People ask me this all the time.
“Is the Big Green Egg actually worth it?”
I used to give a long answer. Now I just ask one question back: do you enjoy making coffee, or do you just need coffee?
That usually tells me everything I need to know.
TL;DR: The Big Green Egg is a ceramic kamado cooker that functions as a smoker, grill, and outdoor oven in one. It costs significantly more than a standard propane grill and takes more time to operate. It’s worth it if cooking is something you enjoy for its own sake. It’s not worth it if you just want dinner on the table fast.
What Is a Big Green Egg (and Why People Get Obsessed)
The Big Green Egg is a kamado-style ceramic cooker. Kamado grills have been around for centuries, originally from Japan, and the BGE is considered the premium end of that category.
It’s not just a grill. It functions as a smoker, an oven, and a high-heat sear station. The ceramic walls hold temperature in a way that metal grills simply don’t. You can run it low and slow at 225°F for a 12-hour brisket or crank it to 700°F for pizza.
Where I Started: The Canadian Tire Propane Grill
Before we get into it, let’s be clear about what we’re comparing. There are premium gas grills from Weber, Napoleon, and others that cost serious money and cook beautifully. That’s its own category.
I’m talking about the classic backyard setup. The $100 propane grill from Canadian Tire. That’s where most people start, and that’s where I started. Burgers, chicken breasts, and the occasional steak. Turn the knob, wait five minutes, and throw the food on.
I didn’t think much about it. It was a grill. You cooked on it.
That was the whole relationship.
The Moment I Knew I Wanted One
I first saw a Big Green Egg on the Food Network. Michael Smith, the chef from PEI, had one on his show. I’d never seen anything like it. It looked like a spaceship had landed in someone’s backyard.
I looked it up immediately. Saw the price. Kept thinking about it anyway.
A while later, I found out a friend of ours had one. The first time I saw it in person, they were cooking a beer can chicken. I stood there watching the whole thing and knew I was going to own one eventually.
What the BGE Does That a Regular Grill Can’t
Here’s the honest difference.
A propane grill is convenient. It heats up fast, you cook quickly, you’re done. That’s genuinely useful most of the time.
The BGE operates differently. The ceramic holds heat with a consistency that changes what’s possible. Long cooks, stable temperatures, real smoke flavour. You’re not just adding heat to food. You’re controlling an environment.
Brisket is the clearest example. A 12 to 14-hour cook on the BGE produces something that has no equivalent on a propane grill. Ribs, pulled pork, smoked chicken — all of it is in a different category. You can even bake bread or cook pizza at high heat if you want to go down that road.
This is where the coffee analogy actually works. You can get a perfectly acceptable cup from a drip machine in three minutes. Or you can grind your beans, dial in your ratio, use a proper kettle, and make something you’re actually proud of. Neither is wrong. They’re just different relationships with the same outcome.
The BGE is the second kind of cooking.
The Honest Downside
It’s not turnkey. That’s the part I always make sure to say.
Lighting a BGE takes time. Getting it to temperature and stabilizing it takes more time. By the time you’re ready to put food on it, a propane grill would already be done cooking. If you want hot dogs on a Tuesday night after work, the BGE is the wrong tool. You’d fire up a propane grill for that without a second thought.
The longer cooks, like brisket or pork butt, require you to stay on it. You’re monitoring temperature, adjusting the vents, keeping an eye on things. Without a temperature controller, you’re doing that manually. It’s not stressful once you know what you’re doing, but it is a commitment. You don’t put a brisket on and go run errands.
I tell people: if you want results without thinking, this is not your grill.
So Why Don’t I Have a Propane Grill Anymore?
I replaced it entirely when I got the BGE. I do miss it sometimes, honestly. There are still occasions where I wish I could just fire something up in five minutes without the whole process.
My wife has a firm position on this: not until we have more space. I have a dream of eventually having a proper setup at the back of the yard. A little smoke shack situation. A dedicated cooking area. Somewhere the BGE lives alongside a propane grill for the nights you just need to cook something fast.
Until then, I work with what I have.
And what I have is genuinely great for the kind of cooking I actually want to do.
Also, cooking with fire is fun.
Who Should Buy a Big Green Egg
One more thing worth saying: the BGE is a long-term investment. The ceramic components come with a lifetime warranty. Buy it once, maintain it reasonably well, and you’re passing it down eventually. That changes the math on the price tag if you’re thinking about it the right way.
Buy one if you enjoy the process of cooking, not just the result. If you like tinkering, learning, getting something right after a few attempts, and spending a Saturday managing a long cook, you’ll love it.
Skip it if you want dinner done quickly and don’t want to think about it. There’s no shame in that. A good propane grill is fast, easy, and completely sufficient for most of what people actually cook. If the BGE would mostly sit in your backyard because you can’t justify the process on a weeknight, you just spent a lot of money on a conversation piece.
The short version: if grilling is a chore, buy a regular grill. If it’s a hobby, the Big Green Egg is worth every dollar.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you use a Big Green Egg for quick weeknight meals?
You can, but it’s not ideal. The BGE takes 15 to 20 minutes to light and stabilize. For fast meals, a propane grill is a better choice.
How long does a Big Green Egg last?
The ceramic components come with a lifetime warranty. Take reasonable care of it and there’s no reason it shouldn’t outlast every other piece of equipment in your backyard.
Is charcoal harder to use than propane?
There’s a learning curve, mostly around temperature control and airflow. Once you’ve done it a few times, it becomes straightforward. It just takes more active attention than turning a knob.
What’s the best first cook on a Big Green Egg?
Something forgiving. Chicken thighs or a spatchcock chicken are good starting points. They’re hard to ruin and give you a chance to get comfortable with temperature management before you commit to a long cook.
Do you need special accessories to get started?
A good instant-read thermometer is the one thing I’d call essential. Everything else, the plate setter, the ash tool, a cover, comes with time. Don’t overbuy at the start.
Make sure you check out all my Big Green Egg resources if you are looking to buy or looking to learn.
