OT Grills

[HuskyHawk]

I’m a propane guy. Don’t want to hear that charcoal is better, because it may be, but it’s too much of a pain for me to bother with it. I just don’t have that kind of time.

So I decided it’s time to replace my almost 15 year old Weber Genesis Silver B. It’s served me well over those years, and I’ve replaced several parts, flavorizer bars, ignitor and other things. But now the overall grill is just past it’s prime. Maybe I’ll bring it up to Vermont.

So what should replace it? The Weber Genesis II S-310 is the early leader, but I’m open to suggestions. I like that the burners are now side to side not front to back. That fixes my main complaint with the old one. Not sure if the extra $100 for stainless over enamel is well spent or not.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Go get a Weber kettle. Charcoal has an incorrect reputation for being time-consuming and difficult when compared to gas. Wrong. Get a chimney, and that charcoal is EASY to light up and will be ready to go within 20-30 minutes.

You realize propane is up and running in like 2-3 minutes, right?

If you do any amount of hosting parties, having a propane grill is great for the last minute needs or quick 5-10 minute uses. If your life is a bit more casual and time isn't a determining factor get the charcoal, get the smoker.

They're all perfectly valid cooking methods. It comes down to need and use.

 

[Danzz]

No first hand knowledge but Napoleon grills are supposed to be great. Pricey but great.

 

[minidarren]

I don't really like regular charcoal. I don't think it adds anything. The real lump charcoal used in the Kamado's sounded interesting. But the guy at Amazing Ribs said that when cooking a burger or steak for 5-10 minutes charcoal adds nothing to flavor. I tend to agree.

I cook burgers on my Kamado Joe and they are some of the best burgers I have ever had. Take it easy with the smoke though because the meat will pull all that in.

 

[HuskyHawk]

You realize propane is up and running in like 2-3 minutes, right?

If you do any amount of hosting parties, having a propane grill is great for the last minute needs or quick 5-10 minute uses. If your life is a bit more casual and time isn't a determining factor get the charcoal, get the smoker.

They're all perfectly valid cooking methods. It comes down to need and use.

Agreed, and a bear ate my last Weber Kettle. I usually need fast...like weekdays, after I get home from work, while still in work clothes. I'm not touching charcoal in that scenario.

 

[huskeynut]

No first hand knowledge but Napoleon grills are supposed to be great. Pricey but great.

Had a Napolean for several years. Gave it to one of our sons when we moved to Florida. Its still running great. Our had the infra-red burner which was great for searing meats quickly. Temperature control was very good. But they are pricey!!!

 

[hardcorehusky]

I hear Traeger grills are outstanding as well.

 

[UconnFanNVa]

I like the taste of charcoal but it's a hassle even with a chimney starter. I think I'm going to get one though for when i want to use it. The Weber I use 4 plus nights a week in the summer, its that quick and easy.

What do you do with the coal after you guys are done?
Any of you use natural wood coal and cook directly on it?

 

[AZHuskiePop]

You realize propane is up and running in like 2-3 minutes, right?

If you do any amount of hosting parties, having a propane grill is great for the last minute needs or quick 5-10 minute uses. If your life is a bit more casual and time isn't a determining factor get the charcoal, get the smoker.

They're all perfectly valid cooking methods. It comes down to need and use.

I have a gas line direct to the grill
No more bottles love it
My ten year old grill is still perfect
All ST ST .
But our favorite thing to make for dinner is reservations.
The AZ Sun destroyed 5 or 6 grill covers since I’ve been here. They keep the dust out.

 

[Madmannsucks]

I have always used charcoal. Thinking about going with an electric smoker. Easy and temp control is better than charcoal. Thoughts?

 

[B1GEast]

 

[Excalibur]

I have always used charcoal. Thinking about going with an electric smoker. Easy and temp control is better than charcoal. Thoughts?

I used an electric smoker for 10 years before I got the Big Green Egg. Compared to most charcoal smokers electric is much easier to use and control, but the Egg makes temp control a breeze.

 

[HuskyHawk]

That's close to what I'll have. I will probably get a E-310, and I don't have gas, so it will be LP. I have a Masterbuilt smoker I bought last summer. In hindsight, a Kamado would have been a good choice over the Masterbuilt as it can do more. But I can't justify it now given how new the smoker is.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I used an electric smoker for 10 years before I got the Big Green Egg. Compared to most charcoal smokers electric is much easier to use and control, but the Egg makes temp control a breeze.

