I am in a BBQ grill quandary !!!

[OkeeDon]

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

I wrote a small book in reply, then accidentally clicked the wrong button and lost the whole thing. On further consideration, I'll boil down about 12 paragraphs into one:

Buy a Weber Gold Model B. Almost everything else mentioned above ranges from junk to having shortcomings. There are better grills than the Weber, but they start at $1000, don't get seriously better until $2K, and can run as high as $6K and above. As for stainless steel grills, don't call a grill SS until you take a magnet with you. If it sticks anywhere, it isn't a good stainless grill. A 100% stainless grill in a heavy gauge will usually run $2K or above. If you want more details and my reasons, send me a PM.

OK, a couple more paragraphs. The Phoenix and Holland are special purpose, slow roasting grills with metal plates that prevent the drippings from hitting the burners. They excel at white meats (pork, fowl, fish), roasts and veggies, but the Weber will do almost as good. Like Bob said, I have both a Weber Gold and a Phoenix in stainless steel. The SS Phoenix is $900 to $1200, and is an exception to a SS grill costing over $2K.

A nice alternative to the Weber, starting at about $1000 and running about $2K in SS, is a Napoleon. Similar to Weber, except it adds a rear rotisserie burner and has a charcoal cooking tray available.

I have a Weber Gold B, a SS Phoenix, a Weber kettle charcoal and a Weber Smoky Mtn Cooker for smoking. When my new house is finished, my built-in grill will be a Napoleon. If I was rich, I might make other choices, but they would be in the $3K to $6K range. The above lineup is the best you can get for the money.

I spent over 8 years in the business, sold many grills, and repaired them all. I'll be happy to bluntly answer questions about any brand or model in PM. I'll give you a sample -- I tossed every Ducane we ever took in trade into the dumpster.

 

[PineRidge]

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

Mark I might make a suggestion that I don't think has been mentioned. If you always use your grill in the same location consider getting the natural gas kit for whichever grill that you choose and use it instead of propane. Most use a flexible gas hose with a quick connect fitting for connection. It's a lot handier and you will never run out in the middle of a cook out.

 

[OkeeDon]

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

Be careful in converting a grill from propane to NG. In addition to the different size orifice for the valve, many grills also need a replacement valve. If your grill has a valve with infinitely variable control, you're probably OK, but most valves have 3 holes in them for High, Medium and Low. The holes in the valve will be the wrong size for NG if they were designed for LP (and vice versa), and the heat range of your grill will change unless you also change the valves. Companies like Weber and Napoleon will sell you a complete manifold with new valves and new orifices.

In our area, NG is rare, so we hook up to bulk LP tanks with the same hoses and quick disconnects used for NG. A good quality NG hose is armored and can run around $60 for a 12' length, but that usually includes the QD.

 

[BillyP]

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

Beati griglia proprietario anche, sì?

 

[BillG_in_TX]

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

Here's the Amazon link for the Weber Genesis Gold C. It's the B with a side burner. $599 with free shipping.

All the reviewers seem to be ga-ga about it. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[riptides]

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

I have an old 55 gallon drum from ZEP (some chemical company) that I use with charcoal.
For family fixings it is the standard Weber charcoal grill.

I do a lot of BBQing and for me I think I rate as a cheapo purist.

I did manage to go into a grill store in some shopping mall, but decided at THAT time, the money could be spent on a tractor implement.

Now that civilization is getting closer, the propane store (refills) are only 20 minutes away, I may rethink my grills.

Besides the ZEP grill might ZAP me with some chemical imbalance in my DNA any day now.

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gifI not I be affected, may b neigboor./forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Later dudes!
-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

 

[OkeeDon]

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

Talking about being a "purist" and cooking with charcoal, you should seek out natural hardwood chunk charcoal, sometimes called "gourmet" charcoal. Charcoal briquets are a horse of a different color.

When they char hardwood chunks in a kiln, once the chunks are done, they put them on a vibrating screen. The "fines" (essentially the charred ash) that fall through are sold to the briquet companies. That's the extent of the hardwood in a briquet. The rest is coal dust, clay and cornstarch as a binder.

