Grill me!

[Sonny]

This may be against Texas law, but I have to confess something. In the 8 years I've owned my home...I have not owned a grill. Please have mercy on my soul. Although growing up in my parents house they grilled all the time, especially on holidays. I would like to start up that tradition with my wife and kids.

Over the past 8 years I've made due by finding alternative ways to cook meat in our kitchen. My only problem is cooking a lot of meat for large family get-togethers. This takes forever! I need your help in choosing a grill. I have no idea where to begin or what to look for. I do not want to buy a cheap grill and not have it last, but on the other hand I do not want to spend an insane amount of dough on a pimped out grill. A happy medium would be great. Anyways, I'll move on to need and requirements.

• I know I want a propane grill. I'm sure I'll hear strong arguments for charcoal but I know how to season and marinade really well. So I don't need the charcoal to make up for lack of flavor.
• I would like to keep the price under $300.
• The grill will be kept outdoor. So it needs to be weather resistant.
• Size shouldn't be an issue. We a fairly large back patio.
• Like I mentioned earlier, I have no idea what options to look for.
• EASY to clean.
• Suggestions on utensils I have to have and stuff that I don't need.

That's all I can thing of right now. I'd appreciate any recommendations you can offer.


Thanks,
-Sonny

[TXFZ1]

June issue of Food and Wine has a Gas grill equipment section. Char-Broil Commercial series four burner was recommmended at the 300 clam level, charbroil.com. Expect 350 to 400 sq inches of grill area which is enough for four people in this price range. Broil-King, Charmglow, Char-Broil, Fiesta, Kenmore, and Weber should have something in the proce range

There is a 6,110 clam Alfresco 56-inch deluxe, wow.

David

[gardener]

You know... and some may disagree with this... but I've had new grills, old grills, cheap grills, expensive grills, rebuilt grills that I found out in the alley for trash pickup and I've used them all as well as given many away over time to friends and family. To tell the truth here, with propane I've decided that while one grill may be far more expensive than a different grill, the food tastes about the same coming off of all of them if you're even a remotely good cook.
I prefer a heavier body like cast aluminum simply because the weather doesn't faze it and it seems to hold heat a bit better. Never had a grill with a side burner and never saw the need for one if you have a kitchen within walking distance. My current cooking surfaces are porcelain coated cast iron grates which I won't do again. Cast iron yes, coated no...
I prefer cast iron burners as they don't rust out as quickly as the standard punched metal ones but the punched burners ARE relatively cheap to replace while the cast iron ones aren't. At least two burners are good because one can be turned way down while the other can be on full blast if necessary... three parallel burners running front to back is even better.
Whatever brand and/or model you get, make sure that the base is well put together and solid. There's nothing worse than having a nice grill on a wobbly chassis that always seems like it's going to collapse any minute.
As to utensils, I have one good, long handled burger flipper and a long pair of standard kitchen tongs and rarely use other stuff other than a standard basting brush like you get on the supermarket kitchen hardware rack.
Size is up to you and your budget... big as you like or small and portable. Buy a size that you'll use most often for the size of your immediate family though... buying a huge grill for those infrequent occasions when you're cooking for 20+ people is just a waste of space, propane, and cleaning time.
Waterproof grill covers can be easily had for under $20. Buy two so when the first one bites the dust in a couple of years, you'll have the spare to put on immediately.
In a way, grills are like buying a car... one expensive model has all the bells and whistles while the other model has just basic necessities but both get you to where you want to go in approximately the same time.

[Roy]

Sonny, check out this place http://www.bbqgalore.com/ but go to the store because they have quality propane grills that are not on the site. I agree with most of what Steve said especially about the burners. Cast iron is good. I got my Jenn-Air with brass burners from Lowes but not for $300. Great grill but more than you want to spend.
There's two locations in or near Houston for that first place. It would be worth your time to at least check them out. Look for an easy to clean pull out drip tray too.

[carrbowl]

After about 3 weber grills in 10 years, I finally said that's enough. When you spend $300-$400 on a grill, it should last longer than 3 years. Maybe it's because we use it alot, but the bottoms always fell out (literally) within 3 - 4 years. I finally bit the bullet and bought my husband one of those nice Jenn Air grills. Best thing I ever did. I've learned that in life, you learn which things you should spend alot of money on and just get a good one, and which things, you should get cheap and replace. I've learned grills are something you should get a nice one to start with. You don't have to spend $1000 to get a nice Jenn Air, but we have been extremely pleased with the one we have. And we hooked it up to the gas, buying propane was a PITA...the gas hook up is very nice.

