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Mini (and many) questions

FSUScotsman
FSUScotsman Posts: 754
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I think this got buried in another thread, and then lost when it got pushed to the second page. No big deal. I'll have more threads with more questions!!!

What is the temp range of the Mini, and what is the realistic lowest temp that can be maintained?

If I were doing burgers, how many could I do at a time and how long would it take to cook them to say medium? I'm thinking of replacing my small with a mini as the tailgate egg. No, I'm not going to get rid of the small!!

How long does it take to do a whole chicken on a mini??!!?!?

I just got a nice little check as a present and it would just about cover the cost of one of these little fellows.
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Comments

  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    I can cook for about 4 hours @ 400° in one cook or several cooks on a load in the mini which is about a cup and a half of lump.

    You don't have as much distance from the lump to the grid so a little lump planning for you cook helps out some.

    The number of burgers depends on the size of the burgers. You have a 9" diameter grid. Get a 9" plate or compass and draw a circle. You can work out multiple grids, probably not wise for grillin burgers.

    A whole chicken, again temperature, but about an hour at 400° dome. Corn about 25 minutes and spuds about an hour all at 400°. I have done 8 large ears of corn on the mini. It was stuffed and some of ends poking up into the dome vent. But it worked great.

    How fast, depends on the temperature, the thickness of the burger and the distance away from the lump.

    How hot, if you have good air flow as hot as the small.

    I love the mini and the large. Doing it over I would get 2 larges and a mini - possibly 1 xl, 1 l and a mini.

    There is just my wife and I here. About once a month we have 24 to 26 over.

    my 2¢

    GG
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Thanks for your help.

    My main concern was burning stuff on the mini. Like you said, and I knew, the grid is REALLY close to the coals and I know that I don't want to make my own version of crispy chicken or hockey pucks.

    I had no idea it held so little lump and that it lasted so long though!!! Talk about economy!!!

    It's funny, I tend to use my large to often for just the two of us because I'm lazy. I need to learn to work better with my small but the mini may be just the bet for a couple of burgers and my tailgates.
  • TAILGATING - that's my favorite!! The mini is made for that!! Sorry, but I'm a cheerleader for the mini since I bought one (also own a Large). As G.G. says, I can cook on it for 4 hours, but I can easily add more lump for longer cooks.

    I will say that the mini likes to maintain 250, and I really haven't tried to maintain anything lower. 700 is no problem, it gets up there FAST, don't go in the house for a beer!!!

    4 good sized burgers, depending how you like them are 3-4 minutes a side at 400 direct.

    A whole 4 lb. chicken (spatchcocked)takes 1 hour 10 minutes at 350 dome.

    Alot of times, I just line up a bunch of different appies, meats, veggies, and then some dessert and just cook and cook, til the lump runs out. Hence the reason I like it for tailgating!

    As I posted earlier, do a search for mini in the search forum and you will see lots of pics of mini cooks (lots of the recent ones are mine).

    I am sure you will love the mini.

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • I am not sure I agree with G.G. that the mini takes 1 1/2 cups of lump. That may be if he is just grilling something quickly and shutting it down.

    I usually fill it up pretty full. It does need to be re-filled each time (also cleaned out every other time, not like the large). I have a little lump left over but not much.

    Even so, using a 20 lb. bag of Cowboy, it would take me many months to use a whole bag of lump grilling 5 nights a week on the mini. ($12 at Ace Hardware)

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • Hey Grandpa, what size cup are you using there??

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Thanks Faith!!!

    We will be neighbors (sort of) soon. I'll be in St. Cloud in just a few months. I didn't want to take my small back and forth and was hoping that the mini would work out, because it will be riding in....a Mini!!!!
  • emilluca
    emilluca Posts: 673
    Use the mini a lot and am happy I bought it to use with the large. The little egg cooks like it's big brother.
    I made a platesetter using a 8.5 inch pizza stone. Bent some metal pc slot covers to hold the pizza stone. Works great. I did notch the stone in 3 places using a grinder. Helps the airflow.
    Wife and I use the mini most every nite. Made chicken pizza using corn tortilla. Was great meal and quick. By the time you ate one the 2nd was done.
    E
  • Time for cooks is the same on the mini as the large- I think you need to flip stuff more often if you don't want charring.

