What Grill do you Recommend

[kannon]

Morning -

As a new FIRE'eree I am developing different hobbies. Food seems to be centered around a few of them. I'm doing pretty good with food fermentation. Next up - backyard grilling.

I have had a few successes using a decades old cheap propane gas grill but want to move into the big leagues - weber or char broil I think. Looking for one that we can use all year round (even in cold Northeast) and want to be smart about grilling - i.e., indirect heating to minimize charring bad stuff,...

Appreciate any feedback - what kind of grill do you have, recommend it, likes/dislikes. I am hoping this is the perfect end of the summer season time to buy.

Thanks

Kannon

 

[FlaGator]

I've been using a $125 propane grill for the last few years after leaving a nice Weber behind in SoFla. Does fine with chicken, but doesn't get hot enough to give me the flexibility I want with various meats.

Looks like a Weber in the $400-500 range is where I'll ultimately end up.

If you want to get serious and are willing to part with the bucks, check these out. More money than I would spend, but a couple of friends have them and are very happy with the precise temperature control. I can attest to the results

https://www.traegergrills.com/shop/grills

 

[Corporateburnout]

I'm on my third Weber grill. Currently Weber genesis II E410 with 4 burners has been excellent. Even heat throughout.

 

[ransil]

I have a colman road trip grill it doubles as the grill for the camper, portable enough to move it in from the weather, accessories for big bottle and pans.

I have a patio grill that has not been used in 10 Years.

Around $100 on Amazon on sale, little more all other times and everywhere else.

 

[kannon]

Corporateburnout (great name!) -

Third Weber?? cause they last a long time and you have been using for decades? or third weber cause they don't last?

Was also looking at Char Broil but many comments on their poor reliability/durability.

 

[MichaelB]

I have a Weber Genesis 3 burner which I like. My SIL just got the Genesis 4 burner and I love it. The heat control and distribution is better. My ideal set up now would be the Weber 4 burner along with a smaller charcoal grill.

I'm on my third Weber grill. Currently Weber genesis II E410 with 4 burners has been excellent. Even heat throughout.

 

[zinger1457]

Third Weber?? cause they last a long time and you have been using for decades? or third weber cause they don't last?

I've had my Weber grill for 20 years and still working great. Did replace the flavorized bars and grates once during that time.

 

[audreyh1]

I got a Weber Genesis three burner with side burner. I ordered a natural gas one from Lowe’s in their exclusive “Espresso” color. It’s been a great grill, still in terrific condition after several years and I’ve really enjoyed it. Connects to the house gas line. I had to replace the ignition mechanism once as that eventually became corroded inside. That was an easy replacement.

I taught myself how to grill on a small Weber Q when we were RVing, and came to really enjoy it. So when we moved back to a house I rewarded myself with a nice big grill that had an option for indirect heat.

I didn’t think about how tall it would be when I raised the lid, so this gal has to reach a bit, but no problem!

P.S. I don’t think I have ever used the side burner.

I can see replacing the flavorizer bars and grates at some point.

 

[flintnational]

Big Green Egg (BGE) I have owned one for over 25 years. Great grill/smoker but its pricey.

I can turn it down to 225 degrees and smoke boston butts for 12 hours (without adding more charcoal or turning the meat) or I can run it up to 700 degrees and cook wood fired pizza. I am hot smoking a side of sockeye salmon this morning.

 

[Youngster]

I've had my Weber 3 burner grill since 1999, and it works great. Like that the center burner can be turned off (burners are horizontal along length of grill). Makes for less drying out of food, in my opinion. Mine is natural gas.

 

[Corporateburnout]

Corporateburnout (great name!) -

Third Weber?? cause they last a long time and you have been using for decades? or third weber cause they don't last?

Was also looking at Char Broil but many comments on their poor reliability/durability.

After 10 years the first one needed some replacement parts but we decided to upgrade. The second one was 5 years old when we left it to the buyers when we sold our house.

