# Green egg or Smoker



## jhall (Oct 8, 2007)

I'm having a hard time deciding on which one to buy. A big green egg or a nice big old school smoker. I like the flavor from both. I'm looking for the good taste so im not looking to sacrifice taste for time. Anyone have any input??? 
Thanks
Jeff


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## MikeG (Oct 5, 2007)

Bge


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

BGE. Why not. It smokes, grills, bakes, sears, etc. can't do that with a dedicated smoker.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

This. Buy the smokin-it model 1 and you won't regret it. Easy to use and clean up, hassle free, set it and forget it till the time is done. I debated on buying an egg and i know they have a strong folowing, but for a "smoker' and only a smoker, I am happy with my decision. 

http://www.smokin-it.com/






























Smoker Model #1 *Our Price: $279.99 *








"SMOKIN-IT" Smoker Model #1


 
--------------------------------------

Note that the smokin-it sells for about a $100 less than the "same exact smoker" at the below link 


http://www.smokintex.com/


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## ironman172 (Sep 28, 2007)

Bge


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## halo1 (Oct 4, 2007)

I have a BGE and love it..It is the most versatile grill/smoker on the planet IMHO....It will smoke and hold temp like a champ...But I have to load lots of wood chunks to get that deep pit smoke taste..which tends to make it harder to control temps for long smokes.. I would defintely recommend the BGE though... But if you like that old school deep pit smoke taste,I might would try a stick burner but those are a little harder to control temp with then the egg


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

For ease of use (no monitoring required /no adding wood) and a great taste a quality electric smoker is hard to beat. 

It is all in what you want and need though and I realize that opinions do vary...


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## Kevdog540 (Aug 7, 2008)

BGE...in my experience its better to use large chunks of wood when smoking on it rather than the small chips.


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## chad403 (Apr 20, 2008)

Bge


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

chad403 said:


> BGE vs smoke in-it shouldn't even be on the same thread. Comparing a Cabo to a Alumacraft.


How would you know?


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## fangard (May 7, 2012)

markw4321 said:


> This. Buy the smokin-it model 1 and you won't regret it. Easy to use and clean up, hassle free, set it and forget it till the time is done. I debated on buying an egg and i know they have a strong folowing, but for a "smoker' and only a smoker, I am happy with my decision.
> 
> http://www.smokin-it.com/
> 
> ...


 
That thing is pretty cool. Almost a table top size.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

Insulated and all stainless steel as well. you can put your hand on the outside when it is operating at up to 250 degrees and at best it feels warm to the touch.


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## bukshot01 (Oct 2, 2007)

BIG GREEN EGG.

I have smoked butts on mine for 8 hours with plenty of smoke flavor with soaked chips.

Like said it is very versatile. Not to mention you'll never have to buy another grill/smoker/oven for the rest of your life (if you take care of it).


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

I have one of those electric smokers posted in this thread, a Lang, a large custom smoker, two Webers, and a BGE.

They are all fun and serve their own purposes, but the BGE is probably the most useful. I never use the electric smoker.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

aroundthehorn said:


> I have one of those electric smokers posted in this thread, a Lang, a large custom smoker, two Webers, and a BGE.
> 
> They are all fun and serve their own purposes, but the BGE is probably the most useful. I never use the electric smoker.


 
which one of the electric smokers do you have?


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## hjorgan (Sep 30, 2007)

I have a BGE, a gas grill, and an electric smoker.
Haven't used the smoker since I got the BGE.
We do use the gas grill for quick cooks like sausage for breakfast or a couple of burgers.

X2 about using the wood chunks instead of chips. The chunks last the entire cook if you soak them for a couple of hours. Also for proper smoking you really need the pizza stone/heat shield. You can put the chunks right on the heat shield and plus I put a couple on the edge of the fire too.

BGE is the way to go.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

I don't have to add chips during the smoke, don't have to soak chips etc. 

Put in some hickory chunks or whatever flavor you like once at the start set the temperature, note your time and you are done. 

Smoked cheese is easy as well.


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## John B. (Oct 2, 2007)

Wirelessly posted

BGE!!


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## jhall (Oct 8, 2007)

It's looking pretty obvious that the BGE is the fan favorite. I have one friend with an electric smoker with those pucks that burn and another couple friends with the BGE. The food that comes off both are amazing. Really hard to screw it up. Thats why i was asking the rest of you guys. I havent done a lot of price checks but im assuming the egg is considerably more than the smoker?? In the $500 range??


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## dabutcher (Apr 19, 2008)

I purchased a large BGE back in November. I also bought a plate setter, electric charcoal starter, and a tool for cleaning ashes. After taxes it all totaled around $800. I know that is a lot but I have never been so satisfied with a product. I paid over $400 for my gas grill and in 4 years I replaced the burners 3 times and should have replaced them 5 or 6 times. Therefore the cost of the egg and a nice gas grill will be about the same over a few years.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

dabutcher said:


> I purchased a large BGE back in November. I also bought a plate setter, electric charcoal starter, and a tool for cleaning ashes. After taxes it all totaled around $800. I know that is a lot but I have never been so satisfied with a product. I paid over $400 for my gas grill and in 4 years I replaced the burners 3 times and should have replaced them 5 or 6 times. Therefore the cost of the egg and a nice gas grill will be about the same over a few years.


$800? wow.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

markw4321 said:


> which one of the electric smokers do you have?


I think it's the exact same one that you posted above. Not a bad smoker, just don't have it down here in Florida and prefer using charcoal.


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## WW2 (Sep 28, 2007)

markw4321 said:


> This. Buy the smokin-it model 1 and you won't regret it. Easy to use and clean up, hassle free, set it and forget it till the time is done. I debated on buying an egg and i know they have a strong folowing, but for a "smoker' and only a smoker, I am happy with my decision.
> 
> http://www.smokin-it.com/
> 
> ...



That looks pretty badass. I cannot tell from the pics but does the heating element get dirty from drips or no?


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## Splittine (Nov 24, 2007)

markw4321 said:


> $800? wow.


Buy a couple crap grills at $400 a piece or buy one Egg for the rest of your life. Pretty easy decision there. 




markw4321 said:


> I don't have to add chips during the smoke, don't have to soak chips etc.
> 
> Put in some hickory chunks or whatever flavor you like once at the start set the temperature, note your time and you are done.
> 
> Smoked cheese is easy as well.


I can smoke in mine for over 14hrs on the same batch of coal and soaking woods chips is not necessary either.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

WW2 said:


> That looks pretty badass. I cannot tell from the pics but does the heating element get dirty from drips or no?


I always put a pan under the meat to protect the element and aid in cleanup.

They are great...wasn't trying to sound like a hater or anything earlier. The only real issue that I had with it is the thermostat stopped keeping the right temperature after a while.


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## grey ghost (Jul 24, 2011)

You have three pages of responces to ur thread with BGE being the answer many times over. I never thought i would own one, But I AM Now! Once you get used to it, YOU WILL NEVER GO BACK! BGE is the BOMB! nuff said !! LOL


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## jhall (Oct 8, 2007)

HAHAAH. You're right. 3 pages so far and I'd say the majority of people are BGE fans. Now, i have to figure out how make that investment last longer than a couple years before the kids ruin it. I could just see it now. Look dad, we were able to fit this many fireworks in here.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Just a word of advice...don't listen to "Eggheads." Just figure out what you need and want and buy it. I like the BGE, but it certainly isn't the end-all and be-all of smokers.


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## WW2 (Sep 28, 2007)

aroundthehorn said:


> Just a word of advice...don't listen to "Eggheads." Just figure out what you need and want and buy it. I like the BGE, but it certainly isn't the end-all and be-all of smokers.




Here is how I chose. I went to a BBQ competition. MOST of them had BGE's. Most of them did not use them as their primary smoker and several of them didn't hardly use them at all. The ones that did use them actually used them for everything EXCEPT smoking.


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## rynscull79 (Feb 2, 2009)

Look into the Visions Kamado Pro they sell at Home Depot. It can be had for $700.00 and has more cooking room than the XL BGE. At that price it comes with a rolling stand and fold out tables, something that'll cost you anther $300 or so with the BGE. They also just upped their warrantly to lifetime. We got ours a month or so ago and love it.


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## whalerjon (May 7, 2010)

I've got a beautiful weber genesis stainless gas grill with side burner. I didn't want to pull the trigger on an egg so I bought a weber smokey mountain smoker. I loved it and used it a lot. Then, I wanted to be able to sear steaks and try my hand at hand tossed pizza. Enter the egg. There's no looking back. I love it. I sold the WSM to a forum member and havent used the gas grill lately either. Oh,and I'm currently doing greek chicken on the egg that i have marinated overnight. 
On the food network show"Bobby Flay's BBQ Addiction" he has an egg, a smokey mountain and a few others. I haven't noticed any electric cords on the show though. Regarding smoking, I have not seen a recipe that recommends smoke during the entire cook. Everything I've read says smoke in the beginning go the cook and don't overdo it.
Getting back to the original post, if I'm just interested in a smoker, I would not spend the money for an egg.


