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B747crew
B747crew Posts: 158
in EggHead Forum
Fellow members I'm totally new to both the forum and BGE's as well. I'm torn between the Medium size and Large as my first. In general It's just my wife and I and an occasional two or three family members to cook for BUT I want to do slow cook smoke meats and a nice size butt or brisket. Is a Medium going to be ok for the most part?? Any advice will be much appreciated. Thanks Jack from NC
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  • SmokingPiney
    SmokingPiney Posts: 2,282
    edited March 2017
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    Welcome to the forum!

    With any cooker, I like to go as big as my budget will allow. You never know when you might need the extra capacity. I have an XL for just my wife and I, and the extra capacity has come in very handy for the occasional parties. 
    South Jersey Pine Barrens. XL BGE , Assassin 24, Weber Kettle, CharBroil gasser, AMNPS 
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  • GATraveller
    GATraveller Posts: 8,207
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    Welcome.
    I've always felt bigger is better.
    Whatever you chose......enjoy!!

    "Social media gives legions of idiots the right to speak when they once only spoke at a bar after a glass of wine, without harming the community [...] but now they have the same right to speak as a Nobel Prize winner. It's the invasion of the idiots."
                                                                                  -Umberto Eco

    2 Large
    Peachtree Corners, GA
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  • Bowne1
    Bowne1 Posts: 20
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    B747 Crew, welcome. I would start out with a large. I own a large, medium and a small and I use the large at this point for only long slow cooks, with larger meats (i.e. Briskets) . The medium is too small, in my opinion ,for a good size brisket or several racks of ribs.. 
    Large, Med and a Yoder YS480 . 1 Beautiful Wife, 2 Dogs and always looking for a MM 
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  • SemolinaPilchard
    SemolinaPilchard Posts: 1,282
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    The first egg will not be your last, so it really does not matter. Having said that, I recommend the large.
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  • bgebrent
    bgebrent Posts: 19,636
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    Welcome aboard.  Go with the large.
    Sandy Springs & Dawsonville Ga
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  • ibanda
    ibanda Posts: 553
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    At my various extended families houses we have and I cooked on a mini, small, medium and large sizes. I have cooked a pork butt on my small and it worked just fine for a 12 hour smoke. The medium is a good size for cooking for up to 4 people. 

    If you are cooking for more than 4 people or trying to smoke a packer brisket I would recommend going for a Large. Last summer I stacked a 2nd grid and 2nd brisket on a Large and had enough brisket for 30 people. The Large is very versatile. 
    "Bacon tastes gooood, pork chops taste gooood." - Vincent Vega, Pulp Fiction
    Small and Large BGE in Oklahoma City.
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  • EggMcMic
    EggMcMic Posts: 340
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    Welcome. I have a large and a minimax. I have cooked a porkbutt on the MMX but would struggle with a full packer brisket (my preferred cook). Ribs would also have to be cut to fit. I recommend the large to start. 
    EggMcMcc
    Central Illinois
    First L BGE July 2016, RecTec, Traeger, Weber, Campchef
    Second BGE, a MMX, February 2017
    Third BGE, another large, May, 2017
    Added another griddle (BassPro) December 2017
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  • northGAcock
    northGAcock Posts: 15,164
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    Well I am a medium owner, and will tell you I find it perfect for the wife and I....and do similar cooks as you mentioned. You would be fine in spit of the bigger is better group on here. If money is not an object, you will be fine with either. If you think you might own a secound egg one day, the bigger difference in the two will Likly serve you well. You want go wrong with your choice here whatever you decide. 
    Ellijay GA with a Medium & MiniMax

    Well, I married me a wife, she's been trouble all my life,
    Run me out in the cold rain and snow
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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,341
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    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  You can certainly cook what you mention on a medium (there are some very talented medium owners here) but for ease of operation I would go with the large.  Either way, you will have fun.  
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood. # 38 for the win.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period.
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  • the_crease
    the_crease Posts: 132
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    Welcome to the lifestyle!  I have a large and wish I would've bought an XL.  Bigger is better for big proteins such as full briskets and racks of ribs.
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  • Wardster
    Wardster Posts: 1,006
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    When asked between the med and large, I always suggest the large.  The first time you run out of room on a med  you will kick yourself for not getting the large.  IMO

    Apollo Beach, FL
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  • SaintJohnsEgger
    SaintJohnsEgger Posts: 1,826
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    Welcome. For your stated cooking needs I would go with the large. If you want to do something along the lines of daily cooks treating the egg like a grill then go with the smaller egg as you will use less lump.