    I cook 3 burgers or 3 tenderloin steaks at a time

    2 strip steaks or ribeyes at a time.

    2 salmon steaks or Mahi filets or trout filets.

    I made a raised grid and use it for pretty much every cook.
    IMG_0350.jpg
    here are some wings I made for lunch but didn't flip as often as I should've.
    MiniGrid.jpg
    FYI
  • Sooner Egg
    Sooner Egg Posts: 578
    after looking at some of the food Faith aka Florida Grillin Girl has cooked on her mini I called EBBQ here in OKC and ordered a mini, will be about 2 weeks before I get it but I can't wait, I think it will be an excellent compliment to my large for those nights when my wife is not home and I'm just cooking for myself

    laser.jpg
  • WWoooHoo! Another satisfied customer! Good for you Sooner Egg!

    FSU Scotsman, it sounds like you will be traveling back and forth with the egg. In that cast, the mini will work great for you. Watch the forum for the Tampa Lunch Bunch - we are planning some get togethers if it's not too far for you to drive (in the mini with the mini!).

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    click the little pix for slide shows. note the temp on the smoked cheese pic

    th_minisausage002.jpg

    minisausage032.jpg

    th_march025.jpg
  • Rascal
    Rascal Posts: 3,923
    Curious, what is the advantage of the raised grid if you're only cooking on one level? TIA!
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Tampa won't be far at all if I can manage it around work. It sounds like a lot of fun.

    You should have seen me last year during football season. I would put the top down on the Cooper and put the small in the backseat and seatbelt it in!!! I used to get to really good stares!!! :laugh: :laugh:
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    You've done a lot of stuff with your mini!!! Not that I would eat some of it, but you've done a lot!!! :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

    Did you actually smoke cheese at 280 degrees?
  • lowercasebill
    lowercasebill Posts: 5,218
    it was 82 degrees and yes i actually smoked 3 lbs of cheese on the mini and temp never reached 100 . same technique as on the large ... pan of ice and i used 3 briquettes instead of 6
    bill
  • sometimes I put a barrier on the lower level, for indirect/drip catching.
    Otherwise it's just to put a little distance between the coals and the food so it doesn't char so easy.
  • Here is a pictoral of how to smoke cheese. I have tried Egrets cheese at an eggfest and it is delicious. I am going to make it one day, but I think I should wait til it cools down outside first (94 degrees yesterday!).

    http://www.eggheadforum.com/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=112&catid=1&func=view&year=2007&number=446617

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    I was going to say about the same thing!! If we could get our lump to spontaneously smoke, we could do it with the ambient heat that we have right now. MY LORD is it hot lately!!! :silly:
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    It's about 2 hands full of lump.

    GG
  • vidalia1
    vidalia1 Posts: 7,092
    Buy the new improved mini woo from
    www.ceramicgrillstore.com...and the 8.5 inch pizza stones from Amazon.com

    the mini woo will get you a little higher in the dome and the pizza stones will give you indirect cooking and allow you to cook pizzas on the mini...we cooked 12 of them on the mini & small at the Florida eggfest...one of our favorites cooks on the mini is baked brie in puff pastry with raspberry chipotle sauce...we bake it indirect at 350 for 30 minutes...it is delicious

    if you have any questions send me an email at
    bludyung@yahoo.com
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    .

    Lately I have been using lower levels in all my eggs. I am also not cleaning out the ash on every cook anymore. When the mini needs ash cleaned out it is easier to take everything out to that is the exception. If I were hauling an egg it would be completely cleaned out.

    On the large I have only cleaned out the ash behind the firebox twice in two and a half years.

