Considering purchasing egg!!! Need help!

Dos Chicas Heuvos Verde · January 2010

Considering purchasing an egg. Debating between the Medium and Large. Will mainly be used for 2 people....more only on occassion. Curious if the medium would be sufficient? What is cost difference between med and large?

Also wondering about the Primo Grill in comparison to the Egg.

Any help would be great!

Bacchus · January 2010

With a Large you can lay full slabs of ribs flat. Most Eggs sold are Large.

BGE's are better than Primo, and have excellent customer service and support.

FearlessGrill · January 2010

If you don't entertain a lot, the medium should be fine. I have a large and a small. When I'm just cooking for the two of us - steaks, a chicken, etc., I use the small. For company, or for ribs, butts, brisket, etc., I use the large. For parties, I use both.

One thing to consider is that there are more Eggsessories for the Large than any other model, including the adjustable rig from the Ceramic Grill Store. If this is important to you, I'd go with the Large.

Last time I looked, I think the price difference between the L and M was about $200, but I could be wrong about that - it's been a while.

Never even seen a Primo, so I can't comment on that question.

Hope this helps.

-John

BENTE · January 2010

can't tell you anything about a primo seen one in action and one in a store. the main diffrence is this forum so my advice is find a good dealer!!!! i drive 2 hours to my dealer cause they treat me right.. it is the world wide headquarters but they are always helpful.. much more than my local dealer. i have a couple places localally that i buy stuff . and alot of online stuff that i use regularly. the dealer is good to have one locally but if you don't have one it is not a real big deal.. and bookmark this forum and read.. you will find out how active this forum is and how much you can learn here. you can check the rest (i do).. but you will not find a more active forum

and there are alot of helpful people here..

Welcome to the forum

oh and buy a large i have two and only 4 people live here... plus a small to take camping

Lanier Jim · January 2010

For two - the medium will be plenty. Most might say the Large - but I cook for a family of 5 on the Small and love it. Don't let the 13" grate for the Small fool you. I purchased the GrateMates Deluxe package to raise or lower the grid - and now can do it all. The 15" grate on the medium will hold a ton of food...the 18" grate on the large will hold enough to feed a football team.

Today - we picked up a Mini and I can't wait to cook on it tomorrow. First cook will be burgers for the kids.

As for the Primo - It's a fine cooker too. I was in the same boat as you...looked at Primo, Grill Dome, and the BGE. In the end - I went with the Egg. There are just too many good things about the Egg...to me, the biggest was everyone comparing their product to the Egg...that should say plenty. I love my Egg (Eggs now) and haven't looked back since day one.

Another huge asset for the Egg is this forum. So many members, so many cooks, so much info and help, and so much fun. Whatever ceramic cooker you decide on - you'll still come to this board and tell everyone you own an Egg. :laugh:

LJ

EGGARY · January 2010

I'd say go with the Large. I have the XL and it is nice to have the extra space. So with the Large, you would have the extra space than the Medium. As for the he Primo, I have only seen them online. One thing to consider is this Forum. It is VERY invaluable. I don't know how long you have been looking into a Ceramic Cooker but this is the best way to find out about them. Read and ask all the questions you have. You will learn a lot. One more thing, there is a sense of "community" here. We all have enjoy our EGGS.

Good luck. You won't go wrong with an EGG.

Gary

Gator Bait · January 2010

I have the medium and love it, I live alone and cook for one. My medium is very economical to feed lump. The medium will easily cook for 2 as will the large. I don't know how many you might cook for if entertaining, you might want to go with the large. You get the egg and you might be entertaining a lot more then you are now. :laugh: If you like to entertain, cook lots of ribs, large turkeys, large pizza's and bake more then one loaf of bread at a time. Get a large. If not the medium is probably the way to go.
It's a hard choice, the large is very versatile and eats more lump. The medium is more economical with the lump but not quit as versatile. Then again many people end up with more then one egg so it probably doesn't matter as you will probably be buying another one within the year. :laugh:

Now that I have been absolutely no help what so ever, all I can say is Good Luck, which ever one you get you will love.

