You might need a large for 4 steaks. The grilling area is surprisingly small. Check dimensions.

DH likes our Kamado but has never really mastered keeping the flame low enough for smoking. He rarely uses it since it's pretty time consuming. The gas grill may not be comparable taste-wise but gets used daily!

Anonymous wrote:Im abnormally obsessed with smoking meat. I've gone as far as going to a few competitions, including Memphis in May and i gotta say that thr WSM is a huge competition winner. Rarely do you even see a BGE.

Amaxing ribs.com is the best resource for these type of questions.

Hauling around a BGE to competitions would be silly, even without taking into account the risk of damage. That's not what it's made for. It would be like bringing a Bentley to a road racing circuit like Lime Rock. Most serious competitors on the circuit have a dedicated smoking rig.

Please use lump charcoal, preferably coconut, not briquettes. No lighter fluid. Ever.

Im abnormally obsessed with smoking meat. I've gone as far as going to a few competitions, including Memphis in May and i gotta say that thr WSM is a huge competition winner. Rarely do you even see a BGE.

Amaxing ribs.com is the best resource for these type of questions.

OP here again, thank you!

Now that I've got the shorts and shoes coming thanks to 20:02, the pressure is off, (no pun intended!) so I'm going to show DH this thread and see what he thinks. DH enjoys grilling so this could be super-fun for him.

As an aside, I think it's interesting that men really get into it in a way that, well, in the old days, men would get into cars, back when you would tinker with them. And funny, it's kind of sexy to see one's DH working over a hot grill with big slabs of meat to procure for the family. Must be a primitive thing...

^^^ ... oh, and get some good grill mitts to handle hot roasts/chicken & pull pork. Trying to use tongs or forks will just shred the meat until falls through the grill.

I love love love mine (DH here) ... not sure whether the knock-offs are comparable, but the overall experience on a Kamado grill (i.e., heavy ceramic charcoal grill) is superior to a Weber Smoky Mountain because it is so much more versatile. I can do pork butt & ribs at 200 degrees or pizza & steakhouse style chops at 800 degrees+. It's also super efficient with charcoal usage for what it's worth ... over time that can actually add up since you're using about half as much charcoal each time as a Weber would.

I have a large and it can handle plenty of food for our family of five plus ~8-10 guests if I'm doing a large roast. Ribs get a little tight but they have rib racks that can accommodate up to 8 racks. Steaks/chicken have a little less capacity because they consume more horizontal grill space (vs. more vertical with big roasts or ribs). That said, if I had more space on my patio I would maybe prefer the XL, but you absolutely will be fine with the Large unless you're planning to routinely host BBQ parties ... which you might when your DH falls in love with it!

Accessories - you MUST get the conveggtor (for indirect heat cooking) and an ash tool (cleaning the ash bin each cook is a must) and probably a good dual prong thermometer (to measure meat and grill temp). I also think a grill gripper (to lift hot grills) is very handy, though you could survive w/o it ... it's only $20, so cheap in the context of other BGE equipment. If you get really into using it, the DigiQ is an awesome tool that pretty much ensures a constant temperature without you ever needing to adjust settings. There are tons of other things you can get once you decide what you like to cook ... pizza stones, souffle pans, chicken roasters, grill extenders (this is like a double decker grill = 2x cooking space), etc.

I cannot recommend the BGE enough ... it's obviously expensive, but it will last a lifetime, so if you like to cook/grill/smoke you will certainly be happy with it years from now.

If you have the money, sure. I used one once and it is a very nice smoker/grill. I'm of an economic class that would never consider dropping that kind of money on a grill or any kind of gift and that is what you are hearing from some of the other folks.

Smoke 'em if you got 'em. Literally, in this case.

Anonymous wrote:OP here again; just wanted to let 20:02 know that I bought the shoes and two pairs of shorts (both colors).

Now, I'm assuming for a family of four, I need the medium size? (4 steaks)....anyone think this is the wrong size?

Also...if I buy it, what *should* I buy with it? the Egg Mates (shelves), the Nest, the conveggtor...the mitt?

20:02 here - so happy I was helpful!!

In cooler weather, Prana's strech zion pants work great.

Enjoy!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:
My friend told me he's very happy with his knock-off Egg, much cheaper than the real thing but apparently just as sturdy and well-made.

Don't get the knock-off if you can afford a real BGE. There is a difference and you only live once.

What is different?

The price

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It gets great reviews, but will your DH be ok with charcoal after grilling on a gas grill? It's more work.

Ok with charcoal? A gas grill is pointless. Its like cooking in the broiler. If you have functioning taste buds, there's no comparison. Cookung on gas grill is like baked ziti to Italy.

My food turns out great on a gas grill, I also use charcoal. Ofc charcoal tastes better, but sometimes the added hassle and time is simply not worth it, especially for a weeknight meal. Charcoal isn’t going to make your food taste good if you don't know what your doing to begin with.

Get a Memphis grill

As far as size - I would get at least the Large size for a family of 4.

I have the Kamado grill Sams Club was selling 2 years ago and it is comparable to the Large. Sams has a new version of it - VisionsGrills - it includes the side tables - 2 level cooking racks and some other features for 549$. I love it, but have not fully gotten into using it - sometimes I am just too lazy/short on time to use it.

Anonymous wrote:OP here again; just wanted to let 20:02 know that I bought the shoes and two pairs of shorts (both colors).

Now, I'm assuming for a family of four, I need the medium size? (4 steaks)....anyone think this is the wrong size?

Also...if I buy it, what *should* I buy with it? the Egg Mates (shelves), the Nest, the conveggtor...the mitt?

I think you would be disappointed with the medium if you want to grill for entertaining. And you do need the nest. you do not need the mitts.

Seriously, just find the closest dealer and go talk with a more knowledgeable person about what you REALLY need.