OT: New Grill
- Thread starter RUTN4NU
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Any reason you are only looking at gas? Have you ever cooked on anything else? How many people do you plan to cook for is probably your starting point, price is the other. I've had good luck with the higher end webers, but watch some video on a charcoal kettle, you won't be disappointed in price or quality of meat in the end.
PS if you buy gas, look into Grill Grates, excellent for any grill
PS if you buy gas, look into Grill Grates, excellent for any grill
For my gas grilling, I have a Vermont Castings Grilll hooked up to the natural gas line of my house and I love it. I have used it over 100 times a year for the past five years and it shows no signs of needing replaced.
Years ago the missus and I were walking dinner off on a stroll through our neighborhood. Gentleman was throwing his old grill away and asked if we wanted it. It was an old school Kenmore with very thick steel. It had seen better days. No handle to open the lid. Plastic wheels were chipped away down to the hub. But the guy threw in the tank.
Well, I took him up on his offer. He dropped it off at our place in his pickup. I hand sanded all the peeling paint, inside and out. Painted it with hi-temp paint, chrome paint on the cart. Bought some rubber wheels that I got from the Sears parts center. I attached them with some inexpensive hardware I got from the hardware store. Cut the end off a broom handle, drilled a hole through the side near one end and fastened it with a bolt and nut. Gutted and replaced the burners and grills with new ones.
Total cost was under $100 and it is built like a tank and still running strong after 15 years.
Well, I took him up on his offer. He dropped it off at our place in his pickup. I hand sanded all the peeling paint, inside and out. Painted it with hi-temp paint, chrome paint on the cart. Bought some rubber wheels that I got from the Sears parts center. I attached them with some inexpensive hardware I got from the hardware store. Cut the end off a broom handle, drilled a hole through the side near one end and fastened it with a bolt and nut. Gutted and replaced the burners and grills with new ones.
Total cost was under $100 and it is built like a tank and still running strong after 15 years.
Main reason for gas is time. I'd be grilling for my wife, 2 kids, and myself. My two kids are currently 5 and 2.
I got the Daniel Boone pellet grill last summer and I love it. Set the temp and don't worry, plus great flavor. I got it at BIG Meats in Omaha. It was cheaper than other places and had free assembly.
http://greenmountaingrills.com/promo/
http://greenmountaingrills.com/promo/
16 years ago I wanted a better grill and all I knew about was gas. My wife said buy a good one because this will be the last one you buy. I said O.K. and brought the biggest and best one I could find. (At the time) It was a Sam's Club / Members Mark special buy and I don't think they make them like this anymore. Here it is at 12 years old and it looks just about the same today.
Things I love about this grill and if your set on a gas BBQ then these are the things I'd be looking for.
1. Heavy S.S. construction.
2. 2 large fold-up shelves.
3. Large / high BTU side burner.
4. 3 grilling burners all with separate controls.
5. Under each burner are ceramic plates to vaporize the grease drippings.
6. A separate vertical IR burner in the back of the unit for rotisserie cooking.
7. A separate burner and tray for adding wood chips for adding smoke flavor.
8. Lots of storage for BBQ accessories.
Now if you're open to a charcoal grill then I'd recommend a Kamado. Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Primo, etc.. are all manufacturers of kamados. They would be my choice of BBQ if I could only have one. I own a Primo XL Oval and they can do just about any kind of cooking / BBQ'ing there is. You can grill anything on them. (Chicken, burgers, steaks, paella, etc..) You can use them like an oven. (I've cooked pizza, turkey, bread, cake, pie, chili, stew, etc.. on it) And you can use them as a Low-N-Slow smoker. (I've cooked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, pastrami, etc..) Here's some pics of it in action.
Chicken for 20.
2 lb. Porter House
Christmas Turkey
Ribs
[url=https://flic.kr/p/C8N8Hx]
Bacon
[url=https://flic.kr/p/wvX2vS]
Paella
Apple pie.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/pcrQeM]
This I just a tiny example of what you can do with a kamado. If you want more information head over to kamadoguru.com and you'll see much more.
Good luck with what ever you choose.[/url][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/tbCLGs][url=https://flic.kr/p/pcrQeM][/url][/url][/url]
Things I love about this grill and if your set on a gas BBQ then these are the things I'd be looking for.
