Anybody have a gas grill they like???

[The Weekenders]

So, last weekend, the Weekender relented on the old grill, that was many times repaired and went to the Home Stress-pot to look at new models, Consumer Reports in hand.

Got talked into (and talked myself into) this Char-Broil "Red" thing. After arduous assembly and creation of outdoor pad (no concrete area to put it on) I fired the thing up in a typical windy El Sobrante hillside day. Couldn't get it up to 300 even. Tried again next day, managed to barely cook a lambchop, but once again very windy. This time I blocked every hole etc etc. The chop was very moist, I'll say. No scorchened, black, give-ya cancer parts. I kinda missed that.

This has hi-falutin' all infrared cooking style. Flames sit under a big "u" shaped piece of metal that radiates infrared. No drying out meat, no flare-ups, no grease down the guts of the grill until you rust through the u. Then you buy a new one for $40.

So I am on the verge of takin' it back tomorrow knowing that it will never not be windy here in the summer. So I ask, have any of you recently purchased a gas grill that you actually like??? Most of them have some crappy thing about them and the ones that don't are out of my range. I spent $450, which to me is obscene, on the red thing, but Consumer Reports was SO sure it was a good one. Come to find out they didn't even differentiate this very different cooking method.

[Doc Jones]

I am gas-grill-impaired. I have the greatest respect for those that can get them to work at all.

I have two or three in my shed....some of them expensive. I can never get the #%*!*!! things to work. Last year I got a little metal fire pit wherin I toss chinks of wood and burn them to cook my meat.

I think my ancestors would be proud.

Doc

[Berti66]

Gas grills just don't give the same results as *real* bbq's ....... I think doc is on the right track! Gas grills are useful, though....depends on what you are expecting from them if they can make you happy.
Berti

[Coffee]

Ya never here anyone wax nostalgic about that good ol propane flavour.

Might look around and see if you can procure a "Big Green Egg." They're a tad pricey, but well worth it.

[Cork]

Hi, Weeks,

Like others here, I prefer BBQ and grilling over hot coals, but if it's a gas grill which you could be interested in, then try this.

Over the years I've gone through a number of gas grills, but this one beats them all. It's not big, but it darn sure works. Options are available.

One of those options is a hose to connect to a 20#, or larger, propane tank.

[Cork]

Ya never here anyone wax nostalgic about that good ol propane flavour.

Might look around and see if you can procure a "Big Green Egg." They're a tad pricey, but well worth it.

Yes, and although the Big Green Egg is charcoal fired, at least the ones I've seen, I've heard some really good things about them.

The Big Green Egg is made of an insulating ceramic, and a little charcoal goes a long way.

Slow cooking, at its best, from what I hear.

[missy]

to answer the question -

no.


We have a charcoal smoker. Depending on the meat - we've got apple, cedar, hickory, and other wood chips to add.

The biggest issue I've had with people that use gas grills is they don't change the lava rocks and everything starts to taste rancid from the accumulated fat.

[brewerpaul]

I'm a gas fan, and we have a fairly basic Char Broil (I think as the price goes up, all you're really getting is doodads)
I'll grant that charcoal provides a better taste, but I'm into easy. I can come home from work, fire up the gas and be cooking in 5 minutes. No ash to clean either. Also, I can turn half of the grill on high and half on low to cook different types of food simultaneously. Works for me.

[I.D.10-t]

...but I'm into easy...

For me, the time it takes for the charcoal to get hot is a mini vacation*. Take that away, and I might as well cook with gas inside.

Umm, can one rig up gass to an outdoor grill?

* I might try flint and steel to start a fire this year.

[mutepointe]

I find that the best kind of grill is that which is owned and operated by the kind people who invite me to cookouts. I'll bring a side dish or uncooked meat. God put a perfectly good stove in my kitchen.

I moved around too much to bother owning a grill and over 10 years ago, my brother gave me a small charcoal grill which I've yet to unpack so that I have it nice and neat for that occasion when it's needed.

[missy]

I'm a gas fan, and we have a fairly basic Char Broil (I think as the price goes up, all you're really getting is doodads)
I'll grant that charcoal provides a better taste, but I'm into easy. I can come home from work, fire up the gas and be cooking in 5 minutes. No ash to clean either. Also, I can turn half of the grill on high and half on low to cook different types of food simultaneously. Works for me.

with one of these - unless you are working on a whole bag of coals - you can have them ready to go in about 10 minutes:




The ashes go into the garden or flower bed. Good for soil conditioning when you have clay like we have.

[pipersgrip]

Just got a gas grill last week. I really like it. Haven't had any problems with it yet.

[Doc Jones]

Couple of handy tips for geting the charcoal going a bit faster:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjPxDOEdsX8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDx_S4htXWU

Doc

[The Weekenders]

Thanks for ideas. Yes, I am historically a charcoal griller and smoker, big time. In fact, I have coaxed excellent food off of this old Coleman Powerhouse for years. I've replaced the burner and shield six or seven times because they rust each year from Bay fog and wind. But now the rest of the unit is shot.

You cannot beat the speed of gas for after-work grillin' and the heat control for doing things like salmon. The trend has been to these bigger grills and you can hardly find the more basic ones, Cork's being an exception.
I don't taste the propane. The newer mondo-grills have done away with ceramic briquets so that issue (rancid fat) is now moot. But I wonder if other models (not the one I brought home) heat up as fast as the older primitive grills....

I liked the Weber Genesis, with all stainless steel, but $900?? Yikes.

I just hate to have to keep experimenting with grills, when they weigh a ton, have to be assembled, etc etc. That damn Char-Broil took me all afternoon to build. Weighs 137 lbs without the tank. I can't even fit it in my truck (camper shell) to take it back! And I ain't gonna take it apart...

I know, it's not a life-changing prob, but I did want to consult the brain trust here.

[gonzo914]

I had a gas grill once and could never even get a fire out of it. For the price of a gas grill, you can buy lots of these --



I just buy a new piece of crap cheap grill every couple of years. They all work fine for burgers and dogs and the occasional kabob. As for salmon -- well, we just don't do non-mammalian based cookout fare in the Midwest.