Gator

Grandpas Grub · January 2010

I have a Large, Medium, Small and Mini. Just the 2 of us most of the time.

If you have the money, without question get the large.

It is easy to cook for 2 and any lump savings on the medium vs the large is negligible and really not worth consideration.

The warranty consideration and dealing with BGE regarding warranty is well worth the purchase of BGE cookers.

This forum is another excellent reason for the egg.

GG

Bonehead · January 2010

The large is more versatile as far as accessories go. And GG is right, the lump savings is negligible. (The price difference is $549 vs. $769 where I live)

As far as Primo's go... have you ever heard of a Primofest?
Egg forum - 13,524 registered users, 647,138 total posts.
Primo forum - 4,955 registered users, 59,928 total posts.
I have known people who used a Primo and sure it's a nice ceramic cooker, it's just not an Egg

When Do We Eat · January 2010

I have a big Primo Oval XL in California and a large Egg in Texas. The Primo has a couple of advantages:

1. Oval cooking surface offers more usable cooking space (for me), and the grill is in two halves (handy-- easier to lift than a single large grill)

2. It comes with a cast iron insert that you can set into the firebox, dividing it into two so you can light one side and cook on the other-- easy indirect. Even if you want to go direct you at least have a place to move the meat in case you get some flare-up.

3. There are two layers of racks, and there's some flexibility in how they get set up. You can have one rack down low, to hold a drip pan, and cook on the top rack; you can put a rack on top of the main cooking rack, giving you more cooking space; the main cooking rack has feet on it which lets you raise it (feet down) or lower it (feet up) as you prefer.

I got the Primo second-hand and it cost me $500-- a bargain. I cook on it all the time when I'm in California.

The Egg is great too. It makes great food. The one thing I miss on the Egg is the oval-shaped cooking area. It also has MUCH nicer wings (the Primo's are flimsy-- I will have to replace them someday soon).

Here's a picture of the Primo Oval XL (I imagine you've seen plenty of Eggs!):

http://www.primogrill.com/products.html

I haven't had a problem with the Egg nor the Primo so I can't comment on whether it's easy or hard to get parts under warranty.

My first Kamado-type cooker was an OLD "Imperial Kamado" which I found on Craigslist several years ago. It made great food too, and I would still have it if I hadn't lucked into the Primo a few years ago. It was nice to learn to cook on a cooker that cost $200.

Frankly I don't think you can go wrong either way.

JLOCKHART29 · January 2010

Well it looks as if someone is just about like me. Can't have children so 90% of the time it is just me and the wife. The other 10% of time its another couple joining us. We ended up with the Medium and could not be happer BUT will end up with a small as well. Reason is two differant temps you can cook at such as ribs at 250 and baked beens and baked potato at 350. Do a forum search of "some'en" to see what all I do on a Medium. That said IF I were cooking for two more than 50% of the time I would get a Large. Just a lot more versital for anything more than two people.

Metalhead · January 2010

here is my 2 cents,
It is just me....yes only 1 of me, and I have 2 larges and a small. I have never owned nor cooked on a primo, but I have seen one....at the BGE fest in the ATL...a guy was cooking on it at the BGE fest. Now what does that say about the company of BGE?
It says a great deal, here we are at the greatest festival BGE has, and they allow someone to cook on a primo at there event. Yes the primo is a ceramic grill, yes if you buy it, you can still use this forum, yes the 2 companies are relatively close to each other here in the ATL. All that being said, me personally....I'd go w BGE, the customer service is unmatched. I LOVE a company that stands behind its product and I for 1(billion) advertise word of mouth for them daily.

Now with all that said...make ur decision, and good luck

2Fategghead · January 2010

Buggy, Welcome to the forum.

I don't have a Primo so I can't speak about it.

I do have a large and there are just two of us at home. I can cook for 2 on my large or I can cook for 20 or more on one large BGE. I wish to caution you there will be some great food coming off your egg along with some wonderful smells so be prepared to make new friends.

I have been to the eggfests and the eggheads are a fantastic bunch of people with a lot of knowledge to share.