I found the Masterbuilt very easy to use...but I had a lot to learn about getting through the stall and otherwise correctly managing time and temp for various cuts. It was a failing of man, not machine.

 

[Uconnrick]

I found the Masterbuilt very easy to use...but I had a lot to learn about getting through the stall and otherwise correctly managing time and temp for various cuts. It was a failing of man, not machine.

The last pork butt I smoked stalled at 164 degrees for almost 5 hours. It WAS a large piece of meat but the danged thing seemed to defy the laws of physics. The smoker was at 225 the whole time. Dinner didn't happen that night and the wife wasn't impressed; until she tasted the pulled pork.

 

[HuskyHawk]

The last pork butt I smoked stalled at 164 degrees for almost 5 hours. It WAS a large piece of meat but the danged thing seemed to defy the laws of physics. The smoker was at 225 the whole time. Dinner didn't happen that night and the wife wasn't impressed; until she tasted the pulled pork.

That's exactly what happened to me. I pulled it off at 11:30 PM because I needed to go to sleep. Came out ok, but could have used another hour. It was insane.

 

[Excalibur]

I find that the stall took longer on my Cookshack electric (the king of electric smokers, BTW) than it does on the Egg. Not sure why. On occasion I had to pull out a butt and finish it in the oven at 300 degrees because we had guests and I needed to actually feed them.

 

[minidarren]

The last pork butt I smoked stalled at 164 degrees for almost 5 hours. It WAS a large piece of meat but the danged thing seemed to defy the laws of physics. The smoker was at 225 the whole time. Dinner didn't happen that night and the wife wasn't impressed; until she tasted the pulled pork.

Check out this stall...

Blue line = Set temp
Red line = Pit temp
Yellow line = Meat temp
Green line = Fan output percentage

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Getting a genesis e-330 for my wedding. Super stoked.

Maybe I should renegotiate for a snowblower

 

[HuskyHawk]

So I bought a Weber Genesis II E-310 SE (stainless inside, black outside). So far it's a nice upgrade.

The local shop had Big Green Eggs...and the temptation was there. Read more about them and watched YouTube videos of people starting them up and using them. The cold weather performance almost swayed me, since I never used to grill in winter, and did this year...with some challenges on LP. But then the general messiness of loading it up and clearing ash, plus the slower start up time, along with the BGE costing twice as much, pushed me back over.

My current thinking is that I'll get a Kamado when I retire. I'll be able to put the time in and avoid worrying about ash on clothes, etc.

 

[minidarren]

So I bought a Weber Genesis II E-310 SE (stainless inside, black outside). So far it's a nice upgrade.

The local shop had Big Green Eggs...and the temptation was there. Read more about them and watched YouTube videos of people starting them up and using them. The cold weather performance almost swayed me, since I never used to grill in winter, and did this year...with some challenges on LP. But then the general messiness of loading it up and clearing ash, plus the slower start up time, along with the BGE costing twice as much, pushed me back over.

My current thinking is that I'll get a Kamado when I retire. I'll be able to put the time in and avoid worrying about ash on clothes, etc.

I use my Kamado Joe 2 to 3 times a week and have never gotten ash on me.

 

[minidarren]

I use my Kamado Joe 2 to 3 times a week and have never gotten ash on me.

Built a table for it this weekend. JJGeorge wanted like $800 for something similar. The materials did cost me about $400 to build it from cedar.

 

[Dream Jobbed 2.0]

Picked up my Spirit E-330 this weekend. Definitely not the nicest Weber but a big upgrade from 20 yr old 2 burner Weber I inherited. Really excited to use it when the weather turns around.

 

[HuskyHawk]

I use my Kamado Joe 2 to 3 times a week and have never gotten ash on me.

You've got the ash tray the BGE doesn't have. How about when putting in the charcoal and arranging it? Every video I watched, guys were wearing nitrile gloves to do that. Screw that.

Table looks fantastic by the way. That's how I'll want it once I get one of these.

 

[minidarren]

You've got the ash tray the BGE doesn't have. How about when putting in the charcoal and arranging it? Every video I watched, guys were wearing nitrile gloves to do that. Screw that.

Table looks fantastic by the way. That's how I'll want it once I get one of these.

I cut the top of the bag and pour it in. I'll come home from work in business attire and fill it up without issue.