Quote :

"yeah, people who like to go cook outside when the weather is nice are weird."

the weather is not nice during the summer. its much more nice weather during the winter. also the whole thing about being around a fire during extreme heat comes into play. yes it is weird to want to be around an intense oven on a 100 degree day.

7/20/2012 11:26:50 AM

i don't think it's at all "weird" to enjoy grilling outside during the summer, especially since most folks do it in the evenings

that said, my grill is not in a covered area and i'm in the sun...furthermore, i don't care for hot weather...so my FAVORITE times to grill are in the early spring and fall

i have grilled outside in the winter on a number of occasions and i thought it was fun

7/20/2012 3:22:59 PM

living in texas I love grilling in every season that isn't summer

7/20/2012 3:39:10 PM

I just got the char-griller AKORN

got that bitch good and seasoned today slathered the grate with oil, let it cook, then cooked some like 50% fat burgers on it to get some good smoke coating on the inside.

10/7/2012 6:44:13 PM

I may be moving somewhere that doesn't allow anything but electric grills. anyone have experience with these or are they just a waste of time?

was thinking one of the weber models or just buying an induction cooktop and using my cast iron skillet outside when I want to "grill"

10/9/2012 12:33:54 AM

^pwnt

10/9/2012 7:19:43 PM

I had the big George Foreman grill back in my undergrad days and it worked pretty well actually. I mean it isn't a real grill but it is definitely better than nothing, that thing got HOT too, could sear the hell out of some food.

10/9/2012 10:13:40 PM

^^^ unless you want to spend big money get a Weber Q140/240 (only difference is the size). We've sold several to people in similar situations to you and they've all been satisfied but you're never going to get results that are noticeably better than a cast iron pan on a stove top. The best reasonably priced electrics top out at 450-550 degrees. If you feel like blowing too much money a Fire Magic is pretty awesome and the only one I've ever seen that could truly replace a gas grill. Unfortunately you're looking at ~$1k or more (& no I can't think of a good reason to ever buy one). Solaire was working on an infrared model a couple of years ago that looked really promising but I can't find any info on it now. You might want to see if anyone else makes one that's reasonable though. That would probably give you more direct heat for searing.

10/9/2012 11:24:55 PM

recommendations for best LP grill on a budget? I think I really want a Wilmington, but I'm not dropping near that kind of cash on a grill anytime soon.

<$500, hopefully well below that? A side burner with a griddle top would be ideal too.

1/4/2013 3:40:39 PM

did you even read this thread?

1/4/2013 4:22:19 PM

I got this grill in the summer after a bigger Char Broil became unusable (after about 5 years).

http://www.amazon.com/Dyna-Glo-Smart-Living-2-Burner-Propane/dp/B0086SBYWG/

It's been great so far. A little nicer quality than the Char Broil, and takes up less space with the drop down sides.

1/4/2013 4:45:46 PM

has anyone seen these?

http://www.kettlepizza.com/KettlePizza-Basic-22-5-Inch-p/kpb-22.htm

it's an insert that turns kettle charcoal grills into pizza ovens

wonder if I could make one of these myself?

1/4/2013 8:33:52 PM

got this for Christmas. It's Weber's biggest electric grill. I can't have propane or charcoal so I read up on electric grills and this was rated the best by far. I love it. It heats up very quickly and is very easy to clean. It actually sears the shit out of steaks and whatever else and doesn't have the gas/coal taste. I use a smoker box with Jack Daniels barrel chips when I want some smoke. Very impressed with this grill.

[Edited on January 5, 2013 at 10:49 PM. Reason : size]

[Edited on January 5, 2013 at 10:49 PM. Reason : Weber Q240 ]

1/5/2013 10:48:14 PM

i've got an 8 year old charbroil commercial grill that still works great.

House I just bought has a natural gas line on the deck for a grill. is it easy/straightforward/cheap to convert, or is it better to buy a new grill that's already made to be fueled by natural gas?

if the latter, any recos for a natural gas grill?

1/7/2013 1:34:17 PM

I've heard natural gas doesn't burn as hot as propane... so either your grill will not get as hot or you will have to use a larger amount of fuel. You can't burn natural gas with a propane setup... there are conversion kits but I haven't priced them recently. (I've thought about doing this for my grill too, but I would need to extend a line about 15 feet.)

[Edited on January 7, 2013 at 1:45 PM. Reason : ]

1/7/2013 1:44:25 PM

its no fun grilling if you are not blindly wondering how much fuel is left

1/8/2013 2:22:49 PM

They have a gauge you can attach to tell how much is left.

