Considering the Big Green Egg - need advice from my Egghead Brethren!

Although gaskets don't last forever the lighting process is what gets them quick , get a small amount lit and let her come up to temp with the lid closed and vents open. And my vote would be Primo. I've had 4 brands of ceramics and it's the most versatile.
 
I got a vision classic m and I love it. I put nomex gaskets on and adjusted the bands and no more problems. Great cookers and cheaper than the other brands. Not to say I don't want an egg. I would love one and probably going to be between an offset or an egg. For now I have stopped buying cookers. Ceramics kind of fit my life on the weekend and the pellet grill recently got new life during the week as it heats up faster 10 mins vs 1 hour to get a nice fire established.

So get an egg and then get one of every cooker you can get your hands on. Just remember price your cookers high to prevent the wife from selling them. I have tried to sell my Traeger 3 or 4 plus times and because I refuse to ship Its still safe and sound on my deck :)
 
Bob C Cue said:
Apparently charcoal cookers are no longer the way to go. If you don't cook with all wood, you're not cool.
Click to expand...


WTH.....Did you have to drop trou to pull that out of your arse or did you just fart and blow a hole in your pants? :wacko::biggrin1::caked:

anyway, back on topic..

since I got my BGE, my webers were not getting used and I gave them away.

BUT!!!! My PBC's still get alot of use.. The PBC is a different use cooker than a ceramic.. my ceramics are mostly for grilling. The PBC, Klose and spicewine are for BBQ.

i'd ditch the webers and go with the ceramic and KEEP the PBC.

BTW..Ceramics only see lump, the PBC only sees briquettes..
 
Last edited:
I started with Weber gassers then bought a used WSM which led to a performer. Once I had all three of those taking up space I started thinking about something that could replace them all and ended up with an XL BGE. It was pretty easy giving up the Weber gasser. Much harder to give up the WSM and performer. But they weren't getting used and I thought someone else needed to get some use out of them. So off to craigslist they went.
 
I too vote yes on the BGE or similar ceramic cooker. As a cook on a budget I first went with a BGE for it's versatilaty, and I have been very happy with the decision. I've had it for over 10 years, and still use it at least twice a week. As mentioned previously, gasket replacements are infrequent, cheap and easy. Definitely not a reason to avoid ceramics.

A year or two back I added a PBC for additional capacity and a different flavor profile. I really enjoy it as well, and it keeps with my goals of affordability and ease of use.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys, but I'm still torn :shock:

While most of you think I should ditch the grills and get the egg, but lots of you think I should keep some or all of my grills.

I guess ultimately I could buy the BGE, keep my grills, then decide if I want to sell or give away any of them :-D

Also, for those who suggested the Primo or Kamado Joe, there actually isn't a dealer for either in my neck of the woods. I would consider them, but I can't get a look at them up close.
 
jeffh said:
Thanks for all the advice guys, but I'm still torn :shock:

While most of you think I should ditch the grills and get the egg, but lots of you think I should keep some or all of my grills.

I guess ultimately I could buy the BGE, keep my grills, then decide if I want to sell or give away any of them :-D

Also, for those who suggested the Primo or Kamado Joe, there actually isn't a dealer for either in my neck of the woods. I would consider them, but I can't get a look at them up close.
Click to expand...

Please consider the weber summit charcoal
 
Crotonmark said:
Please consider the weber summit charcoal
Click to expand...

While it does look like an amazing piece of kit, the only dealers for Weber in my neck of the woods are companies like Home Depot, and they're not stocking the WSC.

While I'm sure there are some out of province dealers who would gladly ship me the WSC, I would have a hard time spending that kind of cash sight unseen.
 
jeffh said:
Thanks for all the advice guys, but I'm still torn :shock:

While most of you think I should ditch the grills and get the egg, but lots of you think I should keep some or all of my grills.

I guess ultimately I could buy the BGE, keep my grills, then decide if I want to sell or give away any of them :-D

Also, for those who suggested the Primo or Kamado Joe, there actually isn't a dealer for either in my neck of the woods. I would consider them, but I can't get a look at them up close.
Click to expand...

So... you don't trust us???? :))
 
jeffh said:
Thanks for all the advice guys, but I'm still torn :shock:

While most of you think I should ditch the grills and get the egg, but lots of you think I should keep some or all of my grills.

I guess ultimately I could buy the BGE, keep my grills, then decide if I want to sell or give away any of them :-D

Also, for those who suggested the Primo or Kamado Joe, there actually isn't a dealer for either in my neck of the woods. I would consider them, but I can't get a look at them up close.
Click to expand...

