Medium Big Green Egg owners satisfied

Unknown

Hi All Medium BGE Owners,[p]I'm about to plunge into a BGE but can't decide on the large or medium.
Of source $$$ is an issue, but I'm willing spend little more if the need is there...

Having owned a MBGE, do any of you wish you had splurge a little to buy a large one for the few times a year that you need to cook for a party of ~8-10 people?[p]Thanks,
PLee[p]

Richard

Peter,
Welcome! Had a similiar question 1 1/2 years ago. At the time I had a large for about 5 years and was considering a medium or small. After many helpful comments from this forum, I went with the small. On my small I can cook steaks for 4 and many other meals for 4 or less. On the large I can do many things. If you get the large first you can then come down to a small, if you like. The large and medium are close in volumn, but would you want to crank it up for a few burgers or 2 steaks? Hope this helps.

Carbonizer

Peter,
I have a med and a mini. I uasally cook for 2-3 people but last week we had 12. Needed to use the old gasser as a holding area but I got by ok. I do however, wish that I had bought a large. Hopefully, soon there will be a large on my patio as well. Most times the mini is enough for 2 of us, and its east to take on the road.

Rusty Rooster

Peter,
From a different perspective, I have a large. Two weeks ago I borrowed a med. to cook for six. I had five slabs of baby backs. I had to cook them in two runs nd after just over four hours @ 250 I had to add more lump. Neither of these would have been a issue with my large.

Unknown

Peter,
I own a large. If I had gone with a Medium, I know I would be saying "Man, I should have gotten the Large."
You might spend a little more, but you will be much happier with a Large on down the road. I haven't seen anyone post "I wish I had a smaller grill"

The Naked Whiz

Peter,
It isn't just "how many people" but also, how much grid space do you need? You can probably only get a 12 inch pizza into a medium, vs. up to 15 inches in the large. You can obviously do a bigger turkey in the large. It's been pointed out that a slab of babybacks is usually too long to put into the medium without cutting them in half. You can do more burgers and chicken parts with a larger grid. You can use a bigger paella pan in the large (sorry, lol!), 14" vs around 10 or 11". So it really depends on what you think you will want to cook. Good luck![p]TNW

Chef Arnoldi

i like my medium, but occasionally wished i had a large. yoy can always improvise by using racks or doing the cooking in a certain order so all the foods are ready at the same time (eg. make one pizza, when ready, start eating, while a second one is on the BGE)

gdenby

Peter,[p]Had I known about the advice available on this forum before I got my first Egg, I probably would have gone with a large, and planned to get a small sometime later. However, I didn't know much about the Egg, and the local dealer had a really good price on a medium with nest, and that was the decider. Usually it is quite adequate for my family of 4 with occassional guests. I have done 13 pounds of beef spareribs on one occassion, which was enough to feed 7, and 14 lbs of pork butt, which was good for about 25 portions. In both cases I could have fit a wee bit more on.[p]There have been several times that the medium was pretty cramped, and I haven't seen a full brisket that would fit on it without being seperated into point and flat. So, being "volunteered" to host my daughter's birthday party, I bought yet another medium. If I did my math right, I have slightly more grill space now than a large and small combo. This will work well tomorrow or the next day, when some friends come by. One Egg will be cooking the sides, and the other searing the steaks.[p]So, if the cost is a big issue, you'll find the medium is a good buy. Consider also that you'll probably want a bunch of accessories. I've bought a few hundred $ worth of add-ons.[p]gdenby

dhuffjr

Peter,
If your going to be entertaining larger crowds like that several time a year I'd get a large. I've got a large and a small and wish I had another large for those family/friends gatherings.

