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Buying My First Green Egg - Recommendations?

Snow-griller
Snow-griller Posts: 13
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I am new to posting, and still not an EggHead yet but can't wait. I grill thru subzero temps and the more who are hungry the better. Friends are wanting to buy me my first Green Egg setup for a 50th birthday present, and I need to get a "Must Get" list from anyone caring to write back. I tend to go BIG and am thinking the XL Egg and table....but would appreciate anyone's experience here and recommendations.

BBQing on Weber until I am "older", thanks!
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Comments

  • Mickey
    Mickey Posts: 19,669
    You may think a large and small for 2 different temp cooking at the same time.
    To me the number one item to get is an adjustabel rig to be able to cook high in the dome....
    And welcome to our club...
    Salado TX & 30A  FL: Egg Family: 3 Large and a very well used Mini, added a Mini Max when they came out (I'm good for now). Plus a couple Pit Boss Pellet Smokers.   

  • Snow-griller,

    If you are going to the XL make sure you are getting the new style.


    Steve

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON

     

  • deepsouth
    deepsouth Posts: 1,796
    Mickey wrote:
    You may think a large and small for 2 different temp cooking at the same time.
    To me the number one item to get is an adjustabel rig to be able to cook high in the dome....
    And welcome to our club...

    this is what i'd recommend as well.

    you will enjoy rocking whatever you choose, but this is a popular setup.
  • danny285
    danny285 Posts: 360
    Get the Lrg unless you are cooking for a lot of folks all time, the lrg has a much larger selection of acc, you will need an ash tool, and platesetter to start with and a thermopen and a bbq guru next. good luck and enjoy.
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,662
    im a fan of the large, good size and more accessories available, my idea of going big would be 2 larges :laugh: theres a growing base of xl owners but the large is most popular. plan ahead, we all have more than one egg. here is a large with 32 pounds brisket and butt, how many you feeding. if you go with the xl, make sure to get the xl with the taller dome, there still are some squat dome xl eggs out there

    2005012055.jpg
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • I am new to EGGING too, but bought a LARGE egg after considering the EX-LARGE. After talking to the salesman i went with the "LARGE". He questioned me about my intended use? It was the right choice for me. Recently i was asked to do 80 pounds of pulled pork for a party after friends tasted the product off the EGG. It took two cooks of five butts at a time. I can easily do rib eye steaks and tuna steaks for 12 people at the same time. I bought the necessary accessories to cook indirect and also the grill. I built my own raised grill and am happyh with that. Also bought the nest after considering what it would cost me to build a table and also space considerations in my outdoor kitchen. I am an EX-Webber user of many years and many great meals --but nothing compares with the product i get off this EGG. I never knew what "low and slow" was until i cooked with the egg and help from (another option)the Garu to maintain exact dome temps for long periods of time. :)
  • Capt Frank
    Capt Frank Posts: 2,578
    You will get a lot of opinions. The XL, although a super piece of equipment, used to be somewhat limited due to the lack of accessories available for it, but that is changing rapidly. Tom at www.ceramicgrillstore.com is coming out with an adjustable rig for the XL which will greatly add to its versatility. And BGE has re-designed the dome for it also.
    Lots of folks will say go with the Large, as it still has the most accesories and it will hold an awesome amount of food. My personal preference is a large and a small, so you can do multiple cooks at the same time or just a steak for you and the wife. This combo will cost just a little more than a fully equipped XL.
    Do some research, analize the type of cooking you intend to do, and go for it! You won't be sorry whatever you decide, and remember that soon enough you will have multiple EGGs anyway, so you are really just choosing a place to start! :P
  • BigA
    BigA Posts: 1,157
    i like that setup - what do you have holding the first grid with the bricks on it??
  • Mickey wrote:
    You may think a large and small for 2 different temp cooking at the same time.
    To me the number one item to get is an adjustabel rig to be able to cook high in the dome....
    And welcome to our club...

    I have this set-up as well. Provides versatility with lots of cooking & temp options. The large has the biggest selection of accessories as noted.

