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Gas Grill thoughts


next2naus

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16 minutes ago, kevwun said:

Not a fan of them getting rid of the cabinet base.  That grease pan is going to look real nice hanging out in the open after a couple of uses.  Not sure why they did that.

you can get it with a cabinet, I'm 50/50 on the cabinet

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On June 13, 2018 at 4:03 PM, BearSchlong said:

I'm pretty sure the shag/surl stipulated to the excellence of Weber gas grills a while back.

I have both Gas and Charcoal models and while I prefer the charcoal, it's just a pain in the ass.

Serious question.  I've never understood the "pain in the ass" stance with charcoal.  Is it the time it takes to get hot?  The fact that you have to clean out ashes after every third or fourth use?  

I've tried to like gas grills.  I really have.  I just can't do it.  Even the "nice" ones don't seem to cook at an easily regulated temperature.  The extra 15 minutes to get a chimney starter going and the occasional scooping out of ashes is well worth the trade off, IMO.  I've owned a grill of some sort since I was 19, and to this day, I've never owned a gas grill.  

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@luke duke serious question.  I know you have a bad ass pit that you built.  And I admire that.  And, I think you've been successful at BBQ cook-offs and whatnot.  

If you're grilling chicken breasts or burgers on a random Tuesday night do you cook on a gas grill or charcoal?

Maybe I just suck at gas grills.  I'm not above admitting that's a distinct possibility.

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2 minutes ago, Spaulding Smails said:

@luke duke serious question.  I know you have a bad ass pit that you built.  And I admire that.  And, I think you've been successful at BBQ cook-offs and whatnot.  

If you're grilling chicken breasts or burgers on a random Tuesday night do you cook on a gas grill or charcoal?

Maybe I just suck at gas grills.  I'm not above admitting that's a distinct possibility.

If you've never owned one, it's not surprising you have a negative opinion, I suppose...but gas grills are roughly as hard to regulate temperature in as an oven.

I personally cook chicken breasts and (usually) burgers on gas.  Steak, bone-in pork, and wings goes on the BGE.  Some stuff that's slightly better on charcoal still gets the gas treatment if we're grilling late for whatever reason, the convenience of the gas grill being 700* in 4 minutes is hard to overcome.

 

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I’m 90% gas at this point. I will say there is a distinct difference between a good (read:expensive) gas grill and a cheap one. Cheap ones don’t heat evenly, they don’t cook evenly, they are susceptible to flare ups and just shitty cooking overall. I’ve had 3-4 cheaper gas grills with some of those still being moderately expensive in the $400-$500 range. One session with the Weber Genesis II showed me that it was a complete waste of money to buy the cheaper ones. 

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2 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

@luke duke serious question.  I know you have a bad ass pit that you built.  And I admire that.  And, I think you've been successful at BBQ cook-offs and whatnot.  

If you're grilling chicken breasts or burgers on a random Tuesday night do you cook on a gas grill or charcoal?

Maybe I just suck at gas grills.  I'm not above admitting that's a distinct possibility.

I wasn't giving you crap about your preference for charcoal over gas. I was giving you crap for the inability to regulate temperature on a gas grill.

I grill (chicken, fajitas, etc.) over gas

I cook burgers on my flattop

I cook steaks in the oven and sear over charcoal

I BBQ with wood

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5 hours ago, Spaulding Smails said:

Even the "nice" ones don't seem to cook at an easily regulated temperature.

Not to keep dog piling, but define “nice”.  I’m guessing not Weber?  My last 2 Webers could cook with as much precision as my wife’s Wolf range.

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I'll eat some crow on this one.  I've never cooked on a Weber Genesis.  The "nice" ones I've cooked on have been in the $500 range, I would guess.  Probably just a case of me not giving them a shot and not appreciating their capabilities.  I guess it would be like occasionally driving a Toyota Camry and not understanding why someone would appreciate a Porsche 911.  Bad assumption on my part.

I have a Bull Bison 30-in charcoal grill that I use for steaks, fajitas, chicken and fish.  Bull 24" griddle for burgers, cheesesteaks, eggs, etc.  Then an old Tejas smoker for BBQ.  I'm not a Beard Award winner by any means, but I'm also not "a retard" when it comes to cooking.  

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On 6/15/2018 at 1:02 PM, Spaulding Smails said:

Serious question.  I've never understood the "pain in the ass" stance with charcoal.  Is it the time it takes to get hot?  The fact that you have to clean out ashes after every third or fourth use?  

