Grill suggestions

[Graham]

We need to purchase a new grill.  The one we have is about six years old, but in all honesty it probably should have been retired last year.

We are going to go with a gas grill, only because it takes a while for a charcoal one to warm up.  There is a local hardware place that has some Weber grills from last year on sale, and we are leaning towards one of those, but wanted to get some suggestions if there are other grills we should look at.

I think we are looking at about three burners and porcelain-enameled cast-iron grates.  We usually grill for ourselves, but we occasionally have others over and grill when they are around.

[Zekester]

Had a chance to use one of these last summer, and really liked it. Unfortunately they may not make it anymore.

[gellar]

When I was trying to decide between a gas grill and a ceramic smoker, I was fairly well convinced that the Weber Genesis was the way to go.  Ultimately I gave up on the gas grill stuff since they just don't seem to last beyond 5 years no matter which one you buy.

[Ironrod]

I got a Weber Genesis a few years ago and have never regretted paying top dollar for it. Previously, I had a Thermos and a Char-Broil. Weber really does make the best grills, but you can save $hundreds by going with an inferior make if you don't mind replacing them every 5 years or so. My Weber's still like-new after 3 years of sitting out in the weather.

[Scuzz]

I had no idea gas grills had such limited life spans. Are we talking extreme weather conditions or just age and outdoors?

[Z-Corn]

Don't settle for anything less than a Weber and be sure to lay out the extra $50 for a proper sized Weber cover.  The cover will extend the life of your grill dramatically...

[JCC]

Buy a Weber and keep it covered and it should last you well over a decade.

[Devil]

I've had a Weber for about 10 years. I cover it, but leave it outside through New England winters.

Works as good as new.

[Rowdy]

3 year old Weber Genesis, sits on my deck in it's Weber cover for 7 months of Edmonton winter every year (-30) and works great every summer.  The electric starter only lasted 2 months, but that's how it usually goes.

[Roman]

Weber. Nothing more and nothing less.

[Boudreaux]

Keep in mind that typically what wears out on gas grills is the burner assembly and igniter, down inside the grill.  The shell and grates are typically nigh-indestructible.  I don't know about the fancy higher-end Webers, but most mid-range grills typically have replaceable parts, which is much cheaper than buying a whole new grill.  I've had a Char-Broil gas grill for 7-8 years now, and a good cleaning and new $20 burner assembly every few years puts the thing back in like-new condition. 

[Ironrod]

I had no idea gas grills had such limited life spans. Are we talking extreme weather conditions or just age and outdoors?

Cheap ones only use stainless steel as a thin veneer over cheap sheet metal. Typically the carriage/frame and bolts rot away pretty quickly. Internal parts can be replaced, as someone else noted.

I'll second the advice about getting the proper cover. I bought a cheap generic one, and the wind shredded it this winter. I will be replacing it with a proper Weber cover in the fall.

[Daehawk]

I came in here to suggest a Big Green Egg and then i see no charcoal. how rude If it must be gas then Weber. Just remember they are expensive. You get what you pay for in a Weber.

[CeeKay]

I got a gas grill for you Graham 

[GuidoTKP]

Can't go wrong with a Weber Genesis, if you're going gas.

[WorkingMike]

The Weber Performer is a gas ignition charcoal grill. You fire it up, let the charcoal heat up for about 10 minutes and you're good to go.

[Zinfan]

I have a Weber Genesis Silver A that works quite well even with the lack of care I give it.  One day I'm going to buy a Big Green Egg but I need to get rid of some stuff so I have room to use it.

[mytocles]

I've had cheap gas grills most of my adult life, but finally bit the bullet and bought a more expensive one last year.  I hadn't bothered before that since I was never happy with how they grilled meat.  I like my steak charred but very rare - cheap gas grills wouldn't produce that unless the steak was 2 or more inches thick.  Plus, when I switched to something fatty like ribs or chicken, I couldn't get the fire to stay low enough, so chicken pieces and thick chops were a disaster.

I went to my sister's house one day - they had just gotten a more expensive (but still moderately priced) grill from Costco - and that's when I learned about "searing burners" and when I finally tasted a decent gas-grilled steak.  Since my brother-in-law had just put theirs together and is a super nice guy to boot, they offered to get one for me from Costco and put it together.  Since then, whenever I grill steaks, I cook everyone else's on the regular part of the burners, and mine on the searing section.  I'm in heaven now, moo-oo!

Btw, I've read a lot of bad reviews about them since - though I love mine and will gladly buy another under the same circumstances, especially the delivery-and-assembly, lol.  It's a Nexgrill which cost $400; it included a searing burner, rotisserie kit, side burner, upper rack, side shelves and cabinet.  In however-many years it takes to conk out, I'll check out others, but for now at least, I'm happy with it.  It should last awhile - I've never had a gas grill exterior that didn't last ten years, uncovered, through sun, rain, and New England winters.  I've replaced a few interior parts here and there, but nothing major. 

It did cost me some Samuel Smith ale, for the assembly, of course... but my sister even brought steaks to "get us started," so it was a great day!

 

[kratz]

That weber performer is intriguing... I love cooking on charcoal, but warmup times are a pain at times... you've used one, mike?  Does it work as advertised?  Doesn't flavor the food?  You turn the gas off once it's going?

[WorkingMike]

I haven't used one yet, although it's looking like this summer will be a new grill for me. I'm seriously leaning towards the Performer over the Big Green Egg, both for price and ease of use. My buddy up north got his Performer last year and has been raving about it, so i'll ask him some specifics and get back with ya. He's a die hard charcoal grill guy, probably grills 200 nights out of the year during rain, sleet or snow, so his opinion carries alot of weight with me on this.

