24 reasons to own a small

jscarfo · May 2014

I have a large but my small gets cooked on 3 or 4 times a week.12 shrimp dusted with dizzy pig jamacian fire walk, 12 wing rate snake dust and jamacian fire walk no after pic of shrimp sorry

tcampbell · May 2014

Small is a great little cooker it had its place.

Mattman3969 · May 2014

Looks good. Love my small!!

jerryb78 · May 2014

I just got my large a couple weeks ago and I've already found myself pondering the merits of picking up a small as well. There goes the budget.

RRP · May 2014

My small gets 60+% of all my cooks! Some people have problems, but I'm blessed I guess - whether I just want 250, 400, or 750 it can deliver the temperature! Actually if I had the ability to act as a clearinghouse - even for no profit - I would love to match up the sellers who hate their small eggs with those of us who love them!

cazzy · May 2014

Here are two reasons you should own a small:

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1139543/my-sbge-weekend-adventure

http://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1164837/my-sbge-weekend-adventure-2nd-edition

jscarfo · May 2014

Uses little lump gets to temp quick great for smaller cooks

Biggreenpharmacist · May 2014

I love mine. I leave it at my camp but it gets the most work down there even beside a big offset smoker and a gasser, even with large crowds.

Randy1 · May 2014

I have come to really appreciate my small. I slid under the fence and got an egg carten, just as he quit making them (# 44). Which makes it very easy to move anywhere. I got a CI grid for it and it will get up to 500 degrees relatively easily and quickly. It's funny, I have burned up so many gaskets on my large, but the small's stock gasket is going on two years with no trouble.

minniemoh · May 2014

I would love to add a small for portability. I would use it for tailgating and for family get-togethers on a regular basis. I think I would use it around home quite a bit too. When we have big gatherings and I do pork butts on one L and brisket on the other L, I like to be able to make wings or burgers to eat while I enjoy my brews.

@RRP - if you ever start that side business mating up S users who want to get rid of one, let me know as I can't seem to find a used one around here.

SGH · May 2014

I can only think of 3 reasons to own a small.

First one. They quit making the large.

Second one. They quit making the x-large.

Third one. They never release the xx-large.

Just kidding fellows but I couldn't resist that one. I actually have a joe jr and love it for portability.

)

SenorHuevo · May 2014

I'm sure the small is great, but I'm waiting for the MiniMax.

Hi54putty · May 2014

I love my small. It gets 50% of the work at our house.

Serial Griller · May 2014

I like the small for saving charcoal when cooking small cooks like a couple of burgers or chicken breasts.

I'm not at all happy with the airflow even with a high que grate. Even when doing a 500' cook ( if I can get that high) the fire box or fire ring do not get cleaned (turn white) above the charcoal line.

If I want to sear a steak..I use the large.

Fred19Flintstone · May 2014

The only reason I need is so I can be cool like Cazzy.

Cowdogs · May 2014

Serial Griller said:

I like the small for saving charcoal when cooking small cooks like a couple of burgers or chicken breasts.
I'm not at all happy with the airflow even with a high que grate. Even when doing a 500' cook ( if I can get that high) the fire box or fire ring do not get cleaned (turn white) above the charcoal line.
If I want to sear a steak..I use the large.

I wonder why. My small with high que goes to 750-800 pretty quickly.

Eggcelsior · May 2014

Cowdogs said:

Serial Griller said:

I like the small for saving charcoal when cooking small cooks like a couple of burgers or chicken breasts.
I'm not at all happy with the airflow even with a high que grate. Even when doing a 500' cook ( if I can get that high) the fire box or fire ring do not get cleaned (turn white) above the charcoal line.
If I want to sear a steak..I use the large.

I wonder why. My small with high que goes to 750-800 pretty quickly.

There have been some complaints in the past that the small's air inlet was too small so it wouldn't get as hot as other sizes. I don't know if it was manufacturing differences since not everyone had this issue.

jscarfo · May 2014

I think 500 is hot enough for a small if u want to sear a steak just bring lump up higher, for pizza I use my large so I use the small for most cooks under 500. Wings, steak tips, shrimp, fish and a few low an slow cooks

cookingdude555 · May 2014

I have the same issue. I have each size and the small is really slow to heat up, and reach high temps. Mine has a gap around the firebox and ring that is larger than my four other sizes. I believe this affects air flow in my small. I think this is why it is so confusing to those that have smalls that run like blast furnaces. I am going to sell it for a minimax.

RRP · May 2014

cookingdude555 said:

I have the same issue. I have each size and the small is really slow to heat up, and reach high temps. Mine has a gap around the firebox and ring that is larger than my four other sizes. I believe this affects air flow in my small. I think this is why it is so confusing to those that have smalls that run like blast furnaces. I am going to sell it for a minimax.

