OT: Gas grill advice?
 

Okay guys, here's the deal.

After seeing a couple of really really nice grills on a tour of homes over the weekend, we've decided that a grill might be a not-bad idea. I'm not a big fan of grilling in general myself, but for occasional use, it might not be too bad a thing all in all. Problem is, the grills we kinda went ga-ga over (Tec) are quite a bit pricier than I'm interested in ($2k-$4k range)

Here are my wants / don't wants.

-- Something no more than about $600
-- Natural gas or propane, no charcoal grills need apply
-- Stainless steel is preferred, largely for aesthetic reasons
-- The more idiot-proof, the better.
-- I'm likely to be cooking most often for 3-4 people, not for 30-40 people, so fairly small is not a problem & is actually better.
-- Strongly preferred location is enclosed (screened porch) ... is either propane or natural gas much better for that situation? (Dying from asphyxiation is not on the to-do list).

Suggestions, advice, etc. welcome.

Thanks in advance,
Jon

what in the hell is wrong with you? we grill all year long.
charcoal though, so can't really provide any insight beyond the first sentence.

Pretty simple really -- we eat out, on average, probably 75% or more, of all post-breakfast meals in a week. Neither of us is much inclined toward cooking or cleanup, and the notion of cooking outside sans a.c. appeals to me even less than the notion of doing it inside with a controlled climate.

Add the fact that I live in a 100 y/o house that is rather combustable, and you can probably see pretty quickly why I ain't much on the notion of open flame

Commie liberal pinko Yankee bed-wetter. :mad:

Jon bought that house new

I've been Fritzed

Get a Weber grill. In my opinion (and many other grill experts) they are the best "home" grill that you can get for your money. You'll probably end up spending $100-150 more than you would on a "kenmore" or "charbroil" but they really do a great job, and will last very long if you take care of it.

All in all, you'll spend between 350-450 on a model that you're looking for.

Weber all the way.

However, even with the extra time and work needed, I swear by the charcoal. I have a Weber charcoal grill too. They hold the heat so much better.

If it is not charcoal, you might as well cook inside.

I disagree.

My wife can whip out a meal in under 20 minutes on our propane grill (she marinades the entrees a week ahead of time, and cooks on it at least 5 days a week). No waiting for charcoal to heat up, and no heating up the inside of the house in the summertime by using the stove/oven.

So, while I won't argue that charcoal tastes better, propane has its advantages.

my wife and i are in the market for a grill as well. we live in a co-op, and don't want to spend in excess of $180 for a great grill, because in a few years when we get our house we (i) want to get one of those really obscenely huge grills, the ones that you can grill for like the whole block.

at first i wanted a charcoal grill (for the taste advantage), now i'm leaning (or have already decided on) a gas grill for the time advantage.

i figure the quicker it is to use, the more often i'll use it. i don't want to jsut use it on the weekend, i fancy at least 2 or 3 times a week. if i know how long it's gonna take w/ the charcoal i'll be less inclined to use it. so gas it is.

That made me really laugh out loud, it was so intense i had to spell it out.

Dude, you grill all year long in New Hampshire!?!? WOW! :eek: :eek:

I mean there's gotta be at least one month of the year when it's practically impossible, right?

FM

I can cook a meal in 20 minutes with charcoal. It just depends on what your cooking.

It takes 15 minutes for a charcoal grill to get ready to cook. That 15 minutes is the only deference between food that taste great and food that taste ok. I'll take the extra 15 minutes. I had a gas grill and never used it because if the food didn't taste better, why bother?

well, we don't grill as often in the winter, but yeah, we do.

You can get some extra flavour from a propane grill by using hickory or mesquite wood chips which are available with the other barbeque supplies at your local hardware store. You end up with the good flavour and the convenience of gas.

We have a Charbroil propane grill, it's not the greatest, but anyway, I used it a lot. Somebody bought us a good sized portable charcoal grill (Aussie Walkabout) as a gift for when we camp, tailgate, etc. Last spring I ran out of gas one night and pulled out the charcoal grill for the first time. I loved it. Food tastes much better on charcoal and it's easier to cook it thouroughly without burning it, but that me be because my gas grill is not the greatest. I never used my gas grill the rest of the year.

Fast forward to a couple weeks ago when we hosted a large cookout. I had burgers, chicken and some pork loin chops. With the amount we had to cook, I decided to finally get some propane and use both grills-opting to cook the chops over charcoal with some apple wood chips for a subtle smoked flavor. Anyway, turns out the gas grill's knobs now leak and we had flames outside of the grill and I had to cook for 20 people on my little Aussie charcoal grill. I host this cookout every year and the comments were this was the best food ever. Now I have a full tank of propane and a leaking grill that I may or may not fix.

The moral of this long boring story is-if anybody is not sold on gas and has 15 extra minutes per meal, the flavor of charcoal grilling is much much better. But for Jon, from past experience, go with a Weber for a gas grill. That's what my parents always had and I loved to cook on it. The only reason I don't have one for my own is cost. I have a hard time convincing my wife sometimes that you get what you pay for.

Oh sweet god... Jon, now the charcoal disciples are going to show up! They make pro-lifers and FOFC liberals seem calm and rational by comparison!

You should see the picutres of me grilling in 24 inches of snow before a Patritos game last season. It was awesome :D

Im a charcoal griller all the way. But if you insist on going with the propane, use Mesquite chips. That will make it taste a bit better. Although, the flavor of charcoal'd food cannot be beaten.

It's never impossible as long as you shovel a path to the grill

Also, they make electric charcoal starters that make charcoal grilling a snap.

But, for Jon's purposes, I can see where a charcoal grill in a 100 year old enclosed porch would be a concern.

I am looking at a gas grill and am settled on a Weber either the Weber SPIRIT E 310 that has 3 burners, 36k BTU cooking or the Weber Genesis E 310 ($650) with 42k BTU cooking with a side burner and the 3 burners. The other big difference appears to be the Genesis line has the propane can stored unseen underneath but the spirit you have to store it outside of the grill. Anyone own one of these?

I own the older model of the Spirit which is the Genesis Silver. I only have the two burner model as it's only me and my wife; not much in the way of entertaining at the wgb condo. At the time, I was concerned about size not about the convenience and versatility of three burners. I wish I had that model now. But that said I have been very happy with the one that I have.

I can also tell you that if I decide to upgrade or when I need a new gas grill I will definitely stick with a Weber model. A little more expensive yes, but worth it imo for the quality.