Big Green Egg MiniMax review
Published 27 October 2026 · Last updated 5 November 2026 · By Ben Austen · Affiliate disclosure
Big Green Egg MiniMax
A five-bone rib of beef fitted on my sister Kate’s Big Green Egg MiniMax with room to spare. Her deflector was broken, so I cooked it direct with the bones underneath as a shield, in heavy rain, for nearly two hours. The night before I’d done sausages and venison loin on it.
The short version
For lots of people, I think the MiniMax would be really good, and I’d give it 9 out of 10. It does one thing at a time, so it suits a centrepiece: cook one and you could feed up to eight, and I’d absolutely do pulled pork for eight on it. You can’t do lots of chicken thighs or burgers at once. I’d still buy the Large myself, because I cook quite a lot. The hinge and gasket are the same as on my Large, so the hinge is fine but not super smooth, and the gasket isn’t as good as some others. There’s not a lot of downside.
It’s great in the weather. On the first night it was pouring down, and with the top vent nearly shut to keep the rain out, it still held 220°C (428°F) really well. It’s not as heavy as the bigger Eggs, and it comes in a Carrier with two handles, so you can move it around, which is very useful. It’s also a lot cheaper, at £925 with the Carrier against £1,495 for a Large on its own.
Pizzas will be small on its 33cm (13in) grid, and Big Green Egg only makes its rotisserie for the Large and XL. If you want a small kamado for less, the Kamado Joe Jr is £499 on its stand, which is £426 cheaper, and its grid is a little bigger.
Key takeaways
- I’d give the MiniMax 9 out of 10, though I’d still buy the Large myself because I cook quite a lot.
- A five-bone rib of beef fitted on the grid with room to spare. Cook a centrepiece and you could feed up to eight.
- It isn’t for big batches of chicken thighs or burgers, and pizzas will be small.
- In heavy rain, with the top vent nearly shut, it held 220°C (428°F).
- It’s £925 with the Carrier, which has two handles, so you can move it around. A cover isn’t in the box.
- The Kamado Joe Jr is £426 cheaper with a slightly bigger grid.
- I’d skip Big Green Egg’s £140 MiniMax Pizza Pack.
Big Green Egg MiniMax dimensions and specs
| Price | £925, Carrier included |
|---|---|
| Cooking grid | 33cm (13in) |
| Height | 50cm (19.5in) |
| Width, with hinge and handle | 40cm (15in) |
| Weight | 40kg (90lbs), Big Green Egg UK’s figure |
| Feeds | Big Green Egg says 1 to 4 people. I’d say up to eight with a centrepiece |
| In the box | Carrier, ConvEGGtor, firebox, fire ring and grate, stainless steel grid, rEGGulator cap, dome thermometer |
| Stand | Foldable Stand, £190 extra |
| My cooks on it | Two, 23 and 24 October 2026 |
| My rating | 9/10 |
Who this is for, and who this isn’t
If you mostly cook for your family, with a bigger cook for friends now and then, I’d look at the MiniMax. It suits one centrepiece on the grid. A five-bone rib of beef fitted with room to spare, I’d do pulled pork for eight on it, and pizza works, though it’ll be small. It’s also the one to look at if you want to move your Egg about, say if you go on holiday in a camper van or a caravan. You can do that with this in a way you can’t with the Large and above. It’s not as heavy as the others and the Carrier has two handles, but go carefully, because if the ceramic cracks you’re in a lot of trouble.
If you want to cook burgers for 20, don’t buy it, because it’ll be a disaster. The same goes for big batches of chicken thighs, or anything else where you need a lot of food on the grid at once. If you cook as often as I do, I’d get the Large. And if you want a rotisserie, Big Green Egg only makes its own for the Large and XL.
What I’ve cooked on it
Friday 23 October 2026: sausages, onions and venison loin
Storm Austen was raging. I lit about 1.5kg of Big Green Egg’s Oak & Hickory lump with one firelighter, and it was up to temperature in ten minutes, maybe less. With the rain coming in, I kept the bottom vent fully open and the top nearly shut, and it held about 220°C (428°F) as the food went on. I don’t think I could have got it much hotter, because I couldn’t open the top.
