Thinking about buying one of these puppies...

Unknown

As to not be confrontational, I'll not be as specific as I would like to be. So having said that, I'm a hardcore que'er and have been honing my skills for quite some time- still have much to learn and I'm intrigued by the posts I've read here so far.[p]Maybe the best way to address my questions is to ask, "what is all the fuss about?" I can imagine that one is able to hold a faily consistent temperature in an ceramic. Price is no object and I've evaluated all of the usual suspects (by reading about'em) as well as the Egg. [p]I smoke just about everyting I cook in some capacity or another except when I'm grilling steaks. So again, consistency in temperature and the ease of keeping it there is very important to me. And also capacity (we do a lot of entertaining). I would like to be able to interact with my guests more, so I've been tempted to get one of those bohemeth(sp?) stainless gas jobs, but I feel like I would be selling out.[p]How'bout a little pragmatic advice?[p]All the best,
Quechef

Sundown

Quechef,
It's hard to explain...for me anyway. I went out a couple of years ago with all of the intentions of buying a top end Weber. After listening to an Egg sales pitch and being able to understand the basics I popped for a Large Egg and haven't looked back since.
The food that comes of Mr. Egg is without compare. I can think of only one "bad" cook and that was my very first one with 'burgers. The result was that I PAID ATTENTION to the forums suggestions. Our deck had become a focal point for more family events (Egg Magick perhaps?) and for neighbors dropping by to see "what's cooking".
At this point I'm 'eggspirminting' woth wok cooking on Mr. Egg. My wife (a skeptic for the first couple of cooks) now is more than willing to plan as many meals a week as I am home around the Egg.
It's fun, the forum supports and encourages new Egg people as well as us old guys that have fun trying new things.
This weekend there was a get-together that I missed in Waldorf MD. Last year my buddy and I drove down and had tons of fun. People cam in from ALL OVER THE COUNTRY. Try that with the owners of the big S/S units.
In short, it's good food. Good friends. And the cult like mystique of THE BIG GREEN EGG.
Little too long but....
Buy one you won't reget it, I assure you.
Carey

Trout Bum

Quechef,
Allready been down that road.
Had a Weber Summit and many other Gas Grills over the years, but on it's the Egg. Blows away every gas grill I ever owned, even the $2,500. ones.
Go for BGE!
B D

Grumpa

Quechef,[p]Nothing I have ever found (I'm 51) in my years allows me to interact with my guests more than my BGE. I like you love to smoke about everything I eat. As far as grilling steaks, I go from fridge to table in less than 15 minutes not counting the 1 minute starting the fire and another 15 entertaining while the fire reaches cooking temp. I maintain constant even temps during any cook without even having to think about it or check it frequently. As far as I'm concerned, there is no alternative to true ceramic cooking. (IMHO and $.02 worth)

Shelby

Quechef,
From the sounds of what you do, you are a prime user of an Egg. You'll be able to cook easier and pay more attention to your guests than the grill. If you seriously think a large won't be adequate, a number of people here have one or more Eggs.
While I wasn't necessarily in the market for a new grill when I bought mine a month or so ago, I knew there was no way I was buying a gas grill. Just doesn't match the quality of food.
Cook one meal on it and you'll be convinced it was the right move!

BlueSmoke

Quechef, It was time to refurbish my aging gas grill, so I went out "kicking tires." I've got a Brinkmann offset that I use for competition and special orders, but wanted something smaller that would still let me grill or smoke, depending on my mood (which as you know is out of the question with gas). I was leaning towards the medium, but a Egger buddy was adamant that I should get the large. I did. You couldn't pay me to go back to gas. Yesterday I did a pork loin, beautifully smoked, in about 4 1/2 hours. Then I reconfigured and did stir-fried catfish nuggets on the same charcoal. [p]All it really takes is one "burn" to sell you.

Unknown

Thanks a million Guys,[p]I suppose where there is smoke there is fire (pun intended!). It's refreshing to see folks so enthsiastic about a product and advocation!![p]How do you add coals to the Egg during a long smoke? Do you have to take the grill and food off or can it be done through the opening on the side?[p]Has anyone ever heard of a Treager auger type grill/smoker? It uses wood pellets fed through an auger system to a single fire box. I saw one operate on a recent trip to Colorado and was impressed with the taste of the brisket that was cooked on it (it was relatively juicy too).[p]I too have been around the block and back and believe it or not, I have settled on my Weber kettle grill. I have a 22 1/2" and have smoking and grilling down to a science with it. It actually does a great job, but it is a fuss to keep the temperature stable and ocasionally, if I'm not attentive, the meat will be a little dry.[p]I'm looking for better control and less fuss. From what you guys are telling me, I should look no further.[p]Any additional comments on my question above? Thanks again for your feedback.[p]All the best,
Quechef (aspiring to be that is!)

Grumpa

Quechef,[p]I just got thru doing a 8 1/2 lb pork butt for 21 hours, then some chicken wings for an hour and 6 ears of corn for another hour behind that. I still have about a third of the lump left from what I started with in the firebox. Probably could have went another 6 or 8 hours before worrying about a reload. Temp held steady at 250* on the butt for the entire 21 hours.[p]This BGE is an amazing cooking machine...nothing I have ever used comes close in comparison.[p]Happy Q'ing

BlueSmoke

Quechef, Like you I was worried about "in flight refueling." Like Bob said above, it ain't necessary. To get a similar result from my old offset I was using 8 to 12 pounds of lump charcoal. With the Egg I fill 'er up to near the top of the firebox (about 3#), and have from 1/3 to 1/2 of it left when I'm through.[p]Traeger's a good unit: the buddy who insisted I get the large egg has a Traeger, too. He consistently places in the top 10 when he competes.

Unknown

Quechef,
I have had mine since last Sept. I have had two 22" Webers, a third 22" gas Weber, rebuilt it once, then went to a CharBroil Gas, (high dollar)2 Brinkman Smokers, and finally I found the EGG. I have done country ribs, 3 turkeys, 3 pork roasts, pork chops, and of course steaks and hamburgers. [p]I bought a large, and I am seriously considering a second, to be able to handle the large family gatherings that we have often. You will find the food always moist, flavor from the lump charcoal alone is wonderful, temperature control is simple yet incredibly accurate. I live in Kansas, and did the ham at Chrismas, 8 inches of snow on the ground, temps in the teens, and I maintained 250 degrees for over 5 hours, and got rave reviews. Charcoal usage is minimal, but the reason most of us use so much is that we are constantly using the egg. One initial start of charcoal could easily last 12 or more hours.[p]I would tell you to search no further, for a quality Queing Machine. Now you have .02 more to consider.