Bubba Keg vs Big Green Egg

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Big_AL

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The local Home Depot has a Bubba Keg on sale for $449. I've never cooked on one but on-line reviews put the Keg on par or just below BGE. Our comp team uses BGE's so I do have some experience with them. If the Keg is anywhere near the BGE, this seems like quite a bargain. Anyone use the Keg and have an opinion on their griillig/smoking abilities vs the BGE?
 
I have one. It's amazing. Never had an egg so can't compare directly, but one of the advantages to the keg is made to be portable. By that, I mean it's lighter and comes with a hitch.

As a grill, it may be the best cooker I've ever used. It comes with a cast iron grate standard and get really hot, really fast.

As a low and slow cooker, it's also great but it needs to get seasoned first.

I actually think you can do better than $449 if you talk to the manager.

Hope this helps.
 
I love my Egg, but I'd love to have a Keg for tailgating... I have heard nothing but good about the Kegs. Biggest drawback to them when they cam out is they were just too pricey compared to an Egg.

Pretty good price! Offer the manager $400 and see if he nibbles...
 
I'm in the same boat as hogsfan - never cooked on an egg so I can't do a direct comparison. I've not got as many cooks under my belt as hogsfan either, but with the cooks I've done I've been impressed with my keg.

I've wanted a BGE or Primo for a long time and was ready to plunk down the cash to get one a month or so ago, but I was swayed to the keg for three main reasons - cost, portability, and durability. I really liked the idea of being able to throw this on my trailer hitch and take it with me. I also don't worry about it sitting in my back yard while my kids are playing baseball back there. I never worried about the egg's durability as a cooker, but worried what my five kids under the age of ten would do to it. They have some sort of sixth sense to break whatever is the most expensive to replace.:p
 
I have eggs but I would like one of these because the portability. We have several winter cookouts in meadows in the backcountry above our mountain home where people ski and snowmobile in and we always use a rusting crappy little Safeway Special grill. This would definitely be light enough to tow out in a sled and wouldn't explode like humpty dumpty if we crashed into a stream bed.
 
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Thanks for the responses. I'll run this by the finance committe/wife.
 
I have both a Big Green Egg & a Bubba Keg. If I could only buy one, I'd buy the Big Green Egg hands down. The Bubba Keg is a great grill and the portability is awesome, but for low 'n slow the BGE wins.

I find the temperature control to be much easier and stable on the Big Green Egg. In fact, InZone has re-released the product as the Big Steel Keg with changes to address the temperature control problems.

Here's a link to the two side by side comparisons that I did with the two cookers.

Throwdown: Bubba Keg vs. Big Green Egg

and

Round 2: Bubba Keg vs. Big Green Egg

Cheers,
Braddog
 
I don't work for either company and have not been involved with advertising either product in any way, but I would choose the Big Steel Keg. My brother owns an egg and has had to have his gaskets replaced and hit firebowl cracked. These are definitely not issues with the Big Steel Keg. Low and slow was a challenge for me at first, but after the cast iron vent became well seasoned, my issues have almost disappeared. Still will have an occasional snuffed fire, but I am pleased overall. The only thing I wish I had an egg for would be pizza. For some reason pizza cooks better on the egg vs the keg. Using the same setup, my high temp neapolitan pizza comes out great on the egg....toppings are melted and crust is brown. On the keg when I pull it off around the same time, the crust is brown but the toppings are not melted or cooked. I speculate that the egg's ceramics holds/absorbs temps better and when closed, heats the topping nicely as opposed to the keg. Or, maybe it is something else...still experimenting.
 
Looks like all the Keg Heads are "coming out"....

I own a Big Steel Keg, and like others here have mentioned, I too was about to buy an Egg, when I came across some info on the Keg. A week later ("after further review" - as they say in the NFL), I chose the Keg. I have no doubts whatsoever that the Egg is as good, and perhaps a slightly better cooker.

Transportability and durability of the Keg was a better match for my personal needs in a cooker

Also as mentioned, the Big Steel Keg (BSK) is a Bubba Keg with redesigned intake and exhaust vents. The BSK definitely has better temp control based on reading of *many* articles.

PIZZA: I have no experience with pizza on an egg, but here's a link to the first one I baked on my keg: http://bubbakeg.com/bboard/index.php?topic=804.msg4515#msg4515

...and here's a link to a BBQ Brother's first pizza: http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=63071 (some real nice lookin' pizzas in other replies to this post!)

