Charcoal or Gas Grill? (1 Viewer)

[Philip Hamm]

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.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

Can't go wrong with a Weber.

 

[mazersteven]

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.
http://www.tecinfrared.com

 

[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?

 

[mazersteven]

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.

 

[Philip Hamm]

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?).

 

[mazersteven]

$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.

 

[Philip Hamm]

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.

 

[Shane Martin]

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.

 

[mazersteven]

??? 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.

 

[Ray Chuang]

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!

 

[Greg_R]

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!

 

[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?
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.

 

[mazersteven]

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.

 

[MarkHastings]

Cute....then I can have them sing backup for me and go out on the road as "Mark and the Briquettes"?

 

[LewB]

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.

 

[MarkHastings]

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.

 

[Johnny Angell]

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.

 

[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...

 

[mazersteven]

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.