I am in the final planning stages of an ODK and incoprporating a Large Big Green Egg. The maximum diameter of the egg with the top closed is 21 inches. With the top open it is approximately 24 inches with the hinge. There will be a fixed wall behind the egg. For those who have incorpotated and egg with either a fixed wall behind it or a raised counter or bar behind the egg, what counter depth did you build?

You need 15-18 in clearance behind it. I have used them and am not a fan. The top is too heavy for my tastes, even with the spring assist. My wife hated it for that reason alone. But the food was fine.

Thanks for the reply. I have had my egg for a long time and love it. The top is heavy but for both smoking and grilling it's an excellent cooker. My wife is a bit intimidated by it as well. Therefore we still have the gas grill.
Nearly 2 feet behind it seems like a lot.

I would love a Kamado. Please post some pics when you get it installed!

Look at this website for some ideas, http://www.nakedwhiz.com/TableGallery/tables.htm
Build it so the counter is a few inches below the rim so you don't have to worry about opening and closing dimensions. Good luck

another idea is to make it open to the side. that way you could put it wherever. Just loosen the bands and rotate the entire top assembly 90 deg.

I bought the biggest Kamado and had nothing but bad experiences from the Kamado company. My Kamado has basically fallen apart; the top has actually broken in two, the damper at the top has cracked, the lift springs have gone and 25% of the tiles have fallen off and the rest are on their way. The lifetime warranty is useless as they refuse to respond to emails, phone calls and seem to spend all their energies deleting any comment on their forum that is any way negative.

Richard Johnson from Kamado always criticises the Big Green Egg (and any similar design) but based on my experience his is not necessarily the advice to follow.

Sounds like that has not been fun. I have heard that about the "Kamado Company". I was using the work Kamado generically (i should not have capitalized it)...it there a better generic term that does not point at that company.

I went back and forth on whether or not to have my bubba keg built in and finally opted to just have a raised section to set it on. That way when the bubba keg needs to be replaced if I decide on a BGE or something else I won't have to worry about the fit and tering things out which can get expensive. Another thing the I didn't like the thought of was how do you get the ashes out and if it is built in would it affect the airflow to the bottom vent.

Check out the thread Let the build begin. That is my outdoor kitchen.

http://www.troublefreepool.com/let-the-build-begin-t36668.html

This thread got me thinking about my dead Kamado and I stumbled across http://www.kamadofraudforum.org that plots the demise of the Kamado company, the people who paid money for nothing and the people who bought something that failed. However, they do seem to recommend very highly http://komodokamado.com/

The items look similar but appear to be well made and have proper customer service. I am now wondering how to haul mine into the dumpster.

In fact I think that most of this type of smoker are good, I just picked the wrong one.

The concept is great and when they are working you get a moistness and flavour that is hard to replicate on other grills.