Best gas grill for the money?

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jgilbreth

jgilbreth

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I wasn't going to post this on the BBQ forum, knowing the potential "grilling is not BBQ!" comments, but I see quite a few grill posts, so here we go.

I am looking for a new gas grill to replace my BBQ grill ware that I was very lucky to get 4 solid years out of. I am looking to replace it, and it seems to me that a weber genesis is really where I should look. Any comments or thoughts?
 
I was almost lured in by the shiny stainless steel siren call of the kitchenaid grill lowes is selling now, but luckily did some research before I committed and it looks to be all show with that one. Everywhere I look, it seems that weber is the end all be all of quality.
 
Yeah; I did a lot of research before buying mine (that's A LOT of money for something that cooks meat :D), but everything I read, reviewed, heard, said Weber all the way....

BTU's are fairly equal across the board; but just lift the lid of an E320 (feel the strength and heated retaining ability); and take a look at the ceramic-coated iron grates.

That did it for me....

No hot spots; no ****ty, cheap parts, etc. etc...

I grilled New Years day in -4*F and the E320 had no problem maintaining 650+*F!
 
I've had a charbroil quantum 4 burner infrared grill for almost 3 years. It's the best grill I've ever owned. Even the crappy steaks my wife buys come out great. Its easy to control the heat, and there is NEVER a flare-up. For cleaning, you simply burn off any residue. However, If you don't dump the ashes once in a while, you get a tremendous amount of smoke.
 
not to hijack this thread:

Does anyone know of a smaller/smallish, high quality gas grill?

Right now we have the standard stainless steel behemoth that are commonly chained up in front of Lowes/HD. Its about 4 years old and already falling apart...I don't plan to replace with another low-quality stainless steel behemoth.

My first thought was to replace with a Webber than everyone raves about (with good reason, I've used them and they are great). My problem is that it is really bigger than I need. I never need that much grilling surface as I typically used the gas grill to fire up food for quick dinners during the week. Anything more than that (e.g. company coming over) and I use the charcoal grill.

I'd love to find a small propane grill that gets super hot and cooks nicely. Any recommendation would be great! Thanks.

To the OP: don't waste your money on the crap grills chained outside of HD/Lowes. Webber makes a great product.
 
broadbill take a look at the Weber Q, if it's just you or you and significant it would probably suit your needs just fine

The Weber Genesis is a good grill, my only complaint is that the burners went side to side (lengthwise) instead of front to back. It's universally priced so really doesn't matter where you get it, you just have to watch who might offer other things with it. At one time, Home Depot had an exclusive with it that theirs came with cast iron cooking grates. A really nice upgrade. I used mine for about 6 years then took it down to the RC club I belong too where it's still in use some 3 or 4 years later. Now everything is on the Big Green Egg
 
The new genesis model has front to back burners, and the knobs are on the front now so you don't loose the space on the sides.

I went to a local specialty grill and fireplace shop, and they carried the EP model genesis. It was 50 bucks more than the E-310, but had stainless cooking grates, flavorizor bars and longer warranties. They threw in a $55 grill cover, so I figured it was a wash. Wow am I glad I went to look there! The cast grates were my only worry with the genesis, so with stainless, it's everything I was looking for. Amazing how well it cooks. Couldn't be happier with the purchase.

Definitely not cheap, but worth it if you ask me.
 
Really this is the one best weber gas grill named as “summit”. I am using this from last two years. It makes my kitchen comfort on affordable prices. It offers me all the professional cooking features such as, side burner, full rotisserie system with an uncommon mounted infrared burner, and the most prestigious dedicated smoker.
 
Go with a Weber, spend the extra bucks for the Cast Iron grates, and the Natural Gas hookup, If you have NG at home. I switched 10 years ago, and have not run of of propane, swapped a tank, or had to store extra tanks in years and love it.
 
Incase you are still wondering, get a weber. I picked up a weber s-330 this year after going thru numerous charbroil grills and i couldn't be happier. Although i would suggest the stainless stell grill grates as they are much easier to keep clean then the cast iron.
 