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## bobinbusan (Feb 16, 2010)

Just buy it from BIG DADDY'S and you can't lose:thumbsup:


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

WW2 said:


> That looks pretty badass. I cannot tell from the pics but does the heating element get dirty from drips or no?


No the heating element does not get dirty from the drips...The "housing" that holds the wood chips has a slot built in it so that it slides over the heating element and protects it. you can kind of see what i am talking about in the picture. look for the shape of the roof of a house in the center inside near the bottom of the smoker. You can see a rectangular element sticking out of the slot with the "housing" for the chips sitting on top.


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## markw4321 (Oct 4, 2007)

WW2 said:


> Here is how I chose. I went to a BBQ competition. MOST of them had BGE's. Most of them did not use them as their primary smoker and several of them didn't hardly use them at all. The ones that did use them actually used them for everything EXCEPT smoking.


The above is what I am thinking. Don't get me wrong - I wanted a hassle free smoker and I bought a hassle free smoker...it does not do all the other things a big green egg can do. 

I do have to state though, when I commented on this thread at first I felt I was being fair and given all the props to the big green egg that it deserves,,,but as the conversation went on this thread, kinda felt like I was getting beat up by a couple of the BGE folks here (sorta expected it to happen as i have seen it before). The best analogy I can think of is when someone posts something other than a glowingly positive comment about a contender boat over on the hull truth forum, that person will find themselves swarmed by comments from contender owners ranging from threatening him to declaring him an idiot. 

Since a couple of you BGE owners pushed back so hard on me, I will leave you all with this, one time when i was thinking of buying a BGE for smoking I asked the guy who turned me on to electric smoking about why BGE's supporters were all so clanish. he said if you paid over $800 for a smoker and all the gear for it, you'd say it was the best thing ever too, even if it wasn't. 

Just saying..let the hating begin cause i am off this topic.


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## Chet88 (Feb 20, 2008)

Buy a Traeger Pellet Smoker/Grill and sit back and enjoy. I competition cook some and have won on the Traeger. I have a Jambo Pit on the way for competitions but the Traeger is hard to beat for quick cooks and ease of use. It holds temp easily and requires little skill to keep the temp right. Get the digital thermometer on the auger.


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## jplvr (Mar 7, 2011)

I'm getting a Primo soon. Ceramic like the BGE but I like it better. Either over a smoker if you aren't worried about the price.


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## jplvr (Mar 7, 2011)

Oh, my friend has a BGE in Minnesota. I was up there one weekend. We set and entire rib roast on the thing with the temp right. Didn't come home for 8 hours and the temp was still constant and the meat was still perfect. Totally sold me on the need for a nice, ceramic grill.


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## southern yakker (Jun 25, 2012)

Depends what your looking for but i like a plain smoker with the fire box.they are around three hundred for a decent one.if you have the money go for the bge


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## Jason (Oct 2, 2007)

As the majority says!!!! 3 words fer ya: BIG GREEN EGG!!!!


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## SHO-NUFF (May 30, 2011)

If you can afford one, an egg is the way too go! I don't have one yet, but have eat and cooked on one before. 
I have over the years amassed several grills for specific purposes.

1. Home made offset smoker, all schedule10 stainless steel. Will last forever. Can cook 6 Butts at one time, burning Pecan or Hickory logs around 200 to 250 degrees. Damn hard to beat for flavor and cooking large quantities.

2. Weber Kettle Silver series. One of the best charcoal grills I have ever owned hands down!!! 15 years old, and still cooking its ass off. You can cook anything on this grill with perfect temperature control. I have the rotisserie kit and it does awesome whole chickens. I love it! 

3. Weber Gas Grill. Not a fan of gas grills, but you cant beat it for a quick unscheduled steak at midnight. Get it really hot and it sears steaks well, and retains the juices. Took a long time to learn how to cook on it. Good for shish-skibobs, shrimp and grilled veggies, but lacks the charcoal or smokey flavor. Absolutely sucks for things that need a longer slow cook for flavor, like chicken. Same results can be done in the broiler on the oven. 

I have looked at the electric smokers that are pellet fed. Might pick one up soon. Bet they will do a fine smoked turkey or Mullet with out having to stay up all night feeding wood like the offset smoker requires. 

