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Is the Big Green Egg worth it?

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Comments

  • eggnewtoy
    eggnewtoy Posts: 497

    In a word, yes.
    BGE Large and MiniMax, Napolean 500.  Obsessed with rotisserie.  


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  • Foghorn
    Foghorn Posts: 10,227
    thetrim said:
    My egg just destroyed a brisket I put on it the night of the virtual BAM blast.  Down another $60
    Do tell, @thetrim


    XXL BGE, Karebecue, Klose BYC, Chargiller Akorn Kamado, Weber Smokey Mountain, Grand Turbo gasser, Weber Smoky Joe, and the wheelbarrow that my grandfather used to cook steaks from his cattle

    San Antonio, TX

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  • DuckDogDr
    DuckDogDr Posts: 1,549
    Its worth it to me . The egg has paid for itself.
    I usually go through a grill every 2-3 years..one of the lowes kingsford or charbroiled specials..and those are about $200 a pop

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  • Matt86m
    Matt86m Posts: 471
    Its unique. Challenging and fun. Different from everything else I have owned. I keep thinking about getting a fan/blower but I like keeping tabs on the temp and adjusting if I have too. If I want to sleep thru the night Ill use my pellet smoker. The only competition is with myself but the fan may be nice.
    XL aka Senior, Mini Max aka Junior, Weber Q's, Blackstone 22, Lion built in, RecTec Mini 300, Lodge Hibachi, Uuni, wife says I have too many grills,,,,how many shoes do you have?
     
    IG -->  matt_86m
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  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,387
    Foghorn said:
    thetrim said:
    My egg just destroyed a brisket I put on it the night of the virtual BAM blast.  Down another $60
    Do tell, @thetrim



    I've already told the story too many times....

    Unlike my brisky, the grief is still very raw...
    =======================================
    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 PitBoss Navigator 850G 11/25
    Tampa Bay, FL
    EIB 6 Oct 95
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  • buzd504
    buzd504 Posts: 3,877
    Not worth it to me, but I'm going to keep buying meat and expensive accessories and lump and maybe another egg to see if I can figure it out.
    NOLA
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  • JonWesson
    JonWesson Posts: 166
    thetrim said:
    Foghorn said:
    thetrim said:
    My egg just destroyed a brisket I put on it the night of the virtual BAM blast.  Down another $60
    Do tell, @thetrim



    I've already told the story too many times....

    Unlike my brisky, the grief is still very raw...
    karma is the best guess here

    large small and mini all in legal proceedings but i can use them for now no more, all gone                                                                                                                        usa somewhere on the road
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  • The_Smoking_Gnu
    The_Smoking_Gnu Posts: 12
    thetrim said:
    My egg just destroyed a brisket I put on it the night of the virtual BAM blast.  Down another $60
    "Eggs don't kill Briskets, People kill Briskets"
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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    edited April 2020
    THAT was a C*CK TEASE and shouldn't have even been posted here!  I read through the article and was looking forward to the kamodo grill trade-off chart only to get to this line;

    • The full article is available to ConsumerReports. org subscribers. Sign in or subscribe to read this article.

    Screw them.  If the article doesn't answer the question in the subject line, then it's just click bait.

    yes, I obviously love my BGEs.  I was curious how the low & slow and high temp cooks compared though.  Anyone screen shot the actual article? :)

    LBGE/Maryland
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    KiterTodd said:
    THAT was a C*CK TEASE and shouldn't have even been posted here!  I read through the article and was looking forward to the kamodo grill trade-off chart only to get to this line;

    • The full article is available to ConsumerReports. org subscribers. Sign in or subscribe to read this article.

    Screw them.  If the article doesn't answer the question in the subject line, then it's just click bait.

    yes, I obviously love my BGEs.  I was curious how the low & slow and high temp cooks compared though.  Anyone screen shot the actual article? :)


    From the CR article, a brief snippet:

    Should You Buy a Big Green Egg?

    It might surprise you to learn that despite being the first of its kind, the Egg actually comes in dead last among the kamado grills we tested. That doesn't mean it can't deliver on its crucial promises: It can get roaring hot and hold a low, steady temperature for hours on end. But so can the others.

    The Egg is like the most basic trimline of a luxury car. It's a great place to start, but in this case you can actually pay less for a model that's decked out with more features. Some kamados cost more than the Egg, but in each case our experts found that those extra costs were worth it.

    ********************

    The worth of something is purely subjective so for many folks it doesn't really matter what CR decided.
    FWIW their top pick was the Kamado Joe Classic II with an overall score of 79 vs. the BGE overall score of 56. The BGE was actually the lowest scoring kamado of the 8 brands/models in the test.

    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    HeavyG said:

    From the CR article, a brief snippet:

    Should You Buy a Big Green Egg?

