I have a big green egg-- love it but I haven't used it as much as I'd like (absolutely nothing to do with the bge). I have a small one-- I strongly recommend the large.

I do not but both my brothers and my DD have a BGE and use them all the time. My brothers have had theirs for years. DD found a real deal in a used one a couple of years ago. She put it out on FB that she was looking for a used one and a friend happened to post that she had one that they never used. It was a medium, which was exactly what she was looking for and had several accessories. So you might put it out there that you're looking for one and get lucky. The main thing to look for is the seal (although they are replaceable) and the condition of the plate thingy (I forget what that's called) but it's the big heavy thing in the bottom.

All three turn out some very delicious stuff on the egg. DD has made some smoked mac and cheese that is the Bomb!

Thanks for replies above. Funkyart's comment about wishing she had the larger size is helpful. I looked at a med. size Kamado at the outdoor furniture store when we bought patio chairs in early spring. The salesperson there really talked them up. I'd never heard of that brand but he claimed it was superior but BGE just does more advertising.

This would be for the lake & I think large would be better as there's almost always company on weekends during grilling season.

Do they take a long time to heat before using? That's an aspect that often keeps us from using charcoal over the gas grill. Especially on a nice lake day it's hard to tear away from the waterfront to make & tend fires. I don't want to get something we'll never use.

I have a Komodo Kamado. I absolutely love it. I grill all year long even in the deep snow. No issues with maintaining temps. Once you set the temp, it can hold for over 24hours. I make four large briskets at a time in mine. I have the 23". There is now a 32". I think if you are cooking for a football team, the 32" is appropriate. I love my 23". I have had my grill for over 5years and it was a bday gift to myself:-) I have never owned a BGE but love the Komodo style of cooking.

We've had a BGE for about five years - the large size which is about the same as a regular size Weber charcoal grill. We love it. I'm not the griller (DH is) but this was my idea because I wanted to be able to cook things like ribs, pulled pork and brisket at low, consistent temps for long periods of time. DH said okay as long as he could keep the Weber. Well, he took it over as his own like it was his idea.

I don't know how heat up time compares with gas as we've never used a gas grill. I think it's about the same as our Weber. You don't use briquettes or lighter fluid though. Lump charcoal and a little starter square that you light to get it going. I guess you have to decide what is most important to you - instant on at the push of a button or cooking capability. We also use ours at the lake and it's never been a burden to break away get it going along with the rest of the dinner but like I say, we've never been gas grill fans so our expectations are probably different than yours. If you're happy with a gas grill I'd kind of wonder why your DH is eyeing these up - is it because of the cooking capabilities or because everyone seems to be getting one these days.

Bought DH the large BGE for Father's Day probably at least 10 years ago. He still loves it.

Thank you for the responses. It's good to read (so far) that no one regrets getting their cooker. This isn't a jumping on the bandwagon thing, as no one we know owns one. I appreciate getting feedback here.

DH doesn't do much indoor cooking except for Sunday breakfasts but he loves to grill. He discovered the BGE at a kitchen store a couple years ago and seemed interested. But we were doing a kitchen remodel so it got backburnered. We'd never heard of the Kamado until we came across them at the outdoor store this spring. DH only wants a small family cookout for his BD, so I thought this might be a perfect time to get one.

We have space on the patio for both our gas grill & a cooker. We'll likely use the grill when we want to just do a couple burgers or chicken breasts, but it sounds like the cooker could be a good option for slower cooking when we have a full house.

The guy at the outdoor store who swears by the Kamado is someone we've done business with for 30 yrs. That's one reason why I am trying to figure if I should go with that brand or the BGE.

a few additional thoughts..

It takes about as long to heat up as a typical charcoal grill. The speed to heat up to temp once the charcoal is lit and going is pretty fast if you know how to manage the airflow. (However, I do have a small.. so it might take longer with a large BGE.. but it is still a matter of managing the airflow).

The draw of the komodo style grill is that it is a grill as well as an oven. It will hold temperature and allows you to do long, slow cooks as well as a regular grill. it also enables you to cook at much higher temps than a charcoal or gas grill. Great for pizzas.. and I have seen people use it as a tandoori oven (I have not as yet).

What do you want to cook? I do the great majority of my BGE cooking low and slow.. overnight. I have done some high heat cooking for steaks and we love burgers on it but I really can't recommend it for just regular grilling of burgers, dogs, etc. You will love them cooked on the BGE but I am not sure the expense is worth it for regular grilling. It is *totally* worth it if you want to get adventurous and try new and different ways of cooking outdoors.

BTW I did not retire my charcoal grill. I still use both. I did retire the gas grill.

DH loves his BGE and I love my gas grill, which is hooked up to the natural gas line. I find some of the food cooked on the BGE is a little too smokey for my taste. DH makes a great slow cooked pulled pork in the BGE.

I tend to grill during the week ( school nights) and will use the gas grill. DH grills on the weekends and will use his BGE.

I cook both "fast and hot" and "low and slow" on my Komodo Kamado. Amck2, what type of Kamado grill does your retailer sell? Regarding smoke and smokey flavor, this is based on the type of charcoal that you use. I use Coco char which has a very minor smoke profile. I then add different wood chips depending on how much smoke that I want. Also, the top hat on my Komodo allows me to manage how much smoke is in the cook. The top of something like the BGE would work the same way. I have used the BGE charcoal and this is a very heavy smoke profile. I like Royal Oak lump as it has a lighter oak profile. I have used Mesquite lump which is also very smokey but the flavor impacted to the food is great. My hotdogs are great on the grill. Actually, now I can't eat a hot dog just on a gas grill. I got rid of my Weber charcoal grill so I am down to just one grill. The current bane of my existence is grill cleaning brushes or apparatus!! I just ordered three different ones to try:-) The one negative about these things is the shear amount of accessories you will "need" to have for them.