    Forget the plate setter (it becomes redundant), and get the adjustable rig and use pizza stones for your indirect stuff. My plate setter sits all the time now since I got the rig.

    If you have a gasser right now, plan on it becoming a storage box. I put mine out on the curb after a couple years. It just collected dust........
  • BigA
    BigA Posts: 1,157
    you must buy everything :laugh: :laugh: I thought the best items to buy right away were the thermopen, platesetter, v rack, and after waiking up during the night to check on my pork butts i bought a bbq guru, that is a must have, a must!
    here is where you can get a thermopenhttp://www.thermoworks.com/products/thermapen/splashproof_thermapen.html

    here is where you can get a bbq guru [/url]http://www.thebbqguru.com/

    and a ton of stuff you can get go here
    http://www.ceramicgrillstore.com/ceramicgrillstore/

    you can also go here - I really like Smokin Guitar player -
    fredsmusicandbbq.com
    Goodluck!!
  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 32,662
    this was pre-adjustable rig days, you had to be more creative then:laugh: in the egg there was a grid with pizza stone, the bottom of this was a pealla pan that was placed on the stone

    2005010904.jpg
    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
  • Go ahead and get the XL, that is what I have.
    Plate setter is a must, side shelves w/ egg nest or table
  • jeffinsgf
    jeffinsgf Posts: 1,259
    I'll partially echo what others have said. I have a Large and a Medium, and prefer two Eggs to one XL. I'll also throw in that I have both Eggs in nests, with a prep table setting between the two. I like to keep the Eggs mobile. When it starts raining half way through a cook, I can roll the Egg up to the porch overhang and stay dry. That would be much harder with a table, even with casters.
  • Hi! I am new to egging as well. Just bought an XL, and just did my first cook last night.

    I went with the XL after much research because I tend to cook a lot of things that take up real estate, and that I need to tend to. For me, the large did not have enough "accessible" space for the large amount of grilling I do in the summer with all the fresh summer veggies. For me, I prefer to not have to juggle extra grates around (at least on a regular basis) :) when I cook.

    Like another said, when I saw that the eggcessories for the XL have pretty much caught up with the large, that was my deciding point.

    Not having many accessories to start with, I would say the most important to me on the first cook was the mapp torch to start the lump. This was the key to the quick heat-up, especially in those cold winds.

    My first cook went very smooth and the XL heated up very quickly, even in 25mph, 40 degree winds. All in all from start to finish it was a 90 min cook, and very little lump was actually used!

    Check it out:
    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&func=view&id=999922&catid=1

    I too plan to cook in sub-zero temps (I am in western NY State).

    Whatever you choose, you win. Good luck!

    :)

    -Howard
  • LDD
    LDD Posts: 1,225
    you've been q'in for a while... you know your requirements... i went with an XL because we're usually feeding more than just 4 mouths...so for us it just works.. routinely cooking 3-4 chickens, several steaks, burgers, etc...

    there were times when i wish i had a large, but those times have pretty much dissapeared
    context is important :)
  • I went with the XL also, I am 55 and i figured in 20-25 years, my son will still be using this think and he would like the larger space for parties.
    XL   Walled Lake, MI

  • NC-CDN
    NC-CDN Posts: 703
    I've only had the Large, but love it. When I have people over I've never had an issue cooking enough food for them. Granted these aren't parties with 30 or more folks. Lots of accessories to get. Plateseter, pizza stone and so on. Plus I think you'll use more lump with an XL. I also want a cast iron grid, which I think would be a top gift to get for the egg.

    Enjoy. Love cooking in the north, but do enjoy my 60s and 70s we are still getting. LOL.
  • I just answered this exact question for a friend today.

    Must have:
    Plate Setter - This is what turns the Egg from a grill/smoker, into an oven.
    Cheap, thick (not Pampered Chef) Pizza stone.
    Ash tool (scrape used ash out of bottom of the egg.
    Smoking wood CHUNKS (chips don't work very well). Fruit woods (Apple, Cherry, Peach) Pecan, maybe hickory. Mesquite is Waaaaay too strong. Can be found on EBay from woodcutters around US.

