How to Choose a Gas Grill?

[Joeaksa]

Stop being a wussy. Get a real charcoal grill. Takes 10 minutes to get the coals going and its easy. Tastes 100x better.

[berettafan]

been thinking about adding a charcoal grill this year. do the weber kettles still rust? how about the hardware?

the ceramic charcoal grills look pretty cool but the pricing....!!!

[vash]

Originally Posted by berettafan

been thinking about adding a charcoal grill this year. do the weber kettles still rust? how about the hardware?

the ceramic charcoal grills look pretty cool but the pricing....!!!

only part that is rusting out on mine is that 3-finger ash sweeper thing. i bet i could get it at the local ACE store.

[tabs]

I bought a Weber charcoal Kettle back in 1982 for $39.00. I am still using it today.

For quick and HOT grilling nothing beats a Weber Kettle, it is easy to light , easy to clean out the ash.

Regardless of what you want to do, using mesquite hardwood charcoal is still da bom..YOu get one of those Chiminey thingys with some newspaper and in about 10 to 15 minutes ya got fire.

Gauge of metal is VERY important. The heavier the gauge the better the heat retention and the more even the cooking results.

[Tishabet]

I am extremely happy with the Vermont Castings gas grill I've been using for the last 5 years... built like a tank and still looks and works great.

[NICKG]

don't buy a brinkman or charmglow...cheap chinese thowaway grills...even the expensive ones. I had a brinkman, it lasted ok, but when i wanted new grills for it...no parts available for 6 months!
get a napoleon or a webber

[cairns]

TEC.

There is no substitute.

http://www.tecinfrared.com/

[Gogar]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

Look at burner construction. Cast is better. Cast bronze is best.

I agree with Sidney that cast burners are nice, but require attention or the holes will rust shut. If you oil it up at the end of every season you will do ok.

The downfall of aluminum burners is that they are cheap and must be replaced, but at least they are cheap and can be replaced.

[t951]

If you decide to go charcoal, then I suggest The Big Green Egg.

We have that as well as our Weber. It's the best for flavor. It also has a following like Porsche 911s. Forums, websites, etc.

You can also use it as a smoker.

Only 2 downsides. It's a smaller surface (for the $), and it's expensive. That's it.

[T77911S]

i love charcoal. but it is too expensive. we grill out almost every night. gas is faster and cheaper.

you need to buy a grill based on what you like to cook the most. if you like steaks cooked fast and rare, get i high BTU. if you like to put something on and drink some beer for a while, try a HOLLAND grill. it is one temp indirect heat. put it on and leave it till it is done.

i had a weber a long time ago. it got to where i was replacing the burner almost every year. i went and bought a high dollar life time grill, napolean. big mistake. i did not like it and i still have it, almost 15 years now. i have burned more meat than i care to think about.

i would also consider a rotisserie. they are awesome! prime rib, oh yea. one of my favorites was one of thse small pork tendor loin. incredible!

some one just gave me a weber and i do like it, the napolean is on it way to the dump. ducane is another good grill to look at.

it all comes down to what you like to cook the most.

[cantdrv55]

I used to have a Ducane. That thing lasted 15 or more years. I tried to find the same model and was disappointed with the new Ducanes in the market now.

I used to have a charcoal grill but someone here told me that the way I started up the coals made the food taste like starter fluid. Plus, wifey can't BBQ using a charcoal grill. I don;t want to be the only one grilling for us.

[john70t]

IMO the lower the burner is the better, so the heat gets distributed more evenly through the rocks.
I wish all grills had a seperate rack over the burner to hold rocks off the burner.

Cast iron grates are nice feature when used with a stainless perforated plate for the smaller stuff. I ran some kebobs through the grill and cleanup inbetween was as easy as scraping it down.

[jyl]

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

I used to have a Ducane. That thing lasted 15 or more years. I tried to find the same model and was disappointed with the new Ducanes in the market now.

I used to have a charcoal grill but someone here told me that the way I started up the coals made the food taste like starter fluid. Plus, wifey can't BBQ using a charcoal grill. I don;t want to be the only one grilling for us.

Is Ducane even in business? I think they were bought by Weber, who put the Ducane name on some Chinese-made grills sold at Home Depot.

I have one of those Chinese Home Depot Ducane/Webers. It is not a great performer. But, it is all stainless steel (which you don't see in a <$1000 grill today) and after three Portland winters I can attest it is reasonably good stainless. The lower cabinet is ferrous stainless but still has held up well. The top part is genuinely non-ferrous stainless. So, at least it should last a decade or more.

[rfuerst911sc]

I have owned quite a few gas grills over the years, from cheap no names to high end like Weber,Ducane and recently Char-broil commercial series stainless steel. The Weber was decent quality but I had to replace flavorizer bars,cooking grates and other parts that rusted away so overall I was not impressed for the money. The Ducane seemed like a better grill but I didn't have it long enough to say if it was better as some thief stole it off my back porch. Then I purchased the all stainless steel Char-broil commercial series grill from Lowes. This thing supposedly has lifetime warranty on this and 25 year warranty on that and 10 year warranty on everything else. Within a year the stainless steel cooking grates rusted away ! Then the stainless steel gas chamber between each burner that lights them went bye bye from rust. Outside of cabinet rust all over it. The knobs,handles,bezels etc. all rusted. Good luck getting ANY satisfaction from Char-broil. This will be the last gas grill I ever purchase. Next grill will be a Big Green Egg or similiar. Apparently outside storage in Florida climate is too much for these grills.

[Bill Douglas]

Those Webers look REALLY nice.

Here in NZ all of our BBQs are rubbish from China. It amuses me when someone proudly shows me their cleaming new SS BBQ and under the stainless steel facade it's the usual crappy Chinese pipes fittings and chassis. Where I live they only last two years.

In Australia earlier this year I used a beautiful SS BBQ. Every bit of it was SS. Locally made is best.

[thinkfloyd14]

I can't believe no one has posted this on yet.

http://www.autoblog.com/2009/05/20/car-b-q-x-series-grill-by-porsche-design-studio/

[pavulon]

Went to the big green egg 3 years ago....can't make or see myself going back to gas. To us, the difference in flavor and moisture are truly remarkable. It is a bit more work to fire the egg...but way, way worth it and no burners to wear out, no LP worries, no grease catch to worry about...I'm very happy with it.

[Moses]

Originally Posted by dd74

How can a barbecue be "too big for everyday use?"

Exactly.

You wanna be a mack daddy grill pimp? I KNOW you do!

[Dave L]

I like my Broil King. I just bought the cheaper smaller one but that was all that I needed. It has worked great for the past 5 years summer or winter. The construction seems quite good and I like the cast iron cooking grids.

[tabs]

One can buy a Roto unit for the Weber Kettle I have a Big Green Egg..it has its place, but cooking surface is limited and for grilling impractical. Thats why I say Weber Charcoal Kettle for the best and easiest to use for HOT and FAST Grilling. Slow cooking is another matter...which no matter how ya wana cut it Wood & or Hardwood Charcoal is the BEST...and one of the BESTEST makers in the USA of BBQ Units is David Klose in Houston...HEAVY is better when it comes to BBQ units. its all about heat retention.

Also there is a Wood and Mesquite Charcoal supplier here in town that sells 40 lb bags of Charcoal for $12 a bag...