Let me see your grillz

Well , my cheap old gas grill has finally bit the dust. The wife actually gave me permission to go out and buy a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to get one with a rotissery.

Dave-

There have been a couple of threads on this topic. Perhaps you can find some guidance there.

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=13466

http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=7915

-Mary

davecamaro1994 wrote:Well , my cheap old gas grill has finally bit the dust. The wife actually gave me permission to go out and buy a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to get one with a rotissery.

Webber performer- all the benefits of gas with all the flavor of charcoal.

I love my Webber Genesis Silver B. It appears to be currently unavailable through Amazon.com.

Take a look at Sam's or Costco...

Each has a stainless rig made by Grand Hall - Chinese, naturally.

For $600 you get three 18,000BTU burners, a side burner, an infra-red rotiss, and a big storage area underneath. Take a look at

http://www.komar.org/bbq/mm/faq/

for discussion and details.

Mike

davecamaro1994 wrote:Well , my cheap old gas grill has finally bit the dust. The wife actually gave me permission to go out and buy a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to get one with a rotissery.

Weber One-Touch Gold ($139)
Weber Kettle Rotisserie ($120)
Weber Chimney Starter ($15)
80-lbs Natural lump charcoal* ($36)

*Berger Bros, $18 per 40-lb bag

Berger Brother's Charcoal
1176 N Cherry Ave
Chicago, IL 6062
312-642-4238
M-F (Closed Sat/Sun)
7:30am - 4pm
Cash only

G Wiv wrote:Weber One-Touch Gold ($139)
Weber Kettle Rotisserie ($120)
Weber Chimney Starter ($15)
80-lbs Natural lump charcoal* ($36)

Backyard grilled and rotisserie-roasted meats over natural lump charcoal using a long-lasting, high quality piece of equipment......priceless.

For a "grill" in its purest form, it's hard to beat the original Char-Broil. I have one of these tank-like beauties. The adjustable height charcoal pan lets you really sear if you want, and a coal-door allows you to add new fuel or move it around without moving meat or the grate. It's hard to find, and the retail is silly (like $400), but they show up at Lowe's for half price. I got mine late last season in Benton Harbor, MI. The in-laws have the Weber Performer, which is another great option. It's essentially a big One Touch with a large stainless work area, charcoal storage and and gas starter. Gary's suggestion certainly gets you the most bang for the buck, and all of the Weber items will last a long time if even modestly cared for. I have a Weber gas grill, too. I use it as a shelf.

http://bbq.about.com/od/charcoalgrillre ... 61907a.htm

JeffB wrote:For a "grill" in its purest form, it's hard to beat the original Char-Broil. I have one of these tank-like beauties. The adjustable height charcoal pan lets you really sear if you want, and a coal-door allows you to add new fuel or move it around without moving meat or the grate. It's hard to find, and the retail is silly (like $400), but they show up at Lowe's for half price. I got mine late last season in Benton Harbor, MI. The in-laws have the Weber Performer, which is another great option. It's essentially a big One Touch with a large stainless work area, charcoal storage and and gas starter. Gary's suggestion certainly gets you the most bang for the buck, and all of the Weber items will last a long time if even modestly cared for. I have a Weber gas grill, too. I use it as a shelf.

http://bbq.about.com/od/charcoalgrillre ... 61907a.htm

I love the adjustable pan on the Char-Broil. Char-griller makes something similar but it's not quite as durable or as easy to adjust.

I love my Weber One-Touch Performer but they no longer make the stainless version with the hinged door and storage comparment. Instead, they use some sort of poly composite as the work surface -- and it does not open or have a built-in storage area below it. Still, I agree that the Weber products -- especially the 22 1/2" kettles -- produce great results and they require very little maintenance. I do wish the grill height (distance from cook surface to coals) were adjustable with them but there are ways to tweak that aspect. I know people who own models that are 20 years old (and older) and they are still in wonderful condition.

I too have a Weber gas grill (that came with the house). It makes a great, covered storage area

=R=

i've taken to throwing firewood in my weber....you just need to plan ahead of time..

G Wiv wrote:*Berger Bros, $18 per 40-lb bag
Cash only

When did they go up in price, or is that after-tax?

jsimonson0 wrote:When did they go up in price, or is that after-tax?

I did not call, just ball parked the number. Actual price as of 1.11.08 for 40-lbs of lump charcoal at Berger Bros is $15.25, $16.62 with tax.

The context of my post was more along the lines of go charcoal not gas as opposed to current market price of lump charcoal.

Enjoy,
Gary

eatchicago wrote:Backyard grilled and rotisserie-roasted meats over natural lump charcoal using a long-lasting, high quality piece of equipment......priceless.

Exactly, you hit the nail squarely on the head.

G Wiv wrote:

jsimonson0 wrote:When did they go up in price, or is that after-tax?

I did not call, just ball parked the number. Actual price as of 1.11.08 for 40-lbs of lump charcoal at Berger Bros is $15.25, $16.62 with tax.

The context of my post was more along the lines of go charcoal not gas as opposed to current market price of lump charcoal.

Understood 1000%. BTW, loved the spice blend from The Spice House. Smoked some chicken wings with it over said lump charcoal on Sunday...

G Wiv wrote:

jsimonson0 wrote:When did they go up in price, or is that after-tax?

I did not call, just ball parked the number. Actual price as of 1.11.08 for 40-lbs of lump charcoal at Berger Bros is $15.25, $16.62 with tax.

What brand of charcoal do they sell and is it equivalent in quality to a brand like Royal Oak?