Guess I need to get rid of all of them and get an Egg??


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## Cannon (Feb 28, 2010)

BGE- sear a tuna steak at 600* or smoke a butt for 12 hrs at 225*- both equally well.


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## BASSTRACKER66 (Oct 2, 2007)

All of them are good----but you may want to look at the Big Black Egg at BPS if money is a consideration and the Jones dont live next door.---------------------BT66


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## MULLET HUNTER (Oct 3, 2007)

No brainier...... EGG!


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## Bonsaifishrman (Mar 17, 2009)

I just bought an electric smoker. I wanted something cheapo. I got a Brinkman. It has a couple cheapo features that I had to deal with. Other than that there were a few surprises, like double wall construction with insulation. The box does not get hot on outside. The 3 racks are ceramic coated. It has water tray above the smoke box, that sits over the element. The bottom has a four corner slant to the center and a drip pan mounted underneath. The height is rather tall at 38 inches on its legs. I intend to make a concrete block deck to sit it on to raise it higher for even easier access. There were only 2 in the pensacola area. Both were at the Gulf Breeze Walmart. I have already done one pork shoulder in it and it came out very tender and moist. I make my own rub and carolina bbq sauce. A few have tasted it so far. I think it is an OK starter unit for the reasonable price of $124. I am on a learning curve to eventually put a full load of meat in it soon. It is supposed to hold 50# of meat.


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## Trucker (Sep 25, 2008)

*Black egg*



BASSTRACKER66 said:


> All of them are good----but you may want to look at the Big Black Egg at BPS if money is a consideration and the Jones dont live next door.---------------------BT66


I saw that Black egg at Lowes. Has anyone tried it out? I was wondering if it was as good as the BGE. I forget the price on it but I do remember it was expensive. If anyone has one, please let me know.


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## rynscull79 (Feb 2, 2009)

Trucker said:


> I saw that Black egg at Lowes. Has anyone tried it out? I was wondering if it was as good as the BGE. I forget the price on it but I do remember it was expensive. If anyone has one, please let me know.


I believe you're speaking of the Vision Grills Kamado Pro I brought up earlier. They don't carry it at Lowes but they do at Home Depot. Like I said before, It's just as good as a BGE but for half the price. $700 gets you the smoker with over 450 square inches of cooking space, rolling cart, and wooden fold out tables. It also comes with a lifetime warranty. I highly recommend them.


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## LITECATCH (Oct 2, 2007)

Big Green Egg!! Like it so much i have 2!


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## dabutcher (Apr 19, 2008)

markw4321 said:


> The above is what I am thinking. Don't get me wrong - I wanted a hassle free smoker and I bought a hassle free smoker...it does not do all the other things a big green egg can do.
> 
> I do have to state though, when I commented on this thread at first I felt I was being fair and given all the props to the big green egg that it deserves,,,but as the conversation went on this thread, kinda felt like I was getting beat up by a couple of the BGE folks here (sorta expected it to happen as i have seen it before). The best analogy I can think of is when someone posts something other than a glowingly positive comment about a contender boat over on the hull truth forum, that person will find themselves swarmed by comments from contender owners ranging from threatening him to declaring him an idiot.
> 
> ...


Definitely not true in my case. Over 20 years prior to buying the BGE I probably had $1200 invested in grills and that does not even include the cost of replacing the burners. They would rust (even the stainless) and the burners would go bad quickly. The salt air down here eats them up. Last November it was time for me to buy a new grill and I also wanted a smoker. I spend my money carefully and after doing a lot of research I came to the conclusion that the BGE would be the best value in the long run.


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## grey ghost (Jul 24, 2011)

Trucker said:


> I saw that Black egg at Lowes. Has anyone tried it out? I was wondering if it was as good as the BGE. I forget the price on it but I do remember it was expensive. If anyone has one, please let me know.


Go raise the top on BGE, and raise the top on kamodo and feel the weight of difference urself! That weight helps to seal off, lets u control temp to a "T"!! Wish i woulda got the EXLRG though!! LOL


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## k-p (Oct 7, 2009)

What is the clean up like on a BGE? Is it a pain dumping the ashes out or how does that work? Thinking about getting a Weber Genesis for quick grilling but these BGEs look interesting. Looks like you have to buy their brand charcoal.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

k-p said:


> What is the clean up like on a BGE? Is it a pain dumping the ashes out or how does that work? Thinking about getting a Weber Genesis for quick grilling but these BGEs look interesting. Looks like you have to buy their brand charcoal.