Here's how much I didn't know about these - Until today I didn't know kamado was a general term for these ceramic cookers. When homepro1 asked what type of kamado grill my retailer sold I thought, "There's more than one Kamado?" Turns out my retailer carries the Kamado Joe brand.

I had some time this morning to drive over & talk to the salesperson and I'm pretty much sold on getting this brand unless someone can make an argument for going BGE instead. I did some online comparisons and can't see a good reason to go with BGE except for the color & brand cachet, which I don't think matters to DH.

Speaking of colors, Kamado Joe comes in black or (barn) red. The clerk told me they're phasing out the black & the red is becoming their signature color. He still has a couple black ones in stock. I was originally going to surprise DH with this gift, but I think I'll let him choose the color & size.

Speaking of size, the medium sized one they use there for demos seems adequate for our needs.

I was not too excited about getting one, initially. I'm not a big meat eater & I thought it would be primarily used for pulled pork, ribs -- DH stuff, which is why it seemed a good gift for him. But the salesperson was describing all the foods it cooked and how simple it was to use and clean.

DH will love figuring out the controls and tweaking flavors. I'm going to suggest we get it before his BD so he can get familiar with it in the next few weeks.

Please continue to post if you think of anything else we should know about cooking on a kamado. I'm thinking many, like me, are just learning.

And if you get a BGE you will have a lot of eggcessories. I don't find that we have a smokey flavor unless we add wood chips for the purpose of getting a smokey flavor. Regular lump charcoal seems to produce regular grilled flavor. We no longer have our weber at the lake either. We have one at home though as we have no BGE there

I have a large BGE that DH talked me into getting for our 25th anniversary (and my birthday) a couple of years ago. He talked me into it because was I reluctant to spend the money even though I had wanted one for at least 10 years (and not because he wanted it for himself. :)) I actually find it MUCH simpler and faster to use than the old gas grill. The temps are much more consistent (and hotter when I need). I use wax starters and my latest bag of lump charcoal is Rockwood but have also used Royal Oak.

When I was obsessively researching the brands, people seemed to be equally happy with Kamado Joe and BGE. I think the consensus was to get whatever would be best supported by a local dealer.

A BGE dealer was two miles away (an Ace Hardware) so that is what I ended up with. The only thing that slightly annoyed me, was the training when they set it up. I was the person wanting the instructions, but they kept calling out to DH and would talk to him whenever I asked a question. I think the guy just couldn't get it through his head that I was the real user :).

Consider getting a heat deflector/ plate setter for indirect cooking if it does not already come with it.

Agree. You will want a plate setter/heat deflector for long cooks (pulled pork, ribs). I also recommend a good meat thermometer. For fun-- pick up a pizza stone!

A drip pan. I used a BGE paella pan as the drip pan originally. My unit comes with a specialized one that fits the shape of the unit. I find this invaluable when making burgers and other fatty items. When the fat hits the coals, it changes the flavor of the food.

A couple of good cleaning brushes. I am trying some new ones and let you know what I think this week.

I agree with a thermometer. If you are going to do a lot of meats like Brisket, etc, I would get a temperature controller like a guru or stoker. If looking for a basic thermometer, I use the Thermoworks product that is highly praised on the cooking and BBQ forums.

A good set of tongs. I love the Oxo tongs because they are a balanced size and make grabbing or turning stuff very easy. I find most BBQ tongs too big and difficult to use.

Hardy gloves and grill grate lifters. Because the grills get really hot, grill grate lifters work wonderfully. I use suede gloves or mittens personally. They are many good options out there.

An exterior cover for the grill. When not in use, my grill is covered with a sunbrella like fabric cover that is washable.

Does your unit support a rotisserie? I have one and love it. It may be some thing to confirm in case you want one in the future.

Somewhere to store the stuff the goes with the grill. I don't know if your unit has an option for storage but you may want to evaluate it or find some standalone units to go with it.

Good luck!

DH got one! He was able to get out of work early yesterday so we went to the retailer and he is the happy owner of a red Kamado Joe ;)

He's going to assemble it today and try a whole chicken in it for dinner. I'm glad we bought it before the BD. This gives him time to practice with just the two of us.

The place we got it is a family run business we've been buying from for decades. They are pricier than chain stores but they carry top products and stand behind them. DH might easily have gone with a bigger more expensive model but the salesperson swayed him toward the standard size saying it should suit our needs based on his own experience and use. I appreciate that kind of integrity.

We discovered there is a whole following behind this kind of cooking - u-tube channels, forums and Facebook groups. Who knew?!

We don't usually do big gifts, but for my 60th last year DH bought me a pedal boat - something I'd fancied for years but never would have bought for myself. I love it. I'm happy I found something that is a useful & fun indulgence for DH to mark his milestone.

Congrats on the new purchase amck2. Many happy cooks ahead.

Yay!! You will have to report back on your cooking experiences with it.

So grateful to have a place like this to get opinions and tips. Thanks for all responses.

Here's DH's new grill & the chicken he cooked on it. It was done to perfection - evenly cooked but moist and so flavorful. For sides I had braised Swiss Chard fresh from the farmer's market and tried the potato salad Tibbrix recommended from the "What are you Cooking in June" thread. A delicious Saturday dinner.

DH is already planning next weekend's meal for Father's Day. Says it was the "best gift."

Beautiful work!! Hope you had a good dinner.

Very nice! all the food looks great and I'm happy your DH is enjoying it already. Funny you mention all the 'user' groups. I had forgotten about that. DD found those user groups very useful, especially when she first got her BGE. Lots of great advice, especially on add-ons (worth it or not) and recipes.