Does size matter?

Unknown

The on-going debate. Being a metal and pellet head for the majority of my adult bbq life I have not had much, make that zero, opportunity to cook on an egg. But in the infamous words of Sponge Bob "I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready eddy eddy". I have an opportunity to buy a medium size egg at below cost or a large egg at 10% over cost (about and additional $175.00 over the med. price). Since there is only a 3.5 inch difference in diameter is it worth the extra $$$? And, since I in a question askn' kinda mood, what would ya'll suggest I get to keep this unit company? Thank you in advance. Good q'n to ya'll Muzzy

WessB

Muzzy,
The first thing I would consider ( I have a large and a small ) is that not all of the accesories we talk about here ie.. plate setter will fit in the medium, some of the items are sized specifically for the large...as far as cooking area I doubt you can do hardly anything on a large that cant be done on a medium...some things you will need are ..a daisy wheel top, dome thermometer, ash tool...this will have you set up for direct cooks..for indirect you will need either a plate setter or some firebricks..(some sort of fire barrier) and some disposable drip pans...oh yeah..you`ll need some lump charcoal and some sort of fire starter..you can either use the nest from them or build your own table..I`m sure others will add to the list..[p]Wess

FrankG

Muzzy,definitely spend the $$ for the large,I speak as a medium owner.

WessB

FrankG,
WOW..we missed each other by 2 seconds...LOL[p]Wess

bdavidson

Muzzy,
I agree with Wess. How big an egg you need is largely dependent upon how much grilling you typically do. I have a family of 6 and we frequently have dinner guests (now that I have an egg, it's been MUCH more frequent!). The large egg usually suffices, but on more than one occasion, I wished I had another one! Having said that, a small should be ok for a two-person home, if you don't do a lot of entertaining. What Wess talks about with the eggcessories is also true. The more versatile your cooking, the bigger you want to go. For example, that 30 lb. turkey I did for Thanksgiving last year would have never fit in anything smaller than the large egg. Additionally, the plate setter is made only for the large.
So, the answer to your question on what size to buy is: "it depends...."

WessB

bdavidson,
It`s about time to be diggin them turkey recipes out..I hope to do my first Egged/smoked turkey this year and I`m sure myself and others are gonna be asking for advice.[p]Wess

KennyG

Muzzy,[p]I recently added a medium to my Egg collection which also includes a large. If I had to pick just one I'd go with the large size. As Wess stated, virtually all the accessories are available for it and you'll have the fuel supply for 24+ hour burns. The extra 3.5 inches of grill space will make a bigger difference than you might think when you need to feed a crowd. Once you fall in love with it, you'll start to get creative looking for ways to increase its capacity even more with stackable racks etc.[p]JMHO
K~G
also a metalhead

Unknown

Yes, size matters. Possibly more than you think.[p]Area of circle = PI*Radius^2[p]15" diamater -> 7.5 inch radius -> 176.7 in^2
18.25 diamater -> 9.13 inch radius -> 261.6 in^2[p]262/177 => 1.48[p]That'll teach you to hang out in forums frequented
with engineers.[p]Seriously, what you're buying with the extra money
is roughly 1.5 times the cooking area. Personally,
I routinely cook for 4 and am quite glad that I have
the large. I was advised by the forum to get the
large when I was shopping for a BGE and I don't regret
that decision in the least. It was worth it for me.[p]

Unknown

Muzzy,[p]As I see it, the problem is that the Medium cannot be made bigger, when you need it, but the Large's extra capacity can be "wasted" at basically no cost, whenever its fitting. For my family of 4, there are so many times I've maxed out my Large, due to BBQ gatherings this winter, I'd like to add a second Large to my collection (and will, but not until we move into our new house in 2003). Then, there are times when I know a medium or a small would have made the 4 burgers just fine, and I've wasted some lump. It all depends on the cook and number of people its for.[p]As for tools, I have and frequently use the following:[p] o Ash tool
o grill gripper
o Autolock hinge
o dome thermometer
o daisy-wheel top
o nest
o 5 fire bricks
o 2 extra grills, one for the fire bricks and one for stacked grills
o remote display probe thermometer from Redi-Check (awesome!)
o instant read thermometer from Polder (which isn't very instant, but its ok)
o a table beside the egg
o electric fire starter (I used to use those ice cube like things, but the electric really does work better)
o lump
o smoking chips
o really high quality drip pan, rectangular shape for cooking butts[p]Have and infrequently used (but it sure is nice when they get used):[p] o place setter
o pizza stone [p]Have and never use anymore:[p] o Egg cover (Its off almost all the time, plus it doesn't add any value for me!)
o welder's gloves (when I was first learning to avoid flashbacks, I used them...now that I think I understand how to avoid them well enough, I no longer use them)[p]Of everything, the grill gripper is probably the biggest luxury item I have. The ash tool can handle that job adequately enough.[p]Enjoy whichever Egg you chose![p]--sdb

sdbelt

That last post was from sdbelt...not from Muzzy. Oops![p]--sdb

WessB

sdbelt,
took me a minute but I figured that out..thanks for clearing it up[p]Wess

Unknown

Sdb,[p]That's a good collection of tools. I'd add either a table,
or egg-nest. Something to hold the egg and make it
somewhat portable.[p]I've got the slide-wheel instead of the daisy.[p]I also have, and use, the cover but this is more because
the acid rain in the Pittsburgh region will damage the
metal than because I'm worried about the ceramic. I've
seen stainless start to get discolored when left outside
in the rain around here.[p]

Unknown

Muzzy, i have a family of 5 and have a medium and the size is very adequate in terms of what i cook for a family of 5. however, if i had to do it all over again i would get the large due to the eggcessories that are available. you can do more easier.

Spin

Muzzy,[p]As Kevin Nolish pointed out, the large Egg does have almost 50% more grill space than the medium. It also has an equally larger dome area that is handy when you need to stuff a lot of meat in for the long cook. New items have historically been offered for the large only, with particularly useful ones offered for the medium.[p]The only thing not mentioned that is available for both the medium and large is the autolock hinge. This is a worthwhile upgrade as it allows the dome to open much wider than the standard hinge making access to the meal easier. It operates easier and smoother than the standard hinge. Most accesses to the meal can be done one handed, as long as you don't lift the dome to the point of the lock engaging. It does require two hands to unlock to close.[p]Thanks and good Q'n to you.[p]Spin[p][p]

Shelby

Muzzy,
Be sure and check out TimM's site; lots of great tips for a new egg owner.
And just thinking about what to accompany an egg...I've always thought along the same way...tools, etc.
How about a freezer with plenty of room so you'll always have something ready to go on the egg! A fully stocked freezer is a must!

Trout Bum

Muzzy,
For a buck and 3/4 go with the large one.
You'll never look back
B D

Unknown

Muzzy, This is Mike M here in San Jose. Feel free to give me a call as I have a large you can see and get feedback. I hope you're doing well.