Anyone using the Big Green Egg mini or similar while full timing? We are interested for all it can do - grill, bake, etc. Wondering what others think about it
HighwayRanger said
04:50 PM May 1, 2015
It's my favorite charcoal grill, but the mini is WAY mini in size. Perhaps two burgers at a time, or one T-bone. On the plus side, it is very portable. The larger sizes are much more useful, but more unruly and heavy. So, you won't see many BGE grills in the RV world (they're breakable, too.). Occasionally, you'll see one on a stand on or in a trailer, but you have to be very careful.
Somewhere I have a picture of someone who built a wooden holder for their medium BGE on a slide tray of a diesel pusher. Slide it out, cook, cool, and slide it back. Don't know how that worked, long-term, but it's a cool idea.
Having had a large size BGE at home, it was amazing, but it is just too large/heavy/delicate for me to consider it when we go fulltime later this year. Damn shame, though. I suppose we could stash a Mini size in a compartment for those times when we want to go charcoal instead of propane. Won't be able to do ribs, brisket, or pork butt, though (which is one of the BGE strong points.)
Roy
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Friday 1st of May 2015 04:52:43 PM
HighwayRanger said
06:21 PM May 1, 2015
So, you piqued my curiosity about having a BGE on board our fulltime rig (which, at the moment, looks like it will be a diesel pusher) and I Google'd the BGE company. They have a new size which looks perfect for the mobile lifestyle. It's called the MiniMax. It has a 13" diameter cooking grid, which will hold enough for the two of us. It also has another unique feature, which is dual carrying handles, making it easy to move it from the compartment to a picnic table.
I would not consider this with a fifth-wheel, where weight-carrying capacity is way restricted (normally.) But if we go with a diesel pusher, I could easily see putting a MiniMax, a bag of lump charcoal, and some eco-friendly gel fire starter on a slide-out tray, and off we go.
Thanks for triggering my research again! I think we're gonna do this! The BGE is that good!
Roy
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Friday 1st of May 2015 06:23:04 PM
Curtis and Rhandi said
06:51 PM May 1, 2015
Didn't know about it breaking easily! That could be an issue. I just really like the idea of being able to bake a pie outside in it as opposed to inside the fifth wheel - and not having to use all that propane. More research is needed clearly! The MiniMax sounds good too - I will have to check that one out!
TRAILERKING said
07:33 PM May 1, 2015
It'd be a HEAVY piece of furniture to lug around....
HighwayRanger said
01:03 PM May 3, 2015
I priced the MiniMax here at a stix/brix retailer yesterday. Their price was $600. :0.
I'd like to see one in person to get a sense for how heavy it is, and the actual size of the cooking grate. It is such a nice way to barbeque, we will give it some serious thought, assuming we have a big ole diesel pusher that can handle heavy discretionary items such as this.
Another option is a Trager junior size pellet grill. Downsides are size and the need for electricity.
What a conundrum!
Roy
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Sunday 3rd of May 2015 01:05:17 PM
Steve and Liz said
09:29 AM May 13, 2015
Make sure you check out the Kamado Joe line too. It is one one I'm considering as it seems to be constructed as well as the Egg and comes with many accessories that have to be added with the BGE and are less expensive. The Joe Jr. is basically the same size as the MiniMax and comes in a stand. They are heavy though.
http://www.kamadojoe.com/grills/joejr
Good Luck
Steve
HighwayRanger said
08:20 PM May 14, 2015
I think I like the more squat design of the BGE MiniMax, with the handles and stubby legs. The Kamadojoe looks equally well built, though.
Roy
HighwayRanger said
08:25 AM May 31, 2015
This just in......we just discovered the Green Mountain Davy Crocket pellet grill, which is a portable unit. It has a ton of neat features, including being 12V power capable which adds simplicity to it's use in a campground. It is also available with a wifi connection so you can control it with your smart phone. At first glance, you'd think wifi is silly on a barbecue, but it will be a really nice feature. My Canon camera has wifi capability, and I can control it from my phone as well. That feature turned out to be a hugely useful one.
So, for about $400 instead of $600 for the BGE, I think we'll be all set.
