Gas grill - what to look for?

Joss

Joss

Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
7,353
We're in the market for our first gas grill. We've got plenty of room and we're going to use the thing pretty intensively for several weeks, as we remodel the kitchen. I've never bought a grill before and I'm not sure what to buy.

One feature we think we'd like is a way to hook it up to the house's natural gas.

We have a subscription to Consumer Report and I'll go through their recommendations, but they only test the major brands, and maybe they're missing on cool models with interesting features.

I'm the main cook at home and I do a little bit of everything. I'd like to be able to do some sloooooow cooking, and maybe some smoking if possible, in addition to the usual burgers, etc. Rotisserie might or not be in the cards, it kinda depends on the price.

Our budget is flexible, we're willing to invest in quality.

Thanks all!
 
If you don't want to break the bank and have a high quality unit that rates will above it's price range the weber genesis is the way to go.
 
About 11 years ago I fussed over this very subject until my wife, "Buy something, dammit." I wanted three burners and cast iron grates. I bought a Weber Genesis Silver. I think it was on sale and cost me
about $450. I can cook ribs low and slow by just having the rear burner on. I toss a chunk of soaked hickory or apple over the back burner and I get just enough smoke. The temperature stays around 250º.
As I said, it's 11 years old and still works fine.

I believe the model I have has been replaced a newer model. Weber also makes the same grills for natural gas.

I don't have a side burner on mine, but that would be a useful item for your purposes.


Here, drive yourself crazy. :D http://bbq.about.com/od/gasgrills/tp/aatp060402.htm
 
well....I've never wanted to hook up an outside grill to the house gas line for the simple fact that the main line has to be tapped to accomplish that. That means there's now a more exposed gas line to be ruptured.....

But as far as gas grills go, I love my Thermos 4-Burner 48000 BTU Gas Grill with Side Burner: [check Amazon...$244 + free shipping]

81f8RfnTt6L._SL1500_.jpg
 
One thing I can tell you from experience, be sure the grill has stainless steel burners. One of my Weber grills is over 10 years old and still going strong.
 
If you want something that is going to last, get Weber. Aluminum and stainless are used for the high wear areas and replacement parts are easily available if needed.
 
Redundant but WEBER would be my only choice. I've been through many in my lifetime and my final resting place is with a Weber. I have several at different homes,both gas and kettles and they simply perform.
Their customer service and warranties are great as well. Register your purchase and you'll be covered.
 
Been through a bunch of cheap grills over the years. Nothing really wrong with any of them other than they rust out after a while. I now have a Weber Genesis and its really well built. I expect to get at least 10-15 more years out of it and I've had it like 5. The only thing is that I do have trouble getting the heat down enough to do low and slow. I haven't really fiddled with that much because I generally use it for fast grilling.

I keep mine on a covered porch and grill year round despite living in Vermont. During the winter maybe only every couple weeks but during the summer, probably do most of our cooking on the grill.
 
krybalint said:
If you don't want to break the bank and have a high quality unit that rates will above it's price range the weber genesis is the way to go.
Click to expand...

^^This. My Weber Genesis has outlasted several "stainless steel wonder grills" by over 10 years and still working like new.
 
I have a two burner gas grill (technically three if you count the little one off to the side) that I got for under $200. It works for what I do, but does not have the flexibility of the ones mentioned above. It really depends on how far you want to go with this choice.

I was pretty much anti gas grills for years and always used charcoal. Then I got a little George Forman grill that I can take on picnics and use around the house if I want to for small efforts which is pretty much all I have (under 4 people). Eventually it developed problems and I bought a better portable grill which I like.

I got my first larger gas grill because I couldn't use charcoal in the winter effectively. The charcoal simply would not get hot enough to cook. I am still in the "cheap" gas grill phase, but my grill works just fine for my needs. It is a Weber, but not one of the big ones. It sits outside on my deck covered with a canvas grill cover to protect it from the weather. Don't use it often since I developed a red meat allergy from ticks, which really sucks actually. But it is there if I need to use it. I like having the gas grill as an option for emergency use. The small one actually gets used more often at parks and so forth and it uses those little tanks.

Funny story.... I never could really tell how much propane I was using. Turn it on and it worked.... So, I bought a spare propane tank. Had it about a year and never filled it. Went to get it filled and they said it was the old style and couldn't fill it. It was brand new and never filled a single time... trashed it. Landfills don't like these tanks either.

