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Opinions wanted,, Best Grill for a couple

Kinetic Moose

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Sep 12, 2018
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Margaritaville....
Looking for the best/easiest grill for a couple, we grill alot, and typically use propane but have recently eaten off my brother in law's green egg china copy, decent cooking, prep time to get it hot wasn't my favorite, but better food by far.

So, propane or not?

any ideas on what brand will hold up to being outside best?

charcoal isn't out of the running, just maybe not my favorite. I like the green eggs, but a bit large and heavy and as we are renting, maybe not the brightest idea to go with as they require a crane to move
 
I used to have an Aussie that we got for a wedding gift in 2005. I finally scrapped it in 2019 knowing it would never survive the move from NE to MN. The legs were in pretty rough shape and I'd put a new ash catch pan in it already, so her better days were behind her.

Unfortunately, they don't make that model anymore.

After settling in to the new house, I bought a Weber 22".

Took some getting used to, but two years later it's a rockstar.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one.

Propane is disgusting and leaves food tasting like shit, so there's that.
 
Either a Weber Performer, or a Green Mountain Grills Davy Crockett, if you’re not entertaining, but want a good product at a good price. The Davy Crockett has built in temperature probes and can inject to your phone.
 
I second the GMG but get the intermediate size. Flavor off the pellets is much better in my opinion. I’ll never go back to gas. If you want to grill mainly, getting the grillgrates is a must. Being able to smoke when you want is unbelievably easy. You can become a bbq star in no time.
 
Just bought a Weber Genesis SE-335 Natural Gas with enclosed cabinet which replaced my previous 17 year old Weber. Extremely please with the new SE-335. The 9mm stainless grill grates and sear station work great. It gets to 650* pretty quick (10-15 minutes) in our windy location at 50-60* ambient temps

Fit and finish was exceptional, not one part/fastener hole required 'fudging' to fit.

FWIW - I typically use the BBQ 4-6 times a week year round.

 
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Buy the biggest thickest grill you can afford. They will last longer.

When it's time to move invite your friends over and tell them the meat is at the new place.
 
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Honestly for ease of grilling, traeger is easy and reasonable time to get heated and once you learn how to use them can make some killer food. I wouldn’t really call it a smoker, more like a pellet grill, even on smoke it is weak, but has a little bit smoke taste. No bad taste like some say propane does and faster/easier than briquettes. Biggest drawback is they just dont get HOT. Thicker steaks are easier, better tasting and all that, rather than thin shit. Cooks a mean chicken and potato. Killer stuffed jalapeños.
 
I have had the 310 spirit for 6-7 years now I think, need to redo the burners because of the cross light got rusted out because I replaced the burner covers with cheap ones. my fault not weber.
 
Renting an APT....Get a smaller grill.
Renting a house....Maybe a standard size grill.

Expecting to use it a lot....Cheaper grills are disposable plain and simple; Spending more money might mean it will last longer while it's easier to replace parts over time.

I've had a few Webers they work great, have replacement parts, can just about be rebuilt inside from any body. Cost a tad more.

Trager style grills seem to give the best of both worlds. Wood "smoke" and set-it-forget-it style cooking. Costs more money.
 
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You need two grills...

When time is short I fire up the Weber Genesis propane and just make food.

When I have about an extra half hour I use the Weber Kettle grill and get much tastier food.

With side fuel baskets the weber Kettle is no slouch in the smoke department.
 
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Pk grill original. We have had ours for about 15 years and it stays outside. Best grill i have ever cooked on
 
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I have a ton of different grills and I also sell Camp Chef. We own a grocery store and sell a ton of bbq rubs, grills, woods, ect.

For what you are wanting you need to go with a pellet grill. Like I said I sell Camp Chef, but I also own a Treager ranger, a Yoder ys640, weber gas grill, Camp chef woodwind 36, campchef flat top grill and a ole hickory commercial smoker that hold 56 pork buts at a time.

The treager I bought to use on my jobsites. It's very small and compact. Like 18x21in and can be carried like a suitcase. Cooks for 4 men a lot.

The yoder is a TANK. If you want a grill that will last the rest of your life, this is it. Cooks really well too, but very very heavy.

