Big Green Egg: choose the right Egg, from people who cook on it
The Big Green Egg is the world's leading ceramic kamado: a grill, smoker and oven in one, loved by Michelin-starred chefs and home cooks alike. We've cooked on ours since 2013, and we help people choose and use theirs every week.
Tell us how many you cook for and what you love to eat, and we'll help you choose the right size, the right base and only the accessories you'll actually use.
Official Big Green Egg dealer
We're a Big Green Egg Associate Dealer. Your Egg comes with the Big Green Egg lifetime warranty.
Free white glove installation
We can come and install your Egg and base for you. See how it works.
See one in Histon
Come and see the Eggs at our home in Histon, Cambridge. Call ahead so we're in. Where to buy an Egg.
Talk to us before you buy direct
You'll get advice from people who cook on the Egg every week, and we'll always look after you. Call 07446 960303.
Choose your Big Green Egg
Three sizes are sold in the UK: the MiniMax, the Large and the Extra-Large. Here's how they compare, and what we think of each after years of cooking on all three.
Our pick and Big Green Egg's best seller
The Large
- Grill diameter: 18.25"
- Cooking area: 1,688 cm²
- Cooks: Six to eight steaks, or a whole turkey
- Weight: 74kg
- Best for: Families of up to five who grill, smoke and entertain often
Our verdict
It's our go-to Egg. We taught our classes on the Large and have cooked just about everything on one. If we could only have one Egg, this would be it.
Comes with the Dual Zone Deflector Kit and two Dual Zone Half Grids in the box, so you can cook direct and indirect at the same time.
The Extra-Large
- Grill diameter: 24"
- Cooking area: 2,919 cm²
- Cooks: Several racks of ribs, large pizzas, or a whole suckling pig
- Weight: 102kg
- Best for: Families of six or more, and people who entertain big groups
Our verdict
The XL is a beast, and it's the Egg we turn to when we're cooking for a big party, a whole brisket or lots of racks of ribs. Day to day, it gets used less than our Large.
Also comes with the Dual Zone Deflector Kit and two Dual Zone Half Grids.
The MiniMax
- Grill diameter: 13"
- Cooking area: 856 cm²
- Cooks: Four burgers, a small chicken, or two steaks
- Weight: 35kg, and you can carry it
- Best for: Couples, small gardens, camping and a second Egg
Our verdict
We own two. One lives in our campervan, the other does quick, small cooks. It's ready in as little as 10 minutes, sips charcoal, and has handled lobster, paella and a full rack of beef short ribs. The Mighty MiniMax is a fair nickname.
Other sizes: Big Green Egg has chosen not to import the Mini, Small and Medium Eggs into the UK. The 2XL is available and we can source one, but unless you're catering and only cooking low and slow, we'd advise against it, because very few accessories fit it.
Which size Big Green Egg is right for you?
These are the three questions we ask everyone who calls us.
How many people do you cook for?
Think about how many you cook for most weeks, not the one party a year. You'll use the Egg far more often than any grill you've owned. For a family of four who entertain a few times a year, we recommend the Large. You can still feed 20 or 30 on it: cook one or two dishes really well rather than a mountain of burgers, wings and sausages.
What will you cook?
If it's brisket and pulled pork every weekend, the XL makes sense. Bear in mind those big cuts are expensive and use a lot of charcoal. Most of the time you'll find us cooking what we'd otherwise cook on the hob or in the oven. Our recipe library shows how versatile the Egg is.
Some things need space: a leg of lamb, for example, didn't fit the old Medium Egg, which is one reason it was phased out in the UK.
Where will it live?
If you want to move your Egg around, choose a base with castors, or the MiniMax, which you can lift. If it'll stay put, a table, the Modular Nest or a Big4Space island is ideal. We use Big4Space ourselves because of the storage, and it's easy to keep clean.
Need exact measurements? See our Big Green Egg dimensions and table plans.
Why the Big Green Egg?
The Egg is made from thick, high-grade ceramic, so it holds heat like a wood-fired oven. You set the temperature with two vents: more air means a hotter fire, less air a cooler one. Master the vents and you're 90% there.
Because it's so well insulated, it burns less than a quarter of the lumpwood charcoal a metal grill would. Less airflow also means your food stays far more moist.
