600#gorilla wrote:so after all has been said and done,
the egg is the obvious clear choice
and worth the investment - even at full cost.
?
sounds like it is...........
I was expecting a much steeper learning curve, but that is just not the case. The egg is EASY. Set up properly, it will hold temp for extended periods with ZERO input. It is a well developed tool that works exactly as advertised. In fact I would venture to say that it exceeds all expectations as to food results. The only thing that has not turned out perfect was a prime rib that got done way earlier than I thought, and was held in the oven for an hour before dinner. Turned out medium-medium well because of the timing mistake.
I think a lot of people look upon smoking a large piece of meat as an occasion, and maybe BBQ with some friends every other month or so. For these types of people the initial cost is harder to swallow, and the lack of participation can be a drawback as well. There is no fire box to poke at throughout the cook. There is no periodic basting necessary for most meats. Peeking at the meat is not a good idea.
In my case, I intend to use the egg during the week to fire up steaks and chickens for dinner. I'm planning on using it a lot. So the initial investment is a little easier to swallow. The amount of time I'm going to save having a utensil that will take care of a pork butt untended is going to make it even easier. The kicker is the fuel consumption. Before the pork butt I was out of charcoal so I went and bought a ten pound bag of lump at Kroger for $6. I filled the fire box to the brim and used about HALF of the bag for the butt cook. In the following pictures you see what is left over, easily enough to cook a steak or some brats before cleaning it out. So I used less than $3 of charcoal to cook the butt. If you consider the savings on charcoal over 100 cooks in a year, you can really see the savings.
So at the risk of sounding like an egg salesman, I'd say yes. Totally worth it. Best cooking tool I ever bought. It will make you a BBQ hero.
Negatives?
- Cost
- Dome temp gauge reads 20-50 degree higher than grate temp, so a secondary thermometer is a must.
Here is some pics to give you an idea how the egg is set up for the pork butt:
Fire box with remaining coals:

Fire box with plate setter:

Pizza stone:

Pan:

Grate with temp gauge:

Rack:
