BBQ and Grilling megathread

[Diemenz]

I have a Weber smokefire and I have been more than impressed with it. Great bbq and smoker. Had a tregaer previously but couldn’t get good steaks from it as it wouldn’t get High enough temps.

I agree with the above that if you need just a smoker charcoal is the way to go because of flavor and the experience. But ease the Weber has been great for me.

[Hanni]

You could also checkout Facebook Marketplace/Kijiji if your looking for a charcoal smoker on a budget. I don't know if I would trust buying a pellet grill used with the moving parts and electronics, you never know how people have treated them. But you can easily see condition visually on a Weber Smokey Mountain or Kamado style smoker.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Smoker time soon. Probablymac budget of 1000-1500

Still debating
Know a few traeger? Know 2 or 3 Owners

Do I want charcoal or woodchip?
Hmm

IMO, $1000-1500 is only necessary as a consideration if you're planning to do parties where you grill for 3-4+ families simultaneously on a regular basis with BBQ being the only food for the whole event. Most times, you'll get a grill with excess capacity that you don't need to use.

Less than that or combinations of food other than BBQ food (ie: Potluck, take out, oven, stove etc.) and <$1000 for sure is enough without very little compromise on bells and whistles.

For as much as I want a Big Green Egg, it's way overkill for me. I have a smaller Kamado and charcoal gets really hot really fast, so food cooks fast. I like it that way since the moment I pull it out it cools fast too. I could get a Big Green egg and cook more on a slightly lower temp (slightly easier to control temps too I guess), but it's not really necessary for a set up that's 2-3x more than my current one.

Same thing for a BBQ. A $500-800 will get me a damn good option for top brands. Sure it's probably a little smaller at a 2 burner width vs 3, but paying 50% more for 50% more grill space and barely any extra in terms of features is just silly IMO. You can get a cheap 3-4 burner from a lower tier brand, but having had BBQ last for 10-20 years vs those ones that basically fall apart in 3-4 years, I do not recommend a big cheap one. I'd recommend a small quality one. Maybe there's that handful of times per year where the extra size was nice for a slab of ribs or fish that was long enough to essentially extend across the entire width of a 3 burner, but they're rare and you can easily just grab a knife to get it to fit. I also like alternating charcoal vs gas or sometimes I do both.

If my current BBQ dies, I might consider going down to a slightly smaller BBQ like a Weber Genesis or something. My dream is having a good value trifecta of pellet smoker + Kamado charcoal + nat gas BBQ all in the same relative BBQ area. (The boss doesn't like having "appliances everywhere" taking up space and being underutilized).

Caveat for "smaller BBQ" though. Probably make sure it can fit the size of pizza you like making, if you make pizza in the BBQ in a pinch.

[The Fonz]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

Kind of crazy that retailers are moving on to summer when it's only February....

First day of Spring is only 3.5 weeks away!

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by The Fonz

First day of Spring is only 3.5 weeks away!

Other than that extended cold snap, it's been relatively spring/autumn weather the whole time.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

If anyone is in the market for a new BBQ - be sure to go to your local Home Depot or Rona and look for clearance on last years models and demo items. Just got back from HD 16th and a number of Weber/ Napoleon units are 25% off (though some are demo, with missing knobs and other parts). Just make its functionally still OK - one of them had a bent gas valve.

With Weber anyways, you may luck out and get a free replacement knob / part if you call them directly and ask nicely.

Kind of crazy that retailers are moving on to summer when it's only February....

I'm amazed they still have units on clearance. In previous years these things would disappear in days.

[Andrew]

Thsnks all. I have a 700 dollar bbq broil mate or something it was from rona.. actually super solid 9 years old no rust!

Looking more for dedicated smoker. Both neighbors have Traeger. I kind of like charcoal /though hmm..

[Hanni]

Fair warning, charcoal is more work to keep stable temperature and requires more babysitting, adding charcoal on a long cook, etc. Pellets you set and basically let it do it's thing.

