*Ceramic* BBQ/Grilling

I've been using a large Big Green Egg for about 7-8 years and it is still going strong.

Bought it from A Room Outside in Limerick, and paid for for a table to hold it.

At the time it seemed like an eye-watering amount of money to drop. I'm not sure what it would cost now, but at the time it was over €1000.

However, I would have to say we have "got the use out of it". That BGE has been going strong in all seasons at least once a week since.

I am not snobbish about other brands or charcoal BBQs at a lower price point, and I have used / recommended various products from the likes of Weber over the years. But I guess what I like about the large BGE is that you can set it up for a long cook, get it to the right temperature and have a high degree of confidence that it is going to "cruise" through an overnight cook without any problems, if you know what you're doing. I have done very long overnight cooks for large pork shoulders even in rain, falling snow, low outside temperatures etc. and not a bother.

There are some things to be aware of with BGEs.

If you run it as hot as it is capable of getting then a common experience is for the gasket to melt, which is alarming. This is an issue if you're getting it up past 500 for pizza or similar... There is a danger zone there if it runs above that. Happily if it does happen you can replace the gasket easily enough, but best avoided.

In general when you've got the potential to hit such a high temperature the BGE you need to be careful opening and closing it. 'Burping' is essential.

In terms of accessories, sizing, my view is that a medium or large BGE is worth having as it will comfortably fit large meat joints and you can cook for larger groups if you want to. I think I might consider a medium over a large if I were going again, because the large can be a little inefficient in charcoal terms if you're only grilling a couple of steaks or something, but there are tricks to minimise this as an issue.

If I were going again I would not buy a table for the BGE second time around. I'd probably just opt for some kind of less space intensive option, maybe a wheeled trestle of some kind with folding arms.

I replaced the cap and the indirect cooking stone than I got from BGE with after-market accessories. I have a cast iron indirect cooker and an aftermarket stainless steel chimney cap from Smokeware (US brand). Would highly recommend the replacement chimney cap in particular, it doesn't rust and is less fiddly in terms of operating, and also eliminates an issue with rain falling right into the BGE.