LeonDixson;5093375 said:
HEB (a grocery store chain here in Texas) has a ceramic egg grill for $600 including a cart for it. I'm thinking about buying it. It looks like the green egg but this one is black.
Howard E. Butt grocery store. My first job was as a sack boy at the HEB in Alamo Heights on Broadway, now a Central Market. My large BGE cost around $650, and a friend built a long table for it to nest in.
There are a number of "Kamado" style ceramic cookers (Primo, BGE, Kamado Joe, etc.), some more expensive than others. BGE isn't the cheapest, and isn't the priciest, either. Before you buy, look at BGE, or Primo, and pay attention to the small details. How thick is the ceramic? What's the guarantee? Construction of it?
I could have bought a used one that was a stores exhibit cooking grill for a little more than half price what I finally paid for mine. They were going to throw in some of the cooking accessories they had used for a little extra. I found out that if you buy a BGE on the internet or from an original owner,the warranty is voided. Compare a couple with the HEB egg and make a decision.
Although the initial expense was higher than a Grill master gas/charcoal/ firebox I had, it rusted out after about five years. Ceramic grill/smokers are reputed to last twenty plus years with basic common sense care.
I did find out that you aren't supposed to use charcoal briquets (Kingsford, etc.) in them,but natural lump charcoal. You are definitely not supposed to use charcoal lighter fluid to light the lump charcoal. If you do, the petroleum burning smell will be absorbed by the ceramic,and you will taste it for a long time. I use an electric lighter.
Good luck, my friend.