So my cheapo Meijer special starter grill has finally given me the sign that the end is near. Keeping in mind that this cheapo grill has served me admirably for at least 11 years cooking an average of 3-4 meals a week (sometimes every night) and that I will continue to grill at least this much what shoudl I be looking for in a new grill?
i knwo as much to look for cast iron grates, but where did the briquettes go? and if I’ve been pretty happy with my little cheapo grill, do i really need to spend more than $300?
I am guessing you want to stay with charcoal - but would you connsider propane? It does change some of your options for what you want to do.
Both have pluses and minuses - and many people who are serious grill cooks will have both for different purposes. Also, what type of grilling do you do - just your basic steak/burger - or are you getting into smoking and other techniques?
Many good grills these days have fat diverters over the burners that take the place of briquettes - essentially a metal inverted triangle with a tough coating near the burner - it gets really hot and the fat just burns off - so you get rid of that need.
4 burner is nice - you can run on center two - leave the outside two off for slow cooking with indirect heat - a nice technique to add to your repetoire. Lots are coming out with non-stick grills, which is sweet if you are doing seafood or even some poultry. I also look for the grill to have a small “weave” design on some of the grill surfaces, again helps on fragile material (grilled scallops don’t do too well if the grill has widely spaced metal). I have never seen the need for a temperature guage - I tend to learn what the particular grill does.
Beyond that - I do like a side burner for sauces etc. You can go as fancy as you want with stainless and insulation - some of the very expensive grills are very well insulated, which means more efficient use of the heat - but I can leave with a known heat loss ratio and adjust accordingly.
Generally I gind about 350-400 gets you a unit you can do just about anything on, and will last for a good time.
Well, after spending about 1000 on a new stainless steel Ducane, that might be out of your price range. But, I got here after many years of cheaper, but ever escalating in price, gas grills. Look for high quality elements (mine always rusted out after a year or two, and I hated having to replace them), and an aluminum hood. Steel(tin) hoods rust. Then, determine the size you want. Mine, has 5 central burners, with two side burners, and storage underneath. You really dont need this size unless you plan on entertaining a large crowd. For 300, you should be able to get a pretty nice one. Not alot of bells and whistles, but I think you want durability. Cast iron, or SS grates. For the most part, the briquettes have been replaced by baffle plates. Shop around, and dont forget a cover.
I’m a big fan of Consumer Reports and I’m pretty sure they did an excellent write-up on grills not very long ago. I’ll try to remember to look for it tonight and PM you if I find it, but I’m not very reliable.
I know there are so many more options with gas grills, but in my opinion, foods grilled with gas never come close to tasting as good as foods grilled over charcoal. Add some hickory chips into the mix… mmmmm…
Go for the little old fashioned black Weber charcoal grill. Besides, whoever heard of smores on a gas grill… so much more relaxing to roast marshmallows over a charcoal grill.
I own a top-of-the-line Lynx, but in all honesty the best grill I’ve ever used is a gas Weber. They are bombproof, cook beautifully (the only complaint is that they don’t get super-super hot), and flare-ups are minimal. For the $$, very, very tough to beat.
Oh man, I just went through this and I’ll tell you I couldn’t be happier with my new grill. I read a bunch of reviews and settled on a Weber Genesis. It cooks so well and is solid as a tank.
The lack of briquettes is awesome. Basically there is a slide out tray inside the bottom cabinet that catches the gunk. There are also triangular pieces over the burners so when stuff drops down it simply falls all the way to the lower tray out of reach of the fire. I’ve covered the lower tray with aluminum foil so every month or so I just replace the foil and it is good as new. This design makes it nearly impossible to have any sort of flare up. It works perfectly.
The size is great, not too big and not too small. Some grills are fricking huge but this one isn’t. I had a bbq a couple weeks ago with 70 people and cooked a whole 15 pound salmon, buffalo burgers, and veggies all at the same time so it has a large enough burner for that.
There is also a temperature gauge on the front which is great as well and I can easily get it up over 500 degrees on high. You basically can set the temp like an oven. You can even cook frozen pizzas on it so you never have to heat up the house with the oven in the summer. I use it nearly every night.
I was wondering if I would ever need the side burner but I’m so glad I got it. It boils water in a couple minutes so whenever I’m cooking I’m almost always steaming veggies on the side. It is great. Spend the extra few bucks and get the side burner. This grill is going to last forever. They sell them at home depot. Highly recommended!
