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Second BGE Size

bbauernfeind
bbauernfeind Posts: 2
in EggHead Forum
My wife and I have an XL BGE and we are thinking of adding a second egg for smaller cooks.  I was wondering what size most go with when they have two eggs.  We are debating between the minimax and a medium.  Thanks in advance for the feedback.
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Comments

  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    I have had all 3 and would say medium. Conserves charcoal and still enough cooking area for 2 people. The mini max cooks different than other eggs since its not as deep.
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  • hoosier_egger
    hoosier_egger Posts: 6,808
    edited December 2020
    Welcome aboard.
    I agree on the medium. It's comparable to my KJ Jr. We use it for the majority of the weeknight cooks for the 2 of us
    ~ John - Formerly known as ColtsFan  - https://www.instagram.com/hoosier_egger
    XL BGE, LG BGE, Med BGE, BGE Chiminea, Ardore Pizza Oven
    Bloomington, IN - Hoo Hoo Hoo Hoosiers!

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  • kl8ton
    kl8ton Posts: 6,423
    Medium
    Large, Medium, MiniMax, 36" Blackstone
    Grand Rapids MI
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  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    i have a large and a small.  in retrospect i wish i had an XL and a medium. 

    it's an awesome little cooker, but i don't use the small that often. the large is fully outfitted with CGS stuff to maximize cooking capability.
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,457
    I say it really depends on how many you cook for on a regular basis. Just the 2 of us here. While I have a L, M, S and Mini my Medium and Mini are seldom used and my Small easily gets 75% of all my cooks.
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • thetrim
    thetrim Posts: 11,387
    XXL
    =======================================
    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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  • SciAggie
    SciAggie Posts: 6,481
    I really like my Mini Max. For many of my cooks though it essentially functions as a lump-fired outdoor burner for side dishes. I use the wok on it as much as I use it as a grill. 
    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
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    RRP said:
    I say it really depends on how many you cook for on a regular basis. Just the 2 of us here. While I have a L, M, S and Mini my Medium and Mini are seldom used and my Small easily gets 75% of all my cooks.
    Isn’t your Medium dedicated for baking?
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • RRP
    RRP Posts: 26,457
    Photo Egg said:
    RRP said:
    I say it really depends on how many you cook for on a regular basis. Just the 2 of us here. While I have a L, M, S and Mini my Medium and Mini are seldom used and my Small easily gets 75% of all my cooks.
    Isn’t your Medium dedicated for baking?
    Yes - baking ONLY and besides that CAKES only! Not even cookies and never pizza! A cake takes us so long to eat. So the pandemic has kept us from visiting thus being able to share half of all my cakes so I have just cut back baking any rather than to eat them all and get fat, or pitch when they get moldy. Freezing cakes has never worked for me!
    Re-gasketing the USA one yard at a time 
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  • TEXASBGE2018
    TEXASBGE2018 Posts: 3,831
    edited December 2020
    Love my minimax, we easily cook enough for my family of 4 on it each week. I actually use it 9 times out of 10 compared to my large.


    Rockwall, Tx    LBGE, Minimax, 22" Blackstone, Pizza Party Bollore. Cast Iron Hoarder.

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  • shtgunal3
    shtgunal3 Posts: 6,134
    Small

    ___________________________________

     

     LBGE,SBGE, and a Mini makes three......Sweet home Alabama........ Stay thirsty my friends .

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  • lousubcap
    lousubcap Posts: 36,810
    Welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.  Above all, have fun. 
    You are there with recognizing the utility of a second BGE.  I can't offer a comparison relative to the XL (LBGE here) but my SBGE is a hacker.
    Regardless of where you land, "don't look back" (Satchel Paige) and enjoy!
    I would not go with the mini-max based solely on what I have read here.  FWIW-
    Louisville; Rolling smoke in the neighbourhood.  Life is too short for light/lite beer!  Seems I'm livin in a transitional period. CHEETO (aka Agent Orange) makes Nixon look like a saint.  
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  • GrateEggspectations
    GrateEggspectations Posts: 11,613
    Of the Egg sizes I’ve owned (L, M and MM), the Medium is by far the best performer - heats up quickly, conservative on lump and is still big enough for most applications. Given you went XL on the first purchase, I feel like Medium may suit your needs best. The Mm is also fun, though, as other have noted, it cooks a little differently from the rest of the lineup due to the compressed base and firebox. If you think you might want an Egg that can travel, then the MM is the obvious choice. 
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  • SGH
    SGH Posts: 28,989
    Question for everyone. Have you ever noticed that when someone asks for a recommendation on a second BGE the medium usually gets the nod? Or it’s near the top recommended. With that said, why does it remain the least selling BGE?
    In no way am I trying to bash the medium. Quiet the contrary. I cooked on Nolas and loved it. Everyone seems to only say good things about it. But yet it is supposedly the red headed step child in the line up. What gives?

    Location- Just "this side" of Biloxi, Ms.

    Status- Standing by.

    The greatest barrier against all wisdom, the stronghold against knowledge itself, is the single thought, in ones mind, that they already have it all figured out. 

