Chandler, you were spot on with your pros and cons. Here's my take on them. I own a large egg. I also own a Traeger smoker and Weber grill. As you say, the egg will allow you to smoke, bake and grill all in one unit with a little BBQ and pitmaster knowledge. The Traeger, at least mine unit, will not sear a steak like the Weber grill or egg will. With that in mind, a bag of Traeger pellets will cost me $15 to $20. A bag of BGE lump charcoal is around $25. I can get maybe 3 to 4 long(hopper filled) cooking times from that bag at low and slow. I can get around 7 low and slow cooks that with a bag of lump charcoal for the BGE. Traegers are not cheap and closely rivals the price of a BGE. The BGE has a lifetime warranty. The Traeger, 1 to7 years. Electronics are used in the Traegers and none in the BGE. I am fortunate to have both but I see myself leaning to the ceramic egg for better flavor and versatility.
I purchased a large one in April 2020....saved money on building my own table. Love how it works, what it can do. Use it often, long smokes, (8hrs+) at least every weekend, pizzas during the week, with grilling steaks, quick smokes such as whole chickens....purchased a second large BGE last week. Now building an ‘L’ shaped table to have one egg at each end. This is how much we use it 😄
I have the large Green Egg. I have had it for about 10 years. Love it. The main drawback for is that it is heavy. The work I did required frequent relocations. Because I did not want to have to move it or put up with professional movers handling it I waited almost 15 years to buy one. It made me a better cook than I really am.
I’ve had my LGE for years… the one bad thing you didn’t mention is it’s a little small when trying to cook slabs of ribs or briskets. Requires some accessories/ gymnastics. One good thing you didn’t mention was the warranty. I had my base replaced after it cracked. The replacement process went very well, no issues at all.
I have had a medium BGE for about two years now and love it. I just purchased the XL with most of the accessories and will start to use it this weekend for a family cookout.
Update- Cooked for ten people this past weekend. The XL held twenty good size burgers and a half pound of sausage links with no problem. All of the food was ready at once and nobody had to wait for seconds.
You listed the learning part as a con. I love that part. It's why I have so many different grills. Getting to know them is my favorite part. I'm 3 cooks in on my ceramic grill and my mind is spinning about the possibilities. I have to say, so far the flavor imparted is unbelievable.
You love the big green egg. I just bought one A bit of impulse purchase about $2k when all the smoke settled Your video made me feel better about it. I’m about 30 years ahead of you. Makes me feel like I should have got one about 30 years ago. The three negatives are actually positives You get what you pay for If it’s worth doing it takes time and commitment.
Expensive but this is a once in a lifetime purchase. My egg is 15 years old and still cooks great. Replaced firebox once for like 100$. Agreed on the learning curve but start simple with like burgers and steaks. Most amazing grill on the market plain and simple.
I have had my BGE almost 20 years. I have not had to buy another grill in that period of time. It is better than it was 20 years ago. It is seasoned. Stainless grills lasted 2 or 3 years in the past. No rust with the egg. So price wise its better. I have had to weld the cast iron grate once as it started to crack.
I lucked out and got a large through a vendor promotion. Already had a cadre of egg head friends so I knew how much they liked them. Now over a year in, and I'm still learning how to do different things with it. I kept my weber kettle for fast cooks - steaks or fish. Everything else goes on the egg. You hit the nail on the head about having to relearn how to cook on it. I will say that if I knew how much I would like it, I would have bought one long ago.
I’ve had an egg for 7 years now. I have no other grills and I don’t need any other grill. For me the key to enjoying it is to always have it set up, cleaned, loaded with charcoal (always lump) so that on a moment’s notice I’m ready to cook. My only con is the weight of the thing. It is heavy to move from a level surface.
I have a Primo ceramic grill, which I got about 30 days ago. I do love the temperature control and being able to run the grill for long periods of time, even at high temperatures without having to refuel. I have even done a couple of overnight smoke sessions that have turned out great. But one thing I do not like is the long set up time compared to other grills. On a weeknight, if you just want to cook something fast, spending the extra time to properly get it up to temp, makes me want to use just a regular grill.