1/8/2013 2:59:24 PM

Quote :

"its no fun grilling if you are not blindly wondering how much fuel is left"

1/8/2013 3:07:25 PM

Quote :

"if the latter, any recos for a natural gas grill?"

I love my natural gas Weber Genesis. I've had it 2+ years and never had any problems. It was kind of hard to find though; I had to get Lowes to order it from another store. Going off the research I did back then you can expect to pay ~$100 more for natural gas (the conversion kits for existing grills were also in that price range).

1/8/2013 4:00:14 PM

Has anyone seen the flat top outdoor grill they have at Burke Brothers Hardware on Hillsborough st? It folds down for tailgating. You can cook all kinds of stuff on it other than burgers. Think fair food like kielbasa and smoked sausages with sauted veggies, cheese steaks, all kinds of stuff.

Its 399 but if I ever have nothing better to do with 399 I may need to get one.

1/17/2013 12:37:07 PM

http://www.mangrate.com/

1/17/2013 12:43:47 PM

i have become a big advocate for buying something for life and products of the USA. not only does doing so support the American worker but i truly believe our build quality standards have increased as such that it would be hard to find a better product. 10 years ago i was all about saving the dollar. fast-forward today and the stuff i purchased then has been thrown away, replaced, and the replacement has been thrown away. that's gotta stop. i try to buy everything now only if it's made in the USA.

as far as a quality grill that's made in the USA (actually made in Wilmington, NC) that will last you the rest of your life:

http://wilmingtongrill.com/index.php

[Edited on January 18, 2013 at 11:37 AM. Reason : -]

1/18/2013 11:35:56 AM

^'tis what I want. 'tis what I cannot afford.

1/18/2013 11:47:50 AM

what do those run?

1/18/2013 12:12:17 PM

~$1500

best grill i've ever used. although it is indirect heat (unless you buy the lava rock tray) you can sear the hell out of a steak since the grill will reach 700 degrees.

1/18/2013 6:50:42 PM

ugh, I still need a grill. Been looking for a used one just to hold me over for a few years, but those in my price range have some horrid reviews. I really wish I had the money for a wilmington.

4/17/2013 8:20:56 PM

/ thread

As far as I am concerned this is the best grill you can get for daily use. It is very efficient, holds in heat well, cooks evenly due to all sides being insulated, and you can choke it out when you are done to save the rest of the charcoal.

I made some of the meanest chicken wings I have ever made in my life on this grill. The only thing I have not messed with is slow cooking pork or ribs on it, I have an offset smoker for that.

Steaks you can sear the fucking bajeesuse out of, this grill will get up to 700 with virtually no effort.

4/17/2013 8:38:23 PM

sometimes i just wanna come home from work and throw some meat on the grill and not fuck around with charcoal

4/17/2013 8:55:56 PM

^

4/17/2013 9:10:26 PM

ditto

4/17/2013 9:23:40 PM

Quote :

"sometimes i just wanna come home from work and throw some meat on the grill and not fuck around with charcoal"

4/17/2013 9:24:49 PM

That is my whole point. It is not like a charcoal grill. It takes like 10 minutes to get it going and up to temp. You run hardwood lump charcoal in it. The way it is set up to draft the fire heats up the inside in no time flat.

Last week I cooked dinner on it pretty much every night, some nights that included the veggies and starches along with the meat. Charcoal gives the food a lot more flavor, and also the way this grill is designed you can throw wood chunks right on the fire to smoke the meat some. It will not flame up when the lid is closed. There is no way I would want to cooking on regular charcoal every night after using this thing and getting the hang of it. You can cook a mean ass pizza on it too.


This is the kind of charcoal. It heats up way faster than regular briquettes.


Get one of these and you can be grilling in no time.
http://www.harborfreight.com/electric-start-propane-torch-91061.html


I use this one, but only because I did not see the smaller one first, and I have a big gas bottle.
http://www.harborfreight.com/propane-torch-with-push-button-igniter-91037.html

4/17/2013 10:27:32 PM

This explains why the hardwood lump charcoal works better. It burns faster and hotter, but responds better to air flow adjustments which are easy to control on the egg grill. I can hold mine between 250-300 if I want with it packed slam full of coal, and bring it up easy by opening the vents up more.
http://www.biggreenegg.com/eggcessories/lump-charcoal-wood-chips-fire-starters-planks/natural-lump-charcoal/

4/17/2013 10:39:31 PM

4/17/2013 10:44:33 PM

here is one for anyone who is scared of learning charcoal
http://www.qvc.com/qvc.product.K34719.html?item=K34719&ref=GAS&tpl=detail&cm_ven=GOOGLESHOPPINGFEED&cm_cat=For%20the%20Home&cm_pla=Grills&cm_ite=K34719-172-000&adtype=pla

4/17/2013 11:19:05 PM

How much do you spend on charcoal?
What's the cleanup like?

