Mini Egg? Yes or No? All commentary/opinions wanted

Zippylip · June 2013

Springram said:

Sounds good to me. Have fun with your Weber Smokey Joe or whatever. You used the word "outperform". You lost a little credibility on that one, however. Going cheap is the least of my goals in life. Springram Spring, Texas

Springram, years ago I too spent time in the Koolaid line where you are now & bought a mini. A couple years later when the new egg smell wore off & I grew tired of cleaning it out & the limitations imposed by the extremely limited size of its grid, I bought a smoky joe for a change of pace. Now, several years later, having cooked several hundred times on both the mini and the joe, I stand firmly by my statement that the mini is outperformed hands down by a larger more versatile cooker that carries the price tag of a gasket. I still have the mini but several times each week when I'm given the option of which small cooker to use, it doesn't come out of the garage anymore. Granted, if cheaper were the only consideration I'd agree, it's not worth it on that alone, but when all else is considered, I'm afraid in my experience the mini gets its stones kicked in, and badly at that. You may take this as offensive, which is odd since we're talking about an object, but it is what it is.

Village Idiot · June 2013

I stand with Zippylip on this.

Springram · June 2013

Still love that Koolaid! :<)

My favorite flavor is green. (pun intended)

@Zippylip - I am not offended at all. I totally respect your opinion.

Springram

Spring, Texas

Zippylip · June 2013

Springram said:

Still love that Koolaid! :<)

My favorite flavor is green. (pun intended)

@Zippylip - I am not offended at all. I totally respect your opinion.

Springram
Spring, Texas

The Koolaid is tasty and addictive, I drank my more than my fair share of kegs of it. But in time it'll wear off, for some more than others. There is an egg first mentality here as well there should be, it's an egg forum. But any rational person should recognize that no single manufacturer of a given product will ever rule the entire spectrum of devices, particularly when the area is something as varied as outdoor cookers. Visit a brand-neutral bbq forum & some of the discussions about what cooker is 'better' can get as contentious as any political or religious discussion. I've had my large many years longer than the beginning of my mini adventure & it continues to rule as it did on day one in certain areas of outdoor cooking & I suspect it will continue to do so.

Zippylip · June 2013

Village Idiot said:

I stand with Zippylip on this.

better be careful there or people will think you're living up to your name

Village Idiot · June 2013

Zippylip said:

Village Idiot said:

I stand with Zippylip on this.

better be careful there or people will think you're living up to your name

It's way beyond that, Zippy. They were convinced after the first week. 8-}

Springram · June 2013

I think @Zippylip must be a college professor, you know, being "rational" and all ... plus not knowing when to quit talking.

Hell, I am one of those as$%^hole lawyers so I know when to rest my case better than he does. By now the jury has gone to sleep and does not care anymore.

BTW, @Zippylip, I drive a Mercedes Benz sports coupe car. I assume that does not meet with your approval and is not rational either. I know, should have gotten a 270Z instead, right?

Springram

Spring, Texas

Mama Roneck · June 2013

Have L, S, and M BGEs and used a bunch of weber kettles before I drank the koolaid. Interesting conversation, but I think one of you is arguing the "value" side and the other is arguing "best available". You're both right!

caliking · June 2013

The mini is a great little cooker, and how much food it can put out is often underestimated, IMO. The low and slow capabilities of a ceramic cooker like the egg are hard to beat. If you already have a smokey joe and are a little handy, you can make a mini WSM out of a tamale pot. It has more "moving parts" though. Another option if you are looking for something less expensive is the Weber Go Anywhere, which in some ways beats the Smokey Joe since you can do indirect cooks easily.

caliking · June 2013

[OT= can someone explain the Kool-aid reference to me?]

Village Idiot · June 2013

caliking said:

[OT= can someone explain the Kool-aid reference to me?]

to drink the kool aid is a metaphor for blindly following along with the crowd. It has a nefarious origin though. You may remember the Jonestown mass suicide, ordered by Rev. Jim Jones. They drank cyanide laced kool aid to kill themselves.

caliking · June 2013

oh, got it. Thanks, VI. That's kinda morbid.

Zippylip · June 2013

Springram said:

I think @Zippylip must be a college professor, you know, being "rational" and all ... plus not knowing when to quit talking.

Hell, I am one of those as$%^hole lawyers so I know when to rest my case better than he does. By now the jury has gone to sleep and does not care anymore.

BTW, @Zippylip, I drive a Mercedes Benz sports coupe car. I assume that does not meet with your approval and is not rational either. I know, should have gotten a 270Z instead, right?

Springram
Spring, Texas

Springram, I can't help your feeling of being schooled by a professor nor will I dispute that you're an **** per your own acknowledgment. But I'm a charitable & gregarious sorta guy so I will give you some advice: don't sweat it, so you made a bad choice & realized it, no biggie these things happen... it's all part of life. If lashing out at me as the messenger makes you feel better, all I can say is you're welcome.

By the way didn't they teach you not to lead with your chin in law school?