Had my BGE for 13 years and it’s like the energizer bunny; just added a mini BGE to my collection. Use the mini for small & fast cooks, never looked back at gas😎
I have a large too and I love it, so many pros as you said, but one more con I would add, depending on what a person is planning on doing with it is that it is HEAVY! This is not the grill you’re going to be taking camping or tailgating or anywhere very easily. I would have liked to take mine places many times but it’s just to much to move. Definitely still get one if you can afford it, they are expensive as was said, but plan on getting something else to if you want something to move around
Speaking of add on's. You ever owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle? I have been cooking on a BGE large for over 15 years. I will serve you well. Just keep it maintained and down bad mouth it. Chef Jerry Never compare the BGE with any other grill, smoker, cooker especially Weber. lol
Had my XL for 5 months now. NO regret on the purchase whatsoever. To make it make senses in my mind, I just think of it as my WSM and Kettles combined into one, so I sleep well at night. Disappointed in myself in that I have not used it for the exact reason why I got the size I did yet, a full packer brisket.
absolutely love my BGE XL . After all my extras, stand, and ConVEGGtor i was over 2K ...but i will literally have this thing the rest of my life. Not many purchases you can say that about . Have done multiple slabs and multiple briskets on it in the two months i have had it .
@@sheatopianvillage_2336 I cook chicken, salmon and cod all the time. The trick is to avoid letting the egg get to hot during the start-up stage. Raising the temp is easy; cooling off an egg that I let get too hot, not so easy. I have great luck with both chicken pieces and fish over direct heat between 375-395F on a grate level with the felt. Skin-on dark meat chicken takes 30-40 minutes to get to the temp I like. Skinless breasts take 20-25 minutes to get to 161-ish.F, which is when I pull them. Fish only takes 4-6 minutes per side to get to medium doneness, which is where we like it. Fish certainty cooks faster than chicken, but I have yet to burn it.
@@1_lens_view awesome help reading this 👏🏽 Thanks a tonne! I'm starting to feel ready for the egg now. Was contemplating between that and the Weber Thanks again
Think of 1000 divided by a lifetime I think it’s a decent value price point. It has an excellent warranty! I have the large BGE as well as a Louisiana Kamado from Costco. I think the type of cooker it is without a doubt is a must ceramic is a great non rusting material. The thermo properties of the ceramic make it extremely versatile. And yes I have been and still am a UA-cam junkie on these grills. Just wish I bought mine 20 years ago.
BGEs are definitely vending machines for accessories and they are also hungry for lump charcoal. Outside of those aspects, they are great ovens (great bread and pizza), great grills, but are OK smokers for single items or small batches. I've kept my electric smoker around just for doing big batches of smoked sausages.
I just did a follow-up video ( ua-cam.com/video/ujDf-1sCarE/v-deo.html ) talking about this. The size of a Large Egg is definitely problematic for any sort of need to do BBQ at scale. I can fit one rack of ribs on this things without buying additional accessories.
Love the video Chandler. Have had my BGE for approx 15 mos and fully agree with all, esp the learning curve. But as you said, the more videos you watch and the more you use it, the easier it becomes. And this coming from someone who had never owned a smoker prior to getting this. #neverlookingback
Yes. Just shut off/close the airways. Fire goes out and just re-light the leftover fuel it stopped burning the next time you use. It really lasts a long time before you reload fuel.
The learning curve is not that great. A fire needs oxygen to burn. Open the vents lets more oxygen in and a higher temperature. The key is not to make large adjustments to the vent if only needing 20-30* more or less heat. It takes a few minutes for it to then stabilize. The biggest mistake is to run it wide open and get it way over the desired temperature. Being thick ceramic it is not going to cool down for a long time.
I have a small Weber gas grill and a Broil King pellet smoker which combined, do everything an egg will do, much easier, w twice the cooking space used together, for less dollars. I just don't see the value in it....
as a green egg virgin, i have no intention to buy one as this oven seems to be a great exercise in marketing. it seems to be an expensive webber. granted, a ceramic webber, and im sure it holds its temp better than a webber, but a webber maintains temp and is a great smoker if you just LEAVE THE BLOODY LID ON and stop looking inside it. just saying. enjoyed the vid.
@@lylesbbq From Finland, Scandinavia. Our country has in 15 years become THE MOST EXPENSIVE country in Europe. I think we have most expensive gas in the world right now.
