Bill Collin
TVWBB Member
It's a Large. But I also have a small that's *somewhat* portable in an a Egg CARTen Carrier.
So, I’ve got gas
- Thread starter Bill Collin
- Start date
Brett-EDH
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I’ve cooked with a buddy who has a BGE. I looked into them and decided to not buy a BGE in fear of it cracking over time.
From my limited BGE experiences, they’re great cookers. The biggest differences from my use and research were:
BGE doesn’t change temps quickly. So they’re slow to respond.
The WSK can change temps very quickly so this was a big difference between the two.
BGE is tough to move due to its weight.
WSK is super easy to move.
BGE, all ceramic cookers, can crack over time and many do.
WSK being porcelain on steel shouldn’t crack but might develop porcelain issues over a long time. I don’t bank coals against the walls of my WSK to help preserve the coating.
I don’t know how well BGE grills food with lid open so I have no data on its grilling abilities.
WSK can easily grill, with very high coal temps too, so direct, grilling is super easy on WSK. Example, I like to use my swords to cook and the WSK has made it easy to achieve these cooks.
My BGE experiences are limited to a few chicken and ribs cooks. Probably not enough to draw substantial comparisons.
The WSK is like the 26” kettle or any kettle, but it’s insulated, has an amazing hinged lid, is very fuel efficient, acts as a smoker, grill, char griller, convection oven and with the dual coal grate positions, offers an extensive set of choices for different types and kinds of cooks.
And pizza. I do hand tossed pizzas on my WSK. So basically I’ve found the WSK to be a full and comprehensive workhorse for a backyard griller. It’s just a very easy grill to own and use, super versatile and fast to respond.
Lmk if you have more specific questions. @DanHoo does have more BGE experiences than me. I think he can add additional pointers from his experience(s).
DanHoo
TVWBB Olympian
I bought a WSK E6 this spring. I've had my large BGE since 2011.
I absolutely did not *need* the E6. I had ( still have ) a couple of kettles but what sold me on it was the size and the flexibility.
To compare a WSK to a large BGE isn't fair for either one as they are very different.
BGE is smaller with an 18 inch cooking grate. 255 sq inch. Temps are more stable ( both good and bad ) and it uses less coal.
WSK with the 24 inch grate has 75% more cooking space. ( 452 sq inch ) . The WSK is not as temp stable ( both good and bad ) and has a ton of flexibility with the two level coal grate.
There are add-ons for the BGE like two level cooking grates or a drop cooking grate for the BGE, yet these do not have the same flexibility of having coal in baskets on one side for a direct sear-on demand and indirect to finish etc.
the WSK can more quickly recover from a temp overshoot yet I've also seen my temps wander more after opening and closing the lid.
If one were to compare the WSK to an XL BGE, then cost is much, much higher, the weight of the XL BGE is way up there and coal usage will also go up and probably be on par with the WSK.
lifetime warranty on ceramics of the BGE vs 10 year on enamel for the WSK, but warranty length aside on the WSK, I see a lot of 20 or 30+ year kettles still in the game.
I've said this before and my story hasn't changed. I like them both and plan to keep them both, but if I had to do it over and could only have one it would be the WSK.
But since neither of these run on NG, how is this helping you
I absolutely did not *need* the E6. I had ( still have ) a couple of kettles but what sold me on it was the size and the flexibility.
To compare a WSK to a large BGE isn't fair for either one as they are very different.
BGE is smaller with an 18 inch cooking grate. 255 sq inch. Temps are more stable ( both good and bad ) and it uses less coal.
WSK with the 24 inch grate has 75% more cooking space. ( 452 sq inch ) . The WSK is not as temp stable ( both good and bad ) and has a ton of flexibility with the two level coal grate.
There are add-ons for the BGE like two level cooking grates or a drop cooking grate for the BGE, yet these do not have the same flexibility of having coal in baskets on one side for a direct sear-on demand and indirect to finish etc.
the WSK can more quickly recover from a temp overshoot yet I've also seen my temps wander more after opening and closing the lid.
If one were to compare the WSK to an XL BGE, then cost is much, much higher, the weight of the XL BGE is way up there and coal usage will also go up and probably be on par with the WSK.
lifetime warranty on ceramics of the BGE vs 10 year on enamel for the WSK, but warranty length aside on the WSK, I see a lot of 20 or 30+ year kettles still in the game.
I've said this before and my story hasn't changed. I like them both and plan to keep them both, but if I had to do it over and could only have one it would be the WSK.
But since neither of these run on NG, how is this helping you
Bill Collin
TVWBB Member
Hey, I’m a guy who likes to keep my options open. I’ve since watched a few ownership videos and think that from what I’ve seen the BGE is still the right product for me in the non-gas class.I bought a WSK E6 this spring. I've had my large BGE since 2011.
I absolutely did not *need* the E6. I had ( still have ) a couple of kettles but what sold me on it was the size and the flexibility.
To compare a WSK to a large BGE isn't fair for either one as they are very different.
BGE is smaller with an 18 inch cooking grate. 255 sq inch. Temps are more stable ( both good and bad ) and it uses less coal.
WSK with the 24 inch grate has 75% more cooking space. ( 452 sq inch ) . The WSK is not as temp stable ( both good and bad ) and has a ton of flexibility with the two level coal grate.
There are add-ons for the BGE like two level cooking grates or a drop cooking grate for the BGE, yet these do not have the same flexibility of having coal in baskets on one side for a direct sear-on demand and indirect to finish etc.
the WSK can more quickly recover from a temp overshoot yet I've also seen my temps wander more after opening and closing the lid.
If one were to compare the WSK to an XL BGE, then cost is much, much higher, the weight of the XL BGE is way up there and coal usage will also go up and probably be on par with the WSK.
lifetime warranty on ceramics of the BGE vs 10 year on enamel for the WSK, but warranty length aside on the WSK, I see a lot of 20 or 30+ year kettles still in the game.
I've said this before and my story hasn't changed. I like them both and plan to keep them both, but if I had to do it over and could only have one it would be the WSK.
But since neither of these run on NG, how is this helping you
Besides, how would I explain cooking over chemically infused briquettes to my friends after using virgin lump all year. I might fall off my high horse.
Bill Collin
TVWBB Member
I’ve had great luck with 600-700*+ searing and pizza temps on the BGE. Cracked open seems to be any easy road to that range.
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Steve Petrone
TVWBB Diamond Member
OK I'm a heretic. After owning every size Weber charcoal grill, three sizes of WSM, I am down to ONE grill. A natural gas 3-burner Genesis. It is used to grill, smoke and bake. So if you have natural gas, I vote for a gas burner grill. It's good for everything I do. It's not perfect or the best at everything but it is quite good at everything I do.
Chuck-roaniecowpony
TVWBB Super Fan
If you have kids, I recommend a dedicated pizza oven. Not some add-on device. I have a 2Stone rotary deck propane fired pizza oven that can do Neapolitan pizza (~850F or higher). You will be surprised how much use you get from a dedicated pizza oven.