BBQ flavor, American style, actually comes from the drippings from what you cook. With charcoal, the drippings fall directly on the hot coals, vaporize instantly, and do impart a different flavor than a gas grill. But, other than the heat, the charcoal itself has little to do with it. In a gas grill, the drippings fall onto lava rock (very old fashioned), ceramic briquets (somewhat more modern) or shaped metal (most of the better grills). This layer, which I call the "flavor" layer, is heated by the burner and vaporizes the drippings, imparting much the same BBQ flavor as charcoal. The hotter the flavor layer, the closer to charcoal, which is one of the reasons the metal has superseded rock or briquets (one grill company advertises, "If your grill has rocks, it was built in the stone age").

Weber pretty much invented the metal flavor layer, with their patented "flavorizer bars". These are metal angles that are directly over the burners. They serve 3 purposes. First, they vaporize a lot of the drippings. Second, the protect the burners from being directly hit by the drippings, which reduces flare-ups. And, finally, they channel the excess drippings towards the grease catcher.

Other companies have tried to copy the Weber flavorizer bars, but all of them either have to compromise or run afoul of Weber's very active attorneys protecting their patent. The closest use solid plates which have been pressed into angle shapes and have slots punched through between the angles. Charbroil had a setup like this for a while until they cheapened the grills and did away with the flavor layer altogether. Napoleon and ProFire have the closest setups, so they cook much like Webers. The ProFire has one economy model at around $1700; the rest range from $2200 to $6K.

If you prefer to flame broil your meat, then ceramic briquets are good, because they do allow the drippings to fall between them and directly hit the flames. The resulting flare-ups will sear the meat very well. The best grill that still uses ceramic briquets is MHP.

Searing to the point of leaving char marks on the food is not particularly healthy, however -- the charred areas are carcinogenic. That's why Weber advises keeping the heat down (cooking with MOM, or Medium - Off - Medium for the 3 burners, as someone mentioned above). It's also why the Phoenix or Holland are healthy, because their flavor layer is a solid steel plate, and there are never any flare-ups, and rarely any sear marks. These grills, which I called slow-roasting, are actually outdoor convection ovens, because they have chimneys or vents in the lid that draw the heat around the food. They cooking is actually done with moving hot air; the BBQ flavor comes from the drippings that are vaporized on the hot metal plate. They don't cook unless the lid is closed to direct the hot air.

Another reason for cooking with lower heat, and with the lid closed, is because slow cooking with the fumes contained just tastes better to most people.

The Aussie grills mentioned above, and other Australian grills, have a different philosophy. The burners are very close to the cooking grids, the grills are very hot, and the Aussies use them without lids. They prefer their food fast seared. This doesn't work well with white meats or veggies, however.

The neatest thing about charcoal is that it starts off very hot, which does sear the meat just enough, then falls off in temperature naturally, so the meat is then slow-cooked. I love pork chops on charcoal, but I actually cook my pork on the Phoenix, because the convection-oven principle also keeps the meat very moist.

For me, being a "purist" means that I use very little, if any, flavor enhancements. I rarely use a sauce when cooking, and only occasionally use a rub. I do marinate tougher cuts, but more for tenderizing than for flavor. I like meat flavor, and if I wanted to eat tomato sauce of brown sugar or vinegar, then it's easier to eat that without the meat. Also, I tend to cook everything "naked" (the food, not me). I simply prefer to use a quality grill to control the proper amount of heat, and never wrap anything in tin foil -- tin foil keeps out the natural flavor.

 

[Gatorboy]

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

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Beati griglia proprietario anche, sì? )</font>

:: È tutto il Greco a me
:: Es ist aller Grieche zu mir
:: Es todo el Griego a mí
:: C'est tout le Grec à moi
:: É-me todo o grego
:: It's all Greek to me

 

[DAP]

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

Most all of that considered Don, I'll bet you'd like my steaks cooked on my woodburner burning ash, apple and mulberry wood.
/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
All for 90 dollars.

 

[Bob_In_MN]

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

Mark,

I have two Webers--one gas and one charcoal. The gas grill is close to 8 years old and has performed very well. As stated earlier, nice temp control and the 3 burners allow for indirect heating.

The charcoal grill is older than the gas model and still works very well despite the fact my wife ran it over with the pick-up.

I use the gas grill during the week and the charcoal when I can take some time, have a cold one and enjoy the outdoors.

I know my gas grill was close to $600 when purchased, but I've seen the same model in the $400 range recently.

As far as the side burner is concerned, I would have a use for it to keep whatever I'm basting with warm. Wouldn't use it much for cooking.

Bob