BBQ and Grilling megathread

[Flacker]

I love my RecTec grill, have the RT-700.

It is a little disconcerting buying a grill without having ever seen it, but the build quality, customer support, and performance of these pellet smokers, can't be beat. I would recommend the cold weather cover if you want to use it during Calgary winters, to save both time to heat up, and pellets.

https://www.recteq.com/shop

They only ship to the US, so you will have to use a handler to get it from the US border. A pain for sure, but I have no regrets, and use my grill nearly daily. I believe it cost me about $150 CAD to get it to a Calgary warehouse from Sweetgrass/Coutts.

[Aleks]

So I did a thing finally. Sold my pellet grill, and sold my cabinet smoker. Opted to keep the Kamado because I like it, and the gas grill on the deck is for the wife to keep it simple.

I picked it up a week and a half ago, I was going to try and wait for the Char-griller 980, but they had no idea if and when they were going to bring it into Canada, and I didn't want to have the Camp Chef fiasco happen again where I can't get parts for something that wasn't sold or approved for sale in Canada. I was after the 800 if Masterbuilt, but none available anywhere, so I opted for the big guy 1050

First couple cook impressions? This is the tits. It holds temp like a boss, it tastes amazing, and it gets to ANY temp so fast its crazy. From 160 all the way up to 700 degrees. It gets all the benefit of the Kamado, some of the benefit of a stick burner, the convenience of the pellet grill, and did I mention it turns out amazing meat? The bad? It can be a bit fuel hungry, about 1-1.2 lbs/hr at like 250. The wife could never agree with the taste from the pellet grill, the first thing I put on this and she was like well now I understand.

Reverse seared steaks were incredible, pulled pork, mini cornbread muffs, and I've got a big packer brisket, some ribs and a big prime rib waiting on deck in the freezer.

[guzzy]

If anyone is looking for a great cover for a grill or pellet smoker, go buy a welding blanket. I use it when pre-heating my grill in cold weather conditions and i leave it on my smoker for the entire cook. It doesn't retain heat on the blanket itself so you can pick it up and move off to check your food. I got mine at Harbor Freight in the US for $15. Works amazing.My grill heats up to 600 F in the same time it would in summer. For the smoker you will save money on pellets.

[Ironhorse]

So now that I know to look for a BBQ not made in China, where is the best place to shop for a BBQ? Any good sales? Hope to be able to buy one in the next few weeks to replace our broken (since last year) Vermont.

[Macman]

Barbecues Galore if you haven't been there yet. It's a good store to check out and shop in as they have a good selection.

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

So now that I know to look for a BBQ not made in China, where is the best place to shop for a BBQ? Any good sales? Hope to be able to buy one in the next few weeks to replace our broken (since last year) Vermont.

You might be able to find someone to repair your Vermont. If junking it though, just post for free/super cheap on Kijiji or something. People will rush to nab it and often will repair/refurb for personal use/gifting to friends and family or resell.

Barbecues Garlore is a good place if you want new.

[Ironhorse]

Originally Posted by DoubleF

You might be able to find someone to repair your Vermont. If junking it though, just post for free/super cheap on Kijiji or something. People will rush to nab it and often will repair/refurb for personal use/gifting to friends and family or resell.

Barbecues Garlore is a good place if you want new.

It needs entirely new burners, new ignition and a control assembly (one of the control knobs actually caught fire last summer!), and I haven't been able to find parts for it. It is 15 years old, but was a great BBQ until it died. Lid and casing are solid, and kept heat in really well. Maybe I'll ask when we visit Barbecues Galore..

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

It needs entirely new burners, new ignition and a control assembly (one of the control knobs actually caught fire last summer!), and I haven't been able to find parts for it. It is 15 years old, but was a great BBQ until it died. Lid and casing are solid, and kept heat in really well. Maybe I'll ask when we visit Barbecues Galore..

Definitely ask at the parts counter at Barbecues Galore. My kid works there (not in parts) and he says the parts guys have been there a long time and are able to figure out just about anything.

[Jimmy Stang]

Originally Posted by InglewoodFan

Definitely ask at the parts counter at Barbecues Galore. My kid works there (not in parts) and he says the parts guys have been there a long time and are able to figure out just about anything.

Being one of the few CP-ers I know in real life, and knowing your enjoyment of cooking with smoke and fire, I applaud your parenting.

"Why don't you throw an application in at this place? See what happens. Worth a shot, right?"

[InglewoodFan]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Stang

Being one of the few CP-ers I know in real life, and knowing your enjoyment of cooking with smoke and fire, I applaud your parenting.

"Why don't you throw an application in at this place? See what happens. Worth a shot, right?"

he actually tracked it down all on his own. Not complaining one bit, father's day and birthdays are pretty fantastic.

[Derek Sutton]

Well it appears as though my old electric Cuisinart smoker has crapped out. Won’t heat up consistently. Doing some “better then brisket” for Canada Day but couldn’t get it heated up, messed around with everything and got it to 270, got some smoke, brought it down to 200 then couldn’t get it up over 220. Got enough smoke for flavour but will wrap in foil and go low and slow on the bbq to cook. Hoping to find a Canada Day Sale somewhere and pick one up in the sub $300 range.

[bc-chris]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

Well it appears as though my old electric Cuisinart smoker has crapped out. Won’t heat up consistently. Doing some “better then brisket” for Canada Day but couldn’t get it heated up, messed around with everything and got it to 270, got some smoke, brought it down to 200 then couldn’t get it up over 220. Got enough smoke for flavour but will wrap in foil and go low and slow on the bbq to cook. Hoping to find a Canada Day Sale somewhere and pick one up in the sub $300 range.

faulty thermostat??

