Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

KBQ question

I’m seriously looking at getting one of these. Anyone purchase one and later had buyer’s remorse?

If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

Ronald Reagan

Comments

  • pgprescott
    pgprescott Posts: 14,544
    Don’t have one but have only heard tremendous praise for the quality of food. It does require attention during cook. 

    Do it! Do it! 
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    I’d also love to hear thoughts on how well the end product tastes vs BGE

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,126
    Dawgtired said:
    I’d also love to hear thoughts on how well the end product tastes vs BGE
    Do a search on here for dishwasher and you’ll get some hits and info. 
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    I did...a lot of info about dishwashers but nothing on the KBQ. 

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,126
    edited August 2019
    Dawgtired said:
    I did...a lot of info about dishwashers but nothing on the KBQ. 
    Hmmm. Must have not registered in the search system. From my memory, you have to feed it pretty small splits roughy as often as a stick burner but the end result is pretty close to stick burner with a good smoke profile. It’s not a smoldering fire like a low and slow in a kamado. 

    I can’t remember anyone saying bad things about them. 
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    I just tried the search function with "KBQ dishwasher" and had two pages of hits.
    I know @The Cen-Tex Smoker and I believe @HeavyG own one.  There are others as well.  FYI-
    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.
  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,126
    lousubcap said:
    I just tried the search function with "KBQ dishwasher" and had two pages of hits.
    I know @The Cen-Tex Smoker and I believe @HeavyG own one.  There are others as well.  FYI-
    Thanks buddy. 
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    Thanks... I just typed in “dishwasher”. I’ll try that👍🏻

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • DoubleEgger
    DoubleEgger Posts: 17,126
    Dawgtired said:
    Thanks... I just typed in “dishwasher”. I’ll try that👍🏻
    My bad...
  • No remorse. There are a few on here. @20stone has one as well that is being supervised by @caliking

    it is what they say it is. Great cooker but imperfect like any other cooker. My main gripe is the temp swings pretty significantly (30-40 degrees) by design. I haven’t found it to be too much of an issue but that’s a pretty  big swing.

    Its as much effort as a stick burner so don't be fooled by the electronics. Im messing with the fire every 20-30 minutes on average. 

    As far as the quality of product it puts out- it’s fantastic. Great smoke profile and it fits quite a bit more food as compared to a bge. 

    Great cooker in a compact footprint. It’s been the right fit for me. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    Just left you a message asking questions that you just covered. How long is the cook on a 7-8lb butt?

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • Dawgtired said:
    Just left you a message asking questions that you just covered. How long is the cook on a 7-8lb butt?
    Depends on the temp. It probably cooks a little faster than a bge because it’s basically a wood-fired convection oven. Like I said above,  temps rise and fall 30-40 degrees if you want to average 250, your kbq is going to go from 230-270-ish l. Could be a little higher or higher. 

    To be 100% clear, the difference is subtle. The smoke profile is much cleaner and you can taste the flavors of the wood as opposed to just the smoke from a smoldering chunk in a bge. I love it but not sure everyone would think it’s $1500 better. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    I would go one layer deeper here with the following question:  "Are you looking for stick burner flavor profile but not the footprint?"  Reason I ask is it seems to require about the same level of care and feeding but achieves it in a very compact space.  Does require electricity. 
    If you want to just play with sticks then there are many options available. 
    All above-FWIW-
    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.
  • lousubcap said:
    I would go one layer deeper here with the following question:  "Are you looking for stick burner flavor profile but not the footprint?"  Reason I ask is it seems to require about the same level of care and feeding but achieves it in a very compact space.  Does require electricity. 
    If you want to just play with sticks then there are many options available. 
    All above-FWIW-
    This. The main reason I went kbq over stick burner was it’s size and portability. If I had the room, I would sell the kbq and get a stick burner.  
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • Dawgtired
    Dawgtired Posts: 632
    Just trying to take it to the next level. I’ve had an Egg for 30(?) years. Seeing if there is anything out there to take it up a notch.

    If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

    Ronald Reagan

  • Dawgtired said:
    Just trying to take it to the next level. I’ve had an Egg for 30(?) years. Seeing if there is anything out there to take it up a notch.
    If you are talking bbq (low and slow) then find something that burns wood. That is definitely
    next level over some thing that burns a restricted charcoal fire. Kbq is a great solution for a compact easy to use set up. I would say a well run stick burner would be another step up from that. You lose ease of use and portability but if that is not a concern, I would
    look at that setup. 
    Keepin' It Weird in The ATX FBTX
  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 32,170
    @Dawgtired - PM sent with some of my personal insights regarding sticks.  FWIW-
    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.
  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,352
    =======================================
    XL 6/06, Mini 6/12, L 10/12, Mini #2 12/14 MiniMax 3/16 Large #2 11/20 Legacy from my FIL - RIP
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
  • 20stone
    20stone Posts: 1,961
    edited August 2019
    No remorse. There are a few on here. @20stone has one as well that is being supervised by @caliking

    it is what they say it is. Great cooker but imperfect like any other cooker. My main gripe is the temp swings pretty significantly (30-40 degrees) by design. I haven’t found it to be too much of an issue but that’s a pretty  big swing.