[FunkMasterFlame]

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series is an off-set gravity-fed charcoal grill that has a fan for temperature control on long cooks. Works great and requires little babysitting other than chucking a couple of chunks of wood into the box every hour or so, the fan keeps it at a consistent temperature as long as theres charcoal in the bin.

[Since1984]

Originally Posted by Hanni

Fair warning, charcoal is more work to keep stable temperature and requires more babysitting, adding charcoal on a long cook, etc. Pellets you set and basically let it do it's thing.

I bought the Weber Smokey Mountain about 6 years back and just last year I added the Fibreboard 2 Pro...I wish I would have done this when I first bought the thing.

It uses thermometers and a blower to regulate temps. Just load up your lump charcoal, light up a chimney, dump it, set it and forget it.

[Wormius]

Is a propane to natural gas conversion pretty straightforward or is it better to get a new a BBQ? I have an old Broil King Monarch that I’d like to keep.

[bossy22]

I bought the Traeger Pro 575 from Rona Westhills when they were closing. It was 50% off. I had no intention of getting a smoker at that time, but at that price it was a no brainer. I now use it way more than my Napoleon grill. I only use that about once a month. I use the Traeger a ton. I bought the Green Mountain Grill Pizza oven that fits inside the Traeger so I can do pizza's too. Saturday we did pizza's. Yesterday I did a pork butt.

[Hanni]

Originally Posted by FunkMasterFlame

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series is an off-set gravity-fed charcoal grill that has a fan for temperature control on long cooks. Works great and requires little babysitting other than chucking a couple of chunks of wood into the box every hour or so, the fan keeps it at a consistent temperature as long as theres charcoal in the bin.

Do you have one? I'd love to hear your thoughts if you do. I've been considering this one but a lot of the conversation I've read from people that do seems to be that it's quite unreliable and prone to malfunctioning.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Is a propane to natural gas conversion pretty straightforward or is it better to get a new a BBQ? I have an old Broil King Monarch that I’d like to keep.

It's pretty straightforward. You'll have to check to see if there's a conversion kit.

[Royle9]

Green Mountain Grills is a great alternative (and better from my experience) than a Traeger which are now made in China. Picked one up this past summer and its been amazing.

[FunkMasterFlame]

Originally Posted by Hanni

Do you have one? I'd love to hear your thoughts if you do. I've been considering this one but a lot of the conversation I've read from people that do seems to be that it's quite unreliable and prone to malfunctioning.

Had one for 2 years now and have never had an issue. It sometimes struggles holding really high searing temps around 600+, but I use my Weber kettle for searing now.

For long-cook smokes it's always performed very well.

[Hanni]

Originally Posted by Royle9

Green Mountain Grills is a great alternative (and better from my experience) than a Traeger which are now made in China. Picked one up this past summer and its been amazing.

Obviously everyone's experience is different but I've had a Green Mountain for 5ish years now and have hated it the entire time. Constant little issues, takes absolutely forever to reach grilling temp (425 takes at least 30 minutes even in summer), the ignitor dies every year, it leaks grease out of the chimney no matter much I clean it, the entire power/plug in setup is insane and unreliable.

I know they've redesigned them since then and have new models, so a lot of that might be better now. I also could have a lemon.

Originally Posted by FunkMasterFlame

Had one for 2 years now and have never had an issue. It sometimes struggles holding really high searing temps around 600+, but I use my Weber kettle for searing now.

For long-cook smokes it's always performed very well.

Now you have me reconsidering this one after I originally wrote it off.

[FunkMasterFlame]

It's pretty slick.

Because it's offset and gravity-fed if you have to add more charcoal during a long-cook you just pop the charcoal lid and top it off, no need to open the actual grill and muck about under the grates. Mix in a few chunks of wood and you're set for a few more hours.

[fotze2]

Why is smoke the best flavour stuff ever orally but breathing it makes the offender a monster. Both gross.

Tried a smoking phase the realized I don’t really like smoke flavour.

It’s like convincing yourself scotch actually tastes good.

[Wormius]

We’re in the market for a new bbq. Anyone familiar with the fancy IR searing side-burners? Worthwhile feature or gimmicky? Saw it on the Broil King Baron 490.