    Really Nice to haves:
    Adjustable rig with the sliding rack http://ceramicgrillstore.com/shop/shop/index.php?productID=176
    A cast iron grid to sear steaks with. 13" to go on the 'spider' that comes with the previous recommendation http://www.biggreenegg.com/racks.html

    Beneficial, but not necessary (partly due to cost):
    The Egg controller (Stoker Basic Plus 1) https://www.rocksbarbque.com/product.gc?ID=7
  • I am new also! Very cool! Ahhh size, for me I chose a large, it was the one that I thought would work best for me but really if you have a doubt go with your instincts. If you have the finances go XL if that is what you are leaning toward, you'll never need to upgrade that way.

    My #1 advice = call around to different distributers in your area. I called around to approx 8 and the pricing difference for a large egg basic set up (egg, nest, ash tool, bag of charcoal and fire starters and egg mates) was $400! Which to me was a lot of money I saved! Have fun!
  • PattyO
    PattyO Posts: 883
    I'd go Large and Small or Large and Medium. Different temps, direct and indirect. You get all the toys with the large and can cook for a big crowd. Why light up the XL if you are doing smaller cooks. I love two, but my needs are small so I have a medium and mini. I'd never give them up for a large. More versatility with two.
  • i have a med
    we have 2 of us and it works great
    i have cooked 16 pound briskets for 27 hours and still had some cook time for burnt ends.
    a large may be a lil better maybe that will be my next one
  • Hey Mickey, figures it would take me several tries to reply without emailing myself, etc. -- thanks for the advice -- propbably will only invest in one until i catch up with you masters..... B) thanks for the tip about two temp cooking needs. Happy Egging!
  • Now you folks have me lining up my Egg-requests and I hope to heck I can figure the egg out and not burn the house down in the process....hmmmm, 2 Eggs...well as they say, "2 Eggs are better than one" -- thanks!
  • What a phenomenal photo...heck, i am hungry looking at it now and it's 930am :laugh: Thanks for the advice, the concensus so far is IF XL, get the newer style and with a taller dome, and also that folks will be surprised if I don't end up with 2 Eggs as soon as I fall in love with the first one. Your handle cracks me up btw - as I am one who loves to fish up here in the Northeast. I won't forget you! thanks much!
  • Thanks Charlie Tuna, I truly can't wait and will from the sounds of it start with a large and grow to a 2nd Egg soon thereafter. I am getting so excited about the "low and slow" cooking as the gas grilling does tend to dry stuff out if you're not tending it ....thanks agains for the input!!
  • Hey Capt. Frank - Can't wait to get my Egg - turning 50 I can wiat for, but receiving an Egg will soften the blow! Your opinion is really helpful as everyone else has chimed in too...I have to go see my dealer and see if I can view the newer style XL and taller dome. Still think I will end up with an equipped Large w/ table maybe and grow into a second one soon.....just have to invite more people over when it snows I guess ;) thanks again and enjoy FL ..i am just waiting for the warm trend of 35-40 degreees to start heading south to 20s soon.
  • Ok, now having started in on the websites you sent me, I plan on quitting my day job, buying a tow behind flat bead trailer and taking my grilling desires on the road and becoming a professional tailgater to feed the masses....this is just plain over the top exciting...i gotta get the egg before knowing what the heck to do with a BBQ Guru, but I will graudate into full Egghead status soon....already salivating. :laugh: thanks for the info!
  • A fellow Upstater ( i am in Albany) - great info and now I am torn again....so many have said L and a 2nd Egg once I am grilling 24/7...which I would love to do....the photos of your first Egg dinner look GREAT....can wait to turn 50, can't wait to get the Egg.....thanks!
  • Great point regarding the weather and 'portability' -- thanks. I think when i next visit the Eggs I have in mind, moving them around will help in the decision process. thanks
  • I envy your temps and your Egg....i think i need to visit my future Eggs and think about basically trying to have 30 people over for every meal.....ahhh, the tendancy to justify BIG purchases :laugh: ....enjoying my 40 degrees and looking ahead to Eggheadedness....