Small vs Medium

dhuffjr

Alright folks the quandry is I have a large and want something for those small cooks and something to cook on when large is doing ribs pizzas etc.[p]I read someone mention once that the small grill was close to the fire so another firering was usefull to keep the food from burning.
The small is plenty big enough for my auxillary cooker so what are its draw backs?

Wise One

dhuffjr, it's smaller and many of the BGE accessories are not available for it (plate setter and pizza stone). However, Chubby is producing GrateMates which provides for a lot of functionality which the Platesetter provides.

dhuffjr

Wise One,
The platesetter for a heat shield would be nice but I would not being cooking pizzas on it. More like chicken to put on my pizza or burgers/chicken when I'm doing ribs etc. Is there much problem when using it for direct grilling?

fishlessman

dhuffjr,
the only drawbacks i have with the small is that its a little slower to light than the large and you have to clean out the ash more often to keep a good airflow. the big plus is that it burns very little fuel. it cooks a big ckicken, fits my large bean pot, i like the small. it doesnt replace the large but is a good addition, especially if your currently burning large amounts of lump

Wise One

dhuffjr, none that I've ever experienced. However, one additional advantage of Chubby's GrillMates is that they allow you to raise the grill for direct cooking to get it further away from the flame. If you're getting a small, I would suggest adding a set of Chubby's GrillMates. They're quite versatile. You may just start using the small to cook most everything whenever you're cooking just for two.

RRP

dhuffjr,
I've long been an adovcate of the large and small combo. There's just two of us and in spite of having a L, M, S and now a mini too I use my small at least 60% of the time and I cook a lot!

katman

dhuffjr,
The small is a great cooker. I used two grids and firebrick pieces to achieve different cook heights; the BGE baking dish, baking stones and metal drip pans can be used for indirect cooks. Or, check out Chubby's delux extenders. They won't break and they do an excelent job.

Smokey

dhuffjr,[p]I have a large, small and mini. I use the small very often (maybe 60% of the time. the large 30% and mini 10%).[p]The small is a great size for every day grilling and small "indirect" cooking (with a set of GrateMates)[p]Smokey

Unknown

dhuffjr,
It depends on the cooking you do. What the Wise One says is very true and you should seriously consider his points. I have a large and small and consider that to be the perfect mix for what I cook. There is just my wife and I and I use the small 90 to 95% of the time. I use fire bricks since there is no placesetter for the small. Webber makes a grate that fits the small so you can stack 2 cooking grates on the small if need be. I'd say the big consideration is the quantity of food you want to cook when you think the large is too big. I thought the medium was too close in size to the large for me. If I cooked for 4 frequently I would have made a different decision.

reched

dhuffjr,
I just used my small last night for the first time and T Rexed a steak perfectly. Gets plenty hot w/o much fuel and wonderful for cooking for two or if your large is doing a long cook, use it for ABT's or sides. It's also portable to a degree at 65 lbs. You may be able to find good prices out there, my dealer said he did not sell many and sold me one at a very low price. phil

Unknown

dhuffjr,[p]I have never used the medium but I do cook quite a bit on the small. The little cooker is easy to transport which makes it fine for many tasks. It has enough capacity to cook meat for 25 people in one cook. It will also bake well so good pizza is not out of the question along with other rolls and bread. [p][p]These two butts will feed 25 people and were done with an indirect setup that you can make for just a few bucks. [p][p]This is a large loaf of sourdough hearth bread and again, you can make something that will work well for a few dollars. The hearth in this picture is 10" in diameter.[p][p]Pizza is a always a hit anywhere you do it and the small will put them out back to back and they all will come out great. [p]The small is also a great high temp grilling machine. It will also do about anything you can do in the large but in smaller quantities. Very easy to do a whole meal in this cooker including your meat, 2 sides, and your rolls for a couple of people in a short cook. [p]For me, I don't see any draw backs.[p]Dave

Bigfoot

dhuffjr,
I think this thread has fianlly done it - less than a year into owning my Large - I NEED a small![p]Where do you get Chubby's Grill Mates BTW?[p]THANKS EVERYONE for feeding my sickness.

SMITTYtheSMOKER

Bigfoot,[p]GRATEMATES.COM[p]-Smitty

Wise One

Bigfoot, and it's very important to convey this accurately to your spouse. It's not that you WANT a small. It's that you NEED a small. This is not just a personal whim that you have decided to act on, this is a deep seeded psychological and physical NEED that must be met or dire consequences could result. Your mental and physical health is at stake here. Go for it! (By the way, do you think you could get your health insurance company to pay for it? :-) )

reched

Bigfoot,
You held out almost a year!? Only took me 6 weeks to get the small.

Chubby

Bill...[p]LOL!!!![p]No wonder they call you "Wise One"!!![p]Like sooo many things... I suppose it all starts with "the [p]presentation"![p]Apparently...your strategy works....seeing the [p]virtual "Egg Ranch" you've got working down there!![p]You may need to publish a "Wise One's Talking Points Memo"!![p]Evans[p]PS...I do appreciate your kind words.

dhuffjr

Old Dave,
Just called Jodi today to register for the Eggfest and reserved a small. Took care of a warranty issue on a firebox too. While there why pay shipping right? Great company. Looking forward to seeing lots of familiar faces/names. No cooking this year. Best to mingle and see what everyone else is doing I figure for my first time.[p]Dennis

Chubby

SMITTYtheSMOKER,[p]With a large grin....[p]I wholely concur!![p]any dates on the "Eggs by the Bay" bash yet?[p]
Evans

Charles in SC

Bigfoot,
I got my large in March and decieded to get a small at the Eggtoberfest in Hotlanta. I mainly wanted it to be able to take it in my camper more easily. I use my large 2-3 times a week now that I learned a little about how.

Charbon

<p />dhuffjr, Just gobbled up a stack of beef ribs which were cooked on a small. Small can do everything large can do. Only exception would be mamu size pizza. Get the ceramic plate and the grate mate rack and you will be in BQ heaven.

IndianaJames

dhuffjr,
Got the small 6 weeks after my LGE as I wanted to take it to Florida and Canada on trips...definitely not a mistake!! Use it more than the LGE for the two of us.
Added Chubby's gratemates, plus an extra grid on 4" stainless legs to do two level. Easily does a 5lb spatchcock chicken with alarge sweetpotatoe in foil resting on the "chicken ankles" (our favirite meal) enough chicken left over for large salads next day! Often do two large chickens, one on each level...they both get done at the same time! Indirect pork roasts and ribes with the Gratemates are a snap!! Love'm both!!