Please note that I do not consider this a definitive study of pizzas on Kegs and Eggs, but mine was bigger! :-D

I'm sure others could find many examples of pro & con on either grill. I just though these are nice examples of two person's first pizzas on their respective grills.
 
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Just got my Bubba Keg

New to the site.

Will have Keg together by Friday night and a butt and ribs on it this weekend. Will see how the low temp smoking works out as new Big Steel Keg has fixed this but paid just $299 for it so will make it work. Anyone has a Bubba and has figured out the low-n-slow please let me know.

Thanks,
SmokinQ2
 
I have both a Bubba Keg and a Bayou Classic Cypress ceramic, no experience with the BGE so I can't compare to that. But you won't go wrong with the Bubba Keg, it's an excellent grill. Smokes quite well at low n slow temps, does a great job at high temp searing also.

I had the Cypress first, then since the price on the BK was phenomenal at only $299 from Home Depot, I ordered it online and got free shipping, no sales tax so it was a no-brainer. I use both grills interchangeably, have turned out phenomenal meals on both. The slight advantage to the Keg is the dual grids giving me a bit more cooking surface than the Cypress when I need it. The BGE plate setter fits it perfectly and that's about the only addition I've had to make for indirect and/or pizza. InZone, the manufacturer, does now offer its own diffuser.

I'd see if you can get HD to discount it for you.

And drop by the Bubba Keg forums where there's a lot of good info and some fun folks to hang out with. I'm having an absolute blast with mine. Good luck in your decision.

-lunchman
 
I also haven't had the pleasure of cooking on a BGE yet, but Bubba Ho-Keg has pretty much replaced all my Weber kettles when it comes to a primary grill. This is a big deal as I'd cooked on Weber kettles for well over 20 years before getting Bubba Ho-Keg.

As Braddog has aptly pointed out, the original Bubba Keg has issues when going low and slow, but it has the BGEs beat hands-down for portability. I was one of the fortunate few who were able to get my hands on the manufacturer's diffuser before orderability was stopped; between that and some lower vent mods the temps are a LOT easier to control below 250°F.

Here's an example of where the Bubba Keg shines:

IMG_2581.jpg


I also did a full review and a "why did I buy it" post on my blog. FWIW, I am considering a BGE for our lake house as it won't get dragged around a lot and I'm concerned about the effect of all the moisture. But it wouldn't surprise me if I ended up buying a new BSK for home and moving Bubba Ho-Keg out there instead.
 
I'm a big green egg guy. I do all my cooking at the house, but I've got a small and a mini that together weigh a hundred pounds. I have traveled with the mini but could travel with both.
 
I now open two bubba kegs, they can smoke some fine BBQ like the rest of them, or maybe even better. If you visit the bubba keg forums, they have an awesome keg FAQ and a nice wiki to learn almost anything. I will say your bubba keg will benefit from an easy and cheap vent mod, it makes a big difference in maintaining lower temps.
 
I don't have an Egg, but I do have two Bubba Kegs. I passed on the Egg since I got two Bubba Kegs for $598.00 compared to $1100.00 for one comparable Egg. The BK does everything I need it to do. I'm sure the Egg has some advantages, but I don't miss them.
 
Big_AL said:
The local Home Depot has a Bubba Keg on sale for $449. I've never cooked on one but on-line reviews put the Keg on par or just below BGE. Our comp team uses BGE's so I do have some experience with them. If the Keg is anywhere near the BGE, this seems like quite a bargain. Anyone use the Keg and have an opinion on their griillig/smoking abilities vs the BGE?
Click to expand...


how important is portability?
 
deepsouth said:
how important is portability?
Click to expand...

That all varies from person to person but I take mine to neighborhood cookouts, and I like the way I can move it around like a dolly. It's a nice option, don't you think?
 
JS-TX said:
That all varies from person to person but I take mine to neighborhood cookouts, and I like the way I can move it around like a dolly. It's a nice option, don't you think?
Click to expand...


yeah, if you move your grill around alot, it would be a nice option. i just don't know too many people who move their grills around a bunch.

but like someone said earlier, you can get two for the price of one....


edit: each cooker has a different warranty as well. as far as gaskets, a couple of my eggs have them, one doesn't. they all cook the same with or without in my experience, so long as the top and bottom are lined up properly.
 
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