If only one outdoor grilling device: That's a tougher choice for sure! I'd probably look at a Green Egg or Kamado Joe; never owned one so I don't fully know the compromise(s). From what I've read and for the following: I do a fair amount of smoking: Check. Pizzas: Check. Slow roasting & baking anything: Check. Rotisserie: Check. Grilling: Check.
With a chimney or electric charcoal starter I think a GE/KJ would be ready just about as quickly as getting gas up to temp.
At a glance I would say the size and weight of the ceramic cookers would be a problem for me. I like to move the grill into the shade or out of the wind or whatever works for the wildly variable weather conditions around here.
But, if you could only keep one which would you choose?
Myself it would be the gas grill hands down. It may not excel at everything but it can do a fair job on most stuff. I can even throw my griddle on it and do pancakes, tough to get the temp control out of charcoal to do that.
if I had to choose from my gas grill, the kettle or WSM? I think the kettle would be the best fit for me and how I cook. It gives me the flexibility to grill and/or smoke.
I'd miss the convenience of having the ease and speed of gas grill, but I think I'd miss the ability to smoke even more. Temp control isn't as easy or speedy, but I'm pretty good about being able to maintain temps on the kettle.
I have a brinkman gas grill that was free and small brinkman standup smoker I found at a empty rent house. The brinkman gas grill, the temperature is hard to keep down, cooking burgers and such but it gets the job done. I'll upgrade and get a small weber gas grill to replace it eventually. The standup smoker works pretty good. I did a few mods to it to make it easier to use. I moved the firepan to stand alone so I can just lift the whole smoker off of it, added a better thermometer, some lifting handles for the racks. Considering I have about $20 in it, I'm happy with my smoked meats and can move up the charcoal pan and direct grill with it.
Very late to this, but I finally got off my a-- this spring and bought a Big Green Egg. Without forced induction (a hair dryer), I can be ready for direct grilling in ~ 20 minutes ... typically less time than my prep time for the meat and veggie of the day to throw on the beast.
Without forced induction, I can fairly easily get the temps up to 750F or so given 45 minutes. With forced induction, 15 minutes. After cooking everything from cornbread, pizza, fish, shellfish, elk, venison, and of course ribs, brisket, and bostun butts, I will always have one of these things.
The large size I have can run at 750 for an hour to an hour and a half on a charcoal load and 18-24 hours at 275F for traditional bbq using Wicked Good lump hardwood.
I still have my Weber one-touch kettle for certain cooking tasks, but it has gotten very little use since April.
I used gas for 15 years for convenience, but am now back to charcoal due to "the egg" ...
Damn you BGE bastards! You've got me thinking about keeping my range (since the stove top still works fine) and getting a BGE in stead of a new range for the kitchen. We never bake cakes or the like so maybe it would work?????
They are essentially a ceramic oven so baking bread is totally appropriate...I would think cakes would be fine. You can, with a little experience, keep the temp within 5 degrees very easily.
Its nice when its too warm inside to be able to cook most anything I need to cook/bake outside...
You might also want to take a look at the Kamado Joe line...from what I hear they're a bit better designed and built and they're in roughly the same price point I think. http://www.kamadojoe.com/index.php
Since the built in bbq/cook island I built stayed with the house we sold and I needed to buy an outdoor cooking system it made sense for me to try it out/kill my curiosity. So far, albeit only a couple weeks of regular use (almost every day/evening so far) I have no regrets. I've only emptied ashes once...so that looks like maybe 2x per month with regular use. So not really any more inconvenient than keep filled propane tanks around...
^. Agree with Spresso. My only caution would be that breads can get a smokey flavor (which makes them very tasty). But might add an unwanted flavor to certain light cakes. That said, I have seen folks baking cakes and pies in them. Pizza is incredible on them!
Temperature control is not too hard to get down though it does take some practice. The things are giant heat sinks, so just remember that if your receptive calls for high temps then low, it can take a while for the temperature to drop. If you really want to get sophisticated, there are several companies that make electric controllers to help regulate the cooking temperature.
The nice thing about the Kamado style cookers is that they are very versatile and a load of charcoal will usually be good for a couple of cooks. They burn the charcoal almost completely, so there is very little ash to clean out.
They develop a nice smokey smell after some use so just opening mine makes me get hungry ... Not good for the waistline. I think BGE is in cahoots with clothing manufacturers
So my non-cooking wife says this might be a good idea. I wonder what trouble she's about to get into. The idea has really grown on me in the last 24 hours. Plus I'd have another excuse to buy a good EZ Up!
Here's another vote for the BGE. I use mine all the time and have for the past 13 years. I have had to replace the felt liner on the lid a couple of times. But other than that, the dang thing is the best you can get. My neighbor got an "off model" not a BGE to save a few bucks and he cannot get his past 500 degrees. The vent holes are smaller and not as effective. For smoking he's fine, but for grilling hot, like steaks or pizzas he's a bit bummed.
Here's a tip for the felt, not to highjack this thread, but it's fresh in my mind from having just done this recently. The glue on the dang felt doesn't work well. So to prevent you from having to go through the frustration when you replace it in the future...use a dremmel tool grinder to get the ceramic surfaces clean, wipe down with rubbing alcohol and buy some gasket glue at an automotive shop that will take high temps then put your felt on with that, close the lid and let it dry really well.
Back to buying the BGE....don't waste any time, go do it today before the Labor Day weekend!
At a glance I would say the size and weight of the ceramic cookers would be a problem for me. I like to move the grill into the shade or out of the wind or whatever works for the wildly variable weather conditions around here.