 

[cynicalbuthopeful]

Can't recommend the char broil -- it has not held up well. We had a Weber for 15 years before it went -- should have got another but I balked at the price. When we FIRE in 2021 Weber for certain.

 

[OldShooter]

If you want straight LP there are lots of suggestions here. There are those, including me, who will argue that charcoal produces a superior flavor.

My solution is a Weber Performer. The Performer includes an lp igniter system. I just put the charcoal in a chimney or, if a small amount for a couple of burgers or steaks, in a pile on the charcoal grate, and turn on the LP. About 6-8 minutes later I turn it off and let the coals fire themselves up for a similar amount of time.

The Performer has a nice work table (get the newer steel one) and a very neat ash disposal system.

If you want to go to the next level, look at pellet grills that include a searing feature. There are many. Searches here: https://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/ will tell you more than you ever wanted to know.

 

[Red Badger]

Big Green Egg (BGE) I have owned one for over 25 years. Great grill/smoker but its pricey.

I can turn it down to 225 degrees and smoke boston butts for 12 hours (without adding more charcoal or turning the meat) or I can run it up to 700 degrees and cook wood fired pizza. I am hot smoking a side of sockeye salmon this morning.

FN makes a good point. Irrespective of your choice of grills, you should try to find one that can maintain both low and high heat. If you get into smoking (the High Mass if outdoor cooking), you'll want to be able to maintain 220-240 temps consistently.

Good luck and enjoy! I grill/smoke several times a week. I often use the side burner for eggs & potatoes while grilling sausage. Outdoor breakfast is a great way to start a day while retired.

 

[davebarnes]

I have a CharBroil (natural gas, SIGNATURE™ TRU-INFRARED™ 2 BURNER GAS GRILL) and it does not get hot enough.

I used this Weber, once, at a friend's house (propane, Weber® Q 3200 Gas Grill ) and it worked well.

 

[Scuba]

We went up to a premium grill about 3 years ago and bought a Fire Magic. It’s amazing. The main reason we bought it is it was the smallest one we could find depth-wise and we needed this for our condo’s balcony. It cost 10-15 times more than a CharBroil but the grill rack is so sturdy we will probably have it for life. Heats up very quickly, even heat, really nice grill.

 

[kannon]

The Big Green Eggs are enticing. My guess is expensive. Are there any BGE similar grills out there that do pretty good job at a more affordable price?

Really want to focus bbq on slow cooking, smoking. I think Propane may be a little bit safer that charcoal from a chemical standpoint.

I am also looking at a nexgrill that surprisingly got good CR review in the Indirect Cooking category.

 

[TeeRuh]

Take a look at Blaze grills. Fall sort of between the lower end and very high end grills. Go with at least 4 burners.


t.r.

 

[flintnational]

The Big Green Eggs are enticing. My guess is expensive. Are there any BGE similar grills out there that do pretty good job at a more affordable price?

Really want to focus bbq on slow cooking, smoking. I think Propane may be a little bit safer that charcoal from a chemical standpoint.

I am also looking at a nexgrill that surprisingly got good CR review in the Indirect Cooking category.

There are several companies that make Kamado style grill/smokers similar to the BGE. This is a link to one at Costco. Comparably equipped, the BGE would be at least $500 more than this grill. I do not have any experience with the others but would definitely investigate the others if you decide to go this route. I have seen some budget models that do not have the thick ceramic walls. I would avoid those.

 

[24601NoMore]

There are several companies that make Kamado style grill/smokers similar to the BGE. This is a link to one at Costco. Comparably equipped, the BGE would be at least $500 more than this grill. I do not have any experience with the others but would definitely investigate the others if you decide to go this route. I have seen some budget models that do not have the thick ceramic walls. I would avoid those.

Second the recommendation for a Ceramic cooker like a Big Green Egg (aka Kamado grills).

