I need me a new BBQ

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

Yeah, I do use a chimney and they seem to get going fine. Maybe I'm just skimping a bit too much on the coals? I am only cooking for two, so I usually only use half the grill, especially when cooking with direct heat. When going for high temps I have both the top and bottom vents wide open, so I'm at a bit of a loss on why I can't push up into the hotter realms of 500-600.

Yeah, you have use a ton. Don't push to one side - that'll actually keep the temp down (relatively speaking) because there's not enough oxygen to get it really hot.

Having said all that unless you want 900 don't bother - it goes through the charcoal like crazy.

[rbochan]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

I would just go with a cheap one. There isn't a huge difference unless you consider yourself some sort of master.

I went to a hardware store and asked for a deal on the floor model. Saved 50%. Sometimes you can get a better one brought down into a good price.

Did the same. Got a 26" Sears kettle grill for $28. That was 14 years ago and I"m still using it.

[afc wimbledon]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

There's four places. There's the BBQ Hut, that's on third.
There's BBQ's-R-Us, that's on third too. You got Put-Your-Meat-There.
That's on third. Smoke Low, Sweet Charcoal... Matter of fact, they're all in the same complex; it's the BBQ complex on third.

Never gets old.

[CubicleGeek]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

When going for high temps I have both the top and bottom vents wide open, so I'm at a bit of a loss on why I can't push up into the hotter realms of 500-600.

In addition to what Shazam has suggested - are you using lump charcoal or briquettes? I find that lump charcoal burns hotter and briquettes burn more consistent.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by Regulator75

There's four places. There's the BBQ Hut, that's on third.
There's BBQ's-R-Us, that's on third too. You got Put-Your-Meat-There.
That's on third. Smoke Low, Sweet Charcoal... Matter of fact, they're all in the same complex; it's the BBQ complex on third.

You know who invented the BBQ, Regulator?

[GoinAllTheWay]

Assuming I stick with the old fashioned propane or NG BBQ, do you guys do anything special to the grill before you cook on it for the first time? A break in or pre-season if you will?

[Slava]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I'd like to say "not too much", but in reality they are quite a bit more effort. And this is coming from someone who grills with charcoal exclusively.

For starters, you need to make sure you budget enough time to get the coals hot, which is usually 20-30 minutes or so, depending on how much you are cooking. Also, getting the charcoal ready takes a few extra steps then gas as you can't just push a button or two to get the thing going. That's probably around 5 minutes or so too.

Afterwards, you'll have to wait for the charcoal to die, and then do a quick cleanup on the grill. Not a hard step, but you usually have to wait around an hour or so for the coals to die and the grill to be cold before you do the final clean and cover.

Charcoal is also pretty messy so you'll need gloves and wear something you don't mind getting smoky.

All that being said...

I think charcoal is the only way to go. I would not consider myself an expert griller by any means, but anything I put on there comes off great. Meat, veggies, pizza, garlic breads, you name it. It just seems to cook everything so evenly, without drying anything out. It's also quite flexible in the sense you can sear some steaks at a high heat, can more slowly cook a pork tenderloin with a balance of direct and in-direct heat, or you can go for long cooks like ribs with indirect heat only and some smoke. You avoid the "gas" flavour that some gas grills come with.

And the fact that it takes a while to get ready is a plus for me. Almost everything in life is done as quick as possible, it's nice to fire up the charcoal, and sit out on the deck with a beer, enjoying the day, while the coals slowly heat up. Call me cheesy, but its almost like forced meditation.

I use charcoal exclusively in a Broil King Keg and its awesome. I think that last year or the year before I bought the BBQ Dragon and for "quick" things like steaks, burgers, chicken breasts I just use the Looftlighter, get the fire started and then let the Dragon blow on it for 10-15 while I get the meat ready. It's not that long really. The Keg is also super efficient, so once I'm done I just close up the vents and it smothers the fire. It's a great system.

Originally Posted by Shazam

Use a chimney to start coals. Use a lot of coals. I've gotten up to 900 in mine.

I don't know if I have hit 900, but I have been extremely hot and haven't found a lot of use for that. I suppose if I ever take up mining?