    It might surprise you to learn that despite being the first of its kind, the Egg actually comes in dead last among the kamado grills we tested. That doesn't mean it can't deliver on its crucial promises: It can get roaring hot and hold a low, steady temperature for hours on end. But so can the others.

    The Egg is like the most basic trimline of a luxury car. It's a great place to start, but in this case you can actually pay less for a model that's decked out with more features. Some kamados cost more than the Egg, but in each case our experts found that those extra costs were worth it.

    ********************
    The worth of something is purely subjective so for many folks it doesn't really matter what CR decided.
    FWIW their top pick was the Kamado Joe Classic II with an overall score of 79 vs. the BGE overall score of 56. The BGE was actually the lowest scoring kamado of the 8 brands/models in the test.

    They must not have tested the Acorn.  That would have come in dead last. ;)

    Thanks for sharing that.  Well then, as expected.  As I already own to BGEs, I know they cook well.  It also goes with my advice to people buying new; as long as you are buying a quality product, you may find more for your money with other brands, but you have to compare warranty and accessories also.  For most of us hear, we already have the eggs and the key accessories. :)

    LBGE/Maryland
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    KiterTodd said:
    HeavyG said:

    From the CR article, a brief snippet:

    Should You Buy a Big Green Egg?

    It might surprise you to learn that despite being the first of its kind, the Egg actually comes in dead last among the kamado grills we tested. That doesn't mean it can't deliver on its crucial promises: It can get roaring hot and hold a low, steady temperature for hours on end. But so can the others.

    The Egg is like the most basic trimline of a luxury car. It's a great place to start, but in this case you can actually pay less for a model that's decked out with more features. Some kamados cost more than the Egg, but in each case our experts found that those extra costs were worth it.

    ********************
    The worth of something is purely subjective so for many folks it doesn't really matter what CR decided.
    FWIW their top pick was the Kamado Joe Classic II with an overall score of 79 vs. the BGE overall score of 56. The BGE was actually the lowest scoring kamado of the 8 brands/models in the test.

    They must not have tested the Acorn.  That would have come in dead last. ;)

    Thanks for sharing that.  Well then, as expected.  As I already own to BGEs, I know they cook well.  It also goes with my advice to people buying new; as long as you are buying a quality product, you may find more for your money with other brands, but you have to compare warranty and accessories also.  For most of us hear, we already have the eggs and the key accessories. :)


    Well.... the Akorn scored 63 so...
    It did place last in its category - non-ceramic kamados.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • KiterTodd
    KiterTodd Posts: 2,466
    edited May 2020
    HeavyG said:
    KiterTodd said:

    They must not have tested the Acorn.  That would have come in dead last. ;)

    Well.... the Akorn scored 63 so...
    It did place last in its category - non-ceramic kamados.
    Dear Lord.... how the heck does an Acorn score better than a BGE?  That whole review must really piss off the BGE people.  On the other hand... they really haven't adapted or innovated to match the competition.  They have really just only made different sized eggs and updated the hinge. 

    That Akorn... that thing is an embarrassment to kamodos.  Two of my friends who see all my BGE cooks, but didn't want to lay down the cash for one, got an Akorn.  One of them ended up ditching the Akorn and getting a Traeger, and the other still has the Akorn but he never throws anything out.  Looks like he mostly cooks on his gasser.

    LBGE/Maryland
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 7,336
    I have to admit that they have never attempted to solve the gasket problem. I can also get better accessories from the Ceramic Grill Store, I just spent a few minutes assembling my Cuna Cart and my adjustable rig with oval stone arrives Monday.
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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,527
    The warranty and the forum has been worth every penny. I don't necessarily think the ceramic grill itself is worth the price of admission. You can buy a ceramic cooker for 1/3rd of the price and get similar cook results. 

    The original BGE forum taught me more about cooking than anywhere else has prior. That in itself is almost priceless. I would have never learned half the things I've learned about cooking if it wasn't for these two forums. I've meet all kinds of awesome people through the years. Some being very close friends. I wouldn't trade it for nothing. 

    Is the grill itself worth it? That's up to you to decide. Who knows. Everything else that comes with the BGE community is priceless. That is worth 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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  • WeberWho
    WeberWho Posts: 11,527
    Gulfcoastguy said:
    You really can’t do a cost/benefit analysis on hobbies. Otherwise Porsche would go out of business. 
    I procrastinated about purchasing my offset smoker. I wasn't sure if the expense would ever be justifiable. I tried breaking everything down if my head to see if I could come up with some value in the purchase. 

    When talking to my friend about my dilemma he told me something I'll never forget. He said, "Hobbies don't have to make sense."