    Best case: get the large and use it for smoking butts and briskets etc. Later add a MiniMax or a small for nightly cooks. That's my plan. I have the large and now I'm trying to figure out how to finance the MM.

    Marshall in Beautiful Fruit Cove, FL.
    MiniMax 04/17
    Unofficial BGE MiniMax Evangelist
    Facebook Big Green Egg MiniMax Owners Group


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  • Theophan
    Theophan Posts: 2,654
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    I have a Medium and a Large, and I love the Medium, use it a lot more than the Large, but if I only had one Egg it'd be the Large, not the medium.  There are just too many times when the Medium isn't big enough.

    I've never cooked on an XL or larger, so I don't know, but I really can't imagine that an XL wouldn't be really expensive overkill if you mostly cook for yourself and your family.  If you love to entertain, an XL might make a lot of sense.
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,026
    edited March 2017
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    Large for the win! It's just the wife and I and the large is my most used egg. It's big enough for 95% of my cooks and not too big where it feels wrong cooking smaller amounts of food on it. It's the most common Big Green Egg. It will have the most accessories available for it. 
    "The pig is an amazing animal. You feed a pig an apple and it makes bacon. Let's see Michael Phelps do that" - Jim Gaffigan

    Minnesota
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  • Hans61
    Hans61 Posts: 3,901
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    Love my XL. When I was considering cost and debating between large and XL had a small epiphany...it's a lifetime warranty and a one time purchase, I figured a few extra hundred isn't much. 

    Heres a a pic of my XL with 3 slabs of ribs and a pan of mac and cheese
    The size is just right, don't have to cram
    “There are three rules that I live by: never get less than twelve hours sleep; never play cards with a guy who has the same first name as a city; and never get involved with a woman with a tattoo of a dagger on her body.”
    Coach Finstock Teen Wolf
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  • gabriegger
    gabriegger Posts: 682
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    I started out with a large and within a year bought another.  Not because of space but rather this mad world I entered.  Then I went out and bought a Mini.  Yes it's an obsession.  So welcome!  Bought that first large yet?

    the city above Toronto - Noodleville wtih 2 Large 1 Mini

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  • chuckytheegghead
    chuckytheegghead Posts: 1,201
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    As @SmokingPiney said, go as large as the budget will allow. 
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 25,888
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    17 years ago I asked the same question and got the same answers then as you have received now. Get the Large and you won't regret it. Besides once it gets in your blood you will bleed green and add another at some later date! Though I have four now I still believe the perfect combo is a Large and a Small (or a Maxi-Mini which is just a Small with the bottom shortened and then upped in price!). My wife surprised me with our 3rd egg and it was a Medium, which honestly I never even thought I wanted after I chose the Large. In fact I never used it for a year and then I decided to devote that medium to baking only and to this day it has never had meat nor wood smoke in it. So again - GO LARGE!!!
    Re-gasketing America one yard at a time.
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  • PoppasGrill
    PoppasGrill Posts: 356
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    WeberWho said:
    Large for the win! It's just the wife and I and the large is my most used egg. It's big enough for 95% of my cooks and not too big where it feels wrong cooking smaller amounts of food on it. It's the most common Big Green Egg. It will have the most accessories available for it. 
    I have only a medium, just my wife and I with , not as often as I would like, my Gbaby.
    I have done 2 racks of ribs at one time.whole chicken w/potatoes and veggies . Pork loins and baking potatoes, etc...
    The only issue I have is that some accessories are not made for the medium. For this reason I would recommend spending the little extra to go large.
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  • blasting
    blasting Posts: 6,262
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    You could make do with a medium, or a large.  An extra large allows you to do full packer without any need for getting creative.  