    I usually fill up between the fire box air vents or top of fire box and I get about 4 hours of cooking time. Several shorter cooks or long cooks.

    As for burning food, it is more a case of common sense. If the heat level is close to the cooking level in any cooking devise there is going to be a higher chance of burning food. There will be more pronounced hot spots on the grid.

    When cooking burgers, fish, chicken parts etc. then don't load the mini completely full of lump. Also, watch the temperature level. Light in several spots rather than one.

    The burning of food isn't all that big of an issue that it seems we are making out of it.

    I would think a concern you might have would be to how many people you would be cooking for. Take into consideration how fast the food cooks.

    GG
  • I have burnt the bottom of a cedar plank on the mini. Also the wings and back bones of a spatchock have been pretty brown/black. You just have to be more careful of the heat when you are cooking direct on it. And don't go in the house for a beer unless you know the food is doing OK at your set temp, but that is true of cooking on any size egg.

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • Rascal
    Rascal Posts: 3,923
    Thank you! 8 - )!!
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    After this wonderful discussion I decided I would just go to my local dealer and pick one of these little boys up. It never occurred to me that he would have one. Not only didn't he have one, they AREN'T going to have one. "We don't stock those. We can get you one in about four weeks."!!!! HUH??!??!?! I called FIVE other stores in a 75 mile radius and basically heard the same story. Only one said that they normally carried them, but they wanted over $300 for the Egg and stand.

    I called Atlanta, but they want MSRP plus shipping. No telling what shipping would be, but I'm betting $30+.

    Looks like no Mini for FSUscotsman. I'll keep looking around as I travel, but I'm not expecting much difference.

    Sigh........ :(
  • That bites, Ron. I can keep my eyes open for you. If I see one around Tampa somewhere I will let you know.
    Or you can come over and just use mine til you get yours!

    Faith
    Tampa, FL
    Happily egging on my original large BGE since 1996... now the owner of 5 eggs. Call me crazy, everyone else does!
     
    3 Large, 1 Small, 1 well-used Mini
  • Ron-
    My dealer had to order mine too. Don't remember how long it took, but a few weeks ain't bad beause once you have it, you have it!

    My dealer also thought it was a pretty useless size - "You could fit one steak on it and that's about it"(this is the guy who told Stike "we don't carry the Small because no one uses them")
    the first weekend I cooked a 4lb chicken and a 4lb roast.
    e-mailed him pics. He wasn't impressed.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    Thanks for the offer, but I'm still in Tally for a couple of months. I'll keep looking and see what I can find, but I refuse to pay more than MSRP for one. That's just not right.
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    I just am tired of rewarding dealers for poor service. When I walked in there I had to hunt someone down to even ask if they had one. Then it was just a shrug and "I can get you one when we place our next order".

    I swear, if I had any way of getting the money to open a store that specialized in cooking and grilling I could run every Egg dealer within 80 miles of me out of the Egg part of their business anyway.
  • Grandpas Grub
    Grandpas Grub Posts: 14,226
    .

    That's sad. My dealer said they weren't going to carry them once the floor model was sold, which he didn't expect to sell. He downplayed the mini and actually talked me out of buying it, 4 different times.

    My mini was from the dealers initial egg order and 1.5 to 2 years old floor model.

    After buying, I told the dealer how much I loved the mini. He brought in a few more and sold 5 the next month.

    It is hard to believe if you even prepay they won't bring one in for you.

    Talk to BGE, my son can ship a whole front room couch for $30 to $40 using FedEx ground.

    Build a travel box/cooking stand yourself and save the cost of the stand. I think it was AZ Traveler who had a very nice carry case/stand that he made. There are photo's somewhere on the forum. Search by his screen name.

    Kent
  • FSUScotsman
    FSUScotsman Posts: 754
    I'll look for the box.

    What stewed me was that Atlanta wanted MSRP. I could have maybe lived with shipping had they cut me a break. Maybe I'm missing something because when I called they said they were a "retail" store as well.

    Sigh.....