Buying a BGE, my first

Unknown · December 2008

I'm sure these questions have been asked and answered before, but I don't have a clue where they are the answers are, so I'll ask again. Please read on:

I have never owned a BGE and haven't grilled much in several years, but I would like to start again. Because of several extremely positive recommendations, I am seriously considering the BGE. The negative comments I have read here tonight haven't dulled my desire in any way. Not everyone likes the same thing. I don't want to make a $700.00 to $900.00 mistake, but with all of the BGE excitement, blogs, wbsites of users and positive responses, it appears to me that the BGE would be a good investment for good, healthy food in the future!

I am undecided on which size would be the best, the Large or the XLarge. I wouldn't need the really big one all of the time, but when family and grandchildren come, I thought the XLarge would probably be the best. I would appreciate your thoughts on this, please. Also, I have never had a truly QUALITY cooker; I am hoping the BGE would fulfill that desire and more. Am I right?

Does any one have a BGE and not like it. What are the negative and positive aspects of The Big Green Egg?

My plan, if you agree this is a good move, would be to buy the XLarge Egg and have it set in one of the large cypress tables the company also sells so it will have a great, stable base. I plan to buy one of the covers to keep the whole unit dry. What else would you all recommend I buy to go with this. They have a multitude of other add-on grills, etc., but I was uncertain how to go.

My problem, when I get into something and get enthused and excited, is to buy everything they've got. Sometimes, that's great, but at other times, its the foolish way to go. I would appreciate your suggestions on what cooking instruments and tools I should buy, and if I should get them from BGE.

I want to thank you for your help and I am going to be anxiously waiting to see what you say. Like I said, I get excited, and I'm getting there now just thinking about this. I am big on healthy eating. I love the rich and greasy, too, but most of the time, I try to stay on the straight and narrow, eating what is really best for me. After reading and listening, I thought the BGE could easily cook both those styles. Am I right?

Thanks, folks!!! I really appreciate your help!!

Ray

Big'un · December 2008

Ray, Welcome. A large should be your best bet. The extras; Thermopen, adjustable rig, pizza stone, rib rack, starter, and a plate setter. Enjoy!

Texas Eggie · December 2008

I love my large and I enjoy the group on this forum.

It depends on how many people you cook for and what you actually cook on what size you need.

I would skip the table and build one that is made from wood that does not destroy the wetlands by harvesting it.

I forgot to mention that I have several smokers and a gas grill and I pretty much only use my egg. I used to go through gas grills every few years.

Crimsongator · December 2008

You can get a large and small for the same cost as an XL. The combo is a nice compliment to each other. A large should be very sufficient for you.

Pharmeggist · December 2008

I agree with Big'un....

I cooked a 10 pound turkey on my large and a 10 pound turkey on my small Thanksgiving.... Smaller birds gives you more dark meat and takes less time to cook. FOr about the price of an XL you could have a Large and small BGE and maximize the benefit of having a way to cook different things at different temps and setups at the exact same time if needed... that was the pitch I gave my wife and it worked

at least for the first three eggs :laugh:

Broc · December 2008

Agreed with Big'un... look to a large.

For the cost of an XL, maybe get a Large and a Small...

I have a Medium and a Small -- can bake bread or pie in one while roasting meat on the other... I like to keep my Small for non-meat stuff, and use the Medium when I just need one Egg.

The XL would be great when I'm cooking for 150 people [which I have done with the Medium! -- I don't advise it]... but unless you're preparing lots of meat at one time for a huge crowd, why would you need an XL?

If I could have my druthers, and could have only one Egg for me and my family, the Medium is just right. But -- I cook for church groups often, and rue the day I got the Medium rather than the Large.

Remember, you'll quickly learn to cook more on multi-levels on the Medium or the Large.

The Egg isn't like one-na those big gasser "playing fields." It's different. Once the ceramic is heated [the entire Egg], you're cooking from all directions -- sorta like having an olde-fashioned Italian pizza oven.

You'll cook much more efficiently on an Egg than on one-na them thar metal thangs.

Also, ask yourself -- Which does Mario Battali have in his back yard [in Michigan]? If Mario has chosen Big Green... why?

Yea... yeah... I know -- He also has one-ne them real Italian jobbers, too! Must-a cost him a mint to have it shipped from Italy!

Good luck!

~ Broc

jeffinsgf · December 2008

Harold, welcome to the addiction.

First, I will echo all those who have said that two Eggs are better than one XL. But my mix is a Large and a Medium. I might get along OK with a Small, but the Medium came first! By the way, I've had my Medium almost 10 years, cook on it at least twice a week (usually more) and it looks like a brand new one. I recently added a Large for entertaining. Most of the time, the Medium is all we need for the wife and me. I use them both now, but still the Medium more.