A slightly lower cost alternative (at least when I bought) is the Kamado Joe (KJ). The company was started by a bunch of ex-BGE employees and tends to come up with a lot of innovations (pull out ash drawer, better gasket, way easier to lift hinges, "Divide & Conquer" grill surfaces) and you get much more "bang for the buck" over the BGE. That said, BGE is the "original" and there's much better community support including user forums for BGE over KJ.

I have both a KJ (Large) and BGE (Mini). It's just the two of us, and I cook most of our meals on the Mini. Big benefit of the Mini is that you can easily cook for two (not more people generally given the size), and it takes WAY less lump (natural wood charcoal) so has a lower cost to operate - good for ER! It also comes up to temp WAY quicker than a Large (BGE or KJ). The large KJ is great when I want to cook for more than 2, do a bunch of chicken breasts for storage, do a rotisserie chick (KJ has a rotisserie add-on) or just fit more than I can get onto the Mini BGE.

The food off of a Kamado BLOWS AWAY food off a gas grill. My fairly nice Weber has been sitting in my garage since I got the Kamados, and I doubt I'll ever use it again. Benefit of the Weber is ease of operation (just turn it on vs the much messier and slightly more time consuming clean and fill of the Kamados ever time), but SO WORTH IT. To me, a gas grill just cooks food with virtually no flavor added. Cook on a Kamado and it TASTES LIKE it's grilled, because you're cooking with natural wood charcoal (lump). HUGE difference. Plus, food off a Kamado tends to be a lot juicier than off a gasser given how the ceramic surface retains heat..

As others have mentioned, you can grill AND smoke on a Kamado. I'm sure someone has made some add-on to "smoke" on a gas grill but there is no way on earth that any real BBQ enthusiast would think that's actually "smoking" food.

Hope that helps..the BGE, KJ, Vision (Costco) and others are pretty pricey but totally worth it. You'll have it the rest of your life, unlike a gasser where you have to replace burners, valves, grill surfaces, etc. Net lifetime cost is probably pretty comparable overall..

 

[Texas Proud]

Had Char-Broil and it rusted out after a few years... but kept using it until I needed to move it and it fell apart...


Bought a Genesis II 3 burner with a steak sear.... looked at the current lineup and they do NOT have the sear option anymore... WHY


I love that sear option... you can get the grill really hot and sear the meat... without it it is not as good IMO..

 

[24601NoMore]

PS - I just noticed you want to also grill in the winter. Kamados having thick ceramic walls work just like they do during summer months - it's like they don't even know the difference..

My wife has seen some pretty comical moments of me bundled up in my winter coat, gloves, hat and scarf with a snow shovel and broom in my hand walking through our kitchen to go out on the deck and clear enough room to get to the KJ and Mini..they're covered, but I usually have to clear off at least 6 inches and sometimes a foot or two of accumulated snow off the cover before I can get to them. Once I get things clear they perform just like they do on the fourth of July.

 

[Breedlove]

Treager , seen them on TV the wood fired grills . Son bought me one for fathers day . Drop the pellets set the temp turn it on make smoke , set the temp and it is show time . Easiest grill I ever used no mess no problems meats pizzas baking it does it all..
We have not used our inside oven in a long time. Between our Treager and Microwave , we don't need an oven getting our house hot.

 

[Jerry1]

Go with the best Weber you can afford/are willing to spend. LP or NG is dependent on your personal situation. I'd get NG, but the cost to run a line is too much. If you have unlimited funds, there are some fantastic grills out there, but Weber is kind of "upper middle class". You want to look at a great grill:

Kalamazoo Hybrid Built-In Natural Gas Grill

https://www.williams-sonoma.com/pro...&cm_cat=Google&cm_pla=Outdoor > Propane & Gas

 

[MBAustin]

My Weber Genesis 3 is 8 years old and (unfortunately) still going strong (I've replaced the flavorizer bars and the grates once each). I say unfortunately as the newer Genesis models have the burners left to right instead of front to back like mine, which is much better for indirect cooking. But I can't justify the $$ when this one still works fine. I grill once or twice a week all year long.