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  • mEGG_My_Day
    mEGG_My_Day Posts: 1,661
    I have a large and small.  Just two of us in our house and we use the small about twice as often as the large.  You will want to get the SBGE woo ring, ceramic stone and drip pan from ceramic grill store to maximize its potential. 
    Memphis, TN 

    LBGE, 2 SBGE, Hasty-Bake Gourmet
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  • ArvadaMan
    ArvadaMan Posts: 260
    XL for get togethers.  Medium for weeknights.
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  • Gulfcoastguy
    Gulfcoastguy Posts: 7,339
    My first and only Egg for 11 years was a medium. Just before Covid incarceration I updated to a Large and passed the Medium onto my nephew. I liked the medium except for the lack of available accessories. As others say it heats up quickly and is cheap on fuel. 
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  • caliking
    caliking Posts: 19,780
    I vote for a large. Lots of accessories. Plenty of grill estate.  I don't know what you'd achieve by getting a small, if cooking for 2 or more people.

    I have a large, small, and mini. Plus other cookers. I would have bought a second large, if I knew then, what I know now. 

    #1 LBGE December 2012 • #2 SBGE February  2013 • #3 Mini May 2013
    A happy BGE family in Houston, TX.
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  • Lit
    Lit Posts: 9,053
    caliking said:
    I vote for a large. Lots of accessories. Plenty of grill estate.  I don't know what you'd achieve by getting a small, if cooking for 2 or more people.

    I have a large, small, and mini. Plus other cookers. I would have bought a second large, if I knew then, what I know now. 
    2 larges was the best egg setup I ever had. Everything was interchangeable.
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  • Money_Hillbilly
    Money_Hillbilly Posts: 450
    I have 2 Larges and an Extra Large. I use the Larges 90% of the time. I cook burgers, pork chops and steaks on a cast iron griddle. Not sure I could operate with smaller real estate.
    Southeast Louisiana
    3 Larges, Rockin W Smokers Gravity Fed Unit, KBQ, Shirley Fabrication 24 x 36, Teppanyaki Stainless Griddle 
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  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,974
    RRP said:
    Photo Egg said:
    RRP said:
    I say it really depends on how many you cook for on a regular basis. Just the 2 of us here. While I have a L, M, S and Mini my Medium and Mini are seldom used and my Small easily gets 75% of all my cooks.
    Isn’t your Medium dedicated for baking?
    Yes - baking ONLY and besides that CAKES only! Not even cookies and never pizza! A cake takes us so long to eat. So the pandemic has kept us from visiting thus being able to share half of all my cakes so I have just cut back baking any rather than to eat them all and get fat, or pitch when they get moldy. Freezing cakes has never worked for me!
    SciAggie said:
    I really like my Mini Max. For many of my cooks though it essentially functions as a lump-fired outdoor burner for side dishes. I use the wok on it as much as I use it as a grill. 
    I love all the different uses people have for their eggs besides "normal" grilling.  my small gets as much use as a smoke generator as a grill. 
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
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  • Langner91
    Langner91 Posts: 2,120
    I love my Mini-Max.  It takes up little room, it comes up to temp like a racecar, and it is a lot of fun to cook with.

    But, I am not sure you can go wrong with any of the sizes you mention.


    Clinton, Iowa
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  • stlcharcoal
    stlcharcoal Posts: 4,759
    I have a Large and an XL on my deck.  Used to have a Medium too, but got rid of it.  The Large is good for 95% of what I do.  I occasionally fire up the XL for a turkey, bunch of wings, etc.  Two Larges would be my choice as I could share all the racking, rigs, etc......and they would cook nearly identical.  
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  • cookingdude555
    cookingdude555 Posts: 3,196
    I have every size egg. Hands down my two favorite eggs are my medium and XL. The medium is the best performing egg in the lineup due to the chimney and inlet size of the big eggs, and an interior volume more like a small. It cooks like a jet engine when asked to, uses very little fuel, and has the only accessory you will ever need in the woo from ceramic grill store. I love my mediums. 



    The older one on the left I bought from @Grandpas Grub several years ago, and it has many many cooks on the odometer. I freshened up my old medium this year with some new bands, reggulator, and side tables. Still my favorite egg. 


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  • Mark_B_Good
    Mark_B_Good Posts: 1,653
    EGGZilla. Look it up.
    Napoleon Prestige Pro 665, XL BGE, Lots of time for BBQ!
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    stlcharcoal said:
    I have a Large and an XL on my deck.  Used to have a Medium too, but got rid of it.  The Large is good for 95% of what I do.  I occasionally fire up the XL for a turkey, bunch of wings, etc.  Two Larges would be my choice as I could share all the racking, rigs, etc......and they would cook nearly identical.  
    You should get a smaller Egg to save on lump...that sh*t gets expensive in the larger Eggs.lol
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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  • builderdawg
    builderdawg Posts: 105
    I have a large and a MiniMax (family of 4) and it works well for us.  I use the large more often than the MM, but we still use the MM quite a bit.  It is great for steaks, burgers, grilled chicken, and I have done an 8 lb butt on it (turned out great).  Since you already have an XL, I would go for a small or MM (same surface area) since it is just you and your wife.
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  • DonWW
    DonWW Posts: 424
    I was in exactly the same position and we decided on a medium.  Perfect size for 2 person cooks, small butts, etc. 
    XL and Medium.  Dallas, Texas.
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  • Photo Egg
    Photo Egg Posts: 12,137
    bbauernfeind said:
    I ended up picking up a used medium for $300.  Wife is happy and looking forward to cooking on it.  Thanks everyone for their perspective.
    Great deal!
    Thank you,
    Darian

    Galveston Texas
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