As for the "stuff", I suggest you get your Egg(s) and do at least a few cooks with just the basic normal grid set up that comes with it. Read the forum a bunch, check out the linked sites that keep coming up (Naked Whiz, Ceramic Grill Store, and Playing with Fire and Smoke to mention a few) and decide what new methods you want to equip yourself for. There are solutions both from the Big Green Egg company and from aftermarket companies. Sometimes the factory solution is the best, but in some cases a truly better mousetrap has been invented.

Grandpas Grub · December 2008

Hello Ray,

I have the Large, Medium, Small and Mini. I have never used the XL so you will need to keep that in mind with what follows.

There is my wife and I. 5 married children and 14 Grandchildren all under 12 and down to 3 months old.

I had a lot of other grills and smokers over the years and now 2 years with the egg. After getting the large I got rid of all my other grills/cookers/smokers/gass bbq's. And haven't looked back since. I really don't have any desire to get anything else either.

I first bought a large. I could feed the whole clan on the large if I planned what the main dish was going to be. Brisket, pulled pork, sliced pork, whole chickens, burgers (serve in shifts), dogs/bratwurst, there is a lot of food that can be cooked on a single large to feed that many people.

The next year I began buying the other size eggs, mostly I am like you. Get enthused and get a lot of 'stuff'.

I never could really decide on a mini, if you see one next to a XL or large you will know why. Besides my dealer said not to buy it.

Eventually I did get the mini and that is a great egg to have. I use the mini more than the medium & small combined and as much as the large.

It is nice to have multiple eggs for different cooking temperatures and different foods.

If I were doing it again I would get the Large with tjv's adjustable rig, spider and wok and I would get a mini.

Because of all the family, I would probably end up getting a medium or small but I really can't say which one. I really don't use the medium or small that much other than when the family comes over.

Thinking out loud, I might get 2 larges and a mini.

Now I need to go read the other posts to see what they say.

I seem to think bigger is better, but personally, I don't think I would want an XL for my situation.

Way too big for the wife and I.

What ever you do get an egg, you will not be sorry.

Added note: I cook year around, winter can get to -27° for a couple of weeks and summer 118° for about 10 days. Cooking in snow isn't a problem at all.

I don't cover my eggs.

GG

DryFly · December 2008

Ditto everybody, Ray! Read this forum religiously. These guys have years of experience with the Egg and share that experience generously. Read Naked Whiz's site as well. You'll get your PHD in Eggology.

Go with the large first. You won't be disappointed in the results you get in fact you'll be floored at how great the food is. I know I was. That's why we're all hooked on the Egg.

There are a couple of equipment guys whose ideas are great. Really think out what you want in terms of ease of use and versatility. Ceramicgrillstore. com, GrillMates.com (if you get a small). Incidentally, both these guys are posters on this site. I differ from most on use of the Plate Setter. While great for baking and indirect cooking, when you pull it out and want to cook on direct heat you're down on the fire ring when you should want to be up at the felt line or above in most cases. Check out the Woo2 or Adjustable Rig at the Ceramic Grill Store.You really don't have to rush out and buy everything that BGE sells.

If your budget allows you to buy the XL you, as one of the guys pointed out, may be well advised to buy a large and a small. You'd have enormous versatility. "In for a penny, in for a pound", I always say. You'll end up becoming a Egg junkie real quick like the rest of us. There was a guy who came on and asked what kind of wood should he use to smoke some Titlest golf balls and 7 guy gave him recommendations.

PA Dutch Egger · December 2008

I am fairly new to egging. I purchased a large 3 months ago and have not regretted it once. I cook on it at least 3 times a week. My wife and I have become empty nesters with our son leaving for college this fall and I find the large is a good size for us. Large handles meal for 2 or 8.
There is something to be said for two eggs - 1 to do the meat and a small or medium to do the appetizers. Birthday is coming up so maybe then!!!!!
I would recommend the plate setter,grid holder,instant read therm. and a pair of hot gloves. You will figure out the other needs as you go along, and read info in this web site.

Zippylip · December 2008

Harold, I didn't read all of the responses in detail so I am not sure if anyone mentioned this, but one of the first things you will need is a good pair of leather gloves to handle all sorts of things in and around the egg, when you are changing configurations inside the egg for different cooks & so forth, you'll be handling some hot stuff:

& of course you're gonna need at least one of these:

bitslammer · December 2008

While I love my XL I do think the XL has a couple of design "flaws" concerning the use of the plate setter. When placed on top of the fire ring there's very little space for a drip pan. When placed between the firebox and fire ring it's right on top of the lump and will decrease the amount of lump you can use. With aftermarket accessories both of these issues can be mitigated to some degree but having to remove the fire ring really bugs me. It's not too heavy but it weighs enough that you need to be careful and I'm always concerned that I'm going to drop it or otherwise crack it when doing so.

