Grill Recommendations

[NearJetties]

@NearJetties I have a George Forman for sale! I’ll hook you up!

Only if you have several kids named George

The charcoal Weber with the gas ignition is too big for my tiny ‘deck’ . Looks like it still takes about 15-20 mins to get going anyway—just without the hassle of a chimney.

I’ll add a charcoal grill someday :fist shake:

 

[iptman]

1:22 "I think it's a great product for dieters and little girls who want to play barbeque."

 

[afgman786]

.

 

[jht3]

if you main use case is cooking a couple hot dogs for lunch, gas is your friend. either propane or natural gas. purists me damned

for that type of use, i have a Weber Genesis connected to my house natural gas meter. It gets used a lot for quick burgers, steaks, etc. I have the 3 burner w/ sear burner and side burner option. And stainless steel grates. rarely/never use the side burner but the sear burner i use all the time to crank up the temps when cooking steaks.

I have been disappointed with this model in its longevity. Externally it looks like the day I assembled it, and I forget to cover it frequently. Started pulling it apart last spring for a deep clean and discovered lots of rot and rust. The number of screws and bolts that broke or I had to grind off was surprising. The hood wouldn't detach from the cook box b/c the quick-detach pins rusted solid. a painted steel plate just below the burners but above the catch tray was nearly completely gone. and the real surprise was the cast aluminum cookbox had a quarter sized hole in the side. The key takeaway is while they may use high quality parts on the exterior, the screws and interior parts are much lesser quality. Even the stainless grates and "flavorizer" bars were heavily corroded; I replaced them with higher quality stainless parts from Amazon.

However, I called Weber about replacement burners and they ended up sending me 90% of a new grill in parts as mine was 8yrs old and still under the 10yr warranty period. When it eventually rusts out again, I'm not sure what I'll go with. The Summit series likely has better internal parts but I hear Weber has neutered their warranty? Any other brands worth looking into?

 

[ace10]

if you main use case is cooking a couple hot dogs for lunch, gas is your friend. either propane or natural gas. purists me damned

for that type of use, i have a Weber Genesis connected to my house natural gas meter. It gets used a lot for quick burgers, steaks, etc. I have the 3 burner w/ sear burner and side burner option. And stainless steel grates. rarely/never use the side burner but the sear burner i use all the time to crank up the temps when cooking steaks.

I have been disappointed with this model in its longevity. Externally it looks like the day I assembled it, and I forget to cover it frequently. Started pulling it apart last spring for a deep clean and discovered lots of rot and rust. The number of screws and bolts that broke or I had to grind off was surprising. The hood wouldn't detach from the cook box b/c the quick-detach pins rusted solid. a painted steel plate just below the burners but above the catch tray was nearly completely gone. and the real surprise was the cast aluminum cookbox had a quarter sized hole in the side. The key takeaway is while they may use high quality parts on the exterior, the screws and interior parts are much lesser quality. Even the stainless grates and "flavorizer" bars were heavily corroded; I replaced them with higher quality stainless parts from Amazon.

However, I called Weber about replacement burners and they ended up sending me 90% of a new grill in parts as mine was 8yrs old and still under the 10yr warranty period. When it eventually rusts out again, I'm not sure what I'll go with. The Summit series likely has better internal parts but I hear Weber has neutered their warranty? Any other brands worth looking into?

Maybe check out Napoleon. They live in between the big box store grills and the high end stuff, right around the Weber Summit neighborhood,
There's also American Outdoor Grill, Blaze and Fuego, none of which I have done any deep research.

If I go the route with a smaller gas grill and a smoker, Napoleon is probably where I'll end up. But I kinda hope that my Lynx somehow makes it through to next year.

 

[captainva]

if you main use case is cooking a couple hot dogs for lunch, gas is your friend. either propane or natural gas. purists me damned

for that type of use, i have a Weber Genesis connected to my house natural gas meter. It gets used a lot for quick burgers, steaks, etc. I have the 3 burner w/ sear burner and side burner option. And stainless steel grates. rarely/never use the side burner but the sear burner i use all the time to crank up the temps when cooking steaks.