[gellar]

I have a Big Green Egg and wouldn't trade it for the world.  It does take a bit of cleaning/maintenance (a shop vac is quite handy) to keep the vents clear so you can get reasonably good lighting times, but with good charcoal and clean vents, I can go from zero to blazing-fucking-inferno in about 20-30 mins, which is good enough for me.  If I'm doing anything but steaks (so in the 400 deg range), the light time is closer to 15 mins.

However if all you are going to do is grilling and not smoking, the BGE is overkill and underutilized.

In regards to the Performer... I'm really not sure how a gas starter helps unless you are using briquettes rather than lump charcoal.  And if you're doing that, you've already failed.

[raydude]

The Weber Performer is a gas ignition charcoal grill. You fire it up, let the charcoal heat up for about 10 minutes and you're good to go.

I have a Weber One-Touch charcoal grill. Using a chimney starter and lump charcoal I get the same results - charcoal ready to go - in 15 minutes. I had thought about going to gas grilling when I saw how well it worked for my friend about 6 years go. Fortunately another friend of mine introduced me to the chimney starter and I've stayed a charcoal man ever since.

[WorkingMike]

So the wife bought the Weber Performer for me, sort of a belated housewarming/birthday thing. So far I love it! It uses a small propane canister to light the charcoal, burns about 5 minutes and the coals are ready for anything but steak in about 20 minutes. No problem lighting lump charcoal at all. The grate is hinged so you can add more fuel if need be. I had it up to about 500 for searing steaks...could probably get higher if I move the charcoal up closer to the grate.

I've got a Smokenator coming today, so I'm looking forward to trying that one out. I might also step up to some iron grates from Craycort.

Thus far I give it 2 BIG thumbs up....it's not a BGE, but it was signifigantly cheaper and works incredibly well.

[Roman]

you can't go wrong with Weber.

[leo8877]

I got a Weber recently and I LOVE IT!

[wonderpug]

The Weber Performer is a gas ignition charcoal grill. You fire it up, let the charcoal heat up for about 10 minutes and you're good to go.

I have a Weber One-Touch charcoal grill. Using a chimney starter and lump charcoal I get the same results - charcoal ready to go - in 15 minutes. I had thought about going to gas grilling when I saw how well it worked for my friend about 6 years go. Fortunately another friend of mine introduced me to the chimney starter and I've stayed a charcoal man ever since.

I grew up using a chimney starter for charcoal grilling so that's all I know--what other way do people do it?

[Roman]

I had a Weber Silver Genesis B for years- and foolishly decided that I wanted a Tim Taylor type BBQ. So I sold it an moved to a Vermont Castings 5 burner model. http://vermontcastings.com/family/Grills/501-Series/

While it looks nice it does can't hold a candle to the Weber. However the comparable model from Weber was also about $1k more..... so I settled. It does have light up dials and an LED light for night grilling though  

[th'FOOL]

All you people who use gas for grilling are dead to me. There's just no comparison to charcoal/wood.

[Misguided]

All you people who use gas for grilling are dead to me. There's just no comparison to charcoal/wood.

Pfft. Tell that to my salamander grill.

[Xmann]

Ya i've been using charcoal for 2 years and won't ever go back to gas.   Bought a chimney to get my coals lite and in 10 minutes i'm grilling.    Everyone i have talked to hates a charcoal grill because of the "perceived" effort it takes to light the coals.   I tell them to go buy a $10 chimney and all lighting problems are a thing of the past.

[Grimwar]

Ya i've been using charcoal for 2 years and won't ever go back to gas.   Bought a chimney to get my coals lite and in 10 minutes i'm grilling.    Everyone i have talked to hates a charcoal grill because of the "perceived" effort it takes to light the coals.   I tell them to go buy a $10 chimney and all lighting problems are a thing of the past.

I will second what Xmann said.  Chimneys make charcoal grills very easy to get going.  I have always preferred charcoal to gas for taste alone.  Gas grills leave a taste on the meat I do not like.  Plus, charcoal grills are so much easier on the wallet.  For me, paying a higher price for a gas grill just is not worth it.  A good charcoal grill is going to have a can for the ashes, so disposal is easy if you are worried about that and coupled with the chimney you really can not go wrong.  If you do go charcoal, Weber is still the brand of choice. 

But, if you do go gas, the Weber Genesis others have suggested is the way to go.

[ibdoomed]

Ya i've been using charcoal for 2 years and won't ever go back to gas.   Bought a chimney to get my coals lite and in 10 minutes i'm grilling.    Everyone i have talked to hates a charcoal grill because of the "perceived" effort it takes to light the coals.   I tell them to go buy a $10 chimney and all lighting problems are a thing of the past.

I will second what Xmann said.  Chimneys make charcoal grills very easy to get going.  I have always preferred charcoal to gas for taste alone.  Gas grills leave a taste on the meat I do not like.  Plus, charcoal grills are so much easier on the wallet.  For me, paying a higher price for a gas grill just is not worth it.  A good charcoal grill is going to have a can for the ashes, so disposal is easy if you are worried about that and coupled with the chimney you really can not go wrong.  If you do go charcoal, Weber is still the brand of choice. 

But, if you do go gas, the Weber Genesis others have suggested is the way to go.

I like my natural gas + wood chips. I don't notice any unusual tastes, maybe that's just propane?

[Scuzz]

That weber performer is intriguing... I love cooking on charcoal, but warmup times are a pain at times... you've used one, mike?  Does it work as advertised?  Doesn't flavor the food?  You turn the gas off once it's going?

There are bricketts out there now called "compitition bricketts" or something like that made by Kingsford and sold at Costco that are ready much quicker than regular bricketts.

[heloder]

Briquette.

[Scuzz]

Briquette.

I knew someone would comment on my inability to spell briquette.