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Charcoal or Gas Grill? - Page 4

post #91 of 140
9/4/06 at 9:11am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

I leave my valve turned on but it sits outside in a screened porch, i've never had a problem in 10 yrs. this way.
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post #92 of 140
9/4/06 at 4:09pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Can't you just leave it outside ?
Not really. I don't have any patio, porch, or deck to store it on. It would be an eyesore and nuisance in the front yard. And if left in the backyard, I'd never use it.
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post #93 of 140
9/5/06 at 9:30am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
Is there any concern with leaving the tank valve turned on, when the grill is not in use?
Yes, there is. Never do it. Your owner's manual should have details.
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post #94 of 140
9/5/06 at 9:33am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveF
Not really. I don't have any patio, porch, or deck to store it on. It would be an eyesore and nuisance in the front yard. And if left in the backyard, I'd never use it.
When my wife and I first got our house I did this. After a few months it ended up in the back yard. We bought a little rubber matte to place it on since we have no decking or anything. Yes, I have to walk all the way around the house to BBQ but it's easier than keeping the thing in the garage where I need room for two cars and a motorcycle. Get a good cover!
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post #95 of 140
9/5/06 at 10:26am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mylan
I leave my valve turned on but it sits outside in a screened porch, i've never had a problem in 10 yrs. this way.
I'm sure it's possible to never have a problem, but the consequences of anything that CAN go wrong aren't even worth the risks involved.

Considering how easy it is to turn the valve off, why risk it?

It's like locking your front door. I can probably leave my front door unlocked for YEARS without anything bad happening, but why?
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post #96 of 140
9/5/06 at 12:49pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Couldn't have said it better myself.


Quote:
Originally Posted by dave_brogli
charcoal charcoal charcoal, charcoal is the best.


charcoal is the best!
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post #97 of 140
9/5/06 at 3:03pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkHastings
I'm sure it's possible to never have a problem, but the consequences of anything that CAN go wrong aren't even worth the risks involved.

Considering how easy it is to turn the valve off, why risk it?

It's like locking your front door. I can probably leave my front door unlocked for YEARS without anything bad happening, but why?

Well, I know it would be safer but the realities of the situation are that you cannot prepare for every thing that MIGHT go wrong. We all have to trust the safety measures put into place by the manufacturers ( yes, I know stupid, right?). To give you an example, everyone in this neighborhood that wants gas logs in their fireplace has to lease or buy an 85 gallon tank that sits outside. Now, can you see anyone who would want to run outside when it is below freezing and open the main valve just to be able to use their logs? I see a bunch of people saying "why bother?" The gas companies adhere to a strict code concerning placement, it cannot be less than five ft. from an opening into the house, be to close to the electrical service. If I want gas logs I am going to have to bury the tank because it sits inside a fenced in area AND is less than five ft. from a window, costing me hundreds more than it would normally, all because the gas company has had liabilty issues in the past. There have been two propane explosions around here, both ending tragically but in both cases it was the stupidity of the owner, leaving it in the basement next to a heat source in an unapproved container.
We all could just go nuts on the same token and shut off our main breaker when we leave the house or have a gas shutoff installed in our cars to prevent leaks, apparently you've hit a nerve but where does it end?
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post #98 of 140
9/5/06 at 5:10pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Well, I know it would be safer but the realities of the situation are that you cannot prepare for every thing that MIGHT go wrong.
Well, there's a difference between being 'not-so cautious' and just plain 'careless'.

I mean, maybe there's something I'm missing here, but everything I've read has said to make sure the valve is off after use. It has nothing to do with being 'over cautious'.
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post #99 of 140
9/5/06 at 6:31pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

You should not assume that the valves in the grill are safety-rated as shut-off valves. They do not compare to the fireplace example because of code and regulation issues involving gas inside a building.
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post #100 of 140
9/5/06 at 7:28pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Ok, so I'll keep the main valve off, as recommended. I've started turning it off to kill the flame for gas bleed off, then shutting off the grill valves.

As for the placement -- I've got a walkout basement, so backyard is around the house and 15 feet down. If it were back there, I just wouldn't use it. It would sit and rust out over the years from neglect.

Practically, I need to keep it in my garage with my lawnmower, tank of gas, and two cars with tanks of gas, various oils, and so on. I'm one match from a mean situation, but I've got to take my chances
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post #101 of 140
3/27/07 at 10:30am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

OK, I need a grill. Thought I'd resurrect this thread again. My only absolute requirement is that it runs on household Natural Gas, not propane or charcoal. I am leaning towards the Weber S-320 right now. Stainless Steel cooking grates are a big plus. Budget is under $1K. I would like a grill where it is easy to only use part of it for cooking small amounts of food. Right now my old LP grill does this fairly well (it's falling apart). You can turn on half the grill.
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post #102 of 140
3/27/07 at 11:30am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Can't go wrong with a Weber.
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post #103 of 140
3/27/07 at 3:24pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie
Can't go wrong with a Weber.


Yes you can.

I have a Tec natural gas grill. I highly recommend them. Don't think you can purchase a finer grill. Even a Weber.

www.tecinfrared.com

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post #104 of 140
3/28/07 at 5:56am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

How does the stainless steel shell hold up cosmetically? I am very turned off by stainless steel like this, it shows fnigerprints and scratches easily. I stopped by Home Depot on the way home yesterday just to browse, and the scratched/fingerprinted stainless steel grills looked really bad. How do they look after 5 years on a deck? 10 years?
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post #105 of 140
3/28/07 at 6:31am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip Hamm
How does the stainless steel shell hold up cosmetically? I am very turned off by stainless steel like this, it shows fnigerprints and scratches easily. I stopped by Home Depot on the way home yesterday just to browse, and the scratched/fingerprinted stainless steel grills looked really bad. How do they look after 5 years on a deck? 10 years?