[jayswin]

Question from a BBQ newb - If I'm just looking for something simple to cook on a balcony for 1-3 people typically, am I okay with one of the $180-$300 Walmart/Canadian Tire BBQ's?

It seems the more expensive ones facilitate much larger amounts of meat, which I probably won't be doing (2-3 steaks or 4 burgers type of meals).

[Maritime Q-Scout]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Question from a BBQ newb - If I'm just looking for something simple to cook on a balcony for 1-3 people typically, am I okay with one of the $180-$300 Walmart/Canadian Tire BBQ's?

It seems the more expensive ones facilitate much larger amounts of meat, which I probably won't be doing (2-3 steaks or 4 burgers type of meals).

I went with the Weber Spirit II E-210 for that very reason. I don't use a lot of grill space. 1 burner for hot dogs, if it's like pork cops, steak or chicken the most I need us 2 burners. Why buy a 3-4 burner unit and waste the propane?

For me a cheap Walmart unit isn't worth it. I basically live on the Atlantic so the salt will eat them (once a year they do heavy garbage and every BBQ that's put out is a Charbroil or whatever).

I've also found better temperatures and heat from the Weber than cheaper units.

Now when I lived in Fredericton and has a BBQ on my balcony, I had a $300 unit from one of the hardware stores (I don't recall the brand) that worked fine. Because it was on the balcony it was shielded a bit from the snow, and was never out of sight out of mind to be left uncovered. Having it out on a back deck it's easy to shut off and forget. So balcony meant better upkeep and no salt water air.

Not sure if that helps, but those are my experiences.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Question from a BBQ newb - If I'm just looking for something simple to cook on a balcony for 1-3 people typically, am I okay with one of the $180-$300 Walmart/Canadian Tire BBQ's?

It seems the more expensive ones facilitate much larger amounts of meat, which I probably won't be doing (2-3 steaks or 4 burgers type of meals).

If you read up on some more advanced grilling techniques you'll hear a lot of indirect grilling, which basically means some of your burners are on, and some are off (I like half and half myself). The heated side cooks the food via convection currents, and doesn't cook the food directly. This has a far less chance of burning your food.

When you do this and basically halve your grilling area, these big 4 & 6 burner units don't seem so big anymore especially if you're having company.

[keratosis]

Originally Posted by I-Hate-Hulse

If you read up on some more advanced grilling techniques you'll hear a lot of indirect grilling, which basically means some of your burners are on, and some are off (I like half and half myself). The heated side cooks the food via convection currents, and doesn't cook the food directly. This has a far less chance of burning your food.



When you do this and basically halve your grilling area, these big 4 & 6 burner units don't seem so big anymore especially if you're having company.

That's how I do chicken on the bone. Direct grill for last few minutes to crisp up the skin. Works for my barrel charcoal grill as well.

Sent from my SM-A715W using Tapatalk

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

So now that I know to look for a BBQ not made in China, where is the best place to shop for a BBQ? Any good sales? Hope to be able to buy one in the next few weeks to replace our broken (since last year) Vermont.

Facebook Community groups and Kijiji - people are starting to move after the spring housing boom and don't want to take their BBQ's. I've seen lots of Webers (some the old school good ones made in the USA) on there for 1/2 off or less.

The beauty of Weber / Napoleon / Broilking is that if there is anything wrong with these you should be able to get parts from the manufacturer for a reasonable cost (Weber just sent me an entire new side burner assembly for $60 USD on an out of warranty claim)

[Jawbone Hill]

Originally Posted by jayswin

Question from a BBQ newb - If I'm just looking for something simple to cook on a balcony for 1-3 people typically, am I okay with one of the $180-$300 Walmart/Canadian Tire BBQ's?

It seems the more expensive ones facilitate much larger amounts of meat, which I probably won't be doing (2-3 steaks or 4 burgers type of meals).

If you're looking for something small in that price range, why not look at a portable BBQ such as the Weber Q or Napoleon TravelQ? That way you're getting something a bit higher quality than the cheap BBQs at Walmart or Canadian Tire. Plus you could pack it away when you need the space on the balcony, or travel with it for picnics / hanging out at the park. The one downside I can think of is that most of those portable BBQs use the smaller propane bottles, but there might be a converter you could get to use the full-size tanks.

[Ironhorse]

Went to BBQ’s Galore, and looked at some units. My wife really wants a 4 burner that will fit a full salmon, side burner and rotisserie. Seems that the best unit for that (in stock!) is the Broil King Baron 490 Pro. It is a bit above our budget, but seems like a solid unit. Does anyone have any experience with it? Reviews are scarce. Is it worth paying the $30 assembly fee?

And what is with the BBQ shortage in general? Everyone seems to be buying BBQ’s like they were buying bikes last year…

[you&me]

Originally Posted by Ironhorse

Went to BBQ’s Galore, and looked at some units. My wife really wants a 4 burner that will fit a full salmon, side burner and rotisserie. Seems that the best unit for that (in stock!) is the Broil King Baron 490 Pro. It is a bit above our budget, but seems like a solid unit. Does anyone have any experience with it? Reviews are scarce. Is it worth paying the $30 assembly fee?

And what is with the BBQ shortage in general? Everyone seems to be buying BBQ’s like they were buying bikes last year…

I can't speak to the Broil King, but when I was shopping for a new grill last month, we also wanted / needed a large (4 burner) grill and a rotisserie burner was a high priority... Once you have the space and the rotisserie, you'll really appreciate having them.

I can't think of a better way to spend $30 than to have the grill assembled!