Village Idiot · June 2013

Zippylip said:

By the way didn't they teach you not to lead with your chin in law school?

) Zippy. You're gonna fit right in here.

dougbacker · June 2013

Lit said:

Here's a 6.5 pound shoulder on a mini.

@Lit How full did you fill your mini to do this? It looks to me that you filled it to the bottom of the PS, Am I right?

Mickey · June 2013

Zippylip said:

Mickey said:

We sent a Mini to Afghanistan and it cooked for 21 troops. Not a waste of money.

Mickey, with all due respect you and I both know how long it would take to rotate enough food on & off a cooker the size of a mini to feed 21 hungry people. Can it be done? Of course, but that's not the question. Can it be done in 1/2 the time at 1/10th the cost? Yes.
If your goal is to spend 10 times the money & a great deal more time cooking, then the mini is certainly the best choice.

Zip the cost to them was Zero. I went to the Distributer (Paragon, Texas and some other states) got Mini for free. Old forum gave $$$ to ship and sent lots or rub, etc. All they have extra over there is time. They cooked for 21 lots of days and very happy to do it. Hell, Zip I have two Larges setting here if I need it. The guy posting has Large and Med so I see no reason a Mini will not work. Anyone reading this please understand Zippylip is an outstanding cook and tons of Egg knowledge. I have been reading him for many years on old forum. We just do not agree on this. Having only two of us at the house and 3 Eggs I use the Mini 75+% of the time.

Chubbs · June 2013

For what it is worth 7 of my last 10 cooks have been on my mini. My other egg is a large.

dougbacker · June 2013

I got my Mini last Friday, I look at my large the other day and saw what I thought was water and come to find out it was tears. :(( I patted him on his head and told him it wold be ok for I am going to use him this weekend, He winked and smiled back at me

Firemedic183 · June 2013

@zippylip, out of genuine curiosity, would you rather use a small BGE over the smokey joe on campouts or other adventures where portability is important, or would you just stick with the webber? I really looked long and hard at the small, but went with the medium due to there being more eggcessories. I really enjoy the egg, but would like another one for portability purposes. Great thread topic.

Taste Bud · June 2013

Hey Zippy, if your Mini is still in your garage and your anathema toward it is genuine, I'll take it! :-D

Powderhound · June 2013

Thank you all for your commentary and good discussion. There are some great points to be had by all and I enjoyed reading them. I have a mini BGE on order from my BGE Dealer and I look forward to enjoying it just as much as all of you who have one.

Scottborasjr · June 2013

Really don't think you will regret it @Powderhound, if you find uses for a Large and a Medium, you will find uses for your new Mini, congrats on the new acquisition.

Zippylip · June 2013

Firemedic183 said:

@zippylip, out of genuine curiosity, would you rather use a small BGE over the smokey joe on campouts or other adventures where portability is important, or would you just stick with the webber? I really looked long and hard at the small, but went with the medium due to there being more eggcessories. I really enjoy the egg, but would like another one for portability purposes. Great thread topic.

Firemedic, if portability is the chief consideration, I'd go with the joe over even the small because of its ease & simplicity of movement (if that thing weighs 4lbs I'd be surprised). You can pick it up with one finger & dump the ashes, it cools in minutes, it can be indiscriminately tossed in the trunk or back of a pickup truck without concern for its safety whereas one false move with an egg & you've got a problem, an expensive one at that.

On the other hand, when you're getting into the upper size eggs now you're getting into territory where their larger capacity & ceramic properties come more into play. Particularly with the size (depth & volume of the firebox) you can do more things with the small than can be accomplished with the mini or the joe. So it depends greatly on what you're cooking, and if you don't mind the extra effort in carrying the egg to & from then the small would be a good choice over the joe.

On the third hand, although I don't have much use for one because I have 2 larges & a 22.5 inch kettle, if I were to go camping I'd probably pick up a Jumbo Joe, it's another table top joe but with an 18.5 inch grid (the regular one is 14.5). Imagine a cooking surface the size of the LBGE on a cooker that probably weighs 5lbs, costs 59 bucks, and for all practical purposes is indestructible. Seems to me they were made for camping out & tail gating... it's worth consideration.

Taste Bud said:

Hey Zippy, if your Mini is still in your garage and your anathema toward it is genuine, I'll take it! :-D

Taste Bud, I'd've sold it years ago if my daughter didn't have a sentimental attachment to it, so sorry it's a no go. And by the by, I've known only one person to ever actually use anathema in a sentence in these parts

Zippylip · June 2013

Mickey said:

Zippylip said:

Mickey said:

We sent a Mini to Afghanistan and it cooked for 21 troops. Not a waste of money.

Mickey, with all due respect you and I both know how long it would take to rotate enough food on & off a cooker the size of a mini to feed 21 hungry people. Can it be done? Of course, but that's not the question. Can it be done in 1/2 the time at 1/10th the cost? Yes.
If your goal is to spend 10 times the money & a great deal more time cooking, then the mini is certainly the best choice.