I think Berger Brothers has a few brands. I've bought Lazzari there, which is incredibly good. There are a lot of really crappy brands of lump charcoal out there. So do a little homework (and don't make the mistake that Cooks Illustrated did and use Cowboy brand).

You can read about different brands at
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm

Lazzari mesquite is reviewed here:
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lumpdatabase/lumpbag16.htm

Company site: http://www.lazzari.com/

Here is a link to an older post by Gwiv on Berger Brother's charcoal:
http://www.lthforum.com/bb/viewtopic.php?p=3862#3862

Muttster wrote:What brand of charcoal do they sell and is it equivalent in quality to a brand like Royal Oak?

The 40lb bag is generic, but they distribute Royal Oak and a few other brands by the pallet as well. So I wouldn't be surprised if the lump comes from the same batches that RO does.

Muttster wrote:What brand of charcoal do they sell and is it equivalent in quality to a brand like Royal Oak?

Just about every time I go to Berger Bros, they give me a different brand of charcoal. Sometimes it's Royal Oak, sometimes it's Canadian Royal Oak, sometimes it's generic. I've asked both of the Berger Bros about this and they told me it all comes out of the same factory in Missouri and, other than the different bags, is all the same stuff. It just depends on what pallet is open at the time you buy your charcoal.

davecamaro1994, WOW your in Palatine and asking about a grill . Head down to the store (ace hardware or the factory Weber store) and get yourself a Kettle 22 1/2 and a bag of Lump coal and starter can. You can get a 26" but your gonna have to work at it because it Only come in parts?? I know I know.. But it's a 26" and can cook up to 6 full chickens with space for other goodies. I have a rotissery for both the kettle and gas and don't use them at all!! I tried but they really are a pain to clean and you get the same results with other ways. What are you tring to do ??Chicken,The other tasty white meat PORK ?? Dude if you really want to step up get the WSM along with the kettle. I wouldn't waste you $$ on the rotissery ... Last of all Please Buy American products................

As for the Lump Coal Cowboy is at Ace Hardware for 9.99 40lb bag and should last you the weekend

The reason I want a rotisserie is because I would like to do chicken, pheasant, duck, lamb, and a pig. I was thinking a nice slow cook on the rotis would be great for this. I am definately leaning towards the lump charcoal. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who leave their grills outside all winter(covered though).

davecamaro1994 wrote:The reason I want a rotisserie is because I would like to do chicken, pheasant, duck, lamb, and a pig. I was thinking a nice slow cook on the rotis would be great for this. I am definately leaning towards the lump charcoal. Unfortunately, I am one of those people who leave their grills outside all winter(covered though).

I have shared your dreams of cooking all of those goodies, and own a Weber gas grill with the wood chunk smoking option on the end, as well as the Weber rotisserie. I used to OCCASIONALLY put a couple of chickens on the rotisserie and slow roast 'em with some mesquite chunks for great flavor. But as others have said, the cleanup was thoroughly off-putting. Then I found "Beer Can Chicken". Google it. After doing chicken that way, the rotisserie has been banished to a closet for years. The chicken tastes better and there's no cleanup! I've cooked whole pork shoulders on that grill over a 7-8 hour period without the rotisserie as well. Although I still have dreams of doing a suckling pig or baby goat, the reality is that with Greektown just steps away, I'm probably better off grabbing some well-prepared meat down there. Plus, unless you get a mighty big grill, most pigs or goats will probably be too big for a home grill's rotisserie.

I have been a die hard charcoal guy for ever. However, I recently purchased a weber genesis gold on craig's list for a steal of a price. Let me just say, this grill rocks, I can get it up to around 600 degrees in a very short period of time, it has a big cooking area, and it is solid. Beyond that Weber has great customer service, and they support their products in definitely. After purchasing my used grill, I contacted weber, and they sent me new burners, and grates at no cost, as the parts were still under warranty. This grill is about 4 years old.
I ask how much space, because I still use my weber kettle, that has served me well for 8 years. I use it for longer grill times, pulled pork, brisket, turkey, beer can chicken, etc. It is just so nice to have the convenience of a gas grill, especially if I just want to throw something on for lunch. So I say get both!!!!
All this said-Take a hard look at Weber and remember you get what you pay for.

I have to say that my gas grill (the one left by the sellers) has provided a lot of convenience, too. It makes an excellent storage cabinet in the backyard.

=R=

davecamaro1994 wrote:Well , my cheap old gas grill has finally bit the dust. The wife actually gave me permission to go out and buy a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to get one with a rotissery.

I wouldnt go with anything but Weber..they last forever and thier customer support is top notch

Head's Red BBQ wrote:

davecamaro1994 wrote:Well , my cheap old gas grill has finally bit the dust. The wife actually gave me permission to go out and buy a new one. Does anyone have any suggestions? I would like to get one with a rotissery.

I wouldnt go with anything but Weber..they last forever and thier customer support is top notch

I'll second that! I had an old cheap Char-Grill or Char-Broil or Char-Something that I bought at Home Depot that exploded the glass window all over us, while melting the gas hose. Nothing scarier than a propane hose that is whipping back and forth with an open flame on the end, melting and dripping as it quickly got shorter and headed toward the full tank like a burning fuse. Against all my best instincts, I ran forward and shut the gas valve off as the hose got down to be just 4" long from the tank. I wrote to the company to tell of my horrors, and they offered me $150 (the price of the grill) to sign a waiver of any further lawsuit. I told them I'd take $500 so I could buy a Weber. They complied and I've been happy ever since.