Gas grill opinions

[bdeboer]

The basic Holland grill is worth the price of admission - still grilling on one owned since 1992 and expect it to last at least another 10 years. As for cooking time on it - as an example, 4 - 1 1/4" rib-eyes cooked to medium (pink center) will take approx. 35-40 minutes (add 5-10 minutes in winter) after preheating grill 10 minutes. The meat, etc. will not have that charcoal-taste cooked on a Holland, but you won't have flare-ups or worry about burning anything. .

Thanks, for the detailed response.

 

[Dutch445]

I have a char-broil, probably not a commercial series,
but it is mostly stainless, with the large cast iron
burners.
after 5 years of use, (year round) the burners were shot,
so i called them, and they provided me with burners, tents,
ignitors etc all under warranty. i was very impressed with that
service, and would consider them again for that reason.

this grill does have higher heat at the back 1/4 of the burner,
but i don't mind as I can move food around as needed.
I probably paid $350 for it 6 years ago or so.

 

[psj12]

Try this company Wilmington Grill - Stainless Steel Gas Grills From Wilmington Grill North Carolina . I bought one about 15 years ago and the only thing I replaced was the cast iron burners (The new ones are cast SS). The stainless sheet is very heavy gage. Should last a lifetime.

 

[RavensRoost]

I have a 3-burner Vermont Castings (propane) grill that is about 4 years old now, very happy with it. I bought it at Home Depot, but do not see them there anymore.

 

[Chuck52]

I saw some Webers at one of the local super markets. I think they were Genesis....around $400-500 on sale. I was surprised to see that the cooking grids were enamel coated stamped metal rather than solid bar-types. I plan to look at Webers at Lowes and/or Home Depot to see what they look like, since these may be some "special" discount versions.

One good thing about my old crappy grill was and still is the grids. They are heavy enamel coated cast iron (I think). Anyway, they certainly outlasted the burners and the poor quality sheet metal shields that were supposed to protect the burners from grease. I squeezed an old cookie sheet into the space where the burners had been and now I have a nice charcoal grill with heavy duty cooking grids. I bet I can still use the rotisserie over the charcoal fire, too. Maybe this should be in Bird's thread about our throw-away society!

Chuck

 

[RTII]

I had a weber genesis for 12 years and it was/is still going strong when i gave it to my brother. The only reason I gave it up was my wife and I decided to go sailing for a coupe of years. During the time I owned it, I watched a good friend go through 4-5 hi dollar comercial / stainless grills. They either fell apart from poor craftsmanship or he had to keep replacing parts that would burn out or rust out. So now that we're back on land I purchased another weber. Went up one class and bought the Weber Summit last week. It was more expensive but I liked most of the features (some though are gimmicky) and from my past experience I'm expecting this one to be my last grill purchase. I'm not normally brand loyal but the ease of use and durability of the webers has me convinced I bought the right grill.

Good luck with your hunt.

 

[charlz]

We bought a 'Charmglow' at HomeDepot a few years ago. Five burners with heavy cast grates. Has the stainless steel tube burners. Key problem we have had is there is a gap between the propane orifice on the burner controls and the burner tube. Somehow bugs get in there and clog the tubes. This results in poor flame on the burner and sometimes 'flashback' where the propane is going out the gap and not down the tube. Having a flame in this area heats up the SS panel behind the controls and melts the wire for the sparker.

I have one tube right now that is not working right so I have to take it apart again. Not a big job but messy. Originally all the tubes and spacers between the tubes were screwed down but apparently they didn't use SS screws as they have all rusted away. I don't really mind as that makes it easier to take apart and put back together.

This grill tends to be hotter towards the back than the front, which I like as some things cook faster than others. It has the ceramic burner for rotisserie on the back which is a really nice feature. Cooks a duck or chicken in 2 hours or so depending on size.

 

[NorTracNY]

I researched my grill purchase heavily about 3 years ago. I went with Weber Genesis and haven't regretted it for a moment.

 

[lhfarm]

Close to 20 years (I think - a long time anyway) I purchased a Ducane grill that was supposed to last a life time. While it has (after various parts replacements) it doesn't cook as well as my Weber Silver Genesis. Long life is good, but if it doesn't cook well, it still isn't a lot of fun. The Weber, with three burners works great for indirect cooking and has enough heat to do great pizzas on the grill. So I would give it a high recommendation.

Having said that, I've become a convert to a Weber kettle with lump charcoal. You can have a screaming hot fire in about 20 minutes (the Ducane took about 15 minutes to preheat). Wonderful flavors and with the addition of a Smokenator 1000 you can do smoking and finish things off on your gas grill. Can't have too many grills .

 

[mustangsallysdad]

I'm on my tenth year with a stainless steel Maker's Mark from Sam's Club...no complaints other than it is made in China.