buying a grill

tcufrog

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 18, 2012
My family moved into a new house right before Thanksgiving last year. Since our previous house had a built-in grill, we don't own one. We didn't grill a lot at our old house because the grill was far from the kitchen and it was difficult to clean. I would like to grill more at our current house since the grill will be right next to the kitchen. I was wondering if anyone had any advice regarding what to look for in a gas grill. I want it to be easy to use and easy to clean. I am interested in rotisserie attachments. Are they worth using?
 
If it's within your budget look at a Weber.
After decades of replacing the cheap aluminum, and sometimes steel, grills from Wal Mart and the other box stores because they fell apart after two or three years of use I bit the bullet and bought a Weber.
I know two people who've had theirs for years, in one case over a decade, and left them outdoors in our Northern Indiana Winters, and the grills still look great and function perfectly.
Mine is three years old and is on it's second grill cover but it still looks great and never fails to fire up on the first try.
 
We have a 20 year old Weber Gas Grill. It is out year round and used year round, even in New England winters. Works wonderfully still. Weber still has stock of the parts that occasionally need replacement like igniter or pressure valve. We did upgrade to stainless steel grids when the enamel ones, that lasted 9 years, needed replacement. we never added the rotisserie, but can roast chickens perfectly because the heat is so balanced. Weber makes an upright roasting accessory which is fantastic. Mine is a two burner model, but if I ever replace it, I would buy the 3 burner version which offers a little more flexibility say for grilling pizza.
 


Propane grills are made by several manufacturers so mostly depends on your budget. The higher-end models usually have a rotisserie that includes the motor and attachments so it fits that particular model. On some model not designed for a rotisserie, the lid can't be closed when using if you try to add that feature later. Rotisserie models generally have a verticle back burner so you can cook the food without flare-ups. Side burners where you can heat something in a pan tend to be of little benefit, so I would look for a model without that feature. Items that take a longer time to cook tend to do better on a rotisserie where you can cook more evenly at a lower temperature setting.

Size of the cooking surface is also a consideration if you tend to cook for a large number of people. Tiny grills are mostly good when cooking for a small number of people. The better grills allow for even control of the cooking temperature so you don't just burn the food when cooking.
 
We have had the upgraded model Char-Grill, that has the very nice grill rack... not just the cheap round i inch apart grill plates that food falls right thru.
So, these were like a Weber. It has been pretty good.
But, it is not a Weber!!!!
I think we might buy a Weber to replace our old grill.

PS: Those more solid liner plates that are just below the grill rack... We took those out, because to us, they added a fake 'smoke' flavoring that was more like smoked foods and not simply char-grilled food.

I am thinking that maybe the rotisserie is an option that can be added, and is not included on lower line models?
 
First thing to decide is whether you want your out door stove to be hooked into your natural gas or whether you want to use propane canisters. The former is generally more expensive, especially when considering the cost of running the gas line. But.... you don't have to go back and forth for gas canisters.
Second thing to decide is what am I going to cook on this thing? If you haven't done that, how on earth could you ever know what you need?
Third thing to think about is heat control. You can't control the heat, you're hosed. And controlling heat isn't just about the burners. If it's cheaply made such that with the lid closed the heat goes out like crazy, you'll never get good heat control for anything that requires slower cooking like ribs or you'll have to (gasp) boil or oven bake them and just finish them out on the grill. But if all you're ever going to do is burgers and hot dogs you might not even care.
Fourth thing. Don't just fall for the one with the most BTUS. If you need that kind of power great. But if you don't, More BTUs=more fuel use That's more money on both types and more trips for canisters on your propane type.
Fifth. How portable do you need? Do you need one that fairly easily rolls away or are you just going to put it there and forget it?
sixth. Use a cover. Even if you plan to roll it into the garage during rainy season, use a cover. Your grill will last longer.
seventh. Ease of cleaning. Grills with a lot of nooks and crannies don't really clean easily. By the way, don't clean your grates where the food goes with wire bristle brushes. Those wire brushes can come off and stick, and get into your food and into you.
Non stick grates? ... Uh no.
 


My family moved into a new house right before Thanksgiving last year. Since our previous house had a built-in grill, we don't own one. We didn't grill a lot at our old house because the grill was far from the kitchen and it was difficult to clean. I would like to grill more at our current house since the grill will be right next to the kitchen. I was wondering if anyone had any advice regarding what to look for in a gas grill. I want it to be easy to use and easy to clean. I am interested in rotisserie attachments. Are they worth using?

IMO, Weber is the only way to go!! We bought a grill same time as our friends, only they bought a name brand 'cheapie'. Both of us used covers and they were out in the elements year round.
There grill was deteriorating after the first couple years, ours went strong for 12 years when we again bought a new Weber - it's 18 years and going strong. We did replace the grills, starter, and a couple smaller items. In this case, you definitely get what you pay for!! (our first Weber was still usable, but we were moving and decided not to take it)

We have the 3 burner with a side burner for pots.

By the way, we always use wire bristles to clean our grates - never an issue leaving bristles behind, but we do make sure they are super clean each time - there's nothing for them to stick to.
 
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We have a Weber and it’s going on 13 years old. We replaced the grates and igniter components recently. Ours is hooked up to natural gas which our builder put in when we built the house.
 
I bought a Charbroil Professional Series gas grill in 2009 and it's still going strong. I've had to replace the jets and grate once.

If I could do it over again I might get a Weber kettle grill because they have lots of cool 3rd party components you can get to use it as a smoker. But it's very convenient to hit a button and be cooking in 10 minutes, too.
 

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