$1500 weber gas grill that I haven't started in forever. Start using pellet or charcoal . Gas sucks in my opinion

Camp chef does have some very convenient features, and a ton of models, that pretty much will fit anyone's needs.

Pellet grills are just too easy. They cook really good, hold temp great, and the food taste really good.
 
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For one to three people I think the PKGO is ideal. It's small, portable, and your grandkids will be using it. I prefer charcoal and wood to gas.

Then later you might add a bigger grill for bigger gatherings.

 
Weve got a Weber Q200 that was bought in Alaska in 2012... I think the current is the Q220.

Probably use it 2-3 nights a week...

Just my wife and I and OCCASIONALLY others, but the thing is solid. I have to take it apart every 6 months to clean the burner holes.

I converted it from the little 1lb propane bottles to the 20lb bottles.

Still on the original grates, although they could be changed out. The body is all aluminum.

Ive been itching to buy a new giant grill for the house, but damn if I cant choke down the $3k for the Napolean Prestige Pro 665 that I want....
 
We've got a Weber genesis that we used to use all the time... until I bought a Req Tec, now that's pretty much all we use
 
I’m team pellet smoker. Traeger, Louisiana, Green Mountain, etc.

With this type of grill you can adjust your cooking temp from 180ish to 400ish, select different types of smoking pellets, and have very little cleanup all at the flip of a switch.

To me they’re the best of all worlds.
 
Charcoal tastes better than propane. If you don't have time for the flavor of charcoal, what's the point?

I absolutely love Walmart's Expert Grill 24".

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It's $100, compact, sturdy, and has better functionality than anything else I've owned (including Webers). The best feature is the coal pan can be raised or lowered with a hand crank and has roughly 8" of vertical travel. 4 external air vents, the coal pan itself is perforated, has a front access door, and the full-width stainless ash pan is a nice touch.
 
Sometimes the convince of propane is a big thing.
I have at times tossed wet wood chips in for flavor.

They sell these stainless smoke generators that use pellets all over.

That may be an option.
 
my brother got me a weber Q grill several years ago and it works great.
heats up quick because it isn't as big as most.

 
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We have a Grillery. Not exactly low maintenance, but it is great to cook on.
 
Charcoal tastes better than propane. If you don't have time for the flavor of charcoal, what's the point?

I absolutely love Walmart's Expert Grill 24".

View attachment 7616066

It's $100, compact, sturdy, and has better functionality than anything else I've owned (including Webers). The best feature is the coal pan can be raised or lowered with a hand crank and has roughly 8" of vertical travel. 4 external air vents, the coal pan itself is perforated, has a front access door, and the full-width stainless ash pan is a nice touch.
That thing does look functional as hell
 
Go Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe. No looking back. You need the Medium or Large egg and the Classic Joe.
Thinking the wife would like that
Have to figure out how to roll it in and out of the garage with a lip on the driveway...but it what we are leaning towards
I had a Weber that lasted 20 years and was still going strong
Three rebuilds etc and it’s still going for the new homeowners
 
FWIW, charcoal has no flavor. That is the point of charcoal, to cook out all of the impurities (flavonoids) from wood. Any smoke flavor you get from charcoal is just the burning fat from the meat when it hits the coals. You would get the same with lava rocks over gas. If you want to add flavor, you actually need to use wood and cook on it before it turns to coals. I know we all think differently from our childhoods, but this is the reality of the situation. It is also why "Argentinian" grilled beef tastes so good, because it is cooked over wood, not charcoal.
 
Weber genesis. Then when you get settled in a house get an egg or similar.
 
FWIW, charcoal has no flavor. That is the point of charcoal, to cook out all of the impurities (flavonoids) from wood. Any smoke flavor you get from charcoal is just the burning fat from the meat when it hits the coals. You would get the same with lava rocks over gas. If you want to add flavor, you actually need to use wood and cook on it before it turns to coals. I know we all think differently from our childhoods, but this is the reality of the situation. It is also why "Argentinian" grilled beef tastes so good, because it is cooked over wood, not charcoal.
I'll remember that, typically grilling is just to avoid pan frying, but I have some time on my hands and I think that it wouldn't be a bad idea to invest some time into grill skills since primers are so ducking hard to find...
 