    My ideal combo would be a medium and an xl. 
    Phoenix 
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  • HofstraJet
    HofstraJet Posts: 1,156
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    If you have the space for it, I recommend the large because it is the most versatile and has the most accessories available for it. The cost difference is around $200 IIRC, but, as mentioned above, it's a one-time cost and, given what you are about to spend in accessories, shouldn't be significant.

    Whatever you choose, enjoy and welcome to the family.
    Two Large Eggs, 6 gal Cajun Fryer, and a MiniMax in Charlotte, NC - My New Table
    Twitter: @ Bags
    Blog: TheJetsFan.com
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  • HofstraJet
    HofstraJet Posts: 1,156
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    RRP said:
    17 years ago I asked the same question and got the same answers then as you have received now. Get the Large and you won't regret it. Besides once it gets in your blood you will bleed green and add another at some later date! Though I have four now I still believe the perfect combo is a Large and a Small (or a Maxi-Mini which is just a Small with the bottom shortened and then upped in price!). My wife surprised me with our 3rd egg and it was a Medium, which honestly I never even thought I wanted after I chose the Large. In fact I never used it for a year and then I decided to devote that medium to baking only and to this day it has never had meat nor wood smoke in it. So again - GO LARGE!!!
    What is this Maxi-Mini you speak of? :tongue:
    Two Large Eggs, 6 gal Cajun Fryer, and a MiniMax in Charlotte, NC - My New Table
    Twitter: @ Bags
    Blog: TheJetsFan.com
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  • StillH2OEgger
    StillH2OEgger Posts: 3,746
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    I would think the debate between large and XL to be a lot more difficult than choosing between medium and large. I have a large and have never once thought I needed something bigger. I couldn't say that if I had a medium.
    Stillwater, MN
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  • Teefus
    Teefus Posts: 1,208
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    I have the large and wouldn't go any smaller. It's just SWMBO and I and 90% of the time it's plenty of cooker. That said, I wish I would have gone with the XL for bigger cooking capacity. Multiple racks of ribs is a challenge on the large without an extra raised grate.
    Michiana, South of the border.
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  • bluebird66
    bluebird66 Posts: 2,727
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    Welcome aboard! Always go bigger is my line of thinking. You will appreciate the extra room.
    Large Egg with adjustable rig, Kick Ash Basket, Minimax and various Weber's.
    Floyd Va

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  • da87
    da87 Posts: 640
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    Welcome @B747crew!  Wondering if I've been on one of your flights (or embarrassed by a pad assumption about what B747crew means!).   FWIW I've had the LBGE for about 9 months - same family and social situation as you describe.  Only time I've ever wished I had a larger single surface cooking area was on a recent brisket - but I just stuck a foil wrapped brick under the middle of the brisket and all was fine...  For all other cooks just the standard LBGE surface or at most a small part of a second level has been more than adequate.    Never wished for a smaller Egg. 
    Doug
    Wayne, PA
    LBGE, Weber Kettle (gifted to my sister), Weber Gasser

    "Two things are infinite:  the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe"   Albert Einstein
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  • PatBateman
    PatBateman Posts: 33
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    As big as your wallet will allow, this won't be your last egg
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  • whldch
    whldch Posts: 126
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    I'm all for getting larger than you think you need. As you get used to using it you'll put more thngs like side dishes on, and you will love inviting people over and showing off your toy. Once your friends try your ribs or even pizza they will look forward to your invitations. 

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  • Ozzie_Isaac
    Ozzie_Isaac Posts: 19,043
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    Love my medium!  With that said, go large.  It is about the perfect all around size.
    A bison’s level of aggressiveness, both physical and passive, is legendary. - NPS
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