Forget the Egg and wait 2 months and get the New Big Joe coming in Oct 2016. The 2017 Big Joe will have a new rain vent and a fully counterbalanced that better that the hinge on the Komodo Kamado.

The 2017 Big Joe will absolutely embarrass the the badly aging and clunky XL Egg. The Divide and Conquer system is also superior to anything available for the XL Egg.

10 years ago the XL Egg was king. In 2016, it's not even a close 2nd to a Kamado Joe Big Joe.
 
^^^ lol someone must have stock in kamado. Easy dude. Theyre just cookers. Anyway op, no dealers for any other cooker is basically telling you what you already know. Time to go green. :mrgreen:
 
Charcoal addict I'm not sure why you are comparing the hinge of a Komodo Kamado to the new hinge of the Kamado Joe.

BGE is an excellent choice, as is the primo and KJ. I will agree that the KJ has further evolved and gets an A+ for innovation.

I have owned several Kamado grills and now own the Komodo Kamado which is the premier of ceramic cookers. They are phenomenal cookers!

Do you have a lowes out East? They are now stocking KJ. I can speak with a friend who does sales for KJ and see where you can find them to get your hands on them.

If you go by way of the BGE you will not be disappointed either. I totally get the dealer support aspect. You are looking st high quality cooker all with great customer service. I personally struggle with the weber summit based on price point but totally believe that they are wonderful cookers
 
I've had Kettles gas grills forever. Wife bought me an Akorn 3 years ago for FathersDay...and never use the kettle or gasser anymore. I love kamado cooking and have found that I use less fuel and food is more tender than the kettle. I'd say get a kamado and ditch the kettle&gasser.

While I was considering all the others back then I didn't have a clear cut favorite.
You specified BGE but Kamado Joe has surpassed them for value and ongoing innovation. In budget isn't a concern, get the Primo Oval. Function and cooking on the oval design is really nice. Even if these aren't closest options
 
BGE is still a good Kamado, I just think they've completely lost the bang for the buck war to the Kamado Joe. The differences used to be minor. It's now getting pretty embarrassing how far BGE is falling behind KJ in design and innovation.

It just doesn't make sense to go Green anymore with many of the design flaws in their hardware, the poorly designed egg cart, hinge and the lack of an out of the box two zone cooking.

Before pulling the trigger, Jeff should visit some dealers first before making any final decisions.
 
Being a BGE XL old owner........ The Weber Summit Charcoal and other kick its ass.......... Wait and in time other will see the WSC in your area. May want to contact Weber for a dealer. You maybe surprised on one you may have missed.
 
Well, I'm glad I started this thread! I never really thought about the Kamado Joe, and I had never heard of the "Divide & Conquer" system until this thread. After looking at some YouTube video's, I definitely see the benefits.

I then did some online searching, and I can see that Wayfair sells the 18" classic for $1299 (CDN) - with free shipping!

When I compare the KJ and the BGE it's really no contest, the KJ is the clear winner. I've done the math, and including sales tax plus a few extra goodies (Kick Ash Basket, Smokeware Chimney Cap, etc) for less than what the BGE would cost before sales tax.
 
I have 3 eggs now and absolutely love them. They are very versatile. You can do a brisket at 250 today and a pizza at 600 tomorrow. That being said, I know a lot of people like the Joe. I wouldn't turn around for the difference. The Joe is probably a better value since you get a lot with it that costs extra for the BGE. I also have 2 weber kettles and 3 drums as well as a vertical gravity feed smoker. But my eggs see more use than any of them by far.
 
I never cooked on a BGE, but I can say I'm very happy with my Big Joe.

If you go with a KJ then try to catch a road show.... Here is the Costco schedule
http://www.costco.com/kamado-joe-schedule.html

You can get the classic for 900-1000 for a solid savings. I got my big joe for about the price you would pay on a classic saving like 400 on it. You can also stock up on some great lump charcoal at these road shows. They are winding down for the season, but might still be one near you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Smoking Piney
Big Green Egg Refurb
Replies
12
Views
686
Big George's BBQ
Big George's BBQ
Headgear
XL Big Green Egg vs Kamado Joe
2 3
Replies
50
Views
4K
WeberWho
W
S
High-end pellet grill rec?
2
Replies
33
Views
2K
oldgfbbq
O
B
First brisket on my Brazos offset was not a success.
2
Replies
23
Views
1K
Bald-Headed John
B
Smoking Piney
Green Lightning Shrimp
Replies
10
Views
1K
creek bottom
creek bottom
Back
Top