Roy
HighwayRanger said
08:27 AM May 31, 2015
Here's the link to video by Green Mountain:
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Sunday 31st of May 2015 08:28:12 AM
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Sunday 31st of May 2015 08:29:32 AM
gypsymaus said
02:26 PM May 31, 2015
We use Traeger Smoker. We are on our second one.
http://www.traegergrills.com
Ann-Hank said
12:28 PM Jun 2, 2015
we got our GMG last summer, had some problems with it, but their customer service is GREAT. Changed out the auger and board. Works perfectly now. We have smoked oysters, ribs, turkey legs (yesterday) and chicken. I've baked cornbread, pizza and bread and banana bread. We've done steaks, burgers, chicken and a prime rib. Chicken is better than any bbq we've ever had. LOVE IT!
-- Edited by Ann-Hank on Tuesday 2nd of June 2015 08:36:06 PM
Anyone using the Big Green Egg mini or similar while full timing? We are interested for all it can do - grill, bake, etc. Wondering what others think about it
It's my favorite charcoal grill, but the mini is WAY mini in size. Perhaps two burgers at a time, or one T-bone. On the plus side, it is very portable. The larger sizes are much more useful, but more unruly and heavy. So, you won't see many BGE grills in the RV world (they're breakable, too.). Occasionally, you'll see one on a stand on or in a trailer, but you have to be very careful.
Somewhere I have a picture of someone who built a wooden holder for their medium BGE on a slide tray of a diesel pusher. Slide it out, cook, cool, and slide it back. Don't know how that worked, long-term, but it's a cool idea.
Having had a large size BGE at home, it was amazing, but it is just too large/heavy/delicate for me to consider it when we go fulltime later this year. Damn shame, though. I suppose we could stash a Mini size in a compartment for those times when we want to go charcoal instead of propane. Won't be able to do ribs, brisket, or pork butt, though (which is one of the BGE strong points.)
Roy
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Friday 1st of May 2015 04:52:43 PM
So, you piqued my curiosity about having a BGE on board our fulltime rig (which, at the moment, looks like it will be a diesel pusher) and I Google'd the BGE company. They have a new size which looks perfect for the mobile lifestyle. It's called the MiniMax. It has a 13" diameter cooking grid, which will hold enough for the two of us. It also has another unique feature, which is dual carrying handles, making it easy to move it from the compartment to a picnic table.
I would not consider this with a fifth-wheel, where weight-carrying capacity is way restricted (normally.) But if we go with a diesel pusher, I could easily see putting a MiniMax, a bag of lump charcoal, and some eco-friendly gel fire starter on a slide-out tray, and off we go.
Thanks for triggering my research again! I think we're gonna do this! The BGE is that good!
Roy
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Friday 1st of May 2015 06:23:04 PM
I priced the MiniMax here at a stix/brix retailer yesterday. Their price was $600. :0.
I'd like to see one in person to get a sense for how heavy it is, and the actual size of the cooking grate. It is such a nice way to barbeque, we will give it some serious thought, assuming we have a big ole diesel pusher that can handle heavy discretionary items such as this.
Another option is a Trager junior size pellet grill. Downsides are size and the need for electricity.
What a conundrum!
Roy
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Sunday 3rd of May 2015 01:05:17 PM
Make sure you check out the Kamado Joe line too. It is one one I'm considering as it seems to be constructed as well as the Egg and comes with many accessories that have to be added with the BGE and are less expensive. The Joe Jr. is basically the same size as the MiniMax and comes in a stand. They are heavy though.
http://www.kamadojoe.com/grills/joejr
Good Luck
Steve
Roy
So, for about $400 instead of $600 for the BGE, I think we'll be all set.
Roy
Here's the link to video by Green Mountain:
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Sunday 31st of May 2015 08:28:12 AM
-- Edited by HighwayRanger on Sunday 31st of May 2015 08:29:32 AM
We use Traeger Smoker. We are on our second one.
http://www.traegergrills.com
we got our GMG last summer, had some problems with it, but their customer service is GREAT. Changed out the auger and board. Works perfectly now. We have smoked oysters, ribs, turkey legs (yesterday) and chicken. I've baked cornbread, pizza and bread and banana bread. We've done steaks, burgers, chicken and a prime rib. Chicken is better than any bbq we've ever had.
LOVE IT!
-- Edited by Ann-Hank on Tuesday 2nd of June 2015 08:36:06 PM