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How much food can I get on a large?

saaben
saaben Posts: 28
in EggHead Forum
I have googled with little luck. If someone is considering between large and XL heed my advice. Grab the XL. I find myself cooking for a holiday party. Quandary is that there will be 8 adults and numerous kids. Was planning on doing hot dogs for kids. Shish kabobs for adults. Was going to use filet and chicken with assorted veggies. In looking at grate it looks like it might be a tight fit. Was also considering if I needed to put chicken on for about 10 minutes prior as well. When cooking a lot of items such as this is it okay to essentially stack the kabobs on top of each other as they cook if I need more room? Hoping santa brings me a cast iron grate and plan to use old one as a second layer after xmas so not practical to buy an extender. Thoughts or suggestions appreciated. Thanks
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Comments

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    The BGE website gives you a guideline  of how many burgers, chicken and turkey sizes, etc. for every egg. Go to the site and choose an egg size. 
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  • saaben
    saaben Posts: 28
    Sorry, I should have been more clear. I already bought the Large. Too late now. Just trying to figure out how to pack more food on the grid. Thanks
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  • luckyboy
    luckyboy Posts: 284
    Buy stackable grids and pile it on.
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  • Carolina Q
    Carolina Q Posts: 14,831
    Buy a cheap weber grid and three 1/4" carriage bolts with 3 or 4 nuts and washers for each bolt. Not a lot of money and you'll have a removable raised grid. I have a stock grid, a CI and the weber one. Almost every cook is done on the weber grid. Just found this pic, but it's pretty much like my setup. (Thanks to whoever posted it.)

    I hate it when I go to the kitchen for food and all I find are ingredients!                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

    Michael 
    Central Connecticut 

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  • saaben
    saaben Posts: 28
    "Hoping santa brings me a cast iron grate and plan to use old one as a second layer after xmas so not practical to buy an extender." I expect to get one for Xmas and the party is this weekend. 
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  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 17,261
    Did 60 chicken legs on the XL. A huge hit with adults and children. 
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,583
    yes, you can stack and rotate the kabobs,  i stack wings in my mini in a basket and can easily do 30 plus wings in one cook. if i needed hundreds of wings i would find a basket for the large =) the adjustable rig setup sold by the ceramic grill store is the answer for large cooks in the large but simple grates stacked on firebricks or standing on bolts also works out just fine

    heres some setup ideas
    20 something wings in a mini



    34 pounds of butt and brisket in large

    2005012055jpg

    chefwils 20 racks in a large

    20racksjpg

    adjustable rig in a large

    image



    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • fishlessman
    fishlessman Posts: 34,583
    chefwill cooking beerbutt chicken in a large, t think they were 4 pounders

    chicken_002jpg

    fukahwee maine

    you can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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  • Lawman58
    Lawman58 Posts: 79
    I bought a second grate at Home Depot for <15 bucks and used two talk soup cans to make a second surface and it worked great!!
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  • YukonRon
    YukonRon Posts: 17,261
    saaben said:
    I have googled with little luck. If someone is considering between large and XL heed my advice. Grab the XL. I find myself cooking for a holiday party. Quandary is that there will be 8 adults and numerous kids. Was planning on doing hot dogs for kids. Shish kabobs for adults. Was going to use filet and chicken with assorted veggies. In looking at grate it looks like it might be a tight fit. Was also considering if I needed to put chicken on for about 10 minutes prior as well. When cooking a lot of items such as this is it okay to essentially stack the kabobs on top of each other as they cook if I need more room? Hoping santa brings me a cast iron grate and plan to use old one as a second layer after xmas so not practical to buy an extender. Thoughts or suggestions appreciated. Thanks
    This was just the first level. The upper tier had been removed with more on it.
    "Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

    XL and MM
    Louisville, Kentucky
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  • six_egg
    six_egg Posts: 1,112
    I am food safety nut myself. I try not to mix different meats. If I am forced to stack the chicken would go on bottom rack other meat on top rack. Chicken has higher internal temp to reach than say beef or pork depending on cut. I like my steaks med or medrare so 130 to 140. Chicken is 165.   

    XLBGE, LBGE 

    Fernandina Beach, FL

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  • bhedges1987
    bhedges1987 Posts: 3,201
    I wouldn't spend the extra money on an XL just for random parties here and there.  Large should be just fine.  Plus for the food you are talking about cooking - the egg will cook those things so fast and good even if you run out of room, those hot dogs and kabobs will be done in under 10 min.  Go put them on a plate and cover with foil until the others are done.

    I however did make a mistake buying a medium instead of a large.  But normally I am only cooking for my wife and I.  

    My only problem is when smoking ribs / brisket, flames come up around the side of my plate setter and burn my meat.  I ended up purchasing a cheap pizza stone to lay on my plate setter to minimize the flames.

    Kansas City, Missouri
    Large Egg
    Mini Egg

    "All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us" - Gandalf


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  • CtTOPGUN
    CtTOPGUN Posts: 612
     I upped the capacity of my LBGE with a swingrack from Ceramic Grill Works. Carbon steel that acts just like cast iron. The upper rack rotates out of the way for attending to the main rack, which is why I chose this design over the Adjustable rig.

       Jim
    LBGE/Weber Kettle/Blackstone 36" Griddle/Turkey Fryer/Induction Burner/Royal Gourmet 24" Griddle/Cuisinart Twin Oaks/Pit Boss Tabletop pellet smoker/Instant Pot

     BBQ from the State of Connecticut!

       Jim
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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    With adjustable rig from cgs ive been able to do four bone in pork shoulders.  Picnic end i believe is the correct name.  I space the top amd botton far apart and then put two in basement and two in attic. If you have resources get the adj rig, two slide guides, two oval grates, rig extender amd top grate spide and stone and youll be all set
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  • McStew
    McStew Posts: 965

    This was 4 Birds 4-5 lbs each 
    Hermosa Beach CA 
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  • johnmitchell
    johnmitchell Posts: 7,362
    @saaben...Don't forget to watch your height vs the temp probe in your dome. A simple wine cork spacer on the outside will give you the added height you might need..
    Greensboro North Carolina
    When in doubt Accelerate....
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  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,196
    Get a weber ranch kettle :o.  Did these kabobs for my my brothers wedding using the ranch kettle. Cooks for hundreds. 


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  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    When it comes to "grill space" and 18 inch circle is not that big so I definitely get what you mean.  A second grid might come in handy, but like @bhedges1987 mentioned these are pretty quick cooks so I wouldn't stress over it and just plan to do a couple of shifts.   I would cook all the dogs for the kids first and let them get started and then do the kebabs and veggies for the adults. This also gives the parents time to help the kids make their plates (if they are younger kids).  

    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    Try this link. It shows four shoulders on lg.  Ive also done six racks of babybacks amd could have done nine...

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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    Oops techniccally challenged. Let me see if one of my kids can help!

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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    Let's try this again....courtesy of an 8 year old's technical expertise.....
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  • westernbbq
    westernbbq Posts: 2,490
    And thr four shoulders....

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  • nth78
    nth78 Posts: 154
    edited December 2015
    If you have a cheap second grill just throw the hotdogs on it.  A hot dog is a hot dog
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