I have been disappointed with this model in its longevity. Externally it looks like the day I assembled it, and I forget to cover it frequently. Started pulling it apart last spring for a deep clean and discovered lots of rot and rust. The number of screws and bolts that broke or I had to grind off was surprising. The hood wouldn't detach from the cook box b/c the quick-detach pins rusted solid. a painted steel plate just below the burners but above the catch tray was nearly completely gone. and the real surprise was the cast aluminum cookbox had a quarter sized hole in the side. The key takeaway is while they may use high quality parts on the exterior, the screws and interior parts are much lesser quality. Even the stainless grates and "flavorizer" bars were heavily corroded; I replaced them with higher quality stainless parts from Amazon.

However, I called Weber about replacement burners and they ended up sending me 90% of a new grill in parts as mine was 8yrs old and still under the 10yr warranty period. When it eventually rusts out again, I'm not sure what I'll go with. The Summit series likely has better internal parts but I hear Weber has neutered their warranty? Any other brands worth looking into?

If you spray some cooking oil on the grill before you grill I find it helps keep everything coated in oil which prevents rust.

 

[matzell]

Glad I read this at lunch, I was getting hungry! I have a smaller Weber gas that has been good to me.

 

[NearJetties]

I was very close to pulling the trigger on a Kamado Joe Kettle after discovering the looftlighter but realized with an 8 month old convenience will keep me sane. Briefly considered a pellet grill too.

Ended up pulling the trigger on this after a good bit of research. The equivalent Weber, which still seemed to have some inferior materials in places, was $1,100.

Picked up a smoker box to add some flavor.

Victory 3-Burner Propane Grill - BBQ-VCT3BSB-LP : BBQGuys

Grill like a champion with the Victory BBQ-VCT3BSB-LP: 3 burners, infrared searing, and robust stainless steel build. Unlock epic BBQ with BBQGuys!

www.bbqguys.com

 

[JohnVee]

Keep us posted, please.

 

[Jakes40]

@NearJetties when you see the error in your life chooses don’t think you can just come low ball be on the Forman! I know what I got!

 

[jht3]

If you spray some cooking oil on the grill before you grill I find it helps keep everything coated in oil which prevents rust.

oh, i do. but that wouldn't have saved my grill. covering it religiously, probably. more frequent deep cleanings, sure. The Weber logo on the front hood actually fell off when the internal mounting hardware rusted out.

the inner hood lining is rusted badly. Not a part you can get separate from the entire lid assembly. each bolt securing the burners down snapped off. i broke the first bolt during my 1st annual cleaning, and decided to skip removing them and just clean around them in the following years. they don't DO anything but still

that hole on the left isn't supposed to be there. the painted steel burner assembly bracket bolts there so maybe some bi-metallic corrosion? had to cut off the bolt.

some of the new parts. thanks 10 year warranty! i tried to get a new burner assembly bracket at the bottom but they wouldn't send it, so i sanded, primed, and painted it.

all back together. including new stainless aftermarket grates and flavorizers that are thicker and better quality than the OE originals that came w/ my "Special Edition".

exterior shot

still have been very happy w/ the convenience of a natural gas grille on my deck. w/ a young family i don't have lots of extra time.

 

[NearJetties]

Assembly pics. Box confirmed it is the bbqguys.com house brand—they don’t explicitly say it on the website. Also, if you message them in live chat they’ll give you an additional ~$50 off.

Assembly was simple. Everything is standard stainless hardware and nutserts so serviceable.

It does come with side wings/countertops. One has an infrared sear burner. I knew I wouldn’t be able to use those with my puny deck but maybe I’ll have enough room if I rotate it.

It’ll never look this nice again

 

[JohnVee]

I’ll look into that one. Actively shopping for a gas grill for the lake but keep wearing myself out and thinking I should just go to a store and buy the first one that doesn’t rattle when I buy it if it’s under my price threshold. Then I go to sleep and look at my web history in the morning and want to punch myself. It all seems to go downhill as the search goes on! It’s like shopping online for solar path lights.

