Show Us Your Meat, and We'll Show You Ours

[ScottyB]

Big Green Egg? I'd like to hear thoughts on sizes, if anyone has them.

first of all, do it, the water's great. use mine at least once a week, all year long.

i have a lurge and its been in use since about 2012. i can fit 2x 6lb. "sittin' chickens" back to back or a 16-17lb. whole turkey comfortably but that's about it for height. it will swallow a 9lb. boston butt or a solid platter of chicken halves without any issue at all. using the ceramic plate setter (BGE brands it a convEGGtor or some stupid name) you can cook a pizza about 12in wide. for my family of 3 i've never needed more grate space and i've also fed a couple big parties at holidays and for small neighborhood gatherings.

IMO large is the sweet spot for "convenient" every day use unless you plan to do some legit BIG cooks, often, with tall stuff like stand up ribs or racks. XL should handle any of those and honestly i think the XXL is overkill in every way. BGE's aren't super convenient to start with (they take time to fire up and sort out, its really more of an experience) but the bigger ones take longer to get going, take more lump to get hot, take up more real estate and are heavier than you can believe. on the flip side, I don't see much use for the S/M and the minis only make sense to me if you take them camping or live in the city and want to take a grill onto the roof to use. anyway, the good thing is plenty of retailers carry them so feel out what looks right to you.

if you do get an XL or XXL, i would strongly recommend you consider getting a hardwood table for it, BGE has a few and they're literally built around the grill. at that size and weight they are better supported and you'll want a place to stage up meals that big anyway.

not much makes me happier than killing a clear winter evening outside next to the BGE with a bourbon and smelling that wood fire get all up in my meats