I've tried to like gas grills.  I really have.  I just can't do it.  Even the "nice" ones don't seem to cook at an easily regulated temperature.  The extra 15 minutes to get a chimney starter going and the occasional scooping out of ashes is well worth the trade off, IMO.  I've owned a grill of some sort since I was 19, and to this day, I've never owned a gas grill.  

Gas grills are easier, have very even and stable heat, and have less cancer risk. 

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On 6/13/2018 at 1:59 PM, next2naus said:

I have one and love it.  The iGrill app is awesome too.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Charcoal is easyyyyyy as fuck to start if you have a chimney starter.  That's like a 10 minute job with 2 minutes of labor involved. 

In fact, if you're cooking for only 1 or 2, you dont even need to bother with the grill:  throw crumpled paper under chimney, put charcoal on top, light paper, 10 minutes later place grill on chimnney and cook food.

 

Handling charcoal, disposal, ashes getting everywhere, etc, that is a bit of a faff.  Not major, but not insignificant.  

The other very legitimate reason for going electric:  apartment dwellers.  Easier to get away with electric grill than charcoal.  

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  • 2 months later...
38 minutes ago, Jerry Callo said:

Someone on TOS had a place to get replacement grates, flavorizer bars, etc. for the Weber Genesis.  Anyone remember the website?

Go to Amazon and order the off-brand stuff. It's just as good, and lasts just as long. Last time I replaced the burner tubes I was worried that knockoff parts might not be as good, but it seems that they are. Fit is perfect, and cost half as much.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Finally broke down and ordered new burner tubes and flavorizer bars for my 2008 Weber E-310. I've replaced the bars once before, but was still on original burners. Went with Weber for the tubes and aftermarket for the bars. Runs like a champ now.

 

Got some heavy duty aftermarket grates a few years back and they're still going strong.

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[mention=577]Okie State[/mention] did you get the aftermarket flavorizer bars from the ebay seller that I mentioned above?

I got mine from a seller on Amazon called RiversEdge Products. Same ones I bought several years back so I knew what I was getting.

 

I can't remember where I got my grates, but they are badass. I think it was eBay.

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14 minutes ago, Steel Shank said:

Does Genesis make a model that has the grates running left to right versus front to back? Mine are f/b, but it seems like it would be easier to use just one burner without have to reach back to the back if that one burner was l/r in front of you. Thoughts?

 

I assume you mean burner, not grates. Older Genesis models have a l/r burner configuration.

Like this one:

https://dallas.craigslist.org/ndf/app/d/great-condition-stainless/6705782049.html

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After owning the Weber Spirit and before that the Genesis I, went ahead and bought the E-310 Genesis II instead of the next model up, which was almost twice as much ($699 vs $1299). So far, seems to be great. Not sure the $1299 model would be any/much better.

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I got a 3 burner Weber Spirit II instead of a Genesis.  I don’t remember all the specific points, but just about every review I read said  that there’s just no longer much upside to a Genesis over the Spirit II for the money unless you need 4-6 burners. The Spirit was upgraded in 2017  and now has most of the same technology of the Genesis. Same cast iron grates, same burner system, the 3-burner Genesis has 89sq in more primary grilling area than the Spirit,  that’s enough for maybe 3 extra burgers when you already have room for 20.   My Spirit fits food for a family of five just fine.  

This article lays out all the differences pretty well. 

https://www.bbqdryrubs.com/weber-spirit-vs-genesis/

 

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Mine is a Spirit and has performed very well. I think I paid $350 for it ten years ago. I read somewhere that the Spirit line was made with cheaper steel and wouldn't last as long as the higher end models. Once this one dies I'm not sure what model I'll get, but it will definitely be another Weber.

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1 hour ago, Steel Shank said:

Yes, my bad. Meant burners. Is my thinking correct, or is there other benefits to f/b? This is mainly when doing food for one or two (not large quantities).

I think that it is more of a matter of preference. I prefer the f/b burner configuration. I find it easier to setup different temperature zones. For some reason I also prefer to line my food up front to back and then left to right, if that makes sense.

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35 minutes ago, luke duke said:

For some reason I also prefer to line my food up front to back and then left to right, if that makes sense.

I’m pretty sure this in an innate  habit hardwired in us since cavemen were grilling raptor thighs. It’s like the toilet paper roll over vs under thing... it’s just the right thing to do. Any other way is communist. 

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1 hour ago, luke duke said:

I think that it is more of a matter of preference. I prefer the f/b burner configuration. I find it easier to setup different temperature zones. For some reason I also prefer to line my food up front to back and then left to right, if that makes sense.

Maybe I should have one gas grill that is l/r and one that is f/b.....just to be sure. Along with the other cooking units, of course.

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