I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

[beenthere]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

A bit more than a year ago I was in the "BBQ Grill" dilemna, and was fed up with the low quality gas burners that would rust out so quickly and not put out much heat. I was ready to return to the finer qualities of the old charcoal weber (heat is better, but it takes longer to get ready to grill).

I ran across the Aussie line at a local store (Menards) that was on fall sale, marked down from $239 to $179. This was after looking at some three burner grills that were in the neighborhood of $1200 and up! I liked the design (no hood), the three porcelain burners, the porcelain grill grates, the wood frame and finish - and the price. I bought it and have been VERY happy with it.

They have a web site at
http://www.aussiegrill.com/default_Flash.htm
I have the Kanga 3 burner.
In a slight way, I wish the design would be three burners front to back rather than three left to right. Seems the flexibility of heat would be better, depending on the quantity of food to prepare. Its very easy to keep clean, and gives plenty of heat, and will cook for a crew of 12-20 people with little problem, chicken, hamburgers, brats, steaks, and hotdogs. I could use the side burner feature that some grills have to keep the beer hot to store the brats in, but I get by with what I have now.
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I'm very happy with it.

 

[Alan L.]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I can't tell which grill to get, but I can help you stay away from what I have. Spent $500+ for the "Bakers and Chefs" grill at Sam's about 4 years ago. It worked great, got real hot and did a fabulous job. Cast iron burners and rack.

It has been out of commission for more than a year, because I can't find any parts for it. Sam's has been of no help, and they just keep right on selling this brand. Its a well known brand, I forget which, but I can't find the model number on their parts website. I admit I haven't actually called them.....

Anyway, the metal shields that go above the burner are all rusted/burned out, and the fire won't stay lit even with a new bottle of propane. Probably the regulator.

Fit and finish also sucks. Most of the paint has come off, leaving ugly rust.

I am very disappointed in this grill....

 

[fractal]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

There is one big question gotta ask anyone who is considering a gas grill.

What do you want to cook?

Charbroil are fine pieces of equipment if you want to blast burgers and steaks. They lack the temperature control to do turkies, fish or roasts.

Webers are fine pieces of equipment as well. They have better temperature control. They also cost a bit more.

Ducane are fine pieces of equipment. They are probably a little better than weber. They cost a lot more.

I have a weber 3 burner. I love it. MOM (Medium, Off, Medium) gives excelent indirect heat and I use it a lot. I have never had a side burner and have never had any desire for one. I do have a bazillion btu propane burner I use for brewing bear. It will bring 5 gallons of water to a full boil in under 10 minutes. I used it when I needed to cook a dozen ears of corn once. I can not imagine the side burner on a weber being powerful enough for that.

 

[RebelYell]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I use the side burner to sear my steaks. I get my cast iron skillet real hot, put the steaks in one at a time for just a few seconds on each side, this locks in the juices. The only other time I have used the side burner is to heat up chilli for hot dogs. I will buy a better made grill after this one rusts out on me, I have rebuilt it three times which almost costs as much as a new bottom of the line grill. Weber is on the top of my list but the newer chrome grills are coming down in price, may wait another year.

 

[Mark_in_NH]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

Alan,
I did as quick search for that grill and came up with this recent recall notice. I am only going to assume that it includes yours. Maybe you can locate some parts for yours, get it replaced or at least get some money back.
Here is the info I copied off the website.

February 26th, 2004
Gas Grill Recall
Email to a Friend Printer Friendly Version

GRAND HALL ENTERPRISES IS RECALLING 162,000 GAS GRILLS. MODELS INCLUDE BAKERS AND CHEFS, MEMBERS MARK, AND KENMORE GAS BARBECUE GRILLS.

IF MOISTURE GETS INSIDE THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE, THE GLASS COVER ON THE GAUGE CAN BREAK, POSING A RISK OF INJURY TO PEOPLE NEARBY.

SAM'S CLUB AND SEARS STORES SOLD THE GRILLS NATIONWIDE FROM APRIL 2001 THROUGH DECEMBER 2002. THE MEMBERS MARK GRILLS SOLD FOR ABOUT $1,500, AND THE OTHERS SOLD FOR BETWEEN $250 AND $300.

CONSUMERS SHOULD CALL GRAND HALL AT 888-735-5709 FOR A FREE REPLACEMENT KIT FOR THE TEMPERATURE GUAGE.

For more information www.cpsc.gov or www.grandhall.com

 

[RobS]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

Alan, here's some other good info on the Sam's Club grills. They are made by Grand Hall. Apparently, their customer service is respectable, give them a call.

Grand Hall FAQ

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[fivestring]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I have the same Char Broil model that Bird has.
I have used it the past three weekends for steaks, chops, chicken and stir-fry veggies.
It comes with a griddle to cook stir fry, pancakes, etc.
It has big cast iron cooking grates that will probably last a long time compared to the flimsy wire-type grates that come on most grills.
For the money, it's hard to beat. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Bob_Skurka]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

Mark . . . I think you need to find OKEEDON to give you your answer. Prior to his retirement, he sold and installed premium grills, built outdoor kitchens and is probably more familiar with this topic than ALL of us combined. I can tell you he owns a Phoenix brand grill.

I also own one of their stainless steel grills. I would recommend it, but I also strongly suggest you check one out before you buy, because they are not quite normal and you may not like what they do and how they do it.

 

[gsganzer]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

I bought my brother a stainless steel smoker from Cabela's (about $250) for christmas. It can use propane or charcoal and can be changed from a grill, smoker or turkey fryer. He loves it. I also recommend the smoker insulating jacket.

I bought it for him so he could test it for me, before I bought one for myself. Based on his reviews, I'll be buying my own this week.

He said it definitely uses some gas when smoking and to get a large propane cylinder if you plan to smoke often. I'll be plumbing mine to my 250 gallon tank, so I can avoid the cylinder hassle.

 

[DAP]

Re: I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

Mark ... I can't say I prefer ours one way or another but for $90 at HomeDepo, the New Braunfels has the following attributes:

NOTE: This is a wood burning grill!!!!!!

PROS: Free hardwood fuel (if ya got some trees around ya); no gasy taste/smell; hot burning fires, cavernouse lid which means the unit can be used as a smoker too; easy to move, clean and store; 38"x19" grill means ya can cook a lotta stuff or just a little stuff with a small kindling fire; cook thermometer in lid; adjustable fire pan height

CONS: gotta start a fire; gotta keep it going too, thermometer only shows cool, warm, hot; fire tray warps a lil under heat (no biggie)

Obviously, cooking with wood anyway requires some effort, certainly more than turning a knob and pressing an igniter button.

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