Having said that there's no substitute for the "square footage" you get on an XL. You can do some form of "stacking" on all models but if you want to do a really large pizza the XL will let you. The XL is also breeze for doing something like a spatchcock turkey. No problems fitting that on the grid. It's also nice to be able to just dump a huge bag of chicken wings/legs on the XL and cook away without needing to arrange them for space.

So to summarize...if you really need a good deal of flat space go for the XL, otherwise a large can do about the same volume with some extra gear and is possibly more versatile give it's the most popular size with the most accessories to choose from.

Zippylip · December 2008

I forgot to mention, regarding the size, I have a large & a mini, I cook on the mini a couple times per week (for four), & usually fire up the large on weekends & for larger cooks, have hosted parties of 40 people with no problem, I don't have an XL, but I have never come up short with the capacity of the large

[Deleted User] · December 2008

You haven't grilled in awhile so there will be a learning curve. If you were last grilling on gas it will be a bigger learning curve than if you're used to charcoal.
Unless the family is coming over every week, I'd get the Large. Even with that you can cook for a good crowd.

At first you are thinking "bigger is better" but that's not necessarily the case here. If you have a big family currently living in your house, then maybe you could use an XL. Otherwise the Large will do just fine and probably use less lump.

Table and cover are good ideas. Different dealers include different items in the sale. Mine didn't include anything extra, but his price was the best around.

You'll need an Ash tool, something to grip the grill with (I have a pair of pliers dedicated to that task), A raised grid is necessary for chicken and chicken parts and to experiment with indirect cooking (Put a drip pan on the main grid below and you are creating an indirect cook), A good meat thermometer (I thought $75 for a Thermapen was an awful lot of money until I used it. I use it on every cook!), I also recommend a pair of Welders gloves if you will be doing any 600+ degree cooks or if you get a platesetter. The welders gloves are a bit unwieldy, but are great for handling real hot stuff and/or working in/around flames. Actually, I just saw Zippy's post and I would agree that to start I just had a good leather work gloves and they were fine!

then cook awhile and see how it goes and what you need. You also need a bag of lump charcoal and the usual grillin' tools.

Also go here:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm
and here:
http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com/2004/02/introduction-to-barbecuing.html

crghc98 · December 2008

I bought a large in March and haven't looked back. Got a package from my dealer that included large, nest, ash tool, eggmates, grid gripper, plate setter, charcoal, 2 bags of wood chips, daisy wheel, and pizza stone....

I'm getting a thermapen from Christmas...

I think that included everything I needed to cook and learn on the egg. I've rigged up extended grates etc at times to do multi-level cooks. The accessories will only make it easier but not necessary...

I often entertain and cook for large crowds. I haven't run out of room on a large cooking main dishes but often wanted a second one to do some sides etc. on at a different temp. I think this is where the advice to go large and small instead of the XL is right.

I'm now trying to convince my wife we need a small for when we are just cooking for two...excuses are...we'll use less lump, it will come to temp faster, it looks cute next to the large....

I'll probably build my own table once we finish our backyard...I don't think the premade ones come with all the features I would want. Check out the naked whiz's site with all of the pictures...

You will be addicted to this thing in no time.

Florida Grillin Girl · December 2008

I have had my large for 12 years. You will never have to buy another grill. I agree that the large is the most usable one.

Good luck and enjoy your Egg!!!

Faith
formerly GemgirlTampa, FL

Jeffersonian · December 2008

It depends on how big your extended family is, but consider that I've cooked ribs, pulled pork and other things on my Large for groups of 20 or more. I'd think twice before buying an XL for capacity, unless you have a real throng to feed at times.

Second, the Large is by far the most popular Egg and therefore has the most complete range of accessories, including the Woo2 and Adjustable Rig from Egg Accessories. That's how you can do 8-10 slabs of spare ribs, 40 pounds of pork butt or loads of burgers, chicken, etc. at once.

If you have the money for the XL, I second the idea to get the Large and the Small, but I'd definitely start with the Large.

Celtic Wolf · December 2008

I often hear that the large does have the capacity to cook for a large family.

Let me tell you that is a lot of bull. When my family gets together we are typically 20+. My XL sits there and wishes I would use him.

So here is my proof:

Please note the amount of sausage on this egg:

6 7-9 pound butts on this egg:

Just for contrast please note the amount of meat on this Lang 60:

I cooked 18 butts on 3 eggs and took up less space.

My XL gets used when I cater and even then it's only used for something that may not physically fit on my large and can't be cut into smaller chunks.

Ohh did I tell you I have 2 small eggs too. You will NOT be disappointed with the Egg, unless you fail learn how to use it or don't use it. Many of use use it as our primary cooking source year round.

Buying a BGE, my first

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