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The Biggest Reason Why

The_Grill_Sergeant
The_Grill_Sergeant Posts: 87
edited October 2011 in EggHead Forum
Hey EggHeads!

As I get ready to launch this product line, I would love to hear from any and all EggHeads about the top reasons why someone should by a BGE over any other grill.  My biggest (big ticket) competitor is Traeger, so what will inspire grill-heads make a financial commitment to an Egg versus a Traeger?  There are others here in town - Napoleon, Weber, etc., so there are also less expensive options that I'm up against.

Any help would be appreciated.  I love this product, and really would like it to succeed here.

Thanks!

Sarge
Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon

Comments

  • I would emphasize the ease with which you can accomplish an incredible range of cooking.  Would I buy and Egg if I just wanted to crank out butts or ribs?  Probably not.  But the thing I love most about ceramic cookers is that when you get bored with one type of cooking, you can simply move on to another.   I don't think I could sell an egg with a clear conscience to someone who is only going grill burgers, but someone who wants to try it all, it should be an easy sell when you show them all the things you can do.  Good luck!
    The Naked Whiz
  • troutgeek
    troutgeek Posts: 458
    I own a Traeger and a large BGE. The Traeger only gets used if I run out of room with the egg. The Traeger is easier for everything requiring 450 or less cooks, but it does not produce better results. I only use it for veggies and chicken now. Everything is better on the egg. Fuel is better (cheaper). Food is better. Flexibility is better. The bark produced during slow cooks is far superior. The actual product will not rust out on you. It's just better. Pizza, paella, steaks and burgers. All better. If I ever want to smoke sausages, I may use the Traeger over the egg... I'm not sure about that situation as of yet. I would also feel more comfortable leaving the property while cooking on the Traeger, but the cook wouldn't be as good, just safer.
    XL BGE - Large BGE - Small BGE - Traeger Lil' Tex Elite - Weber Smokey Joe
  • I would also feel more comfortable leaving the property while cooking on the Traeger, but the cook wouldn't be as good, just safer.
    Why is this?  I was under the impression that the exterior surface of the Egg does not get nearly as hot as an all metal grill.  Was I not properly informed?  What are your safety concerns?
    Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon
  • ChokeOnSmoke
    ChokeOnSmoke Posts: 1,942
    1.) Versatility - low & slow (brisket, port butt, ribs), even lower & slower (beef jerky), high heat (pizzas, steaks), baking (cookies, pretzels, bread) and everything in between.
    2.) Best cooker on the market in cold weather (huge selling point for me living in Wisconsin).
    3.) Lifetime warrantee on most parts - which make it easily worth the money.
    4.) Retained moisture in food.
    5.) Uses very little fuel (lump).
    6.) HUGE community of fellow cookers who are willing to make you an expert on the EGG.
    7.) It looks cool.

    Packerland, Wisconsin

  • grill sargeant, I don't think he is talking about the exterior of the egg being the problem.  I know the exterior can get above 250 degrees, FWIW, but I think what he is talking about is the danger of having a spark or ember exit the cooker and starting a fire.
    The Naked Whiz
  • LDD
    LDD Posts: 1,225
    I think the first response from The Naked Whiz is a similar approach i would take. plus you can tell them that the existing clientele are the coolest :)
    context is important :)
  • troutgeek
    troutgeek Posts: 458
    @Naked Whiz -- exactly. @ChokeOnSmoke -- I'm also from Wisconsin. I never use the Traeger in the winter, but I'm looking forward to using the egg this year...