I am a member of this forum and I know if I post once a year with questions on how to cook something on my large egg or twice a day every day I can get that help. This forum has members from many different countries. In this forum our translator is food and big green eggs. There are owners of other ceramic cookers here that can get help as well.

You won't be disappointed in the how well the egg cooks food.

Tim

Ash · January 2010

Get the large, you'll find your cooking to be on demand.

Jupiter Jim · January 2010

Buggy, I have a large, medium and a mini. If I had the money I would have every size they make! :ohmy: I don't need them all but it would be neat to have them all.
I started with a large and if I could only have one it would be a large.
You can get an idea of price with the Eggfest demo pages here is the Sunshine State Eggfest link.
Good luck Jupiter Jim

http://www.sunshinestateeggfest.com/Demo-Eggs.php

sharhamm · January 2010

Started off buying the medium in September. Then purchased a mini in Oct. Got the large as a Xmas gift.
The mini is wonderful for just one or two people. Uses very little lump and very portable.
The medium is great and I've done a "lot" of cooks on it. BUT I wanted the large because of the versatility of being able to cook a lot of ribs, and more spatchcocked chickens those few times that the family can get here. You'll find that you love cooking on it and want to entertain more. Also the large has a lot more accessories. My adjustable rig and spider just arrived.
So, if I only had one choice it would be....the large and the mini second.

Brokersmoker · January 2010

I have large and cook primarily for 2 and had about 45 people for wife's birthday and had plenty of room to cook for them asw well.

As for primo, I to was in your situation, the deciding factor for me was I bought a demo egg at an egg fest and got a substantial savings. They are both great products, the Primo is more expensive when comparing size to size. During the research stage seems like everyone was comparing theirs to the BGE (that says something). I have never heard anything bad about a primo, on the other hand I have not heard anything about Primo (except from the salesman). have eaten food off of both they are the same in that aspect. Any way you go you will enjoy it, goodluck and enjoy!

Hungry Celeste · January 2010

I have a large & a mini, in a 2-person household. Looked at the medium, then decided to size up to the large, as the diff in price seemed worth the extra cooking surface. If you want to do whole briskets, the large is the way to go. Got the mini as a gift from my hubby; it is perfect for weeknight quick cooking for two (steak, boneless chix, a couple of sausages, roasting peppers or onions). The mini is very portable, as well.

SteveinTN · January 2010

only two of us also
- large BGE

why,
1> cook lots of chicken for left overs to use on pizza and pasta.
2> cook more ribs flat
3> cook more butt

no bad decision, i love my large!
steve

HungryMan · January 2010

Large. You will not be sorry. Medium, you might be sorry that you didn't get a large.

HungryMan · January 2010

I cook with my dome closed so I don't get flair ups. I know with a platesetter it is truly indirect because there is a barrier. With the primo is it really indirect with the charcoal moved to one side? The food is cooked fairly far from the charcoal. I never understood how that would make a difference.

smoky b · January 2010

i got a medium about a year ago and i think it is the most underrated egg in the lineup. i have cooked large pizzas, 14 lb packer briskets, 3 racks of STL spares (pretty tight on this one) and countless other things. needless to say, it can hold a lot of food. here are some pics:

all that said, get the medium!!

(unless you reeeeeally want the large--got mine a few months ago...

)

then i got a mini! (gulp) :woohoo: :woohoo:

TnVolKen · January 2010

I have a Large and a medium for a family of 3. Most nights the medium is perfect for the family. As many have said the large does offer the bigger cooking surface and is better for ribs, butts, and does have more accessories. If you have the extra money I would go for the large as it will offer more versitility. Which ever way you decide you can not go wrong with a BGE. BTW, it you can make it to one of the Eggfest you can save a lot of money purchasing you Egg at one of these events. Good luck

Lei'd-n-Egg · January 2010

You know what they say, Go Egg or Go Home! :laugh:

As you can tell, the folks here are passionate. The good news is medium or large, you're going to be very happy. Speaking as the owner of a Large, I do like the fact that I can throw a lotta food on there and there's a ton of accessories. However, I also think I would've been happy with a medium.

