Which Bar B Q to buy?

[EddieWalker]

Steph wants a new Bar B Q. Our current one is just too small for her, and she wants something bigger. We prefer briquets over gas, and to be honest, we've never had a steak grilled on a gas Bar B Q that we thought was as good as one grilled over briquetts.

Walmart has some for $200 that are flimsy and we doubt they will last very long.

Lowes had two that seemed fairly solid for $300 that were fairly solid, but it didn't really get us excited.

That's all the shopping and looking that we've done. I need to go to Home Depot and McCoys tomorrow, and I'll be fairly close to Atwoods, so I'll swing by there too.

There are several swimming pool stores in the area, and I think some of them sell Bar B Q's. I think some of the hot tub companies do too, as well as East Texas Brick. I'll swing by all of them in the next few weeks.

Does anybody have any suggestions or recomendations for brands and things to look for in a quality grill? We'll spend up to a grand if we feel it's worth it, but would ideally like to keep it to $600.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[Egon]

If it does not have to portable think welder, concrete, fire brick etc. and come up with your own design.

 

[bmac]

Steph wants a new Bar B Q. Our current one is just too small for her, and she wants something bigger. We prefer briquets over gas, and to be honest, we've never had a steak grilled on a gas Bar B Q that we thought was as good as one grilled over briquetts.

There are several swimming pool stores in the area, and I think some of them sell Bar B Q's. I think some of the hot tub companies do too, as well as East Texas Brick. I'll swing by all of them in the next few weeks.

Does anybody have any suggestions or recomendations for brands and things to look for in a quality grill? We'll spend up to a grand if we feel it's worth it, but would ideally like to keep it to $600.

Thank you,
Eddie

Eddie,

Check out this one :
Product Detail

I've had a couple of these over the past 15 years or so - had I taken better care of the 1st one, I would have only had one. When the first one was "retired", I immediately ordered another - did not even bother to look around for another brand. And this falls well within your budget.

I agree with you and Steph 100% about gas. I have a very nice gas grill conveniently located right off the kitchen. I think I've use it 3 or 4 times. I'd rather carry food down to the pato off the basement to cook on my CharBroil for the better flavor.

The nice thing about the CharBroil is the size. In addition to conventional grilling (steaks, burgers, chicken, brats, etc.) it is large enough to smoke meat on it using indirect heat, with the fire on one side, meat on the other. I use an electric smoker for my serious smoking - brisket, turkey, pork shoulder or butts - because I'm lazy and with the electric I don't have to keep restoking the fire. Having said that, my father-in-law has done some fabulous smoked pork on my Charbroil .

My experience at the pool stores is that they tend to carry very nice (read expensive) gas grills. Might be different in Texas.

Good Luck.

 

[RobertN]

Steph wants a new Bar B Q.

Do you want to BBQ, or grill? Being down in Texas, I would guess BBQ?

For grilling with briquettes, I still have not found anything better than a Weber, and Kingsford briquettes(regular, not matchlite).

Did you know, that the Weber grill started as 1/2 of a nautical buoy?

http://www.webergrillrestaurant.com/about/webertimeline.pdf

Invention of the Weber: 1951

One of those weekend chefs was 30-year-old George Stephen, who in 1951 lived in the Chicago suburb of Mount Prospect. He did his barbecuing over an old brick grill. In one of his rare interviews, he told the New York Times that 'I was smoking up the neighborhood and burning up half of what I cooked. What was worse, I had to spend all my time away from the bar, standing there with a squirt gun to put out the fire when the grease hit the hot coals.' Wind and rain also added to the problems of cooking on an open grill. Stephen was part owner of Weber Brothers Metal Works, a Chicago custom order sheet metal shop that produced, among other products, half-spheres that were welded together to make buoys for Lake Michigan. Rather than just dream about the perfect outdoor grill, Stephen decided to create it, utilizing the metal shop at his disposal.

Stephen designed a barbecue grill that featured a ventilated lid to control the smoking and flaming. Using two halves of a buoy, Stephen's prototype stood thigh high with a round fire pan and a matching lid with four closable vents. It worked so well that many of his friends wanted one too. The next year he decided to build 50 of the grills and see if he could sell them. 'George's Barbecue Kettle,' as the refined product was first called, was priced around $50 at a time when braziers cost just $7, yet it sold so well that by 1958 Stephen bought out Weber Brothers and dropped all other metal working projects in favor of building nothing but his outdoor grill. He renamed the shop Weber-Stephen Products, retaining part of the original name in case he had to return to doing other sheet metal work.