Lyle great video. Thanks for the info! Observation- if you're having a difficult time adjusting and controlling temps- then you should buy the egg genius...it's kind of idiot proof. I've had my large egg for about 5 months...it does require a lot of use to understand and adjust as you go, but the benefits of owning it outweigh the issues it brings along with owning it :) I have a great channel that goes over a lot of tips and tricks with BGE. Please check it out. Thanks again for the content :)
Chandler, you were spot on with your pros and cons. Here's my take on them. I own a large egg. I also own a Traeger smoker and Weber grill. As you say, the egg will allow you to smoke, bake and grill all in one unit with a little BBQ and pitmaster knowledge. The Traeger, at least mine unit, will not sear a steak like the Weber grill or egg will. With that in mind, a bag of Traeger pellets will cost me $15 to $20. A bag of BGE lump charcoal is around $25. I can get maybe 3 to 4 long(hopper filled) cooking times from that bag at low and slow. I can get around 7 low and slow cooks that with a bag of lump charcoal for the BGE. Traegers are not cheap and closely rivals the price of a BGE. The BGE has a lifetime warranty. The Traeger, 1 to7 years. Electronics are used in the Traegers and none in the BGE. I am fortunate to have both but I see myself leaning to the ceramic egg for better flavor and versatility.
I purchased a large one in April 2020....saved money on building my own table. Love how it works, what it can do. Use it often, long smokes, (8hrs+) at least every weekend, pizzas during the week, with grilling steaks, quick smokes such as whole chickens....purchased a second large BGE last week. Now building an ‘L’ shaped table to have one egg at each end. This is how much we use it 😄
Same here built the table for $100 had it 6 years still going strong. Got the rig from CGS and can put 6 racks laying flat in it now. Love it!
I have the large Green Egg. I have had it for about 10 years. Love it. The main drawback for is that it is heavy. The work I did required frequent relocations. Because I did not want to have to move it or put up with professional movers handling it I waited almost 15 years to buy one. It made me a better cook than I really am.
I’ve had my LGE for years… the one bad thing you didn’t mention is it’s a little small when trying to cook slabs of ribs or briskets. Requires some accessories/ gymnastics. One good thing you didn’t mention was the warranty. I had my base replaced after it cracked. The replacement process went very well, no issues at all.
I have had a medium BGE for about two years now and love it. I just purchased the XL with most of the accessories and will start to use it this weekend for a family cookout.
Update- Cooked for ten people this past weekend. The XL held twenty good size burgers and a half pound of sausage links with no problem. All of the food was ready at once and nobody had to wait for seconds.
Missed my invite… 😂 I’m thinking I need to buy the XL next.
@@lylesbbq I would have purchased the 2XL instead if I could have found one at the time of my last purchase
You listed the learning part as a con. I love that part. It's why I have so many different grills. Getting to know them is my favorite part. I'm 3 cooks in on my ceramic grill and my mind is spinning about the possibilities. I have to say, so far the flavor imparted is unbelievable.
The pros out way the cons! I think I’m sold.
just bought an xl 30 minutes ago. waiting on ace hardware to email me that it's ready for pick up. can't wait
You love the big green egg.
I just bought one
A bit of impulse purchase about $2k when all the smoke settled
Your video made me feel better about it.
I’m about 30 years ahead of you.
Makes me feel like I should have got one about 30 years ago.
The three negatives are actually positives
You get what you pay for
If it’s worth doing it takes time and commitment.
Expensive but this is a once in a lifetime purchase. My egg is 15 years old and still cooks great. Replaced firebox once for like 100$. Agreed on the learning curve but start simple with like burgers and steaks. Most amazing grill on the market plain and simple.
I have had my BGE almost 20 years. I have not had to buy another grill in that period of time. It is better than it was 20 years ago. It is seasoned. Stainless grills lasted 2 or 3 years in the past. No rust with the egg. So price wise its better. I have had to weld the cast iron grate once as it started to crack.
I lucked out and got a large through a vendor promotion. Already had a cadre of egg head friends so I knew how much they liked them. Now over a year in, and I'm still learning how to do different things with it. I kept my weber kettle for fast cooks - steaks or fish. Everything else goes on the egg. You hit the nail on the head about having to relearn how to cook on it. I will say that if I knew how much I would like it, I would have bought one long ago.
I’ve had an egg for 7 years now. I have no other grills and I don’t need any other grill. For me the key to enjoying it is to always have it set up, cleaned, loaded with charcoal (always lump) so that on a moment’s notice I’m ready to cook. My only con is the weight of the thing. It is heavy to move from a level surface.
I have a Primo ceramic grill, which I got about 30 days ago. I do love the temperature control and being able to run the grill for long periods of time, even at high temperatures without having to refuel. I have even done a couple of overnight smoke sessions that have turned out great. But one thing I do not like is the long set up time compared to other grills. On a weeknight, if you just want to cook something fast, spending the extra time to properly get it up to temp, makes me want to use just a regular grill.