1. Heavy S.S. construction.
2. 2 large fold-up shelves.
3. Large / high BTU side burner.
4. 3 grilling burners all with separate controls.
5. Under each burner are ceramic plates to vaporize the grease drippings.
6. A separate vertical IR burner in the back of the unit for rotisserie cooking.
7. A separate burner and tray for adding wood chips for adding smoke flavor.
8. Lots of storage for BBQ accessories.
Now if you're open to a charcoal grill then I'd recommend a Kamado. Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Primo, etc.. are all manufacturers of kamados. They would be my choice of BBQ if I could only have one. I own a Primo XL Oval and they can do just about any kind of cooking / BBQ'ing there is. You can grill anything on them. (Chicken, burgers, steaks, paella, etc..) You can use them like an oven. (I've cooked pizza, turkey, bread, cake, pie, chili, stew, etc.. on it) And you can use them as a Low-N-Slow smoker. (I've cooked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, pastrami, etc..) Here's some pics of it in action.
Chicken for 20.
2 lb. Porter House
Christmas Turkey
Ribs
[url=https://flic.kr/p/C8N8Hx]
Bacon
[url=https://flic.kr/p/wvX2vS]
Paella
Apple pie.
[url=https://flic.kr/p/pcrQeM]
This I just a tiny example of what you can do with a kamado. If you want more information head over to kamadoguru.com and you'll see much more.
Good luck with what ever you choose.[/url][/url][url=https://flic.kr/p/tbCLGs][url=https://flic.kr/p/pcrQeM][/url][/url][/url]
I love your passion DH, but some of that stuff is ridiculous. I use my grill to... *drumroll*... grill. Baking and stovetop cooking I use my kitchen stove. To have to move a lot of stuff out to the patio and back seems like a lot of effort for nothing. Just to say you used a grill. I love to cook, but the stove (oven/burners) are next to the refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, trash can, pantry. Do you just spend time trying to figure out another excuse to use your grill? Is it a macho thing so you can tell people that you made a pie with the grill? Please don't take offense. What is your reasoning? (Your food looks delicious BTW)
I always had a gas grill based on the "time" issue also. Three years ago I asked for a Weber kettle for my birthday, basically just to use now and then for fun. I realize taste preferences vary, but it didn't take long for me to ditch the old gas grill and go with charcoal 100%. I just think everything tastes better. It takes 15-20 minutes max for me to get the charcoal going, using a chimney and the paraffin starter cubes. The best thing I've found is it doesn't get the flareups like a gas grill, I never burn stuff, and I don't have to babysit it like I did with gas. Now, I definitely admit I never had a high end gas grill. And now I never will. I've got a buddy with a Green Egg, that's where I'm headed in a few years!
16 years ago I wanted a better grill and all I knew about was gas. My wife said buy a good one because this will be the last one you buy. I said O.K. and brought the biggest and best one I could find. (At the time) It was a Sam's Club / Members Mark special buy and I don't think they make them like this anymore. Here it is at 12 years old and it looks just about the same today.
Things I love about this grill and if your set on a gas BBQ then these are the things I'd be looking for.
1. Heavy S.S. construction.
2. 2 large fold-up shelves.
3. Large / high BTU side burner.
4. 3 grilling burners all with separate controls.
5. Under each burner are ceramic plates to vaporize the grease drippings.
6. A separate vertical IR burner in the back of the unit for rotisserie cooking.
7. A separate burner and tray for adding wood chips for adding smoke flavor.
8. Lots of storage for BBQ accessories.
Now if you're open to a charcoal grill then I'd recommend a Kamado. Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, Primo, etc.. are all manufacturers of kamados. They would be my choice of BBQ if I could only have one. I own a Primo XL Oval and they can do just about any kind of cooking / BBQ'ing there is. You can grill anything on them. (Chicken, burgers, steaks, paella, etc..) You can use them like an oven. (I've cooked pizza, turkey, bread, cake, pie, chili, stew, etc.. on it) And you can use them as a Low-N-Slow smoker. (I've cooked ribs, pulled pork, brisket, pastrami, etc..) Here's some pics of it in action.
Chicken for 20.