Why not get a Traeger or similar pellet feeder?

You get the convenience similar to gas, and delicous taste of hardwood smoke. You will never get flare-ups either. I don't care how sweet your gas grill is, cooking chicken thighs, many cuts of pork and fatty beef - you will fight flare ups.

You would seriously be able to open up your BBQ capacity with a pellet feeder vs. gas. You will find yourself cooking things you would have normally been leary of.

Best of all, it is very difficult to burn/dry food out on a pellet feeder smoker/roaster.

cheers
~j
 
I agree with the Weber fanatics! Next..get a Weber smoker!"

ForumRunner_20120720_113205.jpg
 
After making an old cheapo grill last for 10+ years (read, replacing regulators, burners, and grates every 3 or 4 years), we just picked up a Weber s-330 this spring. What a grill that thing is! The SS cooking grates are awesome, for one. The heat is amazingly even and consistent. It just cooks everything beautifully. Only complaints? The side burner doesn't have a truly "low" setting - if you want to simmer something low, keep it inside. And, especially in comparison to the old grill, it's occasionally tough to tell if the grill burners actually are actually lit up, the thing runs so quietly! (I know, some gripe, right?)
 
I got a question for you grill pros out there. I'm new to this but I've recently gotten a little bit more time on my hands and I've started trying to bbq a lot more and I'm loving it! So my wife is allowing me to buy a new grill because she's getting into it too. anyways i'm not sure what to get and I've been looking around a lot. I found this website http://www.squidoo.com/what-is-the-best-bbq-grill and I'm loving the Weber Genesis E-330 model and i've read a lot of reviews and they all seem to be good. what do you guys think? any suggestions?
 
I have and love the Weber Spirit E210 Liquid Propane Gas Grill. I grill all year, so I use the heck out of it (for the past 3 years). I can cook 8 strip steaks or 8 chicken breast at once. They rate this grill size to cook for 2-4 people, side dishes in-all. The nice thing is because it's so small it heats up fast and sips LP, one tank will last all summer grilling 5 nights a week.
 
Weber If you have it at your house get the NG model. Never change tanks/run out of gas again, and its cheaper than propane most places.

I just converted my dad's 20 Y/O Weber Genesis from propane to NG. Its as good as the day it was new.
 
I have to agree, my weber genesis is over 10 years and I just replaced the first part - igniter.
 
You cannot beat a Weber.

I just replaced my 17 year old Weber with a new Weber last year. I never replaced a single part, though the ignitor did give out a few years earlier. I sold the old one in a garage sale for $10.

I like to think it's still cooking out there somewhere.
 
jgilbreth said:
I wasn't going to post this on the BBQ forum, knowing the potential "grilling is not BBQ!" comments, but I see quite a few grill posts, so here we go.

I am looking for a new gas grill to replace my BBQ grill ware that I was very lucky to get 4 solid years out of. I am looking to replace it, and it seems to me that a weber genesis is really where I should look. Any comments or thoughts?
Click to expand...

Yes, I have some thoughts....gas sucks! Sorry so blunt, but I must be honest. I have had probably no less than 25 grills over the years....and gas had the worst flavor of them all. So, I suggest going 1 of two ways....

1)Charcoal...Weber Smokey mountain, hands down! You can grill and/or smoke on it. And everyone I had talked too that has one, simply will not part with them. They last forever too.

2)pellet grill...Traeger Junior, best entry level pellet grill. I have a huge Yoder YS640 pellet grill(and love it!), but I bought the Traeger Junior for my dad for his birthday, alone with an Ortech digital control. I got both off of Ebay for $400 combined, INCLUDING SHIPPING!
That little Traeger puts out the same exact flavors my big Yoder does...it is very impressive!
 
gwapogorilla said:
Yes, I have some thoughts....gas sucks! Sorry so blunt, but I must be honest. I have had probably no less than 25 grills over the years....and gas had the worst flavor of them all. So, I suggest going 1 of two ways....