I second the Weber gas grill , But some of the Cheap stainless gas rigs aren’t bad .
Things to look for ,at the local, home depot -Lowe’s - walmart - ACE - Target -
Cast iron ( porcelain coated ) or stainless racks
4 burners ,cast iron , NO rocks or ceramic bricks PURE STAINLESS BURNER COVERS. High BTU rating.
Good ignitor , it should repeat click-click -click with one push.
Not the red button one click per push.
The more stainless the better.
Some type of name or store brand ,to find parts later.
Some type of tank weighing system ( nice to have ) to check fuel level.
Smoke box for wood chips ( removable drawer)
Good upper rack ,to keep warm ( sometimes I use two low or unlit burners side)
How easy is the drip tray /grease trap to clean
A BIG dial thermometer
You should be able to find most of this below $310
Look at the general frame , wheels , weight , construction .
You need at least two propane tanks , a stainless commercial ribbon scrub pad .
Used with cold water on a hot grill to clean up. Forget the side burner (convert it to a cold drink chest )
Buy a cheap grill light in L.E.D for that late night, cooking .
Coal grills do cook a bit better but , the convenience far out does the pain in the @ss and coal ash mess dumping .
i have come full circle going from a Weber to a gas unit and recently back to a Weber. You can’t beat the slow indirect cooking over charcoal with some mesquite chips thrown in.
Here is a cheaper one , the sides are aluminum or steel and the wheels look small.
Other than that it should last 4-6 years without changing any parts cooking 3 + nights a week.
This is a generic model , they build grills for sears - walmart - and others.
The only thing I notice is you need to light all 4 burners to warm it up .Once your going you can cut back
to a few. Once a year on a rainy day disassemble the lid and grill racks-burner guts , spray the whole mess with oven cleaner out in the driveway . Wash out all the spider webs and grease trays .
I recently bought a Traeger, http://www.traegergrills.com/grills/lil_tex.cfm, and I will not go back to gas. Ever. You have to buy 20# bags of wood pellets, but they have 10 or so choices of wood. A big pork roast with Apple wood. Mmm mmm good!!! Beef with a cherry/maple combination. Mmm mmm better! At low settings it’ll burn about 1/2 pound per hour, at high, up to two pounds. My average cost is about $1.00 per hour. The grill will NOT work without electricty, so keep that in mind. There is no direct flame, so the charring look is very different from a typical grill. This unit is more like a traditional BBQ as opposed to a grill.
It’s not the cheapest out there, but I know a couple of guys who use these same units for commerical catering work, and they’ve survived 5 years of daily use.
i have come full circle going from a Weber to a gas unit and recently back to a Weber. You can’t beat the slow indirect cooking over charcoal with some mesquite chips thrown in.
When I got married and the good lady and myself had to go throught that terrible process of registering for gifts, I picked one thing and let her do the rest. A weber kettle grill; the one with the table attached. Had it nearly 3 years now and its pristine and I grill 2-3 times a week. I use standard Kingsford briquettes mixed with a few handfuls of mesquite and get great flavor. It baffles me why people cook outside with gas…just move your stove out into the yard, because thats all a gas grill is, a stainless steel stove top.
Once I finish my landscaping project I’m going to build an outdoor kitchen with a couple of gas burners to boil water, make sauces etc…but the meat and veggies will be cooked over a real fire; aint nothing like it.
i currently have 4 grills in the backyard. (ok, one is my hibachi i was cleaning out) I use my plain ole black weber charcoal grill 90% of the time. give the best smell to waft over the fence to my neighbors.
My FIL recently had his grill rebuilt, and a local stainless welder built all of the grill mechs and the grill itself out of solid stainless. It is beautiful, and cleans easier than anything I’ve ever cooked on. This is a big one though. 65" wide x 48" deep (trailer grill)
A good choise it the Kirkland Signature grill. I don’t know who makes it, but its a big four burner, with rotiserrie and side burner. all stainless, nonstick grill. really nice.
A good choice is the Kirkland Signature grill. I don’t know who makes it, but its a big four burner, with rotiserrie and side burner. all stainless, nonstick grill. really nice.
I just saw it today $399 , seems like a nice rig . Those rotisseries are messy but damn that is a good way to cook.
I have to say , just clicking a button and being ready to grill in 5 -8 minutes / relight for late friend ,beats coals anytime.