Switching over to natural gas is not an easy switch by the way. I also agree that I don't want another gas line running that is not used often as it is just another problem source.
 
druid189 said:
well....I've never wanted to hook up an outside grill to the house gas line for the simple fact that the main line has to be tapped to accomplish that. That means there's now a more exposed gas line to be ruptured....
Click to expand...

If it's a permanently installed grill, like an outdoor kitchen, I wouldn't mind.
But on a mobile wheeled grill... you'd either have to use it close to the house (bad), or have a long flexible gas hose tapped into the natural gas.
 
Weber Genesis 330 they're a little pricey but worth every dime.
We use a grille year around in NH, I just retired my last Weber after 12 years and picked up a new one.
I cook a full rib roast at 15 lb's as well as a 18 lb turkey with indirect heat, no rotisserie necessary, they come out perfectly.
Got our first one while doing a kitchen rehab as well.
 
My wife surprised me with the Brinkmann Trio gas/charcoal/smoker with the offset fire box and side burner. It is nowhere near the quality of a Webber but I love the versatility. There is nothing better than firing up that smoker on the early AM and letting it go all day.
What ever you settle on, be sure to invest in a good cover. I believe keeping your grill clean and covered is the key to longevity.
 
Here's what I've learned-

Many/Most of the grills, regardless of brand, sold in stores in the USA are made by a company called Nexgrill. Avoid them like the plague. Do a little research on Nexgrill and take a look at the number of complaints and it shouldn't take much time to convince you. I spent a great deal of money on several grills over a ten year period that rusted out and broke down. Two I tried to rebuild but they never really worked right again. One of these was an expensive stainless grill that had a 10 yr warranty. Only problem was when the stainless burners rusted out in a year and a half I spent hours trying to get nexgrill to return voicemails and emails without luck to get them replaced under warranty.

4 years ago I bought a Weber Genesis. I'm generally pretty cynical about anything that has a cult following and so I had dismissed this expensive brand that never went on sale. Buying that grill was the best decision from a grilling perspective I could have made. It's a whole other world beyond the charmglows, grillmasters, etc. 4 yr's in it is also still going strong in spite of a very poor storage situation that I just recently was able to rectify.

If you want to take your grilling the next step buy the weber with the cheapest set of grates you can and replace them with these- http://www.grillgrate.com. I bought mine with a set of cast iron grates and due to an extremely (this is not normal) wet storage location they rusted out quickly. I went with these and now that Weber Genesis grill is on a whole other level then it was before. I LOVE these grates.
 
Just a fast note, I do an incredible amount of grilling/smoking and a gas grill may be convenient but its not really going to win any award for flavor. If you watch any of the competitions on TV you will NEVER see a gas grill. I own 5 smokers and none of them are gas.

I grew up using gas grills and would never go back. Friends give me turkeys/chickens/beef roasts to cook for special home events.

Fast recommendations - Big Green Egg - somewhat amazing grill with a lifetime warranty - mine is pushing 20 YO. This goes from a low and slow cooker to a blast furnace for steaks. Search on ceramic charcoal grills and you will get alternatives. Big Green Egg really stands by there products. They have sent me replacement parts for free under warranty (I burnt them out).

I've had a Traeger pellet grill for almost 2 years - just as convenient as gas and amazing flavor. You can't do a steak on it like the Big Green Egg but it does put out incredible eats. Pellet grills are fairly mechanical they have to be plugged in since there is a auger to feed the fire and can break down - just like Big Green Egg traeger has sent me free parts. There are other pellet grills on the market as well but Traeger has large market share (they have a relationship with Costco and often do "road shows" in Costco).

If you want to go Weber - they make something called the smokey mountain.. charcoal and does a wonderful job as well. I live in CT and the winter is tough for grilling - the smoky mountain struggles in the deep cold (I often grill when its 0-20 degrees out), since you live in the PNW the smoky mountain should be fine. Traegers are from the PNW as well - and make amazing smoked salmon.

If the goal is just grill burgers and dogs, gas is fine.

No harm meant for those that enjoy gas grills but the reality is the flavor from charcoal or pellet is in another category. Pellet grills are not as intense in flavor and struggle with charred steaks but the steaks still taste great and the pellets are convenient and safe. I keep mine in the garage in the winter and when I'm shoveling snow, I clean the first 10 feet from the garage door and roll out the Traeger and fire it up, dinner or lunch is done when I'm done shoveling. Pellet grills are safer than gas as well.

Jack
 
My wife and I absolutely love our Baby Q by Webber - but of course there is just the two of us so large we do not need.
 
We went ahead & ordered a Weber Summit 4-burner. Thank you everyone!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top