Sausages went on first, then whole onions in their skins, then four pieces of wild venison loin from Graves in Briston, with just salt, pepper and a little oil. The two thin ends came off after six or seven minutes at about 56–57°C (133–135°F), and the thicker pieces after about nine minutes at 56°C (133°F). They rested for ten minutes with butter and thyme. The sweet potato and fennel went in the oven, because on a MiniMax there was no room.
Saturday 24 October 2026: five-bone rib of beef
The next day it was pouring down again. The deflector was broken, so I put the 3.3kg rib on direct, bones down, and used them as the shield. The bones burnt, but that was the plan, and I took the meat off them before carving. The fire was Big Green Egg lump with two big sticks of Kate’s binchotan on top. The binchotan takes so long to get going that it’s not one I’d use for low-and-slow, and the lump was way quicker. With the lid down in the rain the Egg sat at about 180°C (356°F), and even with the vents fully open it couldn’t really get above 220°C (428°F).
It went on at about quarter to five and came off nearly two hours later at 52°C (126°F). After an hour’s rest in foil it was at 60°C (140°F), which was medium. Next time I’d pull it a couple of degrees earlier, for rarer, but it was still delicious, and it fed six easily with a load left over. The full cook is in my rib of beef recipe.
Pros and cons
Pros
- It was up to temperature in ten minutes, maybe less, with Big Green Egg’s own lump.
- It held about 220°C (428°F) in heavy rain with the top vent nearly shut.
- A five-bone rib of beef fitted with room to spare.
- It’s light enough to move about, with two handles on the Carrier, so you could take it away in a camper van or caravan.
- It’s £925 with the Carrier, against £1,495 for a Large on its own.
Cons
- It cooks one thing at a time, so it’s no good for burgers for 20 or big batches of chicken thighs.
- Pizzas will be small on the 33cm (13in) grid.
- The hinge is fine but not super smooth, the same as on my Large.
- The gasket isn’t as good as on some other kamados.
- A cover isn’t in the box, and the Foldable Stand is £190 extra.
- Big Green Egg doesn’t make its rotisserie for the MiniMax, only the Large and XL.
Setup and first impressions
I’ve had my Large since Christmas, so I knew what a Big Green Egg is, but I was surprised by how big the MiniMax was. I thought it would be smaller. The one I used sits in its Carrier on Big Green Egg’s Foldable Stand, which I thought was really good, and we could move it around. I was impressed.
In the box you get the Egg, the Carrier, a ConvEGGtor (ceramic deflector), the firebox, fire ring and grate, a stainless steel grid, the rEGGulator cap on top and a Tel-Tru dome thermometer. The Foldable Stand is £190 extra, and Big Green Egg’s IntEGGrated Nest, its stand on wheels, isn’t made for the MiniMax.
Temperature control and fuel
Light it with one firelighter in the middle of the lump charcoal, and after a minute or two shut the lid, with the top and bottom vents as open as they’ll go. That’s so much better than leaving the lid open. With Big Green Egg’s own lump, it was up to temperature in ten minutes, maybe less.
The vents are smaller than on my Large, so you have to move them a different amount, and the chimney’s smaller too. I think you probably open it more than you’re used to. Both nights the storm kept it to about 220°C (428°F) at most, which was absolutely fine for the venison and the beef.
I put too much charcoal in, so the grid was sitting right on top of it. About two thirds of the 1.5kg was still there the next day, after the venison, so next time I’d put less in.
Build quality and what it’s like to live with
The hinge is the same as on my Large, fine but not super smooth, and the gasket looks fine but isn’t as good as on some other kamados.
The ConvEGGtor was broken, so I didn’t get to use one. I don’t know how it broke, and a replacement for the MiniMax is £80.
It’s not as heavy as the bigger Eggs, but it’s still ceramic, so move it carefully. A cover isn’t in the box either. One owner, reviewing it on Big Green Egg’s own site, said it “was a shame that it doesn’t come with any cover given the price paid and weight”. The cover for the MiniMax in its Carrier is £62, and the one for the Foldable Stand is £83.