2 lb. Porter House
Christmas Turkey
Ribs
Bacon
Paella
Apple pie.
This I just a tiny example of what you can do with a kamado. If you want more information head over to kamadoguru.com and you'll see much more.
Good luck with what ever you choose.
Where do you tailgate at? Can I join you and your grills?
Whichever kind you buy, make sure that you can buy parts for it.
I have an older Weber Spirit series, which does everything I need it to do, and just replace the burners every 5 years or so.
I have an older Weber Spirit series, which does everything I need it to do, and just replace the burners every 5 years or so.
I went with a CharBroil with infrared when I replaced my grill last summer (propane). Charbroil is much cheaper than Weber and frankly will last nearly as long if you keep it out of the elements. The infrared really does make a difference in cook time and tenderness of the meat when done. We have noticed in particular that chicken and pork retain more juices than grilling on a gas grill without the infrared "technology". And, for grilling chicken it knocks out flare ups, from chicken grease dripping onto the burners. No more blackened skin. Sure, those who are true grill masters will go with charcoal or pellets, but when time and convenience are a priority, this provides a really good alternative to grilling directly over an open propane flame.
Wouldnt be so quick on the Weber. Check out Broil King. Made in North America (Canada i think)
Great build. Great burners. Gets really hot (great for searing your steaks).
Great build. Great burners. Gets really hot (great for searing your steaks).
Thank you boxes and no offense taken. There are a couple of reasons I use my kamado for so many things. I'll list them for you in no particular order.
1. We use the inside kitchen for cooking a lot but our kitchen is tiny in comparison to the rest of our house. We have what some call a galley kitchen. In fact I've seen bigger kitchens on some boats I've been on. I use our outdoor cooking area (kitchen) while my wife helps out inside.
2. I’m a member on 3 different BBQ’ing sites where we all challenge each other to cook new and exciting dishes.
3. In the summer I don’t want to heat up the house by cooking in the kitchen so I cook outside.
4. Cooking over fire / charcoal adds flavor. There is a reason there are many restaurants that use wood fired ovens or grills. Most good BBQ, pizza and steak joints will be using wood and / or charcoal to cook your food. Those that don’t will be using other ways to add flavor.
Here is a pizza I cooked on my kamado. You can’t tell me this would taste the same if I cooked it in a conventional oven.
My next grill will be a wood pellet burner. Like DerHusker, we grill A LOT. I used to have a New Braunfels smoker when we lived in Texas and I would BBQ/smoke A LOT, but I had easy and cheap access to oak. And I knew a couple guys that were on the regional BBQ circuit to ask questions/get tips. No more Texas, no more smoker and no more BBQ. Now I have behemoth combo charcoal/gas combo that my wife/kids got me for fathers day. I prefer the taste of wood grilled food.
What are you looking to do (i.e. grill, BBQ, or both)? How much do you want to spend? How many people COULD you be cooking for? Gas is convenient. You and your family may/may not like wood grilled food. Answer these questions, think about what you want, and that will point you to what to buy.
Thanks for the reply DH. It's your HOBBY. Now, it all makes sense. I'm a computer nut. If I showed all my projects on this site it would make most readers eyes would glaze over. They'd be asking, "Why does he do that? What's the purpose?" Because I can.
I'm active on a couple of other tech boards, one where I'm an admin. Just stayed up until early this morning rooting my new Nexus 6P.
I make my own pizza from scratch as well. But if I'm anywhere near you I know where I'm going for grub!
I'm active on a couple of other tech boards, one where I'm an admin. Just stayed up until early this morning rooting my new Nexus 6P.
I make my own pizza from scratch as well. But if I'm anywhere near you I know where I'm going for grub!
I would definitely recommend a pellet grill. I had a gas grill before that and it worked fine. What I like about the pellet grill is you can use it as a regular grill or use it as a smoker. I never put a clock to it but I would bet that the pellet grill heats up nearly as quick as a gas grill. It's certainly much faster than trying to get charcoal ready. I have never taken the time to compare the price of pellets vs. propane but you can find a 24 lb bag of pellets for under $20 easily. I would say that since I made the switch the pellet, I have more than tripled the amount of times that I grill outdoors. It's just that much easier and tastes that much better.