It's definitely going to solve some issues I've had on certain cooks.  I ordered the Woo and Adjustable Rig Combo with an extra grate from Tom at CGS last night.  Hopefully, it gets here fast so I can start breaking the new Egg in!

Photo Egg

Mayberry said:

It's definitely going to solve some issues I've had on certain cooks.  I ordered the Woo and Adjustable Rig Combo with an extra grate from Tom at CGS last night.  Hopefully, it gets here fast so I can start breaking the new Egg in!

You will be ready to rock!
I have ordered from Tom many times. He always ships super fast.
Enjoy!

MotownVol

I have a large and a mini max.  I use the large for ribs, butts, beef ribs, turkeys, hams, whole chickens and briskets.   That said the mini max gets 80% of my cooks now that it is just my wife and I.   

The MM gets the steaks, pork loins, small cooks of wings, thighs and legs, dogs, brats and lots of burgers, including my beer can burgers.

unless we are entertaining the MM is perfect for a family of 2 which you will likely be when the family grows a little more.

Mayberry

MotownVol said:

I have a large and a mini max.  I use the large for ribs, butts, beef ribs, turkeys, hams, whole chickens and briskets.   That said the mini max gets 80% of my cooks now that it is just my wife and I.   

The MM gets the steaks, pork loins, small cooks of wings, thighs and legs, dogs, brats and lots of burgers, including my beer can burgers.

unless we are entertaining the MM is perfect for a family of 2 which you will likely be when the family grows a little more.

We will cross that bridge when we get there.  But our kids are 7,9 and 12.  So, we have quite a while to feed them. And they are bringing friends to dinner and to the pool, and we entertain quite a bit.  

elpescadorzih

I started with the XL. Figured go big or go home. I was glad I did.
I now have a MM and a LG that my sister didn't want to haul to FL.
I use the XL and LG about the same.
It depends on what I am cooking. 
It is nice having the 2 big eggs as I can cook the main protein on the XL while using the LG for appetizers and sides.
XL is great for pizzas and cold smoking cheese.

RyanStl

Congratulations on your recent purchase. I'm rocking ribs on my XL right now 

LetsEat

@Mayberry, Congratulations on your new eggspansion!  When I purchased our lg little did I know that I would soon regret my decision. You have clearly articulated all of the reasons for expanding your cooking options which mirror my regrets. Enjoy your two eggs and use them to the fullest. I look forward to seeing the egging endeavors that you will produce to the delight of your young family and guests. 

Runamuck

I have a large with a CGS Adjustable rig and spider with stones, an old XL set up for direct and a newer XL set up for indirect. Just the wife and I most times now, so the large gets used almost every time. Probably used my XLs twice last year, but I won't part with any of them because it's better to have and not need than need and not have. If a guy can only have one I'd probably go XL, but the large is definitely my favorite, probably because I'm so used to it.

SonVolt

MotownVol said:

I have a large and a mini max.  I use the large for ribs, butts, beef ribs, turkeys, hams, whole chickens and briskets.   That said the mini max gets 80% of my cooks now that it is just my wife and I.   

The MM gets the steaks, pork loins, small cooks of wings, thighs and legs, dogs, brats and lots of burgers, including my beer can burgers.

unless we are entertaining the MM is perfect for a family of 2 which you will likely be when the family grows a little more.

This I don't quite get.  I know we all have different cooking styles, but how are you cooking for 2 on a 13" diameter grill? Are you cooking 2 burgers at a time? 

Mayberry

Got it set up today and did the burn in cook this evening.  Fit a whole chicken, a tri tip, a bunch of prosciutto wrapped asparagus and 4 ears of corn on at one time.  And had room for more.  And I forgot a picture!!!!

 Tomorrow, I’m doing a smoked Chuck roast, a rack of ribs and some wings.  

Photo Egg

SonVolt said:

MotownVol said:

I have a large and a mini max.  I use the large for ribs, butts, beef ribs, turkeys, hams, whole chickens and briskets.   That said the mini max gets 80% of my cooks now that it is just my wife and I.   

The MM gets the steaks, pork loins, small cooks of wings, thighs and legs, dogs, brats and lots of burgers, including my beer can burgers.

unless we are entertaining the MM is perfect for a family of 2 which you will likely be when the family grows a little more.

This I don't quite get.  I know we all have different cooking styles, but how are you cooking for 2 on a 13" diameter grill? Are you cooking 2 burgers at a time? 

Cooking for 2 on a 13” grill is pretty easy. I normally add veggies while meat is resting. Or cook a couple baked potatoes first. Wrap them in foil when finished and then cook my protein.
I prefer having the extra room of my XL and having the ability to cook multiple food groups at the same time.

Mayberry

Didn't get a cook pic, but did get a picture of the grill setup on the deck before storms rolled in this afternoon.  I may move things around, but I love the versatility I have now.  

