Grill Recommendations

[ace10]

The beginning of a new, long term relationship.

Went to Acme yesterday. Compared the Prestige and Prestige Pro. Money considered, I didnt have a strong preference for one over the other.
But they only had the Prestige in stock. So it was an easy decision, since I wasn't gonna make the drive back over there at a later time.

Hopefully, wrestling the box outta the 100 is the hardest part of the job. The instruction look like Ikea nonsense.

 

[ace10]

I'm about an hour and a half into the assembly and, to be honest, I'm not hugely impressed with a few things.

First and foremost, I'm missing hardware that is gonna delay me using this grill for up to two weeks. I understand that this stuff happens, but it still sucks big time.

The quality of grill is OK. Probably better than a big box grill, but it's still a lightweight. There's hardly any actual stainless steel in the body. Mostly for show. And what's there is thin.

I had a bad feeling about the assembly instructions when I first looked them over, and it's only gotten worse as I have proceeded along. There are no words. Just drawings which lack useful detail. And there are at least two revision issues that haven't been updated.

And then there's the lack of a finishing panel beneath the controls. I looked at the "Pro" model in the showroom. And it had a covering under there. I really didn't expect that to be an upgrade over the lower model, but it is. The gas lines and wires are exposed and the 2-3" slot is an invitation for birds to nest. I would not have selected this model had I known this was the case. I just don't understand them trying to save a couple of bucks and leaving the interior of the grill fully exposed. I know there needs to be model differentiators, but c'mon... this is the front of the ******* grill. And it's not like this was $250 at Wallyworld.

(the doors aren't adjusted yet)


Maybe this will be the best cooking grill I've ever used and it will last a decade and then I won't remember any of the stupid stuff I've listed out. Fingers crossed.


EDIT: my post probably came across as very negative. I'm not sour on the grill. Just experiencing some of the typical assembly frustration. I'm contemplating making an adjustment or two and using some of my own hardware to get this done. I really don't want to stew over it for an extended period of time waiting for parts. And really, I need to get it hooked up and tested so I can ditch the mountains of cardboard that are blocking my wife's garage spot.

 

[StaleAle]

This is starting to bring back old memories. I had forgotten what a pain single person assembly was. That thing will be plenty heavy when you get it all bolted together. Be sure to assemble on the same surface where it will be used. It has tiny casters, but those really only work on a deck in good repair or a concrete slab, not so good on brick, pavers, or asphalt, and not at all on hard gravel or lawn. It's just too heavy for the tiny wheels.

I didn't have missing parts, but I do remember aligning the doors took some time. Good Luck!

 

[ace10]

Placed my order for an offset smoker in Aug 2022. She arrived last month. This is my 3rd cook on the pit.
Quite the learning curve for someone who always cooked on LP outdoors.

This is a 9lb prime brisket. 5 hours in.
I'm just daydreaming about hows good it's gonna taste after an overnight rest.

Been keeping the pit super low, 200-225 due to the small size of the brisket. Bark is pretty good. She's probing 165 and fat cap has just started rendering.

Gonna bump up the heat and then go with a foil boat for the last few hours. Fingers crossed this comes out good.

I'm enjoying the process and the challenge of the stick burner. Not something I want to do every weekend, but I can see this being a once a month thing, year round.

Who's getting their cook on this weekend?

 

[mgrs]

Saw you got one, but since we're talking grills...

Picked up a weber traveler off craigslist. It was new and unused for about half what I new one would cost. Really slick little travel grill that could do duty as a full time grill with limitations due to the shallow lid. It is very portable when folded but does some things better than other travel grills (lid latches, grates are secured, big wheels) and has pretty heavy cast iron grates.

At home I still use the same weber kettle I've had for ten years, and probably could for the next 10.

 

[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

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Can report I’ve been very happy with how this has held up. There is some rust on some of the hardware by the casters/base but you only see it when you open the doors and really look. To be fair it has gotten rained in a few times.

I’ll post some current pictures after I clean it.

 

[iptman]

Bumping this thread heading in to grilling season. I'm curious how these Napolean grills have held up and any irritations or kudos on the setup?

 

[ace10]

So I'm two years in on the Napoleon Prestige. Hmmm.

It's definitely been a mixture of good and not-so-good.
I was coming from a Lynx grill that survived almost 20 years with a couple of rebuilds. But that's a whole different price point. And I didn't want to go there again, knowing that an offset smoker was in the cards.
I grill at least two times per week, year round. In the warm weather it's more like 4 or 5 times with lunches, etc.

Things I like about the Napoleon:
The searing burner is really great. Much better than the one on the Lynx. But the cast grate did completely rot away after about a year and a half. It had a good seasoning on it, but I just think it's going to be a consumable. Napoleon replaced it, but charges a fee for the transaction.
At first I thought the lit knobs were just a gimmick, but it's saved me from leaving the grill running at least once or twice.
The main cooking grates have held up well.

My issues:
Mostly centered around the actual cooking surface. The grill heats up kinda slowly, IMO. But it can get really hot eventually, if that's what you need. There is enough control with the knobs after a learning curve.
The front of the main cooking surface is hotter than the back.
Also, there are rows of hot spots (front to back) where two burners abut one another. Very noticeable with small items like wings or sliders. You have to keep the food in motion or you will get really uneven cooking.
The ignitors struggle in the damp and cold. I can usually get one to fire. But it's a PITA and I keep a lighter handy. I don't think they're high quality parts.

If I get five years out of the grill without any additional cost, then I think it's a winner. Anything after that is gravy. But I still have to wonder if it's worth twice the cost of a box store grill. Especially with the uneven cooking.

 

[TTViper]

It’s been a year and I’m loving my Burch Barrel, it’s fun and everything tastes better over wood/charcoal fire. There’s also something to the fat dripping right into the coals. I haven’t used my Camp Chef Woodwind pellet grill since since getting the barrel. I thought I’d use the pellet grill for simplicity from time to time, but I always have 15 mins to let some coals warm up.

 

[1MOA]

I think almost all gas grills are about disposable now if you get 5 years out of one you are good. We have a house in NC on the outer banks and the salt air,heat and constant use destroy grills in short order. I will admit I just look at facebook marketplace every 3 years and go find a Weber Genesis silver and just swap it out for about $150. I will say the side burner on gas grills get used for frying fish all season with us because nobody likes that smell in your kitchen. On another note if you have a blackstone griddle use commercial grill stone blocks to clean them and you will get a clean grill or griddle top and won't kill your season on the surface.