My next purchase is a small to keep my large company.

Good luck with your decision,
Bryan

Rolling Egg · January 2010

I bought a large first about 2.5 years ago and have cooked a ton of food on it. I came across a cheap medium about 3 months ago and bought it. Most of the time I cook for two adults and two small children (under 5), so I use the Medium. I will have to agree with smoky b and say that it is very under-rated. It will be an excellent choice if your cooking for just your wife and you and an occasional extra couple. However you just need to look at how much you love outdoor cooking. If your wanting to get into cooking a lot of butts, ribs and other things in larger quantities then it will be worth the extra change to get the large. When I do my rib cooks and butt cooks I always use my large because I never do just one or two butts or I never do just two slabs of ribs. Everytime I cook ribs or butts I always have other people in line wanting some. My freezer has about 4 butts in it thats other peoples and when I cook I grab one of theres and call them when I'm cooking it. Or I might go to my large If I'm cooking 6 or 7 dozen wings for a party, but will use my medium If I'm just cooking a few dozen for us and another couple. It's very hard to tell you which egg to get. One way of looking at it is, if you get the medium and need more room you wont have it. If you get the large you always have extra room in case the ocassion gets to be larger and at the same time its ok to fire it up and cook for just the two of you. Just figure out if you just going to be the weekend griller who wants to cook a slab of ribs or a chicken for you and the wife and another couple or If your going to have larger gatherings with more people. Hope I've helped and not confused. Have a great day!

Grandpas Grub · January 2010

The mini is a great egg, a great second or third egg. Do not get the mini as a first egg, unless you plan on getting another size soon.

GG

Grandpas Grub · January 2010

As you can see people love the mediums and they are a good size egg.

However, have you noticed how many either have gotten a large or want a large? If you have the money get the large.

Warranty - I have needed the warranty BGE stood up to the bar and took care of the problem. I expect that that same level of service will continue until, well for the life of the eggs.

Get you egg, whatever size you decide on and get cooking.

Welcome to the foum.

GG

Loco Lobo · January 2010

Bought a Medium for my brother in law. It doesn't seem to get as hot for steaks as my large.

If I had to do it over, I'd go with large.

He has to think about size of turkey, roast or ribs when buying for a party.

tarheelforever · January 2010

I also researched the Egg vs the Primo and even went to both corporate locations on a business trip to Atlanta. The service received at The Big Green Egg corporate office swayed me towards the egg and I couldn't be happier.

This forum is one of the absolute best things about the experience. The people here will steer you right and there is no such thing as a stupid question..

I should know I continue to ask them to this day and I bought my large last April.

Buy the Egg and you will be very happy.

BernerQ · January 2010

I am in the same boat as Buggy trying to decide between a large and extra large. My brother-in-law purchased a large and is completely happy with it. This purchase [for me] would be something that I am hoping will last 10-20 years (I'd rather spend the money once).

Right now it is just myself, wife, and daughter - hopefully more little ones in the future. We also hold a neighborhood get together (20-30 people) every fall and would need the larger capacity only during those times.

Does anyone think an extra large egg would be the better purchase?

Any opinions would be appreciated.

2Fategghead · January 2010

BernerQ,
Welcome to the forum.

As you may have seen this has been an all day discussion I suggest reading all the replies here and see if it pertains to your situation. Then come back and make your own post another time.

No disrespect and if you look at this post and go from there plus there may be some more to chime in here. You may or may not get something out of this post. I wish you well in your decision.

I will tell you I waited a year before taking action and I settled on a large and I have not regreted that decision. I am planing to someday buy another large. There is just two of us and occasionally we have company but so far I have cooked enough ribs and baked potato's to feed more than 18 guests. I can easily smoke five or six, seven to nine pound Boston butts in one sitting. Whole chickens, steaks, London broil, tri-tip...you are in the right place.

If I had it to do all over again I would have purchased a Big Green Egg years ago and they will last a life time with the exception of a little wear and tear.

Tim

Considering purchasing egg!!! Need help!

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