We got our BGE when we moved into our new home 5 years ago, yup there is a learning curve but I wouldn’t trade my egg . Just plain love cooking on it.
Had my BGE for 13 years and it’s like the energizer bunny; just added a mini BGE to my collection. Use the mini for small & fast cooks, never looked back at gas😎
I'm looking at the mini how fast is it when you use it, considering you have practice
I have a large too and I love it, so many pros as you said, but one more con I would add, depending on what a person is planning on doing with it is that it is HEAVY! This is not the grill you’re going to be taking camping or tailgating or anywhere very easily. I would have liked to take mine places many times but it’s just to much to move. Definitely still get one if you can afford it, they are expensive as was said, but plan on getting something else to if you want something to move around
Speaking of add on's. You ever owned a Harley-Davidson motorcycle? I have been cooking on a BGE large for over 15 years. I will serve you well. Just keep it maintained and down bad mouth it. Chef Jerry Never compare the BGE with any other grill, smoker, cooker especially Weber. lol
It took me a while to get it down, especially with direct grilling. Once the learning curve was flattened !!!! Man !!!!
Had my BGE for a week and used twice. Was meant to wait until Xmas but who can wait?
How'd the food turn out??
@@lylesbbq haven’t wrecked a meal yet but my kids don’t like it tooo smoky
Going to pick up an XL this week. I believe the pluses far out weight the negatives.
Had my XL for 5 months now. NO regret on the purchase whatsoever. To make it make senses in my mind, I just think of it as my WSM and Kettles combined into one, so I sleep well at night. Disappointed in myself in that I have not used it for the exact reason why I got the size I did yet, a full packer brisket.
absolutely love my BGE XL . After all my extras, stand, and ConVEGGtor i was over 2K ...but i will literally have this thing the rest of my life. Not many purchases you can say that about . Have done multiple slabs and multiple briskets on it in the two months i have had it .
Got one in 2011 and never looked back. The add-ons are part of the fun. Give it another 30-60 days and you’ll love it.
You were right. Just did a one year follow up and came to that conclusion.
Good to know
Quick question; will it cook fish (catfish, tilapia, salmon, etc) too fast (to the point of burning)?
@@sheatopianvillage_2336 I cook chicken, salmon and cod all the time. The trick is to avoid letting the egg get to hot during the start-up stage. Raising the temp is easy; cooling off an egg that I let get too hot, not so easy.
I have great luck with both chicken pieces and fish over direct heat between 375-395F on a grate level with the felt. Skin-on dark meat chicken takes 30-40 minutes to get to the temp I like. Skinless breasts take 20-25 minutes to get to 161-ish.F, which is when I pull them. Fish only takes 4-6 minutes per side to get to medium doneness, which is where we like it. Fish certainty cooks faster than chicken, but I have yet to burn it.
@@1_lens_view awesome help reading this 👏🏽 Thanks a tonne!
I'm starting to feel ready for the egg now. Was contemplating between that and the Weber
Thanks again
@@sheatopianvillage_2336 Good luck to you. Let’s us know what you get and what you end up liking to cook.
I wish my parents loved me as much yours love you haha. Great video, helpful comments.
Think of 1000 divided by a lifetime I think it’s a decent value price point. It has an excellent warranty! I have the large BGE as well as a Louisiana Kamado from Costco. I think the type of cooker it is without a doubt is a must ceramic is a great non rusting material. The thermo properties of the ceramic make it extremely versatile. And yes I have been and still am a UA-cam junkie on these grills. Just wish I bought mine 20 years ago.
"Space is limited" says the man with a garden behind him where the average home owner here in the Netherlands would die for 🤣
No one forces you to stay there.
🤣🤣🤣
He means inside the grill 🙄
BGEs are definitely vending machines for accessories and they are also hungry for lump charcoal. Outside of those aspects, they are great ovens (great bread and pizza), great grills, but are OK smokers for single items or small batches. I've kept my electric smoker around just for doing big batches of smoked sausages.
I just did a follow-up video ( ua-cam.com/video/ujDf-1sCarE/v-deo.html ) talking about this. The size of a Large Egg is definitely problematic for any sort of need to do BBQ at scale. I can fit one rack of ribs on this things without buying additional accessories.
