Recommend a BBQ

[Shizelbs]

Alright, its time I got myself a nice BBQ. I have none as of now, and have no idea what I would be looking for. I am the BBQ version of the naive Bose fan at CC. Any recommendations from those of you out there? I'm not looking to get the mother of all BBQ's. Something less than $400 preferably. The cheaper the better. I guess I am just looking for something that has a cover large enough to cover meats larger than burgers and hot links.

And yes, that Calling All Cooks thread prompted this.

[Pauly]

Man i was going to give you a site to order from but his site is down. not sure if he took it down on purpose but this guy that moved from CA and got a job at my work has the best sauce IMO that i have tasted. Its a thick sauce that hits your pallete sweet followed by a tangy sensation. man i tell you i buy this stuff by the gallon from him. I know he still sells it but gotta double check on the web site. i'll get a bottle from him and send it to you. Pm me your info. FYI this stuff isnt made at home in the bathtub, he has it made in CA some where from his own recipe and i have lots of my buddies turned on to this stuff. Hell this one buddy puts it in danm near 98% of the stuff he cooks including sgetti sauce

[amulford]

Weber. I know it's common, But they are a good grill.

[dorokusai]

I use a generic Char-Broil, HD special....side burner, average size, and it has worked just fine. The only issue I have had, is if you throw regular parties, 20+, you may have an issue with grille cooking surface.

The couple times I had a shindig, I was cooking my ass off. Side burner is a great feature.

I break out my Weber Smokey Joe, apartment special, and cook on it sometimes, because nothing beats charcoal IMO. :) Smokey Joe is a P I M P.

[Pauly]

Ooops you are talking about a grill...duh...i would say anything with cast iron not porcelin. holds all the love that you cook into it and you can pass on from one grill to another

[Shizelbs]

Thanks for the advice so far. Keep it coming. Weber is the brand that I think of too. I didn't know if they earn that status, or are like Bose, and hold too much esteem from newbies.

I am not too concerned about surface area for large gatherings. I would imagine that I would make due with what I had, and if parties were pretty regular at my house, then there is always getting a new one. I just need something that will get me by until I graduate, but not something that I will be dying to get rid of once I get that first paycheck either. I hope that makes sense.

The trade off with charcoal (better flavor but slow) and gas (speed and still pretty good) is a tough one, but I am leaning towards speed. I would rather have the speed of turning it on and being able to BBQ on the weekdays after school/work, instead of waiting until the weekend. I tend to get pretty eager for dinner on weeknights and seldom have the patience to actually cook something requiring any hint of effort or time.

Keep the suggestions rolling in.

[Jstas]

Propane is nice and easy but like dorokai said, nothing beats charcoal! For that, the standard Weber is about as good as it gets.

[ninerbj]

WEBER! That grill rocks period! Not only does it cook to perfection with no flare-ups, it survives tornadoes as well!

These facts are true, the names were not changed, for I have never confessed to being innocent.

[Shizelbs]

Any particular Webers in mind? Or is the brand that tried and true? Just look for what features and size I need and buy a Weber?

[Pauly]

Webers do rock but i have to say my 300 Sumbeam w. castiron grates @ 4yrs old is still kicking with and avrg use 3 times a week living in Fl wiht the rain and the Humidty.. i have got my use out of it...and keep in mind the cast iron grates. will last a life time just like grandmas castiron girddle that cooks that good cornbread....

[ninerbj]

Guess that all depends on how big you want to go...not to mention if you want/need a side burner. Myself, I have the Silver B series and couldn't be happier.

[wlrandall]

1) Weber kettle all the way.
2) If size is an issue, get two.
3) Gas will never taste the same.
4) If you decide to go gas, stay far, far away from Aussie grills. Biggest waste of five bills I ever spent. I could have almost had an SVS for the price of that two year old rusted out POS.

Wally

[F1nut]

Weber kettle........yummy.

[Shizelbs]

Any others out there strongly encourage a Weber charcoal setup over gas? Any out there disagree and think gas is the way to go?

[pjdami]

Charcoal is great for that unique flavor.