Comparison with the obvious alternatives
Big Green Egg MiniMax vs Large
I’ve cooked on my Big Green Egg Large more than 35 times, so this is the comparison I can actually make. Apart from the vents, it cooks like my Large. The MiniMax’s vents and chimney are smaller, so you move them a different amount, and it gets up to temperature quicker. The difference is room. The Large takes several things at once, and the MiniMax takes one centrepiece.
| MiniMax | Large | |
|---|---|---|
| Price at Big Green Egg UK | £925, with the Carrier | £1,495, the Egg on its own |
| Cooking grid | 33cm (13in) | 46cm (18in) |
| Big Green Egg’s stand on wheels | Not made for it | Yes, the IntEGGrated Nest |
| Big Green Egg rotisserie | Not made for it | Yes |
| My cooks on it | Two | More than 35, on mine |
Would I switch? No. I’d still buy the Large, because I cook quite a lot. If you’re not sure which size you need, my guide to the Big Green Egg sizes goes through all three.
Big Green Egg MiniMax vs Small
Big Green Egg UK doesn’t sell the Small, so in the UK the MiniMax is the smallest Egg you can buy. On Big Green Egg’s US figures, the two have the same grid and cooking area. I haven’t cooked on a Small, so I can’t tell you more than the numbers.
| MiniMax | Small | |
|---|---|---|
| Cooking grid | 33cm (13in) | 33cm (13in) |
| Cooking area (Big Green Egg US) | 855cm² (133sq in) | 856cm² (133sq in) |
| Sold by Big Green Egg UK | Yes, £925 | No |
Would I switch? There’s nothing to switch to in the UK. The MiniMax is the one you can buy here.
Big Green Egg MiniMax vs Kamado Joe Jr
I haven’t cooked on a Kamado Joe Jr, so I can’t tell you how it cooks. On paper it’s £426 cheaper, comparing the Jr on its stand with the MiniMax in its Carrier, and its grid is a little bigger. Derek Adams at T3, who has cooked on one, found it heavy to carry.
| MiniMax | Kamado Joe Jr | |
|---|---|---|
| UK price | £925, with the Carrier | £499, with its cast-iron stand |
| Cooking grid | 33cm (13in) | 34.3cm (13.5in) |
| Cover | Not included, £62 | Not included, £44.99 |
| Have I cooked on it? | Yes, twice | No |
If price matters most to you, it’s the one to look at. My Big Green Egg vs Kamado Joe comparison covers the two brands at the bigger size.
Where to buy a Big Green Egg MiniMax in the UK
How much is a Big Green Egg MiniMax?
The Big Green Egg MiniMax price at Big Green Egg UK is £925, and that includes the Carrier, the ConvEGGtor and standard delivery. For a Big Green Egg MiniMax stand, Big Green Egg sells the Foldable Stand at £190, which takes a MiniMax on a stand to £1,115. I thought the one I used was really good.
Accessories: what you actually need vs what Big Green Egg sells
I’d buy a cover, because one isn’t in the box. It’s £62 for the MiniMax in its Carrier, or £83 if it’s on the Foldable Stand. If your ConvEGGtor breaks, a replacement is £80.
I’d skip the £140 MiniMax Pizza Pack. You can do pizza on it, but it’ll be small.
What I’d do differently if I were buying today
I’d still get the Large for myself. If I were buying a MiniMax, I’d get a cover with it, skip the Pizza Pack and put less charcoal in than I did.
Disclosure
The MiniMax I cooked on is my sister Kate’s, which she got through her work with Big Green Egg, and so was the bag of lump charcoal. I paid for the meat. Smoke and Lump has no commercial relationship with Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe and earns nothing from this page. Everything about the Kamado Joe Jr comes from Kamado Joe UK and from Derek Adams at T3, and I checked every price in October 2026. I read Big Green Egg UK’s accessory prices, and which accessories fit the MiniMax, again on 5 November 2026.
Final verdict and rating
Is the Big Green Egg MiniMax worth it?
Yes, if you cook one centrepiece at a time, or if you’re cooking for two of you, and I’d give it 9 out of 10. It held 220°C (428°F) in a storm, it was absolutely fine for the venison and the beef, and you can move it about in a way you can’t with the Large. Both my cooks were hot and direct, and I haven’t done a long, low cook on it yet, but I’d absolutely trust it with one. If you cook as often as I do, or you want to feed 20 at once, get the Large instead.