Weber-Stephen Products Co. -- Company History

 

[tony123]

Eddie, I'm no expert, but have a comment. I've had several of the $300 variety grills that all seemed to give it up after 3-4 years. My current Weber is going on 9 years now!

I don't know of the links off hand, but you can find several very active and helpful forums on the subject. An hours worth of reading on those forums will probably be well spent.

Good luck.

 

[EarPlug]

I don't have one of these yet but these guys are on my wish list BBQ Pits by Tejas | Barbecue Pit Smoker | Barbecue Grill | Houston Texas tradition

Jack

 

[TBDonnelly]

I'll second the Weber grill. My parents cooked on a Weber with the Kingsford charcoal for many years. I've continued the tradition for the past 25 years. I'm up to 4 Weber grills now. It's customary on Thanksgiving and Easter to have a ham, turkey & leg-a-lamb cooking. Using the indirect method.......put a drip tray directly under the meat and line the charcoal along the outside walls/either side of the drip tray. MMmmmmmmm good.

Don

 

[Bill Barrett]

Eddie,check this one out. Should be big enough.
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/kubota-owning-operating/107310-3130-vs-steel-psot-fixed.html

 

[roccon31]

i agree on the weber comments, my friends thought i was nuts spending over 500 on a grill, but they have bought 2 or 3 200$ grills in the time that my weber is still going strong! not too mention the fact that i can close my lid and walk away, while they must babysit their food so it doesnt burn! i LOVE my weber and will NOT buy anything else from now on, unless its a viking of course, but im not rich yet!

 

[Willl]

Love my Weber.

 

[Charlesaf3]

Eddie, totally agree with you on gas.

Even better than briquettes are the real wood charcoal - sometimes under the label "Cowboy charcoal"

I bought a $150 BBQ/Grill at home depot - made in texas with an offset firebox. Looks like the old Oil barrel with a firebox style. I'm really happy with it. Its stood up well, grills nicely, and barbecues nicely. Check it out before you spend the big bucks.

One of my next home renovations is going to be a big stone grill/bbq out by the patio. Subbing it out though.

 

[Charlesaf3]

Deleted this because it double posted for some reason - C

 

[L3650]

Within the last year, Weber has stopped making their products in the U.S. Now made in China.

 

[LMTC]

Chargriller Better as a smoker than as a grill, but certainly adequate as a grill. Well made, relatively low price. Lowes used to carry them...may still. We grill steaks, and things like brats, but use the smoker format for pork shoulders/roasts, briskets, etc. Absolutely wonderful flavor. In fact there is at least one very lengthy thread around here somewhere about smoking meats. I recall Bird and I have multiple posts on it.

 

[jeffinsgf]

No one has yet mentioned the Big Green Egg. I've had one for almost ten years now, and it looks like new ... how many other grills, charcoal or gas could say the same? It holds the heat in because it is made of ceramic, rather than metal. A handful of charcoal is enough to grill most meats. I use raw charcoal rather than briquettes, but it doesn't matter. You can smoke, slow cook and grill all on the same rig, with complete control of the process. I have never known anyone who owned one who didn't think it was the best purchase he had ever made.

 

[CurlyDave]

I have to agree with the kettle-style Weber recommendations.

 

[Bill Barrett]

Weber isn't what they use to be, what is for that matter. Now this is 3/8" steel with 9/16" grill, good for a camp ground!

 

[forgeblast]

My fil got me two pieces of 28x48 perf stainless steel. I am in the process now of leveling an area for a pad and building a bbq. there are lots of plans on the internet for making your own perm bbq. I will cover the blocks with field stone when i am done. as soon as i get started ill post some pics.
good luck

 

[EddieWalker]

WOW, you guys are good!!! Steph does all our grilling. I used to when we met, but she fired me and took over. Honestly, everything she tries, she does better then me, so this is a good thing!!

She knows what she wants, but hasn't seen it yet. Like most things that we start researching, it usually takes us awhile to figure out what we want before doing anything.

There is one thing that I'm noticing. Allot of grills seem to have a 3 to 5 year lifespan. We're hoping for 10 to 15 years out of it. Our current one is 8 years old and still working fine. It's a New Braunfels Grill that's just too small.

Thank you,
Eddie

 

[bigshovel]

A weber is the only way to go. Longevity, quality, are hard to dispute. 3 burner not 2, stainless flavor bars not the ceramic. You'll like it alot.

Brad