I'm torn between purchasing the Weber Performer and a large Big Green Egg.

Both are versatile, charcoal, and will last for years. Both will provide many meals for me and my family. I can grill or smoke on either one.

The advantages of the Weber is price and comes with all of the accessories I need.

The advantage of the BGE is faster heat, better retention, and fuel efficiency. The disadvantage is price and weight. It's heavy and twice as expensive. It needs more accessories added to it.

What's a griller to do?
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Have you checked out chargriller? fairly cheap, and there are quite a few sites out there with mods to get it to be a top notch grill.

http://barbecuebible.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1467
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You can't go wrong with the egg. Then again you can't go wrong with a real weber.

ETA: Hope that helped. :-)
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A friend of mine has the BGE. It is amazing. The Boston Butts off of that are the best ive ever had. And the baby backs!! It is a great smoker. We occasionally make pizzas on it too - very good. It does require some babysitting though - there is an art to preparing the fire, maintaining temp, air flow, etc.
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Have you considered the Bubba Keg Grill? I've only read good things about it and it's a couple hundred less then the BGE
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[quote=nayslayer;756335]Have you checked out chargriller? fairly cheap, and there are quite a few sites out there with mods to get it to be a top notch grill.

http://barbecuebible.com/board/viewtopic.php?t=1467[/QUOTE

:-):-)
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I have not been without a Weber 22 inch kettle grill for nearly 30 years. I currently have a green performer. About 4-5 years ago I got into the Big Green Eggs. I currently have a large and a medium. The Weber and the Egg are both great cookers, but my Weber never gets used anymore. There is nothing the Egg won't do better than the Weber.

As a smoker the Egg is better due to the even temp, temp retention, and fuel usage. As a grill I like it better because I can take the temp up to 750 for searing and then bring it back down to 400 for finishing. I can use it as a brick oven and do great pizzas and bread.

There is really only one thing that I think the Weber is better at and that is beer can chicken. Maybe it is just what I am used to, but I always pull out the Weber for the drunk chicken!!

Best of luck with your decision. Either way you will enjoy the cooker for years to come.
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I'm leaning towards the BGE.

It seems to be way more versatile and has an ease of use that even my daughters could light it and cook a great grilled supper on it.
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Andy, get one of these:http://http://www.traegergrills.com/?gclid=CNqQ3Zb17J8CFRKiagodmkDIXQ
and you will Never buy another grill again!:-)
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After much research thanks to you fine gentlemen, I came home with a Big Green Egg.
This is a grill I believe I can have for the rest of my natural life.

Thank you all for for the great research material and suggestions!!!
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Enjoy it!
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congrats on the new purchase
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I have cooked on the big Green Egg and they are a great charcoal BBQ! Congrats Andy!:-)
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Excellent choice on the BGE. Fired it up even though it's covered in snow and it worked like a charm. It kept the temps stable thanks to the insulation. Can't do that in a thin metal smoker without major heat loss.

Just remember, no briquettes or lighter fluid when using the BGE.
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Yeah the dealer said to only use lump from here on out. I don't have a problem with that. It is pretty easy to use lump over briquettes anyway.

Cooked burgers and grilled corn last night. I can tell this will be probably utilized 3-4 times per week easily.
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Just a FYI, not all lump is created equal. BGE provides their own brand of lump, but you may want to take a look here: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumprankpoll.htm for some reviews.
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That is absolutely the truth. The stuff they sell at Lowes (Cowboy) is horrible IMO. The BGE lump is good but expensive. It is made by Royal Oak. You can find the RO at WalMart for something like $5.77 a bad. It is all I have used for several years.

If you can find it Wicked Good is my favorite, but again it is expensive.
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I think Royal Oak is about all I have access to around these parts. I've been looking over the lump reviews, that'll be very helpful!
The BGE bags are 20 bucks apiece so if I can get the same thing at WalMart for fifteen bucks less I'm there!
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That is the way I always figured it!!!:-) The BGE bags are like 18 lbs or something like that, but the RO is definitely cheaper for the same thing.

BTW... I guess I should say why it is the only thing I have used for several years...

There was a rumor going around a couple of years ago that WalMart was going to stop carrying RO. I bought every bag that three different WalMarts had. Ended up with about 40 or so bags. The rumor ended up being false!!!

Guess I am using some aged RO!!!
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The Egg is an investment and worth it if you're into that kind of cooking. If you have been doing it a while, then for sure you should get one over the Weber. If this is your first, then maybe take steps. You should earn the Egg first if it is going to be an expense.

I've been using Kingsford Competition which has good length, but is pretty bland tasting. Costco had a deal so I bought 20 bags. There's a maple charcoal from Quebec that is all maple and really good. It comes in a white bag; can't think of the name. Easy web search will find it.
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