Well if you don't take care of it it will look like sh_t. But if your purchasing a $1000 grill I would expect that you would. My grill sits outside all year long (I live one street from the water here in Florida) with a cover on while not being used, and it looks perfect.



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post #106 of 140
3/28/07 at 6:57am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Nice to see. I know how dreadful Florida is on metal. I always have kept my current cast aluminum grill covered and it doesn't look too bad. $1K is the total budget including paying a contractor to come out and run the gas line. I already have the gas line going to the outside of the house, but need the installation of a hose to the gasline and hookup of the grill (quick-connect?).
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post #107 of 140
3/28/07 at 7:39am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip Hamm
$1K is the total budget including paying a contractor to come out and run the gas line. I already have the gas line going to the outside of the house, but need the installation of a hose to the gasline and hookup of the grill (quick-connect?).

Don't forget that if your going to use natural gas. Your going to have to purchase doors if you are going to enclose the grill in for fire safety harrard reasons. There goes another couple hundred bucks.
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post #108 of 140
3/28/07 at 8:19am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mazersteven
Don't forget that if your going to use natural gas. Your going to have to purchase doors if you are going to enclose the grill in for fire safety harrard reasons. There goes another couple hundred bucks.
??? No idea what you're talking about.

The grill's going on a deck.
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post #109 of 140
3/28/07 at 9:51am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Phillip,
Have you considered something like a ceramic grill? It works sort of like charcoal but not quite. It doesn't take long at all to get the fire up to speed.

I'm strongly considering a Primo Grill
http://www.primogrill.com/

It's sort of a best of both worlds. Charcoal flavor + ease of use(gas). It uses lump charcoal so it's quite different than the charcoalers of past.
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post #110 of 140
3/28/07 at 12:56pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Philip Hamm
??? No idea what you're talking about.

The grill's going on a deck.

I was talking about if you purchase a grill and then brick it in (build it in) like my grill. Buy fire code you needs doors to access the enclosure.
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post #111 of 140
3/28/07 at 4:31pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by mazersteven
Yes you can.

I have a Tec natural gas grill. I highly recommend them. Don't think you can purchase a finer grill. Even a Weber.

I agree 100%. My next-door neighbor has one and an infrared grill is FABULOUS--it cooks meat amazingly well without the "hot spot" problem that plagues charcoal grills--not to mention not having to deal with the charcoal ashes afterwards!
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post #112 of 140
3/28/07 at 6:06pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Philip,
ANY propane grill can be easily converted to natural gas. The nozzle simply needs to be bored out slightly (this is done by hand with a special bit... the size is determined by the burner BTUs). Any 'real' grill store can perform this conversion for you. Also, I recently had a natural gas line run to my porch area. Cost was ~$100 for the plumber and ~$100 for parts IIRC (used the more expensive tubing but that reduced the labor). You will want to have a quick-disconnect on your gas line (to wheel the grill away from the gas outlet if required). Get this installed at the grill store so the plumber doesn't have to worry about having the correct fittings on hand.

I'm a fan of ceramics and cook with natural gas and/or lump charcoal in mine. IMO, this is the best multi-task grill (plus the wife likes the looks). I can do everything from smoke (200 degrees) to sear (1500 degrees). I can also BBQ ~24 hours (@ 250F) before having to add more lump charcoal (i.e. it's ridiculously efficient).

IMO Charcoal simply can't be beat due to the flavor. I will use the natural gas in my BBQ/grill to either light the charcoal or to cook up some hot dogs (or other super-quick cook).

Enjoy the new grill!
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post #113 of 140
3/31/07 at 10:47am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Question: How do you guys dispose of briquettes? I am replacing mine for the first time because they are quite greasy and nasty. Is it safe to throw these flammable stones in the garbage?


p.s. I use a gas grill with the lava stones underneath. I just repleaced them with ceramic briquettes to hope avoid them getting so greasy.
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post #114 of 140
3/31/07 at 5:38pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkHastings
Question: How do you guys dispose of briquettes? I am replacing mine for the first time because they are quite greasy and nasty. Is it safe to throw these flammable stones in the garbage?


.

Use them in the yard as decorative stones.
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post #115 of 140
3/31/07 at 6:43pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Cute....then I can have them sing backup for me and go out on the road as "Mark and the Briquettes"?
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post #116 of 140
4/1/07 at 7:10am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkHastings
Question: How do you guys dispose of briquettes? I am replacing mine for the first time because they are quite greasy and nasty. Is it safe to throw these flammable stones in the garbage?

Mark:
Have you tried turning them upside down and turning on the the burners ? That should burn off the nasty stuff from them and get some more life out of them.
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post #117 of 140
4/1/07 at 8:33am

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

The stones sit at the bottom of the grill. There's no grate under them, so there's nowhere for the grease to go....well, there's a few holes and a grease cup on one side, but the grease never seems to go out that way. The stones just seem to suck it all up.
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post #118 of 140
4/12/07 at 4:14pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

I just saw this Orion Stainless Steel Cooker in the newspaper insert. Here's a link to it on their web site:
http://www.homedepot.com/prel80/HDUS...gmm.0&MID=9876

I've never seen anything like this before.
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post #119 of 140
4/12/07 at 4:42pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

I've honestly never tasted a hamburger, hot dog, or steak from a charcoal grill. And I love the taste of them on the gas grill. So, I don't know...
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post #120 of 140
4/12/07 at 9:29pm

Re: Charcoal or Gas Grill?

Quote:
Originally Posted by bobbyg2
I've honestly never tasted a hamburger, hot dog, or steak from a charcoal grill. And I love the taste of them on the gas grill. So, I don't know...

You must live a sheltered life.
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