[PhotoByLeal]

[PhotoByLeal]

Check these out...

Char-Broil® Four Burner Gas Grill $ 299

Char-Broil Commercial Series w/Rotisserie Burner $ 359

Have Fun Grilling....

Later,
Angel

[toverman]

My pick is a compromise ... I recently got a Weber Performa charcoal grill with propane start. If you want a purely gas grill, go for it. To me, it's not only about the flavor the charcoal adds but I can usually sense a different flavor that's added when something is cooked in a gas grill. Not bad, just different.

With mine, I put my charcoal in, turn the gas on and with the press of the button I light the burner. After less than five mintues, the coals are ignited, I turn off the gas and wait for all the coals to get ready. It takes patience, grasshopper, but to me it's worth it!

[iCe]

How does one not own a grill and live in Texas?

I picked up a Charbroil "professional" series at Lowes about 4 years ago. It's all stainless steel. I don't remember what it cost but it wasn't super expensive. I bought a cover for it and I use it. It cooks well and it's outlasted anything else I've ever had.


* Like I mentioned earlier, I have no idea what options to look for.
* EASY to clean.
* Suggestions on utensils I have to have and stuff that I don't need.

Options? I don't use the external burner that came with mine. I need a 3 burners and a grill...
Cleaning is easy. Fire all three burners up on high for about 10 minutes and brush the grill surface off.
Tools- Tongs. Don't poke holes in the meat. It lets the juice out and the meat dries up. Olive oil is your friend. Peel all the skin off of a chicken breast, trim all of the fat. Mix a little olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic in a boil and cover the chicken in it. Grill. Eat.

[KJ Smith]

What you should buy is a " Big Green Egg ", but since you ruled out charcoal you should check into a natural gas grill. If you have natural gas that is.

http://www.biggreenegg.com/

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm

Kevin

[boomerd35]

I'm sorry, I cannot associate with you anymore Sonny. You're a disgrace!

I would have a suggestion for you on charcoal, but I dunno about propane. I would say you need the cover. I saw the Charbroil commercial series that everybody's mentioning. They were outside at Loews, and even though they are stainles, there was rust on the hinges, and every screw/bolt that wasn't stainless. So don't think stainless will last you a lifetime, either.

[DeLeon]

I have the Weber Genesis E-310. Best grill I have ever owned! The three parallel burners make it nice for slow cooking(middle burner off, other two on med. or high.) or for just cooking some dogs real quick. I think it retails for about $600.

[Coelus]

You're voted off the island!

JK/ I guess something no one has asked yet is are you wanting to grill or BBQ? There's a big difference. Grilling is done directly over the heat, and BBQ is made slowly with indirect heat. The vast majority of grills you find at the box stores are direct heat. If you want to do brisket and such you find a good BBQ pit, which will probably be wood fired. Plenty of people will tell you you can use a little Weber style or propane grill to cook BBQ. But if you want to cook it like a pro you'll get a pit. Steaks, burgers, hot dogs, etc. are best on direct heat. In fact I'm looking at getting a propane grill for just that because I'm tired of spending 30 min to get a fire the way I like it only to spend 15 min cooking a couple steaks.

[LoungeLizard]

My Weber Genesis Gold is now going on about five (maybe six) years old. I love that thing. Of course, I've gotten lazy and don't cover it as much but it's still in great shape. I like the three burners as it gives me better temperature control. I like the side burner as I can do my "blackened" stuff on it.

If you're a member of Sam's or Costco, check out their grills. They are pretty good quality.

Also, cooking on a grill is VERY different and is an acquired skill.

[iCe]

Originally Posted by boomerd35

I'm sorry, I cannot associate with you anymore Sonny. Your a disgrace!

I would have a suggestion for you on charcoal, but I dunno about propane. I would say you need the cover. I saw the Charbroil commercial series that everybody's mentioning. They were outside at Loews, and even though they are stainles, there was rust on the hinges, and every screw/bolt that wasn't stainless. So don't think stainless will last you a lifetime, either.

Stainless steel isn't really "stain less". It's a steel alloy so it will eventually return to it's original, lower energy state (iron ore and whatever else they mix in it to make stainless steel). However... cover it, keep it out of the elements, and it will look and last better than it's painted steel counterpart.