Mayberry

So, I've had the XL for a few weeks now and love it.  Still unsure if I want to sell the Large or keep it, but the XL is a win.  I love the grill space.  One question for those who have XL's, though....My large had a tendency to get hotter at the rear, but it seems very pronounced on the XL.  It's not a huge deal on low and slow cooks, but when grilling steaks or other hot and fast cooks, it almost seems like the lump doesn't get enough air at the front, and the majority of the heat is coming from the rear.  I use a Mapp torch and light in 5 spots:  each corner and in the middle, for hot direct cooks.  I leave the lid and bottom vent completely open until flames are coming out the top.  Even doing this, the rear has rising flames, and the front seems to be getting much less airflow.  Is there a way to remedy this, or just the way the XL cooks?

Photo Egg

Mayberry said:

I leave the lid and bottom vent completely open until flames are coming out the top.  Even doing this, the rear has rising flames, and the front seems to be getting much less airflow.  Is there a way to remedy this, or just the way the XL cooks?

As described above, you would be doing a killer hot sear, far above what most would consider high temp grilling. By having both vents wide open you are creating a big intake draft that is naturally going to push the fire towards the rear. If your intent is searing hot temps, cook closer to the lump and the heat. I like to keep my dome vent open fully and once my XL is nice and hot, I close down my lower vent to keep the heat under control and even grill with dome open by closing lower vent completely. It’s plenty hot to high temp grill and even sear. I’m not sure if you are cooking with standard 24” grid resting on the fire ring or using a raised grid system or Adjustable Rig. If you are getting flames out the top vent, then I’m sure your fire bowl opening is pretty centered with base vent opening. But the XL has a much larger lump grate compared to the Large Egg. Once the lump catches and evens out across the lump grate, it’s a grilling machine. Try bring your temp up a little slower so the burn pattern spreads more evenly.
Let us know how your next few cooks go.

JMCXL

I did a video last month why the XL is my favorite. I love the space when cooking. I really can’t tell if it burns more lump, I don’t buy that as a reason not to get it. Mine maintains temp like a champ. Get the XL, hold on to the LG and sell it later if you don’t need it. Enjoy the ride

Mayberry

It was late and maybe I did not explain properly. I light with the Mapp torch in five places and leave the lid completely open until I can see flames, usually about 10 minutes.  After that, I close the lid and leave the top vent maybe halfway open or a little less. I close the bottom vent to 1/2-2”, depending on target temp.   It holds temperature like a champ. The only issue I’m having is that the coals seem to be much hotter toward the rear, almost like dual zone cooking. Very hot near the rear and cooler toward the front, like they aren’t getting enough air flow. I have an adjustable rig and Woo setup from CGS.  

I understand that the XL seems to be less deep and more spread out. I also have a kick ash basket for the XL because I love it so much in my large. Definitely allows better air flow.  Just can’t figure out how to light, or arrange vents, to get the front burning close to the same as the rear, where I can use all of the grid space.  

For most cooks that I am cooking at 400-450°, I normally cook at the felt line and then have another grate down, just above the coals, to sear at the end. Even on that lower grate with a couple of steaks last night, I could sear at the rear, but not toward the front on that lower grate. That is definitely much different than my large.

4TheGrillOfIt

The XL definitely cooks differently with the kick ash basket.  The shape of the fire bowl is much flatter than the other Eggs and as a result the fire, at least in my experience, can be more inconsistent than my other Eggs, but I find they all have a hot spot in the back right quadrant.

SonVolt

Never experienced any noticeable difference in the rear of my XL but I'm not using a KickAsh basket. 

Mayberry

Tried something new tonight and it helped quite a bit. When I lit the back two corners, I moved them forward a bit and then had the middle lit just in front of those and then lit the front as far forward as I could. I also left the lid open for a few extra minutes to let the fire get really going before I shut the lid and adjusted the belt. Seemed much more even, even though the rear was still hotter. That, I can deal with, and it actually helps with most cooks.  

Mr1egg

Mayberry said:

Didn't get a cook pic, but did get a picture of the grill setup on the deck before storms rolled in this afternoon.  I may move things around, but I love the versatility I have now.  

U can make a beautiful outdoor kitchen with that setup

Mayberry

Mr1egg said:

U can make a beautiful outdoor kitchen with that setup

I have thought about it, but I don't want the grills down the steps, off the deck, and I don't want any of them uncovered.  I love having all right outside the kitchen door under my covered deck.  

builderdawg

Like you, I've had a Large for years, and I've also run into space constraints from time to time.  Knowing then what I know now, I would have sprung for the XL.  I had the opportunity to buy a Mini-Max (new in the box) about four years ago and it has been a game changer.  Now I just use the Mini-Max for overflow.  An XL would still be nice, as I would be able to fire up just one grill instead of two, but you may want to consider going smaller rather than larger to handle your overflow.

wps456

I've always had the same issues with my L and XL like you where the back is a lot hotter than the front. I'm following to hopefully see some tricks to help, I don't have a kick ash basket though. I've just always adjusted my grilling to the temps and rotated food to the different zones as needed.

Mayberry

My solution to prevent extreme differences is to move my two lit spots in the rear forward a bit, closer to the middle.  That prevents a huge hot spot in the rear for me.  The difference is still there from the front, but I'm starting to like it....especially since I cook at the felt line most of the time, using a Woo or Adjustable Rig.  I don't even have to move the meat on the XL.  I simply spin the Woo where whatever I'm cooking is near the front or rear and move it as I wish.  It's working out very well.