Big Green Egg

[ILChief]

Been looking at these and may buy one this spring. I figure some of you grillmasters own one. Are they worth the $$$? What size do you recommend? I'm looking at the Large or XL. Anything you don't like about it? Do you have it in the nest, table, or some custom built island/kitchen thing?


How do they work as grills? Smokers?

Discuss. Any pics are welcome.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by tooge

BGE is good but has major negs and only one major positive.

Positive: Its insulated and will hold heat with very little fuel, regardless of outside temp

Negs: 1. Very heavy. You can roll it around your place, but a huge pain in the ass to take anywhere else.

2. Even the XL is very limited on cooking space. I can fit more on my plain old weber kettle than the BGE XL. My WSM smoker holds about twice what the BGE holds. If you are only cooking for two, not an issue, but if you want to do a larger bbq with several different meats or dishes, there really isn't much room on the bge.

3. Price. The big WSM is $400. A nice Weber Kettle with gas start is $200. BGE is like $800. Just not worth it.

4. Materials. It's ceramic. Ceramic can and does crack. Knock a WSM over and it'll dent. Knock a BGE over and it's trashed.



Anyone that drops $800 on a smoker/cooker with a tiny amount of cooking space is going to tell you they love it. I would pass though.

Any thoughts on the Akorn? It's a Komodo style, but it's insulated stainless steel. It's also under $300.

[Halfcan]

I just bought a nice Weber grill for $2.00 at an Estate sale. Used it Sunday and it worked great.

I would never by grills or patio furniture new again. Estate sales have a ton of this stuff.

$400 for a grill? You can get 30 grills for that much-almost every sale has them. Saw a brand new smoker go for $25.00.

[ILChief]

Strange bump. I bought an egg over a year ago and love it

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by ILChief

Strange bump. I bought an egg over a year ago and love it

Why is it a strange bump? I was asking about A Komodo cooker versus the egg.

[ILChief]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Why is it a strange bump? I was asking about A Komodo cooker versus the egg.

I thought the post after yours was the bump. I read yours as a year ago

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

Any thoughts on the Akorn? It's a Komodo style, but it's insulated stainless steel. It's also under $300.

FMB, I've not seen one, but judging by the pictures with food on it, it looks like a very small cooking space, much like the BGE. There is a reason all the bbq comp guys are using WSM on the competition trail.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by tooge

FMB, I've not seen one, but judging by the pictures with food on it, it looks like a very small cooking space, much like the BGE. There is a reason all the bbq comp guys are using WSM on the competition trail.

The one I linked is same size as BGE large.

306 square inches of cooking area, 150 (or something) of warming area.

The WSM 18" is 481.

[Stewie]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

The one I linked is same size as BGE large.

306 square inches of cooking area, 150 (or something) of warming area.

The WSM 18" is 481.

I'm not sure about the setup of the BGE, but WSM smokers have two cooking grates/levels and most people now use the 22.5" in competition (that I've seen).

[KCUnited]

Agree that if you're on the bbq competition trail, you can do better than a kamado. If you're just looking to smoke/grill for you and you're wife and the occasional small to midsize get together though, the cooking area of a large kamado is more than fine as that's how I use mine (I've also had a WSM that I loved for different reasons). No knowledge of the Akorn kamado though.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

Agree that if you're on the bbq competition trail, you can do better than a kamado. If you're just looking to smoke/grill for you and you're wife and the occasional small to midsize get together though, the cooking area of a large kamado is more than fine as that's how I use mine (I've also had a WSM that I loved for different reasons). No knowledge of the Akorn kamado though.

I'm not competing.

[Stewie]

The main difference between a ceramic smoker and a WSM is that a WSM is a water smoker. That makes a big difference in my opinion. It tempers the heat from the coals and adds a ton of moisture. To each his own.

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by Stewie

The main difference between a ceramic smoker and a WSM is that a WSM is a water smoker. That makes a big difference in my opinion. It tempers the heat from the coals and adds a ton of moisture. To each his own.

I've actually read that a water pan in a komodo actually makes it noticeably TOO moist.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

The one I linked is same size as BGE large.

306 square inches of cooking area, 150 (or something) of warming area.

The WSM 18" is 481.

So you get over 50% more cooking space, the same cost, and a more reliable name in Weber. I don't even see the comparison. I have the 22.5" model and it'll cook for a small army. Hell, it'll fit 8 slabs of ribs or 4 slabs of ribs, a butt, and a couple chickens. You can use an extended grate on the Weber for a "warming area" also. I've had alot of smokers/cookers over the years, and to this point, I've not had one as efficient, versatile, and as simple as the WSM. My .02

[Fire Me Boy!]

Originally Posted by tooge

So you get over 50% more cooking space, the same cost, and a more reliable name in Weber. I don't even see the comparison. I have the 22.5" model and it'll cook for a small army. Hell, it'll fit 8 slabs of ribs or 4 slabs of ribs, a butt, and a couple chickens. You can use an extended grate on the Weber for a "warming area" also. I've had alot of smokers/cookers over the years, and to this point, I've not had one as efficient, versatile, and as simple as the WSM. My .02

You're trying to compare two completely different styles of cooker. I think you also have to consider the 150 square inches of "warming area" can also be used as smoking area, that 450ish compared to 480ish. Not that much of a difference, really.

Coincidentally, I've read the big WSM is more temperamental on temperature control than the 18" version.

[tooge]

Originally Posted by Fire Me Boy!

You're trying to compare two completely different styles of cooker. I think you also have to consider the 150 square inches of "warming area" can also be used as smoking area, that 450ish compared to 480ish. Not that much of a difference, really.

Coincidentally, I've read the big WSM is more temperamental on temperature control than the 18" version.

Not really. They are both vertical style smokers/cookers in essence. Both are charcoal fueled. Both have a lid that opens at the top with the food above the heat/smoke source. Really, the only difference is that the BGE is ceramic and the Weber is enamel coated steel. Temp control is very similar as well. I don't use water in my WSM, rather I fill the water pan with a small layer of sand that I put foil over, so it doesn't act as a "water smoker". One is just larger, lighter, less expensive, and more mobile because it easily breaks down into it's three pieces. Also, I'm guessing you are using the cooking area of the 18" model. The 22.5 is much more. Regarding the temp control, I've had both the 18 and the 22.5, and I saw no difference at all in that. It just takes more coals to get the same temp on the 22.5, but were still talking only about 2 chimneys of fuel.