I have a gas grill that is hooked up to the house nat. gas outlet in the patio. I find that with my gas grill I tend to fire it up more often and quickly cook meat that I would otherwise would have cooked in the oven just to avoid the hassle of charcoal. The gas is so easy and quick that I rarely use the oven anymore. Because of the easy and quick setup, I use the gas grill like four times a week. If I still had a charcoal grill, I would use it less often.

Gas grilling comes in a close second to charcoaling it. IMHO gas grill tastes way better than the oven too. You could probably figure out a way to "convert" the gas grill to a charcoal type too if you're creative enough.

[okbrewer]

Just like anything, the purchase of a 'good' grill (and the definition of what 'good' means!) is based on how much $$ you want to spend. I got tired of buying fairly cheap grills that rusted out after 2-3 years, so I went looking for a higher end grill. I cook out alot, so I wanted something that would last and do what I wanted it to. I started looking at all stainless grills, specifically DCS. But the cost was more than I wanted to spend at the time. I then did some research and kept hearing about Vermont Castings grills. I checked them out and that is what I ended up buying (from gasgrillsdirect.com) My grill is solidly made, has plenty of cooking area, has direct fire, rotisserie, and an oven element! I can bake in my grill! It holds a pretty true, even temperature. I also got the optional side burner, that I very seldom use. I love this grill! Webers are OK, but for the unit I was looking at in the Weber line and the cost of it, I could pay a bit more and get what I really wanted. Home Depot and Lowes have started carrying some Vermont Castings models that are pretty nice, but they don't carry the high end models. Check out the Vermont Castings before you buy anything else!
I also have a Smokin' Tex electric smoker that is awesome! Check them out at smokintex.com. Have fun!

[hoosier21]

I cook out all the time, I have 4 grills.
I have a Brinkman charcoal smoker
a Weber "Kettle"
a large "Smokin Pro" http://www.chargriller.com/smokinpro.html
and a Char-Broil "Big Easy" gas grill

The Weber Kettle grill gets the most use, there is no mistake why these are so popular, my favorite.

Gas is very convenient for quickies or the hot dog only affair.

The Brinkman Smoker, I love smoked meat but this thing sucks, I need to try some real charcoal or something, I can not keep the fire going long enought to get a pork roast done.

The Smokin Pro, is the best damn grill around, but it is big and takes a lot of charcoal, it is used for bigger gatherings.

Sorry to ramble on, if you can "deal" with charcoal and the wait it takes to the fire ready and all, a Weber Kettle is the way to go. If you want your grill "instantly on and ready to go and can live with a small amount of flavor loss, get a gas grill. Now if you get a gas grill, stay away from the 89.00 type, they are too friggin small to cook anything, they get too hot to truely cook anything other than hot dogs, by getting a larger model (and more $$) you get more heat control, and that will let you cook ALOT better.

Dang it I am starving

[TroyD]

The purist in me prefers charcoal but I got to admit, I have a weber gas grill and I LOVE it. Very little loss of flavor and SO much more convenient. Avoid the cheapies. They suck. A good grill costs more but last forever if you take care of them.

IF you have a gas grill (like the Weber) and want some smoke flavor, get you some wood chips, soak them in beer, wrap in a foil pouch and poke some hole in them. Throw it on top of the grate over the burner and viola.

BDT

[okbrewer]

I would never put any kind of stringed instrument in my grill!;)

[madmax]

I would recommend a Sears Kenmore. I have last years model of this one. VERY even heat, cooking grid heats nicely, CAST IRON burners and an overall great design. The TASTE is what is important and meat off this grill always tastes much better than any of my previous grilles. Great price and parts availability as well.

http://www.sears.com/sr/javasr/produ...id=07115225000

madmax

[brettw22]

I saw an infomercial (hold on) a while back on these things and living in an apartment myself, I dont' really want to deal with a full sized grill. They are gas and from what I can tell, work just fine for anything that you need and want to cook quick. Of course we're talking occasional use as they run off a Coleman type of propane tank, but all in all, they do what you want and could at least get you through until you need something as big as the units everyone else is suggesting. They're collapsable and can fold up for easy storage too, so you can take it outta the elements if that's an issue. Good lord, I might as well start selling these things.....bah.

