Of course, I went out to light the grill last week and discovered that our marginally acceptable second-hand propane grill had deteriorated over the winter to "rusty pile of hot garbage". So now I'm looking for a replacement.
Big box store stuff seems to be either crappy, overly complicated, or extremely expensive. Or all three. I've done a good bit of soul searching and unfortunately cannot foresee a life where I would bother with charcoal, so this has to be a propane setup. I'm also not going to do pellets- mostly because those generally also require electricity, which is not convenient to where the grill lives. Propane. Propane only. Taste the meat, not the heat, and all.
I do not need a searer or smoker or anything fancy. Our family is 4, with occasional need to feed a larger crew (like, maybe 8-10) A side burner might get used sometimes. We're pretty simple folk, we grill meat and vegetables.
Is there a good, basic, sturdy grill that's not a thousand dollars?
From what I've seen you either buy cheap every 4-5 years and expect to find it a pile of rust at some point, or you spend a grand and expect to fix it every 4-5 years.
The only burners that last are cast iron or bronze. The SS burners disappear about as fast as the steel ones do. The grates are going to crumble to dust unless they are glass coated. Bugs are going to live in the burners. No matter how much you spend, it's going to have to be repaired.
I just buy whatever the box store has on sale and replace it when it gets to be too aggravating. I think my current grill is a Charbroil. It works and will probably last another couple of years and get replaced.
Duke
MegaDork
5/16/23 10:37 a.m.
I had 2 Char-Broil Commercial Infrared gas grills in a row. They were relatively inexpensive, solid, and easy to cook on - even smoking. Replacement parts were not overpriced or hard to source. Eventually the bodies rust out to the point it's not worth replacing the burners / cook surfaces / etc.
This time I splurged an bought a smallish Weber gas grill. Everyone said Webers are the best and will last forever.
I've only had it 2-3 years, so I can't vouch for the 'forever' part.
But I sure hope it doesn't, because I really don't like cooking on it. It's hard to get the flame right, and if it is cold or there's even a mild breeze, it won't hold temperature.
Not recommended. I'd much rather have one of my Char-Broils back.
02Pilot
PowerDork
5/16/23 11:09 a.m.
I've been using middle-of-the-range Weber gas grills for years. I've found no issues with them holding temperature, and I cook on it year-round in NY. They do require a slightly different approach to cooking than other grills. The best part to me, however, is that when parts do eventually wear out or rust, Weber supports them, so everything is available. I've even had them send me free replacements on occasion, but parts prices are reasonable.
I got this a couple years ago and it is still good as new. I wanted a smaller grill instead of one of the stand alone big boys. This works great for four people or less
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0754837SY/?tag=fffbtg-20
Griddle? If you look around online or follow the Blackstone reddit page you can find good deals.
Late edit: I'm not a fan of the grease trap location, but Sams club has a decent 36" griddle for $200 or so. I paid $300 for my Blackstone, but I've seen 36"as low as $200at Wal-Mart clearance section and tractor supply on occasion.
In reply to RevRico :
Yep, I went Blackstone a few years ago and I don't see me ever going back to a regular gas grill.
Weber Q. All day, erry day. Pick your size and style and budget and get the best fit.
Bull BBQ makes a great product. Not exactly budget priced but heavy-duty and built to last a lifetime. I have one on our deck that is a "built-in" unit and it's been used A LOT over the last 9 years. Still looks like new.
These guys sell nice stuff and where I've bought from in the past for several projects.
I spent the first 10 years of my marriage with rehabbed found-on-side-of-the-road gas grills, still recommend this path to others.
At least 25 years ago I bought OMC (Broil King) grills for both myself and my dad, who taught and inspired me to grill. He kept his covered, and it was still going strong with I think 2 rebuilds on it when we sold the cabin where it was living a couple years ago, highly recommend the brand.
I bought my current Weber Summit about 15 years ago. It lives under cover, but not covered, and has never needed anything but gas.
All that said, my favorite cheap gas grill is still found on road, especially if you can get one with no window and an all-cast-metal firebox and lid. Leave the ones with "stainless" lid inserts where they lie. If it's a still supported brand (Broil King and Weber both have great parts availability), proceed to rebuild and win the whole damn game.
Sorry. I have many opinions, few as strongly held as the ones about grilling.
Margie
After years of replacing cheap gas grilles every 3-4 years from rust, I sprung for a Weber Genesis II a couple years ago.
The one I got has the stainless grates, but they offer porcelain ones too. My dad had the same Weber Genesis Gold for about 20 years, and only got rid of it because he wanted a new one. The last grill I had before this one was an entry level Char-Broil, and while it cooked really well, this thing is on another level. The searing burner is a nice thing to have when you're doing steaks and other cuts of meat. I love the thing like it's a part of my family.
The biggest drawback is the price. But I figured that buying a bunch of cheap grilles that rot out no matter how well I care for them in 3-4 years would add up to the cost of this in short order. Plus, Weber makes pretty much all the replacement parts for this, and there are aftermarket upgrades/replacement parts available too.
If I had to go with a cheaper one, it would be Char-Broil again. The entry level one we had before this was great, and you could get the under-the-hood parts for it if you need them. I have a friend with an infrared one that he absolutely loves, and he's had it for a while now.
I love my charcoal grill but my uncle has a Webber Genesis and raves about it. Parts are easy to find when it needs to be fixed and with it living outside near the beach and salt spray its held up well.
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
Great choice...turning the Volvo into a gas grill. Does the box have parts in it for the conversion?
Inspiration
pheller
UltimaDork
5/19/23 1:21 p.m.
dean1484 said:
I got this a couple years ago and it is still good as new. I wanted a smaller grill instead of one of the stand alone big boys. This works great for four people or less
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0754837SY/?tag=fffbtg-20
I want one of these, slightly wider, designed to last. Maybe with a small griddle option too.
In reply to pheller :
I have not bought one but for the highly portable Weber Q200 there is an optional griddle.
https://www.amazon.com/weber-q2200-griddle/s?k=weber+q2200+griddle
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
I had your same feelings about charcoal, but I bought one and haven't touch my propane grill since. Grill, sear, smoke, I can do it all (and no it is not a high dollar ceramic). It is less a PIA than I though it was and the end product is much tastier.
In reply to John Welsh :
He had a Volvo spontaneously combust on track at CMP. Do not recommend!!
I prefer charcoal.
The Char Broil went together Friday afternoon and was grilling dinner that night. Salmon steaks. This grill has the porcelain grates with stainless burners and a stainless heat shield (Char Broil calls it "infrared cooking" or something). It worked well, the infrared dealie worked as advertised and prevented flare ups. Despite my oiling it, the salmon stuck to the grate, though it was easily cleaned off after dinner.
The grill seems a bit expensive for what it is, the metal isn't all that thick, but assembly wasnt bad and it seems like it'll last a few years. I got a cover for it, too.
The assembly:
