BBQ's

Shotgun

Shotgun

Joined
Feb 3, 2006
Messages
8,250
Looking to buy a bbq for my wife and I. I don't really know much about them but what I'm looking for is something that can do gas for quick fire ups but also something that can do charcoal for serious grilling. If there is such a BBQer out there. It's just my wife and I so a small portable one that we can take car camping would be bonus. Any ideas on what I should look at? Budget would be under 100 bucks. More for something perfect and well built. Definitely under 200.
 
And I'd like a toilet made of solid gold... but it's not in the cards, baby.

With the exception of grills that use a small gas burner to start charcoal as the main fuel, I have seen no "duel fuel" grill worth having. Charcoal is successful when it exposes the food directly to the fuel. Gas is successful when it isolates the food from the fuel. You can't do both.

Throw in a desire for portable... and then ask for under $100, and there isn't a decent-quality grill that meets your needs.

I have has the same Weber gas grill for about ten years now. It looks almost new and it functions perfectly. It clearly has years of use left in it. Yes, it did cost $1100. Meanwhile, every spring -- it should be any day now -- my neighbor behind me buys a new grill for $150ish and brags to me about what a great deal he got and all the great features and accessories and everything. About mid-summer, as I'm grilling up another mouth-watering meal, I'll see him (usually waving his hands trying to put out some conflagration) and ask, "How's that new grill working out for you?" and he'll say, "I just can't get the hang of it." When it comes time to clean up for winter, that new grill will be set out for recycling ($20 pickup fee) having made exactly zero excellent meals.

My strong advise is bite the bullet (so you can bite into a great steak later) and invest in a $500 Weber Genesis. It will last you for many years and make you many delicious meals.

Buy quality and you only cry once.
 
What ever gollnick...

Shotgun... for what you want you'll have to bump your budget up a bit, I just bought my friend this grill for their house warming. Works great
 
Dual fuel, portable, and $100...that's rough. If you can live with two look for a small Weber Q and any of a number small portable charcoal grills. You'll probably be kicking around the $175 range but you'll have versatility.
 
Another good option would be to forget about gas and get a good old Weber Kettle.
 
Why not just get a quality cast iron dutch oven and a tripod, build a charcoal fire underneath, and cook that way? Much cheaper, more portable, and you can cook stews, breads, and such... a grill cannot do stew.
 
Yeesh I didn't see that you use a car when going on your outings... that makes things a bit limiting... the one I got for my friends was set up so we could knock off the legs and take it with us... but we drive trucks so space is almost a non-issue...
 
Weber "Smokey Joe" for $30, Electric wand charcoal lighter, $8, bag of charcoal ~$8. Hard to go wrong there and it's a good size for one or two people.

Cheap gas grills are more trouble then they are worth IMHO. They are like a disposable pen. Do you really want to spend $150 a year to have one that works?
 
As a practical matter, if you are really going to use it for travel, gas will be cleaner. But my recommendation given the budget would be a Weber Smokey Joe Gold. It is a small portable charcoal grill, weber quality. It has a lock so the cover won't fly off and ashes everywhere while travelling. Get that and a charcoal chimney and a long "candle" lighter and you can make good stuff for well under a $100.

You can get charcoal and pick up a free newspaper for lighting anywhere while if you run out of gas, you might be out of luck.
 
Gollnick said:
And I'd like a toilet made of solid gold... but it's not in the cards, baby.

With the exception of grills that use a small gas burner to start charcoal as the main fuel, I have seen no "duel fuel" grill worth having. Charcoal is successful when it exposes the food directly to the fuel. Gas is successful when it isolates the food from the fuel. You can't do both.

Throw in a desire for portable... and then ask for under $100, and there isn't a decent-quality grill that meets your needs.

I have has the same Weber gas grill for about ten years now. It looks almost new and it functions perfectly. It clearly has years of use left in it. Yes, it did cost $1100. Meanwhile, every spring -- it should be any day now -- my neighbor behind me buys a new grill for $150ish and brags to me about what a great deal he got and all the great features and accessories and everything. About mid-summer, as I'm grilling up another mouth-watering meal, I'll see him (usually waving his hands trying to put out some conflagration) and ask, "How's that new grill working out for you?" and he'll say, "I just can't get the hang of it." When it comes time to clean up for winter, that new grill will be set out for recycling ($20 pickup fee) having made exactly zero excellent meals.

My strong advise is bite the bullet (so you can bite into a great steak later) and invest in a $500 Weber Genesis. It will last you for many years and make you many delicious meals.

Buy quality and you only cry once.
Click to expand...

I don't know why you'd want a toilet made of solid gold. What's the performance advantage? ;)

But seriously, I'm in the market for a new gas grill too. What do you have? Budget I'd like to keep under $1,000 but not end of the world. However, while I like grilling for parties, 95% of it will be just for me and my wife for dinners so I don't really need a grill with a lot of square inches.
 
I sell major appliances, and the only dual fuel I know of like that is the Napoleon, made in Canada but available here. You'll pay dearly, though. Think Weber.
 
I have had a 40 year love affair with Hasty Bakes. You can't even look at the big ones with your budget in mind, but I would REALLY recommend looking at the Hasty Bake 369 portable grill. It is exactly what you want - not dual fuel, but charcoal is the only way to go as far as I am concerned - a bit over your budget, but will last you many, many years.
 
stevewest said:
I have had a 40 year love affair with Hasty Bakes. You can't even look at the big ones with your budget in mind, but I would REALLY recommend looking at the Hasty Bake 369 portable grill. It is exactly what you want - not dual fuel, but charcoal is the only way to go as far as I am concerned - a bit over your budget, but will last you many, many years.
Click to expand...

Sounds good, but everybody has different opinions on gas or charcoal. Keep in mind that the flavor is derived from the juices hitting a hot surface and creating the smoke which goes into the food, not the charcoal itself, so it could be a charcoal surface or a metal or ceramic surface. Some people just prefer good old fashioned charcoal like we grew up with. For those of you who are willing to spend the bucks, a Lynx gas grill made in California is an excellent choice...the burners are guaranteed for your lifetime.
 
Got an old Weber Genesis from the late 90's that came with the cast iron grills. Upgraded to the stainless flavor bars a couple
of years ago and just bought a new factory cover in May. Expensive for the times @ 500 bucks, but I laugh at my brother-
in law who buys a Costco Char Broil every couple of years for the same $ and thinks he's a wizard. As long as parts are
available I see no reason to change...
 
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