looking to spend 100 on something small. our grill thats hooked up to the gasline is broke, and i need it this weekend. where is the best place to pick one up? Lowes, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, etc or should i go to a grill retailer. thanks dudes.
Any gas grill is a waste of money in my opinion. You might as well cook your food indoors. You need charcoal and wood to get a great flavor. Gas is easy but tasteless.
That's great, and I'm a charcoal guy myself, but he didn't ask for opinions on gas vs charcoal. Some guys like to "taste the meat, not the heat." I'd just go to wal mart or academy if your looking for something in that price range. Keep in mind that most all of the gas grills will be more than that, but you should be able to find something for about $100. The stuff at a grill retailer will be way out of that price range. I'd say that academy is probably your best bet.
Get a barrel grill. Lots of space, cheap, and you can offset the meat from the coals if need be. I've even smoked a brisket on one before.
If you do get an el cheap especial (try H.E.B. as well), you will indeed have issues with the thing rusting out. Post on Craigslist that you need a a free or nearly free piece of metal & you can pound it into a semi curve; make a 2nd layer for the bottom. It's the excessive heat that will burn out the base. Also, invest in a couple'a few cheap alum. pans to catch the drippings because this will make it nasty in a fast & accelerate the rusting out. You can get a torn up tarp & knot some rocks into the corners; this will help you fashion a cheap cover & again, extend the life. If you hadn't noticed, I endorse the barrel idea 'cause you can smoke off of it (somewhat). I also endorse NOT using 'regular' charcoal due to the crap they compress in there. Also, skip fluid & get a "chimney stack" to light or ignite your cooking materiel. I occasionally grill on my Bandera smoker & throw some oak sticks on there for some added flava-flav.
Whoa, all these posts and no mention of a Weber kettle grill? WTF? Greatest bang/buck of any charcoal grill.
i have a weber kettle, which works great. if you go the barrel grill route, get one with a lidded firebox on the side. that way, you can grill and smoke at the same time. my college roomate made one (he could weld) out of an old hot water heater.
Speaking of Craigslist, I got my grill on there and it rocks... scour that site before you go to any store.
that made me laugh. havent bought anything yet. the weather has been ****** and not really condusive to grilling. plan on getting something soon.
bought the New Braunfels Hondo Original from Academy today. 150. still have the other half of my fantasy fb winnings too. i am a happy camper.
hey mf'er (which is said in a totally complimentary and joking manner, no offense intended so please do not take it that way) i can smoke some stuff. planning on getting some ribs going this weekend.
If'n you don't do dinosaur beefers for your first run, then you're not dedicating & cristening that sucker right the first go 'round. Oh, & I've also heard that it's good to heavily soak olive oil on a paper towel or rag & fully coat the inside of your grill.
I assume that in 20 days you've already made your purchase, but I'll put in my vote for a Weber kettle grill with a handful of soaked mesquite chips tossed on the coals. We have a Weber Genesis Silver B gas grill which we like, but you'll have to place a small aluminum tin or piece of foil filled with wood chips to get smoke flavor. Just place it on top of the flavorizer bars. Our gas grill is connected directly to a gas line, which is more convenient than a tank. Weber gas grills aren't famous for grilling evenly, and it will cost you about 6 times as much as the top Weber kettle. Consumer Reports rated the $270 Char Broil Advantage Series model number 463453305 (is 9 digits really necessary?) sold by Lowe's slightly higher than the $450 Weber Genesis Silver B which will cost you even more if you upgrade to the stainless steel cooking grids and flavorizer bars. The Char Broil model also comes with side burners. My absolute favorite is my 12 y.o. New Braunfels Smoker. I dont' remember the model name, but it is well made and grills as well as it smokes. The cost would probably now be a bit closer to the Weber gas grill than the Weber kettle. New Braunfels Smokers was bought out by Char-Broil which led to the closing down of the Texas plant 4 or 5 years ago, so I don't know if the quality is what it once was. I'll just take good care of the one I own. My least favorites are our Jenn Aire and George Foreman Grilling Machine. Grilling is an outdoor sport.
Hmmm . . . the Silver Genesis B comes with stainless steel cooking grates. I "upgraded" to the cast iron versions that are covered in porcelain enamel, because they retain heat much better, allowing a better sear.
Yeah, I burned through the enamel in just a couple of years. I bought a replacement set, along with new "flavorizer" bars, and it was like having a new grill for way less than $100.
I'm surprised my grate and flavorizer bars lasted as long as they did. I left the grill on full blast overnight a couple of times. One time for almost two full days. If I had a tank instead of a direct gas line, I would have run out of gas before then. I've gotten pretty compulsive about double and triple checking to make sure I've turned the burners off. I've even gotten out of bed to quadruple check.