1)Charcoal...Weber Smokey mountain, hands down! You can grill and/or smoke on it. And everyone I had talked too that has one, simply will not part with them. They last forever too.

2)pellet grill...Traeger Junior, best entry level pellet grill. I have a huge Yoder YS640 pellet grill(and love it!), but I bought the Traeger Junior for my dad for his birthday, alone with an Ortech digital control. I got both off of Ebay for $400 combined, INCLUDING SHIPPING!
That little Traeger puts out the same exact flavors my big Yoder does...it is very impressive!
Click to expand...

My steaks don't stay on for any more than maybe 7-9 minutes. Yeah, I like them rare to med-rare. There isn't any big "charcoal flavor" gained in that time, gas does perfectly in this regard, and it's ready when I am.

OTOH, if you're going to slow roast something then I don't disagree as much. That said, I make a helluva rotisserie chicken on the Weber too! :)
 
Gas cooks...no arguing about that, but absolutely no flavor imparted from it. I must confess, while my pellet grill WILL sear a steak...I hate all of the clean up after words. So, I do my steaks on a cheap $15 charcoal unit I got at Walmart. Everything else goes on my pellet grill...meats, pizza, bread and even cheesecake.
 
Well, this all has me thinking I need to replace my grill. I got rid of it, because it was too big for my tiny patio unit, attracted mice and rats, and got in the way when I was brewing. Plus, I now have a back up propane tank for my burner. I need to look into a small gas or maybe charcoal unit soon.
 
gwapogorilla said:
Gas cooks...no arguing about that, but absolutely no flavor imparted from it.
Click to expand...

Sure there is taste imparted if you use lava and don't clean your grill. Most gas grills these days aren't built to accomodate lava, so I modify them myself when I first put them together that they will accomodate lava. They have also started making them with crazy cooking surfaces like enamel and cast-iron. I don't buy those - must be stainless-steel.

My lava rocks are full of all sorts of marinades, olive oil, spices, fat drippings, bread crumbs, onions, etc. The cooking surface, I rarely clean with a brush or burning. I grill every single day from May til October, rain or shine. I might hit the grates with a brush once every two weeks or so. I don't even wash my tongs, just toss them back inside the grill after cooking and close the lid.

I've been grilling for 30 years now, had several charcoal grills before but I vastly prefer gas. I can come home from the store, flip the lid open and start the gas before even carrying the food into the kitchen. I can be serving dinner in 20 minutes if I want.

Stuff like ribs and chicken flame up a lot. I keep a full water bottle with a squirt top handy to shoot out the flareups - sometimes once or twice per minute. Try that with a charcoal grill and the coals will die before you're finished cooking.

All that said, the only way to get a Weber gas grill that meets my requirements is to spend at least a grand. No way. I buy grills that cost a tenth of that, three burner, use them for 3 years and then get rid of them and get a new one.
 
gwapogorilla said:
Gas cooks...no arguing about that, but absolutely no flavor imparted from it.
Click to expand...

If I want smoked food I'll use my WSM.

Once the charcoal is burned down to white ash, where it should be for cooking, it's not giving off any flavor of its own. The "Flavorizer" bars in the Webers to a bang-up job of vaporizing those drippings like what happens when the drippings fall on charcoal.
 
I have had an E-310 for the last 6 years and it still ignites at first push of the original igniter. Thing is built like a tank...It's moved cross country twice with me.
 
Like most people I've had a number of gas grills over the years. We had planned a big cookout for my sons 1st birthday. Since the old charboil had seen better days I broke down and spent twice the money for a new weber.

I used that grill for the next twelve years. I only decided to replace it because of a deal I ran across for a larger weber.

BTW I ordered new buners of the 12 year old grill and now my brother in law has it. That was 3 years ago.
 
gwapogorilla said:
Yes, I have some thoughts....gas sucks! Sorry so blunt, but I must be honest. I have had probably no less than 25 grills over the years....and gas had the worst flavor of them all. So, I suggest going 1 of two ways....
Click to expand...

