BBQ and Grilling megathread

[Lt.Spears]

So im currently looking at new BBQ's,

Went to BBQ Galore on the weekend and its basically a toss up of two:

The Weber Genesis EP-310




Or the Napoleon P500RB:




Thing is, i like features of both:

On the Weber, i like how solid it feels, the lid is really nice and heavy which i like, its got a built in gas guage, its a deeper BBQ which i like as well. It has 9mm Stainless Steel grates as well.

On the Napoleon, the lid design is smart( half lid so you dont lose as much heat when opening), it does have cast iron grills which im not huge on, but it also comes with a rotissere and infared burner. Its a slightly larger BBQ (the grilling surface is the same but its longer on the counter sides) which im not a huge fan of, it doesnt have a fuel guage but has Jet fuel lighters on each burner which is a big plus. With the rotissere, you dont have to take out the grills which is nice, on the Weber you would have to.

Ive grown up using webers so i know they are good, im just sort of on the fence, i know they are both great, but neither one makes it a MUST buy over the other.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Lt.Spears]

Anyone?

[Canehdianman]

I was looking at different BBQs about 2 years ago. Those two were included in the short list I was looking at.

I ended up getting a Broil King (sovereign 90 I think it is called), as it was a much better value than either Weber or Napoleon.

I ended up buying it at Rona during a 15% event.

[Muffins]

I have that Weber and it works great for what I use it for, which tends to be simple bbq stuff.

[bomber317]

well, my first foray into Charcoal was less than spectacular.

I tried using those quick start chimney things to get the coals going. That was a disaster. I would have been better off getting the coals started in the BBQ itself.

Next weekend will be round 2 of me vs Charcoal.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by bomber317

well, my first foray into Charcoal was less than spectacular.

I tried using those quick start chimney things to get the coals going. That was a disaster. I would have been better off getting the coals started in the BBQ itself.

Next weekend will be round 2 of me vs Charcoal.

What happened? I almost always use a chimney. In fact, I suck without using it!

[93Hound]

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

So im currently looking at new BBQ's,

Went to BBQ Galore on the weekend and its basically a toss up of two:

The Weber Genesis EP-310




Or the Napoleon P500RB:




Thing is, i like features of both:

On the Weber, i like how solid it feels, the lid is really nice and heavy which i like, its got a built in gas guage, its a deeper BBQ which i like as well. It has 9mm Stainless Steel grates as well.

On the Napoleon, the lid design is smart( half lid so you dont lose as much heat when opening), it does have cast iron grills which im not huge on, but it also comes with a rotissere and infared burner. Its a slightly larger BBQ (the grilling surface is the same but its longer on the counter sides) which im not a huge fan of, it doesnt have a fuel guage but has Jet fuel lighters on each burner which is a big plus. With the rotissere, you dont have to take out the grills which is nice, on the Weber you would have to.

Ive grown up using webers so i know they are good, im just sort of on the fence, i know they are both great, but neither one makes it a MUST buy over the other.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I currently have this exact Napoleon adn absolutelyu love it. I have it hooked to Natural gas. The cast iron grills are great for consistent temp. At least that's is what I find.
You have a good choice between both.

[linecook]

They are both good BBQ's, you'll be happy with either. Maybe go with the one made in Canada!

[bomber317]

Originally Posted by Slava

What happened? I almost always use a chimney. In fact, I suck without using it!

A few issues, mostly user error.

The Chimney was too small for the 22.5 inch round grill. The amount of charcoal in it only covered 1/4 of the grill. I needed a lot more to get the BBQ hot enough to sear some steaks.

The first time, only half the chimney got lighted from the newspaper. I waited 10 mins before I realized this.

Stuck more newspaper in, lighted it again, this time all of the coals got started. I walked away and came back 10 mins later. Apparently that was too long as the metal on my chimney was starting to peel. I dumped the coals into the BBQ and realized.

1) not enough coals
2) the half that did get lighted the first time, were used up now and had very little heat to give.
3) my !@#$%! chimney starter is ruined after 1 use!
4) I had to sear my steaks on a fry pan.
5) even worse, I had to cook it in the oven afterwards to get it to medium-rare

So next week, being stubborn, I'm going to try and start the coals on the BBQ itself. Since I now refuse to get a new chimney starter.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by bomber317

A few issues, mostly user error.

The Chimney was too small for the 22.5 inch round grill. The amount of charcoal in it only covered 1/4 of the grill. I needed a lot more to get the BBQ hot enough to sear some steaks.

The first time, only half the chimney got lighted from the newspaper. I waited 10 mins before I realized this.

Stuck more newspaper in, lighted it again, this time all of the coals got started. I walked away and came back 10 mins later. Apparently that was too long as the metal on my chimney was starting to peel. I dumped the coals into the BBQ and realized.

1) not enough coals
2) the half that did get lighted the first time, were used up now and had very little heat to give.
3) my !@#$%! chimney starter is ruined after 1 use!
4) I had to sear my steaks on a fry pan.
5) even worse, I had to cook it in the oven afterwards to get it to medium-rare

So next week, being stubborn, I'm going to try and start the coals on the BBQ itself. Since I now refuse to get a new chimney starter.

I don't know what kind of chimney you have, but if its the same as what I'm talking about you should be able to use it again? I've had one of mine for about 6-7 years now. I had a much more expensive and cooler looking one, but that burned through after just a couple of years of use. I really don't take proper care of them or anything, just use them and hang them where they're largely exposed to the elements

The other thing to consider is that a chimney full of coals should be enough to spread out and cook over (depending on how large your surface is I guess). You can always add a handful of charcoal on top of the spread out coals and make sure that you have enough heat/time in that sense as well.