    Its as much effort as a stick burner so don't be fooled by the electronics. Im messing with the fire every 20-30 minutes on average. 

    As far as the quality of product it puts out- it’s fantastic. Great smoke profile and it fits quite a bit more food as compared to a bge. 

    Great cooker in a compact footprint. It’s been the right fit for me. 
    All I can say is, we sold aaaaaaaallll my crazy cooking stuff, including my eggs, when we downsized and moved into a highrise.  All but one, the KBQ, which is currently on display as part of the @caliking cooking device collection. 

    It is a better smoker than a BGE, but is a one trick pony.  No pizza, no paella, no bread....just ribs, brisket and other smoked meats. It is also good for cold smoking bacon and sausage if you’re into that. 

    As @CT indicated, it is a different experience, and requires baby sitting, but it produces great BBQ
    (now only 16 stone)

    Joule SV
    GE induction stove
    Gasser by the community pool (currently unavailable)
    Scale (which one of my friends refuses to use)
    Friends with BGEs and myriad other fired devices (currently unavail IRL)
    Occasional access to a KBQ and Webber Kettle
    Charcuterie and sourdough enthusiast
    Prosciuttos in an undisclosed location

    Austin, TX
  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 18,727
    As I am currently providing foster care for @20stone ‘s KBQ, I’ll chip in my $0.02 (most of which has already been mentioned)...

    Advantage over BGE? Wood smoke. The flavor you get from burning wood is incomparable. 

    Advantage over a stick burner? Portability, compact footprint. It usually stays in the garage, but the couple of times I fired it up, I opened the door, carried it through the living room and out the back door. @The Cen-Tex Smoker stashed his in the trunk of his car and brought it to one of our hog ventures. Despite its compact size, you can cook up a load of grub with this thing. SWMBO doesn’t quite realize I have it since it stays tucked away :smiley:

    But you need to tend to it at least every 30 mins. It uses smalller sticks, and the hopper doesn’t hold much. And you need a decent source of wood. No, you can’t buy bags of wood from Academy and expect it to be good ( so I heard :whistle: ) was 

    The KBQ has scratched my itch for a stick burner to some degree, and I’ve had some fun with it. If you really like it, you’re likely going to end up with a stick burner some day. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
  • rifrench
    rifrench Posts: 469
    I have one, with no remorse. As has been stated, it is a one trick pony, while the BGE does a lot of ways of cooking well. 
    I don't mind the time it takes tending the fire, I am usually sitting on the patio reading or listening to Pandora while the Egg quietly purrs along.

    Access to wood may be a problem for some, I am fortunate in living on basically a woodlot with hayfields in the mix. Oak, both red and white, along with hickory and wild cherry are plentiful.  We are having a select cut done and the laps (tops and limbs) will be left in the woods. 


    And I no longer have to trim my ribs to fit!!

     1 LBGE, 1 SBGE, 1 KBQ and a 26" Blackstone near Blackstone, Virginia
  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    Dawgtired said:
    Just trying to take it to the next level. I’ve had an Egg for 30(?) years. Seeing if there is anything out there to take it up a notch.
    The “next level” is how to get that fractional improvement over what you have. I’m a star at that. The BGE makes excellent pizza but how do you get exceptional pizza? Get a wood fired oven. The BGE makes excellent BBQ but how do you get exceptional BBQ? Get a stick burner. The KBQ seems to fit that niche. This is just my opinion. You also have to think about how much you enjoy the PROCESS of cooking. A stick burner or a wood oven require more attention than a BGE. The BGE requires more attention than a gas grill or pellet pooper. Everybody has to do their own assessment of what they want to mess with. 
    Coleman, Texas
    Large BGE & Mini Max for the wok. A few old camp Dutch ovens and a wood fired oven. LSG 24” cabinet offset smoker. There are a few paella pans and a Patagonia cross in the barn. A curing chamber for bacterial transformation of meats...
    "Bourbon slushies. Sure you can cook on the BGE without them, but why would you?"
                                                                                                                          YukonRon
  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,324
    Anybody that is looking to buy a KBQ and that lives in New England a person on another forum is selling theirs due to medical reasons.
    The seller lives in Reading, MA and is asking $850 cash for a lightly used, well cared for unit purchased in 2013. So if you are within a few hours drive that is a pretty good deal.

    Anyone interested let me know and I'll get the contact info so you can converse with the seller.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




  • milesvdustin
    milesvdustin Posts: 2,882
    That thing is way cleaner than mine would be 

    2 LBGE, Blackstone 36, Jumbo Joe

    Egging in Southern Illinois (Marion)

  • Jeremiah
    Jeremiah Posts: 6,412
    I know it sounds petty, but that thing is just ugly. I’d much rather look out the window at a similar priced Lang or Yoder offset sitting on the patio rather than that thing. 
    Slumming it in Aiken, SC.