 

[StaleAle]

I've had the Napolean Prestige Pro for about 5 years and it appears to be better than the Broil Master I had for 17 years before it. That 17 years saw 3 sets of burners and three sets of grates. I learned to keep it covered and to do a major cleaning every 2-3 years at a minimum. Only takes about 2 hours and extends the looks and life of the grill. As for the Napolean, after 5 years, all original parts and ignitors are still working. This is the only grill I've owned that hasn't required new ignitors every few years. Only one warranty replacement issue. One of the grill bars came loose and after an email with picture they sent me a pair of new stainless grates for free. It arrived in 3 days from Canada.

I like it so much, I recently bought a Napolean smoker to replace my old Brinkman water barrel smoker. Nothing wrong with the 50 year old Brinkman, just liked the features and the increased capacity of the Napolean so I gifted it to a friend of my daughter who wanted to get into smoking.

I use the grill weekly in the winter and 2-3 or more times per week during the spring, summer and fall. I also use an old 22" Weber kettle grill to quick smoke a beef tenderloin or grill some burgers when there's time and beer that needs drinkin'.

 

[ace10]

@StaleAle thanks for the feedback on the Napoleon.
I'm fairly certain that's my selection. Probably the Prestige P500.

Did you purchase locally or online?

My big Lynx grill is not long for this world. I stopped by Potomac Metals yesterday to get guidance on scrapping. She's 525lbs of mostly 304 SS. So there's some cash value to sending her into the next life.

The smoker decision is a much more difficult one. Size, logistics, cost, everything is serious when it comes to these things. I'm fairly locked-in on a midsize offset from Workhorse down in Georgia. My only remaining concern is that it wouldn't arrive until November, which isn't really a great time to try to familiarize and also properly season a 7-800 lb chunk of raw steel.

First world problems.

 

[iptman]

I highly recommend Yoder smokers. I have this one and it's amazing. I'm over the phase in my life where I can hang out with my buddies, drinking beer and tending a stick burning smoker for 12+ hours.

The YS640S Pellet Grill - Yoder Smokers

Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grills are Made in America. Versatility to Smoke, Grill, Sear, and Bake. Comes with an industry leading 10 year warranty.

www.yodersmokers.com

 

[JohnVee]

I'm over the phase in my life where I can hang out with my buddies, drinking beer and tending a stick burning smoker for 12+ hours.

Don't lie to us. You never had friends.

 

[StaleAle]

@StaleAle thanks for the feedback on the Napoleon.
I'm fairly certain that's my selection. Probably the Prestige P500.

Did you purchase locally or online?

My big Lynx grill is not long for this world. I stopped by Potomac Metals yesterday to get guidance on scrapping. She's 525lbs of mostly 304 SS. So there's some cash value to sending her into the next life.

I bought local, from Acme Woodstoves on 29 in Merrifield.

The 500 is a good size...I actually have the Prestige 500 RSIB, not the Prestige Pro. I think I read somewhere that they are the same manufacturer as the Lynx.

 

[ace10]

I bought local, from Acme Woodstoves on 29 in Merrifield.

The 500 is a good size...I actually have the Prestige 500 RSIB, not the Prestige Pro. I think I read somewhere that they are the same manufacturer as the Lynx.

Have you used the IR side burner?
My Lynx has IR inside and on the back, so I'm not sure about having it outside like on the Napoleon.

 

[captainva]

I highly recommend Yoder smokers. I have this one and it's amazing. I'm over the phase in my life where I can hang out with my buddies, drinking beer and tending a stick burning smoker for 12+ hours.

The YS640S Pellet Grill - Yoder Smokers

Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grills are Made in America. Versatility to Smoke, Grill, Sear, and Bake. Comes with an industry leading 10 year warranty.

www.yodersmokers.com

Dang that looks absurdly overbuilt. Also fireboard built in is a huge plus over a Traeger. The Traeger app is so s*** its essentially not useable and the probes are wildly inaccurate ±25°F over the actual temp. I now use a Thermoworks smoke x4 which is great. I'm over the wifi crap. That said almost double the price of a Traeger at Costco and they will throw in a bunch of freebies if you talk to the rep