Unknown

Peter,[p]I was able to score a used medium off of craigs list for $300. I have been happy with it and have yet to entertain any more than 6 adults, and their rug rats. I have been happy with it, I usually only cook the main dish on the egg though, I have yet to graduate to doing sides on it. I don't know where your at geographically, but if cost is a factor, the egg cook offs almost always sell "demo" eggs at a discounted rate AND they come with great accessories. These eggs are only cooked on the day of the event, otherwise they are brand new. The used one I got was esectially brand new also. Don't be afraid of used. I know the eggs by the bay show is selling a few demo eggs. The banner is above the forum here, you can negotiate the links at the site to see the prices.[p]Toby

StumpBaby

Peter,[p]
Maybe I is different than most folks here, but I got me a mediuum egg first and for years that's all I had. Now I got a small and 2 other cookers too. I love my medium the best of all of them. In case your wonderin, I name her AssMonkey[p]StumpBaby

Ottawa_egger

Peter,[p]I have a large and a mini. My family consists of my two girls, 7 & 9, and my wife. Neither of them are real carnivores, preferring chicken, fish, or 'dog and 'burgers over strip loins and roasts. After wrestling with the medium vs. large issue, I went to order a medium but there were only large's in stock so that's what I got. Here's what many of my family cooks look like:[p]<a href="http://photobucket.com&quot; target="_blank"> [p]Hence you can see why I picked up a mini. Would have preferred a small, but up here in Canada the price of a small is the same as what you pay for a large in the US. I'd suggest getting a large for the capacity (pulled pork, turkeys, meat+ sides) and augment with a small when you cash in some stock options, score an inheritance, or win the lottery.[p]Ottawa_egger

jwirlwind

Peter,
Do we have a sickness for the Big Green Egg? I really do not need a medium but I sure would like to have one. [p]Chef Jerry

Wise One

Peter, I bought a medium first because of the $ issue. I now have a medium, large, XL and mini. Would I have a different configuration if I had bought the large first? Don't know. But I do know that I use my XL and Large more than I do my medium.

Big Daddy - OCT

Peter,
I have both. I got my medium used for $200 and was in heaven. However, there were certainly times that I wished I could do more (like a whole packer brisket) so I bought a large at the OK eggfest this April. I love the large very much but I expecially love that I am now a part of the "multi-owner" society![p]Bruce

Hamilton

Peter,[p]I have a small, medium and large. We seldom have parties therefore the large, for the most part, just sits.

Gandolf

Rusty Rooster,[p]I have both a Medium and a Large. However, I routinely get 20 + hours on the Medium when doing Butts. Just couldn't let that one go.

61chev

Peter,
I have a medium and get along just fine. With a little planning for me it is big enough. Recently I cooked a bunch of pulled pork for a party I did 15# one nite and 18# the next where with a large probably could have done it with 1 cook but that doesn't happen very often. Go with whatever you think you"ll enjoy either one.
Gerry

Gandolf

Peter,[p]I bought the Medium as my first. Was very satisfied with it and cooked a lot of great meal on it. After about 2-1/2 years, I added a Large. They are a great combination. All the advice you will get on this site is to get a Large, and I agree if you can do it. However, the Medium is a great cooker and I'm not sure how it bacame the "Red Headed Stepchild" of the Egg family. Good luck with your decision!

YB

<p />Peter,
I will be honest...I have every egg made and I use the medium more than any egg for my family of three.[p]Larry
[ul][li]XL Egg[/ul]

Bad Influance

Peter,
So far I have had more then enough space on my med. have cooked for 7 on it with food left over. when i add another egg it will also be another med. good luck

Pharmeggist

Peter,
My Brother is a Bachelor and he cooks on a Medium BGE and loves it with leftovers to spare. I am married and have a one year old and another baby on the way.... bought a Large BGE love it... bought a small BGE love it. Got the best of both worlds! My thought would be do you want to feed yourself or you planning to feed a growing family. Hope this helps. I forgot to mention that my Mom and Dad have a medium and it works great for them except when the whole family gets together. Then they do multiple cooks on their medium. Hope this helps in your decision.

Michael B

Peter,[p]I originally bought a medium in 1987 and traded up to a large in 1988.

Slotmercenary

Peter,
i bought a med after cooking on a large my brother had, and although it is an adequate piece of hardware i find it limiting on the amount of stacking you can do with the platesetter. the dome heigth is not as abundant.So i guess i will have to buy my med a BIG brother.................