Just got one today. About to try it out
Love the video Chandler. Have had my BGE for approx 15 mos and fully agree with all, esp the learning curve. But as you said, the more videos you watch and the more you use it, the easier it becomes. And this coming from someone who had never owned a smoker prior to getting this. #neverlookingback
"space is limited" whilst sat outside with a huge garden behind him.... Suburban America is not space limited 🤣
Touché
.....but....
Space in the grill/oven is what I believe he meant 😅
(A year later....)
Sucks for Europeans. I watched this and felt sorry for him because he didn't have at least 20 acres to spread out and raise his own meat on.
a cooking demo would have been nice
I have the xl I love it the only down fall for me is that bge doesn’t make a rotisserie attachment
There exists one, even in europe you can get it
Hello Crazy Hunter, check out the Joetisserie from Kamado Joe. It fits the BGE perfectly! 😎
I’m watching videos thinking about getting one
I think the temperature control is very difficult
Is the air control tight enough you can choke it off and save the rest of the fuel when you’re done?
Yes. Just shut off/close the airways. Fire goes out and just re-light the leftover fuel it stopped burning the next time you use. It really lasts a long time before you reload fuel.
Yea it does a great job saving the unburned coal.
The XL is perfect! You should have spent the extra money you would be so happy! Everything is expensive but you get what you pay for in the long term
Can you use this thing on a cold winter day??? How does that work with the ceramic? Or is it just a fair weather use thing?
I have one and use it more in cold weather. Smoking a turkey tomorrow for Thanksgiving. 35degees outside. Cooked in rain before. Love it.
Its - 6 works fine have smoked at -20 so i guess it sure beats those electric ones.
Yup!
Thanks for the review :-D Russ from the UK.
Nice! Good info
Thank you! Have you ever used a ceramic grill before?
@@lylesbbq only just recently at Tina cannons
Anyone named Lyle has my Attention. Great name!
Great vid! Subbed!
Welcome to the family! We need a name for our crew. I’m taking all ideas.
Christmas and Father’s Day gifts for the future?
What do you cook at 900 degrees?
Steak. So good.
Also, pizza.
Home made pizzas and calzones are great on the egg.
Going to have to try that!
The learning curve is not that great. A fire needs oxygen to burn. Open the vents lets more oxygen in and a higher temperature. The key is not to make large adjustments to the vent if only needing 20-30* more or less heat. It takes a few minutes for it to then stabilize. The biggest mistake is to run it wide open and get it way over the desired temperature. Being thick ceramic it is not going to cool down for a long time.
What's the size of your egg
Large.
All points are dead on. In my opinion the pluses outweigh the negatives.
I agree. I just did a one year follow up video and came to that conclusion.
I have a small Weber gas grill and a Broil King pellet smoker which combined, do everything an egg will do, much easier, w twice the cooking space used together, for less dollars. I just don't see the value in it....
I just won one for free
as a green egg virgin, i have no intention to buy one as this oven seems to be a great exercise in marketing. it seems to be an expensive webber. granted, a ceramic webber, and im sure it holds its temp better than a webber, but a webber maintains temp and is a great smoker if you just LEAVE THE BLOODY LID ON and stop looking inside it. just saying. enjoyed the vid.
Thanks for hanging out with me! Any other bbq type videos you want to see? Looking to make more content this summer.
In my country all that would have cost over 2000€. Thats over 2250$.
Where are you from??
@@lylesbbq From Finland, Scandinavia. Our country has in 15 years become THE MOST EXPENSIVE country in Europe. I think we have most expensive gas in the world right now.
@@joonaslehtonen7965 wow. That is crazy!
Lyle great video. Thanks for the info!
Observation- if you're having a difficult time adjusting and controlling temps- then you should buy the egg genius...it's kind of idiot proof. I've had my large egg for about 5 months...it does require a lot of use to understand and adjust as you go, but the benefits of owning it outweigh the issues it brings along with owning it :) I have a great channel that goes over a lot of tips and tricks with BGE. Please check it out. Thanks again for the content :)
I'll have to check it out!
@@lylesbbq kitchenscience1
Gotta have propane.
Take it back get a traeger
Hahaha that’s a hot take! I’ve actually never used a Traeger. What do you like about it?
It is like sex. The more you get, the better you get, . At least for some that is. In time you will be.able to set the temp you want in minutes,
By the way, you get what you pay for.
You got it for nothing,don’t be complaining…
Way over priced, most people that buy it end up selling it. That is a fact!
Really? I need to check out the used market!
Jeez. Reviewing a house-warming present from your parents in a public forum. You got balls.