    He's absolutely right. Most hobbies don't make sense. Especially when breaking it down and trying to make it justifiable. You do it because you enjoy it. It doesn't have to make sense. You'll drive yourself crazy otherwise! 
    "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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  • carrda04
    carrda04 Posts: 83
    "Worth it" is so hard to define. I didn't know much about the ceramic kamado world when we went to the large chain furniture store for a really nice dining table and chairs/bedroom set we had been saving for shortly after bought our house other than a few people I knew who loved meat had always talked about the Egg as their dream cooker. The large wasn't that much more expensive than some of the mid- to higher-end gas grills I had seen around, and I was able to wrap into one of the absurd 0% interest for 4+ years offers always on promotion, and saved the cash for potential home emergencies.

    Having seen many people go through several grills over the years, my cost per year already seems to be comparable or lower than theirs. And they either can't cook what I can on this and don't get the great eats, or they also have a smoker, etc.--a whole additional cost!

    Had I been truly on the hunt for a kamado and researched every brand it's possible I'd have come up with a different color cooker. But things wouldn't have worked out as they did, and I probably wouldn't have stumbled into this forum when trying to figure out how the hell to light the thing the first time! So I wouldn't have had the guidance to bring home my first brisket, or possibly even the stones to buy the brisket at all. 

    So was it worth it? In just a few years it already has been more than worth it. After another 20 none of my Egg-less friends will be smoking briskets and beef ribs, searing steaks and flaming pizzas in the same cooker they bought when they moved into their house! The only question will be if I've added an XL or XXL by then or if I branch out to another brand for the bigger surface. This large is never going anywhere!
    LG BGE
    Camp Chef 2xburner

    Twin Cities, MN
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  • DWFII
    DWFII Posts: 317
    edited May 2020
    IMO...and FWIW...

    In and of itself it is worth it. The warranty and this forum increase the value immeasurably.
    Compared to other ceramic kamados the relative value become a little more dubious.
    That said, and FWIW, I have a large BGE and an Akorn. I inherited my BGE and it had a crack in the base--very fine and running vertically--almost invisible.
    But because I was concerned,  I started cooking more and more on the Akorn. I do butts, brisket and pizza mostly and haven't missed a beat.
    Given that I am retired and on a fixed income, knowing what I know now if I had to replace either I'd go for the Akorn. If you have more disposable income than you know what to do with or just value the cachet (snob? appeal) the BGE is wonderful. But seriously...esp. for me I don't think my BGE will cook any better than my Akorn.
    And the ongoing and never ending hassle with the hinge and the gasket is enough to drive any non-obsessive person nuts.
    Just one POV...
    Bespoke boot and shoemaker--45+ years
    Instagram
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  • RiverBBQ
    RiverBBQ Posts: 197
    If you buy one and don’t like it, just give it to me. Problem solved. Everyone could use a second one.
    You can’t get to Loganville, Ga from anywhere. You have to start somewhere else
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  • HeavyG
    HeavyG Posts: 10,380
    DWFII said:
    IMO...and FWIW...

    In and of itself it is worth it. The warranty and this forum increase the value immeasurably.
    Compared to other ceramic kamados the relative value become a little more dubious.
    That said, and FWIW, I have a large BGE and an Akorn. I inherited my BGE and it had a crack in the base--very fine and running vertically--almost invisible.
    But because I was concerned,  I started cooking more and more on the Akorn. I do butts, brisket and pizza mostly and haven't missed a beat.
    Given that I am retired and on a fixed income, knowing what I know now if I had to replace either I'd go for the Akorn. If you have more disposable income than you know what to do with or just value the cachet (snob? appeal) the BGE is wonderful. But seriously...esp. for me I don't think my BGE will cook any better than my Akorn.
    And the ongoing and never ending hassle with the hinge and the gasket is enough to drive any non-obsessive person nuts.
    Just one POV...

    The one common takeaway from the Consumer Reports testing was that ALL of the kamado models they tested were rated as excellent cookers so their relative rankings were the result of other criteria.
    “Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.” ― Philip K. Diçk




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  • DWFII
    DWFII Posts: 317
    edited May 2020
    HeavyG said:The one common takeaway from the Consumer Reports testing was that ALL of the kamado models they tested were rated as excellent cookers so their relative rankings were the result of other criteria.
    Yeah, if you read any other comparisons/reviews on the Internet that seems to be pretty much the common conclusion. 
    And despite the idjit who flagged my previous post, I like my BGE (I had jonesed for one for 20 years, knowing that I would never be able to afford one).
    And the hairline crack didn't seem to interfere with the quality of the cook or temp control...maybe took a little longer to cool down.
    I still like it. I like it so much I'm giving it to my son-in-law rather than letting it sit outside unused and unloved. He's a professional chef (executive chef) and probably will never be able to afford to buy a new one either...at least not soon.
    But to come back around, "worth" and "value" are all relative things: I won't live another 15 years (or if I do, I will probably wish I hadn't). So if I replace my Akorn twice more, I'm still way under the cost of a decent ceramic. And all my 'mods" will move gracefully from one Akorn to the next. When you're on a fixed income, all that's extremely relevant criteria when it comes to "worth."

    Bespoke boot and shoemaker--45+ years
    Instagram
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