Give it another shot! Charcoal is a little more work, but totally worth it!

[Lt.Spears]

Originally Posted by linecook

They are both good BBQ's, you'll be happy with either. Maybe go with the one made in Canada!

Im starting to like the idea of a rotisserie, i cant imagine i will use it LOTS, but i suppose its nice to have once in a while.

Such a hard decision to make IMO.

[Canehdianman]

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

Im starting to like the idea of a rotisserie, i cant imagine i will use it LOTS, but i suppose its nice to have once in a while.

Such a hard decision to make IMO.

I use my rotisserie a LOT. Having the rotisserie burner is fantastic, no more burned chickens.

[bomber317]

Originally Posted by Slava

I don't know what kind of chimney you have, but if its the same as what I'm talking about you should be able to use it again? I've had one of mine for about 6-7 years now. I had a much more expensive and cooler looking one, but that burned through after just a couple of years of use. I really don't take proper care of them or anything, just use them and hang them where they're largely exposed to the elements

Just a basic chimney I picked up from Barbeques Galore. It looks like some kind of coating (paint or varnish) that is peeling off from it. It's made in China and that worries me a little as I'm not sure what's peeling off.

Yeah, I've read enough about using charcoal to cook that I'm not giving up until I get it right. After I get steaks going, I want to try and slow cook something for hours on it.

[Berger]

Making an attempt at a "Bacon Bomb" this friday. Will post pics for sure. For those of you that don't know what a "Bacon Bomb" is...

[Rerun]

I'm too cheap to spend all the money that a Weber costs.

I went to Walmart and spent $498 on this...


Its solid.

• 4 stainless-steel tube burners
• Primary cooking area 495 square inches
• Secondary cooking are 165 square inches
• Total cooking area of 660 square inches
• JetFire electronic ignition
• Appliance style, 2-door cart
• Stationary LP gas BBQ features a 638 sq.in. total cooking surface with a 22 burger capacity
• Rotisserie burner emits high intensity heat waves, providing the even heat needed to lock in juices
• Stainless steel thermo core cooking grates
• Warming rack - Stainless steel wire rack
• 4 casters - 2 locking and 2 non-locking

[blankall]

Originally Posted by fotze

Got a weber a few years ago from BBQ's galore. The interior top piece has paint that is all peeling. Kind of freaks me out because I assume that paint is some pretty industrial strength stuff and it probably falls into the food.

I have this thing in the back of my mind that in 10 years all the studies are going to show that grilling is to be cancer causing because we are charring all this stuff and the cheapass coating on these barbeques is falling into th3e food and we are eating it.

It's already proven that grilling contributes to cancer through the gas and charcoal getting all over the food. The heating of the meat alone may be enough to cause cancer:

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_...-from-bbq-meat

I wouldn't be too worried about the paint.

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by Lt.Spears

So im currently looking at new BBQ's,

Went to BBQ Galore on the weekend and its basically a toss up of two:

The Weber Genesis EP-310




Or the Napoleon P500RB:




Thing is, i like features of both:

On the Weber, i like how solid it feels, the lid is really nice and heavy which i like, its got a built in gas guage, its a deeper BBQ which i like as well. It has 9mm Stainless Steel grates as well.

On the Napoleon, the lid design is smart( half lid so you dont lose as much heat when opening), it does have cast iron grills which im not huge on, but it also comes with a rotissere and infared burner. Its a slightly larger BBQ (the grilling surface is the same but its longer on the counter sides) which im not a huge fan of, it doesnt have a fuel guage but has Jet fuel lighters on each burner which is a big plus. With the rotissere, you dont have to take out the grills which is nice, on the Weber you would have to.

Ive grown up using webers so i know they are good, im just sort of on the fence, i know they are both great, but neither one makes it a MUST buy over the other.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I have the Napoleon p500rsib with the blue lid and the stainless grills. I like it a lot. My girlfriends Weber is definitely hotter, but the right to left burners and the smaller size are big disadvantages to me. The front to back allows you to better create heat zones and indirect cook. Warranty is a toss up between them really. Mine was just under 1400 but natural gas. The side infrared searing station is awesome

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Aleks]

Originally Posted by fotze

Got a weber a few years ago from BBQ's galore. The interior top piece has paint that is all peeling. Kind of freaks me out because I assume that paint is some pretty industrial strength stuff and it probably falls into the food.

I have this thing in the back of my mind that in 10 years all the studies are going to show that grilling is to be cancer causing because we are charring all this stuff and the cheapass coating on these barbeques is falling into th3e food and we are eating it.

That's not paint, the interior of the lids (well the whole lid) is porcelainized. That's all the grease, smoke, carbonized food peeling off and is normal.

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 2

[Flames in 07]

Originally Posted by DFO

I've been able to keep it the 200 to 225F range. I think the key is using a smaller pile of charcoal.

jeez the guy at bbq galore who was the big smoking expert said its very tough to keep a temp below 300 so I passed on the broil king keg and got this thing instead. Its decent but I'm disappointed to hear I got steered away from what I wanted for a false reason.

http://www.weber.com/explore/grills/...in-cooker-22-1.

I must say over the years, I have had just gawd awful service from BBQ galore.

[DownInFlames]

I feel for you. The guy who helped me at BBQs Galore was a moron. Luckily I had done my research (thanks in large part to CP) and knew what I wanted.