    Another pro egg advantage -- no grease traps to attract critters big and small.
    XL BGE - Large BGE - Small BGE - Traeger Lil' Tex Elite - Weber Smokey Joe
  • Reflib
    Reflib Posts: 16
    My son-in-law has a Weber gasser about the size of a Smart Car that cost more than twice as much as my XL. I helped him clean it a while back - grease-0-rama in all the impossible to reach places. I shake my head as I sweep out the ashes in the bottom of my egg. Yes, ease cleaning is yet another reason to go BGE.
    Right here is the Promised Land. Right now is the Golden Age.
  • AD18
    AD18 Posts: 209
    My reason for buying was versatility first for reasons stated above.  Second, one time investment.  By this the Egg should last for my lifetime.  Traegar will rust and electronics malfunction.  Plus I have one cooker that replaces all the others.  I don't really need to invest in a kettle, gas'r, WSM, Traegar, etc.  Takes up a 4'x4' area on porch.  Although I still have a soft spot for my gas'r and kettle, their usage times are diminishing.
    Large BGE, Weber 22.5 kettle, Weber Genesis
    Cobourg, Ontario
  • NC-CDN
    NC-CDN Posts: 703
    I feel the exterior is pretty safe for kids.  It won't burn you to a crisp when touched.  Obviously you can't hold your hand on it, but that is nice.  It's extremely versatile.  High and low and everything in between.  Moist food is a big plus.  Big cooks and small ones too.  Whatever you are cooking for you can accomplish with an EGG.  You can tout it as an upscale grill.  Not just a run of the mill weber.  I mean if people are looking at a grill costing $#### then many people would pull the trigger based on the status symbol of the EGG.  You want the best.  Often imitated, never duplicated.  Blah blah blah.  Good luck.  When people bust on me about grilling they often lash out about cost.  Not everyone can afford one unfortunately. 
  • @ The_Grill_Sargent ... you said "As I get ready to launch this product line,..." 

    What is your product?

    Most of the really important egg advantages are taken, but one other characteristic of an Egg.  It retains heat, making temps a bit more stable and easier to maintain in a defined range than in a steel gasser.  Useful if you are going to cook for an extended period of time.

    ChokeOnSmoke gave reason 7 - "It looks cool."  Exactly right!  When you buy an Egg you are buying a serious cooking experience... Cooking outside is often a social affair and being able to show your guests a new (to them) form of cooking, new device, etc. just adds to their enjoyment.

    Most of us consider ourselves to be reasonably serious cooks, meat eaters, hunters, fishermen, etc.  Fly-rod fishing is more exciting than going to Kroger, Quail you shot is better than Chick-Fil-A, Steak is better than tofu, Egging is better than using a Webber. 

    Slow cooking some pheasant you shot last week on an Egg using your own recipe makes for a great event, especially if you are serving your home brewed ale as you cook.

  • The_Grill_Sergeant
    The_Grill_Sergeant Posts: 87
    edited October 2011
    @Brad - we are an established HVAC company getting ready to launch a hearth store featuring wood/gas/pellet stoves & inserts, and we also want to feature an amazing outdoor cooking appliance.  Research led me to BGE, which I'd already heard about, but wanted more info from actual users.

    I appreciate all the data!
    Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon
  • troutgeek
    troutgeek Posts: 458
    @ Brad.  Now we're talking.  There isn't a better way to prepare that trout or pheasant from the latest outing.  I usually release my trout, but catch and release pheasant is not going to happen.  Looking forward to a pheasant paella within the next couple weeks.
    XL BGE - Large BGE - Small BGE - Traeger Lil' Tex Elite - Weber Smokey Joe
  • simple answer. it's versatile: grill, smoke, bake

    if you decide to carry the product, take one home and use it - be a good dealer. the more you use it, the better you will be able to sell it. besides - you will enjoy it. make a book of photos of cooks and put it on one of the egg mates for potential buyers to see. roll one out on the weekend and make some smoke - it will attract buyers - hand out a few samples.
    Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of congress; but I repeat myself - Mark Twain
    aka Frank from Houma eggin in Corpus Christi
    Geaux Tigers - Who Dat
  • I would suggest you cook on the Egg long enough to feel comfortable speaking of the virtures of being an Egg owner.   I was always frustrated talking to a dealer who knew less than me about the cooker he wanted me to buy.

     

    My 2¢

     

    -SMITTY     

    from SANTA CLARA, CA

  • Squeezy
    Squeezy Posts: 1,102

    Traegers are pellet poopers ... have you ever checked into what those pellets consist of ... you may be surprised ...

     

    Never eat anything passed through a window unless you're a seagull ... BGE Lg.
  • Squeezy, can you be more specific?  Cookshack, for example, says their pellets are 100% wood.
    The Naked Whiz
  • Hillbilly-Hightech
    Hillbilly-Hightech Posts: 966
    edited October 2011
    The versatility & lifetime warranty are what did it for me. 


    As far as versatility, kamado is the way to go.  You'd have to buy a separate smoker, BBQ grill, convection oven, high heat pizza oven & "searer" in order to get the functionality of a kamado.  When you look at the top of the line stainless grills, you're paying as
    much, if not more than an Egg anyway, and you don't get that versatility
    right out of the box.  Also, stainless steel isn't nearly efficient as holding heat in as ceramic is. 

