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Is there that much of a difference vs a regular grill?

Pros cons

Ive had my egg for 7-8 years and have felt like it was money well-spent! If there's a negative, when yOu heat it up, it's hard to cool it down like if you want to smoke something on it and slow cook, I'd buy another if I needed to

I have a bayou classic and have enjoyed it. If something happened to this one I would buy a BGE to replace it. I would have gone through 2 gas grills in the time I have had this one and it cooks better.

Can you put real wood (mesquite, hickory etc) in it.. Do you have to have special charcoal?

lots of answers here and yes you can use wood but charcoal is much much better. http://www.nakedwhiz.com/dogfront.htm

Have had mine for a few years now....doubt I will ever go back to a 'regular grill'.......I use mequite and other woods for smoking and while grilling with hardwood charcoal. Save the $$ and get one.

Same here... had for a couple years and would never return to a "regular grill". I use wood chunks in addition to lump charcoal when I want to smoke something. I cooked a 12lb boston butt last week, on the egg for 12 hours, steady temp of 200. It was as good as any pulled pork I ever had. I cook alot of fish on mine.. red fish and snapper... heat up grill to 500, have an cast iron skillet that I blacken fish in and I'm telling you, it's high end restaurant quality. I also cook my steaks in this skillet, freaking unbelievable. There are a ton of youtubes for cooking on the egg.. take some time and watch a few of the items you want to cook.

As far as getting the egg too hot and have to cool it down, the trick is not getting it overheated... once you figure out airflow and starting your fire right, you'll have no problem getting to the temp you you want and keeping it there.

So to answer your question on the egg... best cooking investment I've ever made... well worth the money. DO IT!

Dead

Get one, you will not regret it. As others has stated, you will have to play with the vents to learn to the correct air flow for certain temps.

I have both styles ( egg like and weber) i like to charbroil steaks on weber because the flame can kiss the meat, slow cook on the egg when cuts of meat dictate......but.......................................................drum roll ..............as far as taste? you can put Lump charcoal ( green egg style) in your Weber and your food will basically taste the same............just saying

I have had my BGE for a year now and will never go back to a conventional. It will make an amatuer feel like a master chef once you get the air-flow down. I have a large and like it but if I was going to get another one I would get an XL.

I have had a Kamado Joe for 4 years now. Its incredible! I hope to never go back to using a normal grill ever again. The way it cooks is unbelievable. We usually cook on it 3 times a week. Make sure you go ahead and buy the accessories for cooking: pizza stone, heat deflector, quality meat thermometer, etc. I always tell people it is in my top 5 quality investments that I find value in along with Thermacell, Honda ATV, Exofficio underwear and Costa glasses.

Yes. I have had a BGE for a while and love it. I use mine all the time. I got rid of my charcoal grill and smoker after they sat without being used for over a year. The one thing I would strongly suggest is that you take the time to learn how to control your fire, air, etc. Without learning that they can be a pain and frustrating.

Also, I wouldnt get hung up on the BGE alone. Just make sure that you get a high quality ceramic cooker. There are several that are very well made, good quality, and good reputation.

There are more grills than people at my house (BGE, Lang84, 2 Webbers, a few homemade rigs, etc.). For years I was very skeptical of the "best cooker I ever used" claims made by BGE owners. My skepticism and the roughly $1k price tag for a large kept me from getting one until a couple years ago. It is a fine tool for many applications. Whether it is right for you depends on what you want to do with it.

For long consistent cooks of an average sized chunk of protein, they are the cat's meow. For a high temp, quick steak cook, you won't find a better unit. If you like homemade pizza (and who wouldn't), it will turn out the best ones you ever had.

You use hardwood lump in komado style cookers and they are very fuel efficient. When you get finished cooking, close the vents and put the top cap on. The fire will go out and you begin the next cooking with the leftover charcoal. For smoking, you can toss in chunks of your favorite wood. You DO NOT USE CHARCOAL LIGHTER in a ceramic cooker. Never, ever, never.

A fellow named Eric Mitchell wrote a book called "Smoke It Like a Pro on the Big Green Egg & Other Ceramic Cookers" that is by far the best BGE cookbook out there. It has a section on fire/temp management that will have you cooking at consistent and proper temps easily. If you don't get the book, it can take many cooks to learn how to regulate the temp properly.

BGE is more expensive than many of the ceramic cookers on the market, but cheaper than a few of the really high end units (Komodo Kamado can be $3-5k). Get a size bigger than you think you will realistically use. A BGE has a lifetime warranty on the ceramic, but the warranty is not transferable so I would not recommend trying a save a hundred bucks on a used one off craigslist. Many of the other ceramic grills have lifetime warranties as well, but you have to consider the financial strength of the company and longevity of the product line. From what I have read, parts for those Bayou Classic ceramic grills are about non-existent these days. BGE isn't going anywhere.

On a large BGE without going into all the stacking gizmos and racks you can cook 2 slabs of ribs or a brisket or maybe 2 butts. If you want to cook more than that, get a bigger cooker. I am not fond of all those stacking racks because I am really particular about my ribs. There is no way I am going through all the time to make a comp style rib and have another rack over them dropping fat on the bottom rack and preventing any bark.

If you are cooking large amounts of meat, like to tinker with stuff and tending a fire isn't a problem for you, I would go with a big stickburner. If you are cooking smaller amounts of meat and like a more "set it and forget it" style, go with a BGE or other ceramic cooker. If you really want to make a BGE cook like an oven and money isn't an issue, buy a BBQ Guru temp control unit to go with it.

You will not regret a BGE if you take the time to learn how to use it. Oh yeah, consider making your own table for it if. It will save you some money and be much more durable. Like my woodwork skills, the table I made is pretty basic. If you have more skills, there are plans on the internet for most anything you could want to build.

Dang Randy, I have GOT to learn to cook ribs......