Here's the link.....

[Pauly]

Ever heard of the Big Green Egg...these things are awsome. There is a local seller and i checked one out one day and let me tell you. this thing will last a lifetime. Little pricey thats why i havent gotten one yet..check it out

http://biggreenegg.com/

Maybe someone on here has one or has used one and give us more reviews

[Shizelbs]

Well thanks for all the feedback. Keep it coming. I am more than likely going to head out this Sunday or Monday and take all this newfound advice and go shopping. I will make sure to report back if a purchase is made.

[hotwheelman]

I used to work for lowes, we had a weber kettle that was a hrbrid. It was a charcoal unit but utilized a 5 pound propane tank to get the charcoal started, the propane also helped keep the blaze going for as long as possible when things began to die out. Wal mart has a charbroil unit that does propane or you can put in tray that will let you do charcoal, also lowes has a couple of brinkman models that are built very well.

My bud just bought one and it has a good thick grate that will last a good while and has three cast burners with seperate controls for each. Mine has the same except that I have one more burner than his. also the direction of the burners is from front to back instead of side to side and gives you much more control of the temps across the cooking surface than with the traditional units with the steel burners that run s2s. Plus the steel burners do not last very long and the cast ones will last for years.

Great outdoors is another good grill, these use all brass burners that will last a lifetime. I believe that wally world and home depo carry those units.....good luck with your hunt.


Mike

[Libertyc]

The first thing you want to ask yourself is if you want gas or charcoal. Does your home use natural gas, because you can hook up to your gas line and not have to fill L.P. tanks. It sounds like you want speed - fast light up and warm up fast and that means gas. I have a Weber gas grill and a Weber charcoal grill. They are both great grills and I really love using charcoal when cooking steaks. It's hard to sear a thick steak on a gas grill. Weber also makes a gas fired charcoal grill , which uses a small L.P tank to light the charcoal. You also have to remember charcoal makes a mess and you have to wait (Two beer wait) for it to ash over. Gas you just turn the knob and push the button. Weber is the low end of the better gas grills, which seems to be in your price range. High end gas grills like DCS and TEC use special infra red burners which can reach temps higher than charcoal. The key is to sear the meat very fast keeping the inside moist without drying it out. Most gas grills don't get hot enough to sear without cooking the inside well done. The Weber Smokey Joe is a great grill to cook a steak on. I use hard wood charcoal from the Home Depot and can cook a 1 1/2 inch steak in about six mins. (3 min per side) - super HOT fire. Steak will be seared (Blackened) and med. rare (Pink on inside). If you only grill once in a while go with charcoal. I grill/barbaque all the time all year and I use both gas and charcoal. If I'm cooking hotdogs/hamburgers I use the gas, if I'm cooking steaks I use the charcoal. Home Depot had a few left over gas Weber grills that were reduced.

[okbrewer]

Went into Home Depot today and happened to check out the selection of gas grills. They have a couple models of Vermont Castings that are very nice. One is just $349US! It is a very good looking, sturdy, well built grill. I would recommend taking a look at it.

[dan t]

[Shizelbs]

Well, I went to Home Depot, Costco, and Lowes this weekend. Does anyone have anything to say about the quality of CharBroil brand BBQ's? They seem comparably build to other brands. The prices on the models I would be interested in are very reasonable as well. I have decided to go with a gas grill. The taste and flavor are still excellent in my opinion with gas. Charcoal is better, but I would rather buy something that will get more use. So yeah, any comments on CharBroil? They are on clearance at Lowes right now. For the $150 neighborhood I can get one with a sideburner, three racks, auto ignite and a whole host of goodies.

Thanks!

[Pauly]

Not a bad grill but my cousin had one that rusted on him in a year. Now granite we live in fl but this was kept on the porch covered.

[pjdami]

I've had my "budget" charbroil for about 3 years now and think it will make it through the summer. I modded the propane to burn natural gas. Cut the regulator off and had to plug some of the burner holes (or you can change the orifice). Rigged but it works. We have high humidity down here in Louisiana too.