    When I was conducting my research, the ONLY negatives I could find regarding the Egg were the price.  And as I said, when you factor in just how many things the Egg (and other kamados) can do versus a stainless grill, then "price" seems like a moot point.  I guess folks get scared of the thought of paying upwards of a $1000 for a "grill" - but it's NOT just a grill - it's a smoker, a convection oven, a wood fired oven, a "low & slow" BBQ, a high heat searing char broiler...


    So that made me decide on a kamado, but then I had to narrow it down to *which* kamado brand???

    There are other kamado-style BBQs out there, but none, that I know of, offers such a fantastic warranty as the Egg. 

    So the warranty, coupled w/ the versatility, with the added bonus of having NO negative reviews (aside from the moot argument about price) really sealed the deal for me regarding the Egg. 

    HTH,
    Rob


    Don't get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup... Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water, my friend. - Bruce Lee
  • I am a year-round grill guy who ditched LP over a year ago and have been using a Weber kettle with Kingsford ever since.  I have a Facebook page - The Grill Seargent - and I just flat out love to grill.

    I will definitely have an Egg at home, and will cook frequently so that I can absolutely speak intelligently about it.

    Again, thanks for all the info!

    Sarge
    Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon
  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    The closest egg store to me cooks on an egg out in front of the store every Saturday. Good way to get people to see it and then they get to taste the difference.
  • Absolutely have plans to do the same!
    Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon
  • My dealer also cooks out in front of his store which sealed the deal for me.  I got to see first hand how everything works and how easy it is to use.  From starting the fire to adjusting the temperature and everything in between.
  • I had been using gas for years.  Someone convinced me that charcoal cooking didn't tast any better and I believed it for years.  During that time the only charcoal cooking I tasted was done by folks using match lite or some kind of lighter fluid...it always tasted foul...they said you can't tast lighter fluid but you CAN.

    In July my wife and I were in Alaska and had wild caught salmon cooked over alder wood.  It was sooo good that I told her as soon as we got home we were converting to charcoal.  I got home with 250 pounds of wild salmon and halibut after an excellent fishing week and decided it will be cooked with lump.   BGE was recommended so I bought 2 large BGEs, one for home and one for our lakehouse.

    We love it.

  • yumdinger
    yumdinger Posts: 255
    Now that I own an egg and have experienced the purchasing process.  I believe the most impact a dealer can have is to hold an eggfest.  We purchased our Egg at an eggfest.  The experience was great and we found a lot of value in the Eggfest Demo package.  
    That said, what next?  I think follow up to Eggfest is as critical as the eggfest itself.  When we attended eggfest we tasted so many dishes and asked a lot of questions.....A lot of info to process and far too much to remember.  
    My boys attended with us and they too tasted some things they would like us to try on the egg.  All good stuff. However, our dealer has yet to post the recipes, post pictures, etc... as promised.

    I am sure a lot of time and effort goes into planning an eggfest but the eggfest itself is only an introduction to a whole new crowd to the BGE community.

    My suggestion is to commit yourself to this product line completely and you will build a market like no other grill can.  Like others have suggested cooking classes, daily or at least periodic cooks, don't just sell grills accessories sell the lifestyle.  Good luck

  • @yumdinger - thanks for the tip!  Our goal is to create a cult following with this product, and we're hoping to be able to do all of the above.

    The plan is to launch our new store, along with the Egg, invite everyone, including the media, and make it a huge EGGstravaganza.  The Grill Sergeant will be out in the parking lot with a couple Eggs - one with food cooking on it, the other ready to rock so potential EGGheads can give it a whirl, from light up through cook.

    I'll have a spot on our website for new EGGheads to post their stories, and will also point them here.  I'm hoping to coordinate with a local butcher so we can have an Egg going out front at least every Saturday.

    I'll definitely keep everyone posted!
    Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon
  • Squeezy
    Squeezy Posts: 1,102
    edited October 2011
    Squeezy, can you be more specific?  Cookshack, for example, says their pellets are 100% wood.




    My source agrees on Cookshack, they use 100% sawdust of the type of wood they label. Traeger on the other hand use various woods mixed with food grade aroma hickory, pecan, fruitwood variety etc. 

    That is probably why the aroma coming off of pellet poopers is so nice, but seems to be very little on the meat itself. I really don't understand it ....

    Never eat anything passed through a window unless you're a seagull ... BGE Lg.
  • "pellet pooper" - love it!
    Egg Head in Klamath Falls, Oregon