Zip the cost to them was Zero. I went to the Distributer (Paragon, Texas and some other states) got Mini for free. Old forum gave $$$ to ship and sent lots or rub, etc. All they have extra over there is time. They cooked for 21 lots of days and very happy to do it. Hell, Zip I have two Larges setting here if I need it. The guy posting has Large and Med so I see no reason a Mini will not work. Anyone reading this please understand Zippylip is an outstanding cook and tons of Egg knowledge. I have been reading him for many years on old forum. We just do not agree on this. Having only two of us at the house and 3 Eggs I use the Mini 75+% of the time.

Mickey I recall the story well, I followed it with interest in real time; that was a good thing you guys did & I know the troops appreciated it big time.

gabriegger · June 2013

I don't have an opinion on this but will comment that I will soon be the proud owner of a Mini Egg. Ordered one through Dickson's yesterday at the Toronto Eggfest. Haven't broken the news to my 2 larges but I'm sure they will get over it. Why did I decide on the Mini? Portability and only 2 of us at home. More importantly to me why the hell would I want to cook on anything else?

SkinnyV · June 2013

Please post pics of indirect cooks on smokey Joe, briskets and butts and how the lump performed.

Some pizzas and going from indirect to sear on it also.....

Once those come in I'm sold!

Village Idiot · June 2013

SkinnyV said:

Please post pics of indirect cooks on smokey Joe, briskets and butts and how the lump performed. Some pizzas and going from indirect to sear on it also..... Once those come in I'm sold!

As far as I'm concerned, that's missing the point. Why would I want to do those things on a mini when I have a large? Even if I did, you wouldn't fit a Texas packer on a mini. Oh yeah, you're saving money by using less lump. Bwahahahaha.

But putting all banter aside, if you like your mini, great. I use mine too for grilling steaks.

paqman · June 2013

gabriegger said:
I don't have an opinion on this but will comment that I will soon be the proud owner of a Mini Egg. Ordered one through Dickson's yesterday at the Toronto Eggfest. Haven't broken the news to my 2 larges but I'm sure they will get over it. Why did I decide on the Mini? Portability and only 2 of us at home. More importantly to me why the hell would I want to cook on anything else?

@gabriegger how much $$$ did you pay?

Lit · June 2013

Village Idiot said:

SkinnyV said:

Please post pics of indirect cooks on smokey Joe, briskets and butts and how the lump performed.

Some pizzas and going from indirect to sear on it also.....

Once those come in I'm sold!

As far as I'm concerned, that's missing the point. Why would I want to do those things on a mini when I have a large? Even if I did, you wouldn't fit a Texas packer on a mini. Oh yeah, you're saving money by using less lump. Bwahahahaha.

But putting all banter aside, if you like your mini, great. I use mine too for grilling steaks.

i believe the whole point of this thread is what sets the mini and other small grills apart. He nailed it with almost exactly what i said earlier in the thread and zipply chose not to respond. If you are looking to only cook burgers and dogs you can use any little grill you want but the mini can do that and much more.

Zippylip · June 2013

SkinnyV said:

Please post pics of indirect cooks on smokey Joe, briskets and butts and how the lump performed. Some pizzas and going from indirect to sear on it also..... Once those come in I'm sold!

Skinny, for some reason this site no longer allows me to post pictures, not sure what's going on there. Anyway, Kettles work differently than eggs. By their design eggs are primarily bottom up cookers (especially the mini), their fireboxes are deeper as opposed to wider. As a result most indirect cooking requires a baffle of some sort to protect the food from direct heat. The joe (& all kettles) needs no baffle, its size & far broader fire grate allow you to bank coals leaving up to 3/4 of the grid as a 'cool zone', by positioning the exhaust opposite the fire you draw the heat & smoke over the food resulting in true indirect cooking. If/when I want to add a sear I simply spin the grid a quarter turn & my food is now over the hot fire; when I cooked on the mini I did what you do, I took the food off, removed the grid, removed the baffle, replaced the grid & food & sometimes waited for the fire to get hotter to get a sear all to achieve what the joe does with a simple spin... The 14.5 inch grid is substantially larger than the mini so even with no food over the quarter where the fire is you still have more grid space. This doesn't mean you can't use a baffle in the joe & completely load the grid, it's simply not needed. As for briskets & butts, I'd echo Gary's comment above and add this, speaking on behalf of the dedicated weber crowd, they typically use the Minion Method to achieve low & slow temps with no need to add fule during long smokes. If you're really interested visit either the weber forum or the bbq brethren, both excellent sites - you may be surprised at what can be done on those cookers. I suppose if I didn't have large eggs I'd follow those methods on my kettle & joe, & more than likely build a nice UDS, but I choose to use the best cooker I have for any given job. Same with pizza, while I can cook a pizza on the mini or the joe, I never do, rather I use the large as it's far superior for that cook. Kind of like saying I could pick up a load of minure with my mini cooper to show it's possible but I'd rather use my pickup truck...

Mini Egg? Yes or No? All commentary/opinions wanted

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