Good question.

1. You don't have to buy BGE charcoal. You can use pretty much anything you want, but I think most people use lump charcoal. No lighter fluid, though, either in the pre-soaked briquettes or in the liquid form. One of the things that is kind of cool about the ceramic cookers is that they burn charcoal very efficiently, so you can reuse charcoal. I laugh at it sometimes, but you can save a lot of money on charcoal.

2. Cleaning is pretty easy. You take the ash scraper tool and scrape out the ashes through the bottom vent into a bucket or whatever you have. Shop vacuum cleaners work well, too.

3. IMO the biggest problems with the Egg are: to access the "firebox" you have to take off the grill and, if you are smoking meat, the heat deflector plate, the large BGE doesn't have a huge amount of grill space (good enough for ten people), and the company nickel and dimes you for "Eggcessories." There's also the weight issue; they are really heavy for a charcoal grill.

All grills and smokers are wonderful things to have, just depends on what you like as far as price, convenience, maintenance, size, warranty, etc.


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## k-p (Oct 7, 2009)

Thanks for the info on the BGE. I have one of those smokin tex that was given to me as a gift and its pretty nice because all you have to do is throw some wood in the box then slide it in. But, I need a new grill for cooking. Was thinking about going gas but if this thing isn't too bad to clean then it may be worth it. Someone else had a good mention about the humidity and salt air doing a number on the gas grills which is right on so the BGE looks like it would last a lot longer in that aspect.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

k-p said:


> Thanks for the info on the BGE. I have one of those smokin tex that was given to me as a gift and its pretty nice because all you have to do is throw some wood in the box then slide it in. But, I need a new grill for cooking. Was thinking about going gas but if this thing isn't too bad to clean then it may be worth it. Someone else had a good mention about the humidity and salt air doing a number on the gas grills which is right on so the BGE looks like it would last a lot longer in that aspect.


Yes...the salt air will kill the innards of a gas grill. Happened to me and everybody else I know who has a gas grill down here.

It just depends on what you want and what will make you a happy grill/smoker owner. Some BGE owners have a tendency to cram the device down your throat.


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## Cannon (Feb 28, 2010)

FYI- Academy is running the 2/1 on Outdoor Gourmet Charcoal ($4.99 for 33lbs) again for the 4th of July - good stuff and great price.


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## aroundthehorn (Aug 29, 2010)

Cannon said:


> FYI- Academy is running the 2/1 on Outdoor Gourmet Charcoal ($4.99 for 33lbs) again for the 4th of July - good stuff and great price.


When does the sale start? I will be on that like a fly on sh-t.


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## cablechris (May 3, 2011)

Im sure if I had a BGE I would use it. But when I smoke I smoke A LOT... Smoking today in fact. 1 turkey, ribs, and a butt.... I could not do all that at the same time on a BGE. But hay I did not pay for it. It has been passed down from my grandfather to my dad to me. It a big pull behind. Now I know not everyone is gonna smoke like that every time but when I smoke I do. I figure I have my day tied up cooking I will make it worth it!!!


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## rynscull79 (Feb 2, 2009)

grey ghost said:


> Go raise the top on BGE, and raise the top on kamodo and feel the weight of difference urself! That weight helps to seal off, lets u control temp to a "T"!! Wish i woulda got the EXLRG though!! LOL


The visions kamado pro actually weighs in at 30 pounds more than the largest BGE.


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## Mikvi (Mar 11, 2008)

Look into the Visions Kamado Pro they sell at Home Depot. It can be had for $700.00 and has more cooking room than the XL BGE. At that price it comes with a rolling stand and fold out tables, something that'll cost you anther $300 or so with the BGE. They also just upped their warrantly to lifetime. We got ours a month or so ago and love it. 

Also have a Vision. Better built and better value than bge. I use it all the time, but for smoking I use an electrc smoker from Sams. Much better control with the electric smoker


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## grey ghost (Jul 24, 2011)

rynscull79 said:


> The visions kamado pro actually weighs in at 30 pounds more than the largest BGE.


 I am not sure if it was a kamado, it was the one at lowes, and also one at bass pro. I am not sure on total weight either, but raising the top u can feel weight difference, at least i could. this is all IMO. I really dont give a hooty hoot what people buy. Its their dime. I shoulda kept my opinion to myself. LOL


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## Cannon (Feb 28, 2010)

Around the horn- I think it's started, saw it in last Sun.'s flyer.


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