to buy a Big Green Egg verses building a Ugly Drum Smoker??????

[rmcclelland]

I've been cooking on my new UDS for the last two weekend and loving it, cooked three slabs of ribs, 10 lbs. Loin, and 4 chickens yesterday on only about 8 lbs. Of charcoalt

 

[flyweed]

I've red through this entire thread.  I've owned just about every type of smoker you can have (UDS, Offset, MES, Kamado/BGE, etc.)

I think they all have their pluses and minuses.  But with that said...you said you have A BGE.....why in the world would you need anything else????  It does everything, and very well too. I use mine to smoke, bbq, and grill. It is very fuel efficient as well and holds rock solid temps.  Yes, it's heavy..but with two people you CAN lift it out of it's cradle and put it in the back of the minivan, camper, etc and take it with you...I do.

So you've already got about the best cooker on the market already.  Unless you are set on having a UDS, your money ahead by just continuing to use your BGE.

Dan

 

[rbranstner]

I started this thread 2 years ago, it's kind of funny it popped back up. I might as well take this opportunity to comment on the decision I made back then. I contemplating between spending the money to buy a BGE (I didn't own one I just used my friends for a summer) or just make a UDS. Well I made a UDS and it was the best decision I ever made. I saved $800+ dollars and I love smoking on it. I would take my UDS over that BGE any day and I can fit a ton more food on it. With that said I am comparing the UDS to the medium egg that I was using if I really wanted to shell out the cash and get a XL egg then I would say the would hold around the same amount of food. All in all I am very happy I decided to save they money and go the UDS route. I am not trying to bash the BGE in any way just stating that I am glad I decided to go with the UDS.

 

[alblancher]

Hard to beat simple and cheap isn't it!

 

[flyweed]

well there were two contributing factors you didn't include in the original post 1. that you didn't actually own the BGE and 2. that it wasn't XL or even an L BGE.  Comparing a medium egg to a UDS is like comparing a wok to a crepe pan.

Anyway..glad you like your decision. I too liked the UDS of mine,as I had a stoker on it too, but there is no comparison to the amount of heat that a thick walled ceramic cooker can hold in compared to 16 gauge steel wall of a UDS. You will always use less charcoal in an egg compared to a UDS. I've had both.

Dan

 

[rbranstner]

well there were two contributing factors you didn't include in the original post 1. that you didn't actually own the BGE and 2. that it wasn't XL or even an L BGE.  Comparing a medium egg to a UDS is like comparing a wok to a crepe pan.

Anyway..glad you like your decision. I too liked the UDS of mine,as I had a stoker on it too, but there is no comparison to the amount of heat that a thick walled ceramic cooker can hold in compared to 16 gauge steel wall of a UDS. You will always use less charcoal in an egg compared to a UDS. I've had both.

Dan

Yea in my first post I had never used or seen a UDS so I didn't have anything to compare the BGE to. I was just trying to get input on which route I should go. After using a UDS I was very pleased and surprised how much room they had.

Personally I would chose my UDS over an BGE any day. But that's just me. I have smoked with my buddy many times and he has the medium egg that I used and he also has a large egg and I would much rather cook on my UDS. I can't comment on an XL egg as I have never cooked on one. Just curious if you have used a XL BGE? If so how would you compare the amount of meat you can put on a XL BGE vs. a UDS with two racks and a dome lid? I have always been curious how they compare.
 

 

[cobbq]

Ive seen a posting for adding a pellet rig to an uds anyone have any experience with this, I was looking at purchasing a rec tec pellet smoker, then saw the guy selling a pellet rig that bolts on to an uds for around 400 then ran across this foeum, now totally lost on what im going to do. Want a set it and forget it for brisket and long smokes.