Spot on. I agree. I am a big BBQ guy. In fact, I BBQ about 4-5x every week. That's right! 70% of my meals are cooked on the grill or BBQ using charcoal/wood.

I used to love gas in apt living, but once I went old school, I never went back to gas. Gas is only good for grilling burgers and steaks. I can get that same flavor on my stovetop. With charcoal/wood, you can BBQ low and slow. With gas, you really can't cook low and slow because the gas grills suck up more moisture and the food usually comes out dryer.

Charcoal grills are usually eyesores, so if you're a image freak, stainless is your best bet. But to me, it would be just furniture. If you're not into the veneer, then I suggest the Char-Griller 5050. That's right, Char-Griller. I personally use the Char-griller for all my exterior cooking. They make fantastic grills, aimed at the home-BBQer.

They started out with the basic cylinder model, with a modular fire box attachment. They have a new product, and it's currently being sold at Lowes. The 5050! This one has the gas and the BBQ. So you have everything you need to really experiment with low and slow or have a quick grill on gas. As a home brewer, you might find BBQ'ing as fun as brewing, and just as time-consuming. Mild warning with C-Grillers: they are screwed together pretty simply, so they may appear not as sturdy if not properly tightened up, making it feel wobbly. Don't be fooled. A good ratchet will tighten it up. They make great products for entry/intermediate level, and they sell mods/parts for all their grills.

I am on my second Char-griller spanning 10 years, and I still have the same firebox from day 1.
 
gwapogorilla said:
Yes, I have some thoughts....gas sucks! Sorry so blunt, but I must be honest. I have had probably no less than 25 grills over the years....and gas had the worst flavor of them all. So, I suggest going 1 of two ways....

1)Charcoal...Weber Smokey mountain, hands down! You can grill and/or smoke on it. And everyone I had talked too that has one, simply will not part with them. They last forever too.

2)pellet grill...Traeger Junior, best entry level pellet grill. I have a huge Yoder YS640 pellet grill(and love it!), but I bought the Traeger Junior for my dad for his birthday, alone with an Ortech digital control. I got both off of Ebay for $400 combined, INCLUDING SHIPPING!
That little Traeger puts out the same exact flavors my big Yoder does...it is very impressive!
Click to expand...



GoldDiggingBrewer said:
Spot on. I agree. I am a big BBQ guy. In fact, I BBQ about 4-5x every week. That's right! 70% of my meals are cooked on the grill or BBQ using charcoal/wood.

I used to love gas in apt living, but once I went old school, I never went back to gas. Gas is only good for grilling burgers and steaks. I can get that same flavor on my stovetop. With charcoal/wood, you can BBQ low and slow. With gas, you really can't cook low and slow because the gas grills suck up more moisture and the food usually comes out dryer.

Charcoal grills are usually eyesores, so if you're a image freak, stainless is your best bet. But to me, it would be just furniture. If you're not into the veneer, then I suggest the Char-Griller 5050. That's right, Char-Griller. I personally use the Char-griller for all my exterior cooking. They make fantastic grills, aimed at the home-BBQer.

They started out with the basic cylinder model, with a modular fire box attachment. They have a new product, and it's currently being sold at Lowes. The 5050! This one has the gas and the BBQ. So you have everything you need to really experiment with low and slow or have a quick grill on gas. As a home brewer, you might find BBQ'ing as fun as brewing, and just as time-consuming. Mild warning with C-Grillers: they are screwed together pretty simply, so they may appear not as sturdy if not properly tightened up, making it feel wobbly. Don't be fooled. A good ratchet will tighten it up. They make great products for entry/intermediate level, and they sell mods/parts for all their grills.

I am on my second Char-griller spanning 10 years, and I still have the same firebox from day 1.
Click to expand...


This is all well and good if you have the time, but between work and getting dinner on the table for the family, I ain't got no time for this. Gas grill heats up in 5 minutes, food is cooked in 15. Can't beat that.

Plus, the whole point of the thread was what was the best GAS grill....:off:
 

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