Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

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Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby bencops » 17 Apr 2012, 22:36

Ok so price hikes aside I finally pulled the trigger and bought the mini. For portable, dinner for one fun!

It took a while to assemble and still needs some tweaking. I haven't lit a fire in it yet so the best bit is still to come. It is a lovely thing to behold and stroke, and pretty cute, but I'm a bit mixed on this fabled quality. Its not as transcendently fabulous as I've been led to behold and frankly a little rough round the edges, photos will explain. Nobody else sells a mini so no problem with this but when I do pull the trigger on a full size egg it'll be a Kamado Joe.

Anyway, back to the unboxing.
Here's them in their packaging. Egg, firebox and ring, and snuffer cap are in the box on the left, all the iron work, instructions and hinge/strap in the pizza box, which is on top of the stand.
Image
IMG_5704 by Copsey, on Flickr

Box full of bits -instructions, gasket for the snuffer/vent, ash tool, grill gripper, vent, grate, hinge, bands and screws, tiny tel-tru thermometer (in the plastic box and the back right), CD of something (marketing stuff I assume), fire grate.
Image
IMG_5707 by Copsey, on Flickr

Box with the egg in it and all the other ceramic bits
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IMG_5708 by Copsey, on Flickr

Close up of the inside of the chimney
Image
IMG_5709 by Copsey, on Flickr

Close up of the bottom vent. This is just very thin stainless steel, hastily hand bent, complete with mexican fingerprints and marks from the pliers used to bend the steel. Very flimsy, bit amateur.
Image
IMG_5711 by Copsey, on Flickr

Egg as it comes in the packaging. All the ceramics inside are assembled and spaced with thin foam sheet for shipping.
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IMG_5712 by Copsey, on Flickr

Nude mini egg
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IMG_5713 by Copsey, on Flickr

Lid and body of the egg, snuffer cap is in the body
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IMG_5714 by Copsey, on Flickr

Gasket close up
Image
IMG_5717 by Copsey, on Flickr

Close up of the inside of the lid. There's these two "thumb prints" near the chimney, presumably where its been held for firing or glazing. The ceramic was just crumbling off here when I opened it.
Image
IMG_5718 by Copsey, on Flickr

Inside of the body at the bottom vent. Pretty tiny vent. The vent door is screwed in and also sealed with silicon on the outside.
Image
IMG_5720 by Copsey, on Flickr

Inside of the body of the egg. The fibre collected in the bottom is shed from the gasket, and yes that's a large splot of green glaze/paint in the middle.
Image
IMG_5721 by Copsey, on Flickr

The instructions say not to let children play near it, here's George fixing to break it already
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IMG_5725 by Copsey, on Flickr

to scale with a 5 year old
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IMG_5729 by Copsey, on Flickr

The assembled cooker
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IMG_5732 by Copsey, on Flickr

From the front
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IMG_5734 by Copsey, on Flickr

With the cap
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IMG_5735 by Copsey, on Flickr

The only image of the BGE mini on the internet with an in-focus thermometer. This is a tiny tel tru!
Image
IMG_5736 by Copsey, on Flickr

hope you enjoyed - it is a lovely thing. Some more detail about the hinge tomorrow as I need to check I've got it right.

cheers

Ben
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby BigM » 17 Apr 2012, 22:46

wow nice little grill :-)
Wont get many ribs on that. :lol:
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby keith157 » 18 Apr 2012, 05:58

Nice article, when they say a mini egg it IS bigger than the Cadbury mini egg (my only real experience with mini eggs ;) )
Looks like you've started young George at the right age :D
Best of luck and as the Roux brother used to say "Appi Cookin"
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby JEC » 18 Apr 2012, 05:59

Nice! Sorry you feel a little let down on the quality, mine had a small, and I mean small rough patch just inside the chimney but once I'd fired it up it completely disappeared to the naked eye. If you are bothered give them a call and tell them, they will probably exchange it, the mini that I saw at Cadbury's garden centre just outside portishead was perfect so this could be a one off?!
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Hinge update

Postby bencops » 18 Apr 2012, 08:59

A few more photos and excruciating hinge detail.

This is it with the vent on. I calibrated the thermometer, it was 10 degrees out, but a twist of the nut changed that. (My 60 dollar aftermarket 3" tel tru I drilled into my WSM is 8 degrees out and there's no way of calibrating that.).
Image
IMG_5737 by Copsey, on Flickr

This is top down so you can see how the hinge is laid out. Rear hinge is on the left, on the bottom is the tightening screws for the bands, and on the top is the side part of the hinge.
Image
IMG_5743 by Copsey, on Flickr

This is the side view - rear hinge on the right with the side hinge centre frame. The side hinge positions the top of the lid and stops it opening too far. The slots in the mechanism allow you to adjust the fore/rear position of the lid.
Image
IMG_5738 by Copsey, on Flickr

Half way open
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IMG_5739 by Copsey, on Flickr

Fully open. A reasonably complicated hinge!
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IMG_5740 by Copsey, on Flickr

Problem is, with the positioning hinge on one side only, and the rear hinge having so many degrees of freedom, the lid can shift left and right with no problem. In fact when you close it it tends to close slightly away from side hinge.
Here's how it wants to close
Image
IMG_5741 by Copsey, on Flickr

And you have to shift it to the proper position
Image
IMG_5742 by Copsey, on Flickr
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby keith157 » 18 Apr 2012, 09:25

Do you think this is generic to this mini type of ceramic or a Monday morning build? Hopefully it won't cause any major problems for you.
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby bencops » 18 Apr 2012, 09:34

I do think its just the design, rather than the build quality, but I will phone BGE UK (alfresco) and ask.

It won't cause any problem, I just wish it had hinge on both sides.
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby JEC » 18 Apr 2012, 10:12

Some of the hinges can be a touch frustrating, give alfresco a call a quick chat with their "Egg Technician" should get you sorted
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Re: Big Green Egg Mini - unboxing!

Postby KamadoSimon » 18 Apr 2012, 10:30

This post is not helping me resist buying one of these.... !!!! :D

I do think a lot of my fast grills could be done on one of these rather than the KJ.
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Platesetter?

Postby bencops » 18 Apr 2012, 18:30

With no platesetter available for the mini, I've been trying to think about how to take the direct heat off a roasting chicken in here. Then I remembered this le creuset gratin I had, just the right size with handles that suspend it above the fire. No need for a "mini woo".
Image
IMG_0888 by Copsey, on Flickr


Think it'll crack?
Image
IMG_0889 by Copsey, on Flickr
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