[indes]

I use a master chef from Canadian tire I think it was around 500$ and I have no complaints whatsoever (2 years on it so far). The biggest thing is stainless steel burners. If it doesn't have SS burners it's guaranteed to burn out in 2 seasons.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't know if I have hit 900, but I have been extremely hot and haven't found a lot of use for that. I suppose if I ever take up mining?

First time I tried it was just to see if I could. Next time I grilled some beef tenderloin. Worked great, but it was definitely overkill.

[Lubicon]

Bought my Broil King at BBQ's Galore and am happy with it, this is the 3rd or maybe 4th season using it now. We have a Weber portable we use for camping and while the quality is excellent I do not like how it cooks at all. They seem to cook at a lower heat which makes it harder to sear anything and I have a very hard time adjusting to this even after about 10 years. Not sure if the household ones are the same but it drives me nuts. Can't argue about the quality, I just don't like how they perform.

[Atodaso]

I've done some research over the past few weeks and have settled on a Weber Genesis. The only problem is both me and the girlfriend want the Crimson model which seems to be an exclusive for Ace Hardware in the US. So we decided to take a bit of a trip to Great Falls this weekend with a stop in Waterton on the way. I'm aware I'll have to play duty fees but it actually won't make much of a difference aside from the fuel it will take to get there and back.

[Fuzz]

Which model? BBQ Galore has at least one of them in crimson:
http://barbecuesgalore.ca/collection...nt=11249268097
Maybe they could order it?

[Stud_McCool]

Keep an eye out for floor models. I was lucky enough to find a Broil King Regal S590 at Home Depot that had a slight ding on cabinet for $800. Plus, it was already assembled, so just needed to put it on the back of the truck. It all depends on the store, I suppose, but go to these stores often.

[Fobby]

One thing to note, for places that specialize in this space, they usually have better components/upgrades. For example, the same grill from home depot would come with a cast iron grate whereas from BBQ galore it will come with stainless steel grate.

I got a napoleon, and it came with a 9mm SS grate vs a 7mm SS grate if i were to get the same grill from the big box store.

[Atodaso]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Which model? BBQ Galore has at least one of them in crimson:
http://barbecuesgalore.ca/collection...nt=11249268097
Maybe they could order it?

We were looking at the EP-330. I find the model you posted looks incomplete and lacks the side burner, which isn't a necessity, but good to have for the extra bump in price. When I make an investment such as this I tend to go straight for the premium models if my bank account allows for it. The EP has all of the stainless steel upgrades included, and while not a deal breaker, it's the only model that comes in all Crimson and also has the side burner. I would have settled with the Green but then figured we would just take a little mini getaway while we were at it and get our first choice.

[me_dennis]

I'm in the market for a smoker. I'm looking at the Bradley smokers as they seem to be the easiest to use. I'm a pretty novice smoker and have only tried ribs on the gas grill with smoke pouches.

Are there any advantages over the digital versus non-digital Bradley smokers? I'm not sure if the digital is worth the extra $100.

Also, I've seen other smokers like the masterbuilt that don't use the wood briquettes. These smokers are quite a bit cheaper than the Bradley. Does anyone have one that can comment on the ease of use?

Ideally I would just like to set a dial to a certain temperature and leave it for hours to come back to some delicious smoked meats.

Thanks!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Mathalete]

With smokers, charcoal >>>>>>> electric.

Two springs ago I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain. It is a charcoal smoker that is affordable and just about idiot proof.

I bought a temperature regulator (iGrill) that has two probes (one for meat, one for ambient temperature) and if I'm within 100 ft, I can real time monitor the temperature on my phone or tablet.

Once the temperature is set (first 30 minutes), it's just as easy as the Bradley and it's not as expensive (those pucks are not cheap). The quality of the final product is MUCH better and totally worth any extra hassle.

You'll never have ribs any other way again!

[Otto-matic]

I'm starting to get into the world of charcoal grilling, I used to operate a propane grill but I wanted to hop over to the other side.

Does anyone have any good tips to help out a beginner user.

[keratosis]

Don't use lighter fluid. Buy a chimney. Also take your time, this is an afternoon visiting with friends/family type of thing.

[Otto-matic]

Originally Posted by keratosis

Don't use lighter fluid. Buy a chimney. Also take your time, this is an afternoon visiting with friends/family type of thing.

I was going to ask this,

I see a bunch of briquettes with lighter fluid already in them. Are these the go to ones or should I buy the non covered ones?