4/17/2013 11:58:32 PM

i'll go charcoal when i get my own yard.

until then this grill has been a machine. cooks evenly, heats up quickly, and is fairly compact. I love it.

4/18/2013 8:20:16 AM

Quote :

"How much do you spend on charcoal?"

The lump charcoal is more expensive, about $12 for a large bag. However, you only use what you burn during the cook, you can close the vents on this grill when done and it is sealed up so well the fire will go out. The next day take a poker and stir the coals around on the grate, the ash falls off and there is plenty left. This grill uses so much less charcoal that it may actually be less expensive than burning the cheap charcoal on a normal grill. The vid I posted demonstrates this, and its totally true, you never really waste any charcoal like you would on a grill that you cant put out.

Quote :

"What's the cleanup like?"

The bottom of the egg slides off, you can dump the ash out and slide it back on. There are only two latches that hold it tight, then a rail that it slides in an out on. The lump charcoal has lower ash output too so I probably only have to dump it every 3rd time the grill is used.

4/18/2013 8:57:28 AM

anyone have opinions on the importance of side burners? I've never used one (had a grills with them, just didn't use). Whenever I've needed to do real cooking on another burner, I've just used a separate burner stand (outdoor cooker I guess is what it's called).

4/18/2013 1:32:01 PM

I want this:

4/18/2013 2:30:29 PM

^cheap as shit at lowe's. almost bought it until I read the reviews. It may have a severe rust issue (I say may, because too many people who review items are tards). Eitherway, I ended up not getting it.

[Edited on April 18, 2013 at 3:12 PM. Reason : ahhh fuck it, I'm buying a wilmington. can't find shit I trust.]

4/18/2013 2:53:49 PM

Random question.

So the metal that my burners attach to in the back of the grill (propane delivery is in the front) has rusted, and I've replaced that metal with a steel bar. How can I safely attach those burners to that bar, so they don't slide around.

Thought about JBWeld, but it's not safe above 500 degrees or something like that. Maybe screw them in...by drilling holes into the bar and using small self tapping metal screws?

4/18/2013 3:16:56 PM

Damn, I'd like to know that as well.
How did you attach the steel bar?
Hell, where do you even get a steel bar?

4/18/2013 4:13:18 PM

Quote :

"cheap as shit at lowe's. almost bought it until I read the reviews. It may have a severe rust issue (I say may, because too many people who review items are tards). Eitherway, I ended up not getting it."

I have the Home Depot version of this grill, mine is made by brinkmann. It WILL rust through in no time. You HAVE to keep it covered, at all times when not in use or it will not even last you two years.

The cool thing about it is this attachment.
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?partNumber=11236-49769-11236&langId=-1&storeId=10151&productId=3049705&catalogId=10051&cmRelshp=rel&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1

This puppy will bolt right on the side and if you flip the charcoal basket in the charcoal side over and use it to disperse the heat you have a really low budget offset smoker. You can cook some mean ribs on it.



This is what it looks like with the side box mounted.

4/18/2013 4:28:50 PM

Quote :

"Damn, I'd like to know that as well. How did you attach the steel bar? Hell, where do you even get a steel bar? "

Haha ya got me. I was cleaning out the grill, noticed that section was rusted to hell and the burners were sliding around...went hunting in the shed and came out with a ~3ft steel rod (i'm assuming steel, due to weight), a little thicker than my thumb, that worked perfectly. It has point on one end, so maybe it's used for driving into the ground? I bet they have them at Lowes/HomeDepot.

4/18/2013 4:32:14 PM

I've got an infrared grill and it works pretty well. Get's up to 600 degrees in about 15min

4/18/2013 4:33:52 PM

Half of mine rusted to the point it disintegrated. Almost time for a new grill.

4/18/2013 4:43:59 PM

Got my grills covered by OEM grill covers for the epic storm, except for the pig cooker, that is covered by a tarp secured by bungee cords.

Recommendation is to always cover you grill when its not in use.

4/19/2013 6:25:30 PM

I should have invested in those bungees

4/19/2013 8:57:48 PM

I have the that Char Griller. The gas side works great and I do have the fire box add on so I can have a true smoker but it has had some rust issues on the outside. I keep it covered when not using it but have the paint seemed to not hold up to the heat on the firebox very well.

4/20/2013 1:06:40 PM