It's not just a barbecue. You can grill, sear, smoke, roast, bake, rotisserie and pan fry on it. We bake cakes on ours, and even our Christmas cake goes on the Egg.
Read more: what makes the Egg so good · Big Green Egg vs a gas BBQ · the science behind the flavour
Give your Egg a home
Whether you want a simple nest or a full outdoor kitchen, we'll help you choose. See our outdoor kitchens and free table plans if you're building your own.
Nests and tables
Every Egg needs a safe home. Compare Big Green Egg's nests and tables with the alternatives we rate.
Modular Nest
Build your own Egg station, piece by piece, and add to it as you go.
Big4Space islands
The outdoor cooking islands we use ourselves, with storage we couldn't do without.
Egg bundles
Egg, base and essentials together. We'd always rather sell you less now, and you come back later.
Then add the essentials: Charcoal · Thermometers · Covers · Rotisserie · All accessories
Why buy your Egg from Meat Smoke Fire?
We bought our first Egg in 2013 and we've been some of its biggest fans ever since. Nic spent a decade working with Big Green Egg, recruiting resellers and demonstrating the Egg at shows, before he and Helena set up Meat Smoke Fire here in Cambridge.
Nic started teaching Big Green Egg classes in 2015, when no one else was, and we ran the UK's first Big Green Egg cookery school from our home, in small classes of six that almost always sold out. Today we teach through our free Live Cooks: we're the only Big Green Egg reseller regularly cooking live online.
Most other resellers don't have that cooking experience. Buy from us and you get advice from people who use everything we sell, every week.
Personalised service and genuine advice from both Nic and Helena. with their advice we went for Large vs the extra large green egg we initially thought was right for us
Kovisha Rangasamy, Google review
Nic and Helena were excellent when choosing my Big Green Egg and accessories - knowledgeable, friendly, very responsive and with great ongoing aftersales support. If you're thinking about getting a BGE - do it, they're fantastic - and as suggested by all the reviews, Meat Smoke Fire is the best place in the UK to buy them. The website also has some great recipes and user guides.
Nigel, Google review
Can't do better than buying a Big Green Egg from Nic. He takes so much time and care to walk you through what the BBQ can do, and he is so kind and enthusiastic. Next level experience and customer service. Would highly recommend to anyone who is interested in the Big Green Egg and accessories.
Megan Manley, Google review
Big Green Egg questions
Why is the Big Green Egg so expensive?
It's made from thick, high-grade ceramic with a very solid build. That ceramic gives it the insulation and heat retention that make it so easy to control, and so economical on charcoal. It also comes with a lifetime warranty, so it should be the last barbecue you buy.
Is the Big Green Egg worth the money?
It's a considered purchase, but when you taste the results you'll wish you'd bought one sooner. Because it grills, smokes, roasts and bakes, most people end up using it far more often than they expected, all year round.
Which size Big Green Egg should I buy?
For most households, the Large. It suits a family of up to five, cooks six to eight steaks at once, and fits the widest range of accessories. Choose the Extra-Large if you regularly cook for six or more, and the MiniMax if you're two people, short on space, or want to take it away with you. Compare the sizes.
What comes with a new Large or Extra-Large Egg?
New Large and XL Eggs come with the Dual Zone Deflector Kit and two Dual Zone Half Grids. With one half-moon deflector in, you get a hot direct zone and a gentler indirect zone side by side.
How much charcoal does it use?
Very little. Because the ceramic is so well insulated, the Egg burns less than a quarter of the charcoal a metal grill would. Use good-quality lumpwood: see our charcoal guide.
Can I see a Big Green Egg before I buy?
Yes. Call us on 07446 960303 and come and see the Eggs at our home in Histon, Cambridge. Or request a callback and we'll talk you through it.
More answers on our Big Green Egg FAQs page.
Get the most from your Egg
Using your Egg
Loading, lighting and setting the temperature, explained simply.
550+ recipes
Recipes a home cook can actually make, all tested on the Egg.
Live Cooks
Free, live on Saturdays at 11:30am every two to three weeks, or catch up on 165 cooks on YouTube.
Charcoal guide
Charcoal is as much of an ingredient as your food. Here's what to use.
Not sure which Egg? Talk to people who cook on one every week.
Call Nic or Helena for honest advice, with no pressure.