I’ve had the Large Big Green Egg for almost 5 years now. Since I bought my first egg, they’ve expanded their line-up of sizes. We got Hunter a MiniMax Big Green Egg for his first birthday, but let’s be honest, it was really an excuse for me to try and review out a new grill!
How many 1-year-olds get a Big Green Egg for their first birthday? He’s spoiled already!
My husband Scott was skeptical at first by the grill’s size. He thought we wouldn’t be able to do much on it. Big Green Eggs now come in 7 sizes, starting with the Mini all the way up to the XXLarge.
While you can roast an entire pig on the XXL Big Green Egg, the Mini is really a 1-2 person picnic/portable grill. The MiniMax, second smallest in the lineup, is the perfect size for ultimate flexibility.
While the grill surface area is enough to grill for 4 people or smoke a rack of ribs, what I enjoy about its size is that it’s easy to tote around with two people. It comes in its own carrier, and two people can easily carry it- one person per handle.
This makes it super easy to take with you to a tailgate, pool party, or to a friend’s house who wants to have the “Eggsperience”.
Not so mini on the inside!
I was a little skeptical of the surface area for cooking at first, but it’s really the perfect size for a night with just my husband Scott and I. We could also easily fit enough food on the grill for us and 2 more people.
We’ve enjoyed carrying this grill out to the edge of the patio where it meets the yard and sitting around it while grilling, much like you would around a campfire. When given the choice of using this or the large BGE lately, if it’s just the two of us, it just makes sense to use the MiniMax. Why?
Because of its smaller size, the charcoal is ready faster. This is an awesome benefit for weeknight grilling when we want to use a grill that can get going faster than the large BGE!
A video posted by GrillGirlRobyn (@grillgirlrobyn) on
While the MiniMax is smaller, it still is proportionally sized for grilling perfection. The coals are not too close to the meat. Everything is just as it should be.
It comes with a plate setter so you can make pizzas, do some baking or even smoke a rack of ribs. Again, the idea is that you can have your (insert favorite activity here) and eat it too because the MiniMax is portable.
An example of a perfect use for the MiniMax BGE is my friends who moved from Hollywood, FL to the big city, Brooklyn. They have been spoiled by cooking on a BGE and got a MiniMax to put on their now very small apartment patio.
Hunter is one lucky toddler to get his first BGE at the age of 1!
Powerful and portable
In summary of my Big Green Egg MiniMax review, I highly recommend the MiniMax for anyone who is looking for the BGE experience but is looking for portability. It’s a good choice for someone who is looking for the “Eggsperience” but may not be looking to smoke large quantities of meat.
With the MiniMax, you can grill for up to 4 people at a time. You can grill a whole spatchcocked chicken, bake a small to medium-ish sized pizza, or even do a rack of ribs.
If you’re looking to learn more about the BGE Lifestyle but don’t have the budget for a large or XL or you’re only cooking for 2 people, then the MiniMax is a great grill for you.
You may want to eventually purchase a bigger one as all Eggheads like to add onto their Egg family. As you’ll see, there is something kind of addicting about the grill itself. It explains why their loyal followers are called “Eggheads”. It truly is a lifestyle.
The Big Green Egg Line Up- there is a size for everyone!
The MiniMax Big Green Egg Retails for $549- you can purchase at your local Big Green Egg Dealer. For full specs on size and surface area, check out the Minimax on the BGE Website.
Nice review and confirmation of my suspicions about the MiniMax’s position in the BGE hierarchy. Given the weight of the BGEs (the big ones are back breakers – several backs!) the MiniMax does seem to hit the perfect middle ground for decent cooking space and practical portability. Hunter seems to agree 🙂
Hi Steve, my husband was extremely skeptical about this grill but believe it or not it cooks as well as a larger size and you can grill about 4 full size steaks on here. It also takes less time to heat up and what is nice is that we can easily lift it!