What are the pros and cons of each assuming price isn't a factor?

If you plan to do frequent cooking and some quicker cooks the large is better. If you don't cook often but do large quantities (large brisket) then the XL.

I have a family of 4 and the large has been plenty. I have also cooked for parties on it (you can get 4-5 pork butts if not more on a large). Brisket wise I have been able to fit most 12-15 pounders on it without issue.

Got the XL and have never regretted it. Plenty of real estate for ribs, chickens, briskets and anything else.

tmas said:

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Got the XL and have never regretted it. Plenty of real estate for ribs, chickens, briskets and anything else.

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My concern is getting the XL to temp in a reasonable amount of time. How long would you say it takes to get you to a searing temp from light to putting meat on? (I already have a torch".

I've had a harder time finding briskets that will fit on my 18" Classic Joe - for that reason alone, I'd go with the bigger option.

Although that Big Joe was just huge when I looked at it.

I had a L and switched to an XL. BEST DECISION EVER!

I have a regular Kamado Joe (BGE L equivalent), and it serves my family of 4 well. The only issue I've run into is that larger briskets don't fit, so if you're planning on cooking brisket and some other stuff pretty often, then I'd go for the XL.

I've cooked for a group of people before and haven't had any real issue. I've been able to get 4 slabs of ribs on at once with a rib rack, and recently did a pork butt with some sausage as well. Of course, I also have a large offset should I need to cook multiple briskets or a wide array of meat.

I had large until it was lost in an international move. Upgraded to a XL and never looked back.

ag0207 said:

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If you plan to do frequent cooking and some quicker cooks the large is better. If you don't cook often but do large quantities (large brisket) then the XL.

I have a family of 4 and the large has been plenty. I have also cooked for parties on it (you can get 4-5 pork butts if not more on a large). Brisket wise I have been able to fit most 12-15 pounders on it without issue.

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I agree with this. The L is big enough for me 99% of the time.

Get rid of the torch. Torches are for solding copper pipe.

Buy a weed burner, these are designed specifically for killing weeds lighting your grill. Just sayin'.

I light my Primo XL with one and it is glorious.

Agree with this, too.

I switched from gas and was worried about the time to get the grill hot. I start the fire (just olive oil and paper towels), get everything ready to cook, grab a beer and then the fire is hot. ~20 - 30 minutes max.

L unless you regularly cook a lot, and I mean, a lot, of pretty similar food (with regard to cook temps). If you're cooking a wide array of foods that require a wide margin in temps, you'd be better served IMHO with two separate L's.

All good points above, especially on the amount of charcoal you'd unnecessarily use on smaller cooks with the XL. Even if cost isn't a factor, it becomes a pain in the ass.

As far as getting the XL up to temp vs the L, I haven't seen that much of a difference. Of course, I'll be the first to admit that if I'm in a hurry, I'm optioning out of an egg cook.

I'd agree with giving a Joe a good look. I've been "egging" for over a decade, so I've too much invested in egg-specific accessories. I think I'd might just buy a Joe if just starting out, better value/accessories out of the box. Both cook the same (and I'd just use egg brand charcoal, as I'm partial to it over all others).

Is there a way to get the KJ without the cart? Mine will be going into a dedicated space in an outdoor kitchen.

I'm on mobile, but search for Kamado Joe Standalone.

Doh! Hurricane is right. Forgot about it.

http://www.kamadojoe.com/grills/stand-alone/

Looks like there's an answer. But definitely would recommend giving a store that sells and cooks on both brands a call. That's one thing I like about B-Galore: those guys cook on both, usually outside the store daily, so they'll give you the low down regardless where you're buying it from.

Get the XL. You can always cook less on a large grill space, but you can't cook more on a small grill space.

I have a medium sized Vision. It is too small for a whole brisket. I have to curve a rack of ribs in order to close the lid. It cooks freakin great, just needs more square inches on the cook surface. Next house will have an outdoor kitchen. I will be putting an XL in that. Unless something better comes along in the next 2-3 years.

Bayside Tiger Ag said:

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Is there a way to get the KJ without the cart? Mine will be going into a dedicated space in an outdoor kitchen.

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Yeah....Its called a stand alone. It comes with little feet instead of a cart to put it on should you choose to use them.

XL is a monster that eats a lot of charcoal. Get an L for regular family use.

For ribs on an L, I have to cut them in half; but I regularly smoke 10-12lb packers on one with no issues.

Edit: I have multiple sized V racks and can do 3 racks (split) on an L.

Regarding the Standalone model - you'll still likely get a better deal going to the Costco Road Show and throwing away the cart.

hurricanejake02 said:

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Regarding the Standalone model - you'll still likely get a better deal going to the Costco Road Show and throwing away the cart.

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yes.

I do Costco 3-pack ribs in one go on my L with enough room. No cutting required. I can do two packs at a time now that i got a two layer rack.

What the hell kinda ribs are you cooking?

Haha!

I like to cook them vertically, so you can't curve them to fit. But I'll give your method with an upper lower rack sometime.

Look into a Primo oval XL. Well worth it.

I disagree that the XL eats a lot of charcoal. I have a wife and two kids and cook on the egg at least three times a week. Even with high temp for steaks, the eggs are very efficient. I usually am wishing I had time for a third beer before the egg is up to temp ready for a cook. Most of my buddies that started with the large have moved up to the xl.
Why worry about space when you want to do several racks of ribs. I know my family can plow through two racks without even blinking. Go XL, definitely worth the extra coin.

hurricanejake02 said:

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I've had a harder time finding briskets that will fit on my 18" Classic Joe

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I have done a few briskets on my Large BGE. I dont worry about the size. I cut a piece of the flat off so that the brisket barely fits into the 18" egg and set that cut off piece on top of the brisket. It cooks there just fine, and you can remove it a little bit sooner than the other larger brisket.