XL Egg vs Large Egg

[AndrewCS1]

Way back in 2012, I got the Large (18 inch diameter…254 square inches cooking space) Egg. I enjoyed it a great deal…but over time, found that it was too small. About 3 years ago, I got the XL Egg. It is so much better. First, the depth is much less than the Large Egg for the lump charcoal…it is much easier to stir the used lump charcoal in the XL Egg to work ash into the bottom, than the Large one. Second, the cooking surface, at 24 inch diameter (452 inches of cooking space) is almost double the Large….which is great for entertaining friends, a turkey (to eat…not entertain…though that would be interesting! ) etc.

One thing to consider…Kamados are made of ceramic…and if you live in an area which gets hail, like Texas, you need a spot to wheel it when thunderstorms are forecast. We always had a spot… but wanted to point that out…

[AndrewCS1]

…the reason the XL Egg is more shallow for charcoal than the Large, is the Large is shaped like an Egg standing on its end…the XL is more round, so has more charcoal, but wider rather than deep..and it is, again, in my experience, much easier to to use and clean ash.

[HawkerXP]

Thanks for sharing!

[LA Pork Butt]

I have the large and the MiniMax. The MiniMax has a shallow firebox similar to the XL. The MiniMax cooks differently from the large and I would guess similarly to the XL. I like both, but I like the way the large cooks low and slow better than the MiniMax. I would guess the XL cooks low and slow somewhere in between on 12-14 hour cooks. Because of the small nature of the MiniMax the radiant heat from the dome speeds up the low and slow cook.

[Mosca]

I have the Large. It’s fine. But I should have gotten the XL. But that was 15 years ago, and it’s too late now.

[Skip]

Like Mosca, I have a Large BGE and now think it would be better to have a XL to make it easier for more zones using half deflectors etc.