Thinking the wife would like that
Have to figure out how to roll it in and out of the garage with a lip on the driveway...but it what we are leaning towards
I had a Weber that lasted 20 years and was still going strong
Three rebuilds etc and it’s still going for the new homeowners

Kamado Joe set up includes a ton of accessories and a cart, BGE includes zero. You can buy chunks of fruit wood to flavor your cooks however you want. Most times I just go neutral with plain lump charcoal. Low and slow on a brisket or pork butt or ripping hot for a steak sear or even a pizza. Extremely versatile
 
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Kamado Joe set up includes a ton of accessories and a cart, BGE includes zero. You can buy chunks of fruit wood to flavor your cooks however you want. Most times I just go neutral with plain lump charcoal. Low and slow on a brisket or pork butt or ripping hot for a steak sear or even a pizza. Extremely versatile
looking at the kettle joe,,,?? thoughts? looks funky
 
All of the well built Kamado style grills are pretty similar, and they are all great. They take some finesse for various kinds of cooking, but you can really make them sing with a little work.
 
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Just bought a Weber Genesis SE-335 Natural Gas with enclosed cabinet which replaced my previous 17 year old Weber. Extremely please with the new SE-335. The 9mm stainless grill grates and sear station work great. It gets to 650* pretty quick (10-15 minutes) in our windy location at 50-60* ambient temps

Fit and finish was exceptional, not one part/fastener hole required 'fudging' to fit.

FWIW - I typically use the BBQ 4-6 times a week year round.

yeah, that's pricey but can't beat weber for durability
 
yeah, that's pricey but can't beat weber for durability
My first one was 17 years old and still very functional. The SE-335 appears to better engineered with better materials so it should easily make 17 years with the same usage and care. So that's less than $59 a year. Cheap compared to rimfire ammo. ;)
 
I think of a small standard grill as a gateway drug. You eat some good steaks and chicken.

Then one day you find yourself waking up from a 3 day food coma from main lining briskets and pork butts from your offset stick burner.

You know you want the big boy.

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Plain jame Weber kettle, Weber charcoal chimney, and a bag of B&B lump charcoal.
 
All Kamado style cookers are basically the same. Only large difference is warranty. BGE and KJ are lifetime for original owner on all ceramics which is huge. Once you master the temp controlling, you’ll never regret your purchase
 
Once you cook on a green egg there’s no going back to a gas grill. Lighting it is fast if you use the right tools. I use a bernzomatic torch with a propane bottle and hit it for 30-45 seconds in the middle and if I’m just grilling or smoking I can have it up to temp in about 5 minutes. Pizza temp takes a little longer but again the right tool like an electric leaf blower on low moving some air in the bottom will make it shoot up to 600-700 degrees in less than a minute. If you use the lighting bricks it takes like 30 minutes by time it’s up to temp, those things suck ass though.

If it’s just two of you and you’re just making steaks or burgers then I’d just get a minimax. It’s plenty big for two people and will use less charcoal and heat up even faster. IMO a minimax and a XL is the perfect setup for cooking for yourself and party’s.
 
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Broil King for gas. Has cast buckets not flimsy sheet metal. Their warranty is good and easy to deal with. Our first one had the grates crack on it after a couple of years and they replaced them no questions asked. Very durable grill that’s built very well. Lowe’s had the best price on them.

For charcoal I use a chimney starter. Very quick way to get hot coals. Most of my charcoal use is camping and using a Dutch oven.
 
Traveler Traeger. Got one for Christmas and love it. Takes 15minutes to warm up to 350F, takes about 35-40 minutes to cook two thiccc chicken breasts. It’s plenty small that you can move it wherever you need to and doesn’t take up a lot of physical space. If you have a pickup and a power inverter/generator, you can take it camping with you as well.
 
Napoleon.
Its what Webbers were 15yrs ago, before they were bought out and went with cheaper materials.
 
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These are great and fairly cheap. Add on the thermometer and get a starter chimney. We use mesquite and oak wood. Outstanding for burgers, steaks and bacon wrapped jalapeños.