Sounds like you have already thrown in the towel and plan to dump it, but did you ever try to stuff that gap you describe? I can think of a couple ways that wouldn't be too expensive and worth a try. Simplest would be stuffing it with a rope made of aluminum foil. Then if that produces satisfactory results you could look into rope style high temperature gasket material.

mrdnks · May 2014

Love my small, it travels with me well.

I load it in the back of the jeep and take it camping.

Thatgrimguy · May 2014

I think most that don't like there small, aren't doing a full clean often enough. You have to clean it all the way out every other cook or so (anytime you add lump basically) It's small, so it's easy.

RRP · May 2014

Thatgrimguy said:

I think most that don't like there small, aren't doing a full clean often enough. You have to clean it all the way out every other cook or so (anytime you add lump basically) It's small, so it's easy.

might be - I suppose - but if you mean a full knock down clean out I only do that once a year with my small and I can deliver 700 to 775 with no problem! OTOH I always clean the ash out that I can scrape up the front before every cook. Before that scrape out though I always stir my old lump and add new filling it midway in my fire ring. My way of thinking is starting from the same cleaned bottom and lump level my fire starting techniques and time to temperatures is always consistent.

Ladeback69 · May 2014

I've heard the new mini max is going to be the diameter of the small but short and squaty like the mini and the XL. That's the next one I am looking at.

RRP · May 2014

Ladeback69 said:

I've heard the new mini max is going to be the diameter of the small but short and squaty like the mini and the XL. That's the next one I am looking at.

Without a larger bottom vent then the same diameter as a small, but squatty makes me wonder how it will any draw better. I would assume that BGE has beta tested a few to some dedicated eggheads SWORN to secrecy before signing off on the final design.

Mattman3969 · May 2014

Thatgrimguy said:
I think most that don't like there small, aren't doing a full clean often enough. You have to clean it all the way out every other cook or so (anytime you add lump basically) It's small, so it's easy.

I use my small 3-4nights a week and may do a full clean out every month and a half or so. I do stir and rake out the ashes the best I can before each cook I can hit 800-900 fairly easy if I want which was once to see if I could and once by mistake. Most cooks are in the 400-450 range.

SWVABeanCounter · May 2014

Ladeback69 said:

I've heard the new mini max is going to be the diameter of the small but short and squaty like the mini and the XL. That's the next one I am looking at.

A few weeks after buying my small, I heard about the minimax. Had I known, I might have waited.I guess I' wait and see what others think of it before I maybe make a swap. Love my small though.

RRP · May 2014

SWVABeanCounter said:

A few weeks after buying my small, I heard about the minimax. Had I known, I might have waited.I guess I' wait and see what others think of it before I maybe make a swap. Love my small though.

That brings up an interesting twist! For years it has been the practice that dealers will take an older used egg back in trade for an upgrade. With so many small owners who don't like them UNLIKE me and others, then I wonder if the line will "be out the door" with unhappy small owners when dealers get the new Maxi-Mini in stock. If nothing else I wonder what this will do to the used small price since I assume dealers don't want to eat all those smalls - though corporate won't either. Used smalls may become very cheap...just sayin...

cookingdude555 · May 2014

Haven't thrown in the towel, I just understand my cooker and it's limitations. I know what it's capable of, and I put in a lot of use before getting my medium. I have used a aluminum rope, and I also fashioned a new fire grate from expanded metal. Both helped. They actually made the small take off pretty good. I really do believe each of these smalls are different. I'm a very experienced person with my eggs, and my XL,L,M, and mini are jet engines if I give them fuel and air (especially the M). I have to coax the small. Even when clean, the airflow isn't right.

I know the people with smalls that perform like their other eggs advocate that their is something wrong with the way they are used, but once you get a slow one, you understand. I'm glad other people have smalls that work fantastic. But I know there are others like me that don't.

I dunno, I may just keep the small, buy the minimax, and convince my wife it's a mini.

RRP · May 2014

cookingdude555 said:

Haven't thrown in the towel, I just understand my cooker and it's limitations. I know what it's capable of, and I put in a lot of use before getting my medium. I have used a aluminum rope, and I also fashioned a new fire grate from expanded metal. Both helped. They actually made the small take off pretty good. I really do believe each of these smalls are different. I'm a very experienced person with my eggs, and my XL,L,M, and mini are jet engines if I give them fuel and air (especially the M). I have to coax the small. Even when clean, the airflow isn't right. I know the people with smalls that perform like their other eggs advocate that their is something wrong with the way they are used, but once you get a slow one, you understand. I'm glad other people have smalls that work fantastic. But I know there are others like me that don't. I dunno, I may just keep the small, buy the minimax, and convince my wife it's a mini.

Thanks for your explanation. I was just throwing out my thoughts not knowing you and also for sake of other troubled small owners. Good luck however it all goes down!

24 reasons to own a small

Comments

Categories