Electric Grills

I just got busted for an illegal gas grill. A fire alarm happened to go off while I was grilling some tri tips for a bunch of friends. Fire trucks arrived shortly after and saw the flames. The knock on the door was 10 minutes later, as we all were enjoying our perfectly charred meat. It was a false alarm. Electric grills are legal. Are there any worthwhile electric grills available that won't make me regret switching from gas? Otherwise, I'll just lay low for the rest of the season here in Florida and wait till next fall to bring the gas grill out of storage.

Andy,

I can't say I've ever used an electric gril and I've only had limited experience with gas powered ones as well, but as an outsider to both gas and electric grilling technology, I'm not sure either one would taste different from the other. Both are oderless, tasteless cooking fuels.

The criticism of electric grills has been they don't get as hot as gas and the meat won't get that nice sear. However, there's a pretty impressive new grill from Dimplex that gets to 650°. Anybody out there familiar with this line of grills?

http://www.csgrills.com/Common/Product/ ... swodL18PUg

Hi,

From looking around, I noticed Geo has used an electric grill/smoker. Cynthia has been pleased with her electric smoker.

Regards,

That is rough. My parents live in a condo in FL, had to go to the outdoor electric George Foreman. It's as you'd expect, it just isn't a gas grill. The condo association finally has allowed them one of the teeny tiny gas grills that have the small cylinders of gas.

C2 is right, I use an electric grill/smoker quite frequently up here in Québec. This is what I use:



which can be viewed here. Runs c. $85.

Now I've customized it a bit for Winter use Up Here:




That's the bottom section, with the lid on. I've moved the heating element up to c. 1.5" below the cooking grate. This gives me a very nice char. I frequently put a chunk of fruit wood in and let it smoke while I'm grilling. Even the small amount of time it takes to grill a steak or a chop is enough to put a nice hint of smoke into the meat.

I've also got a brick platform under the element. I can put several charcoal briquets on the bricks, put a chunk of fruit wood on the charcoal, and cool-smoke ribs, shoulders, w/o using any electricity. You'd be amazed what I can do with just the bottom section of that Brinkman. Once I've shovelled the snow away, of course.

Geo

I have owned the Farberware Open Hearth Indoor Grill and Rotisserie since 1971. As much as I love to cook with real fire, I continue to be impressed with how wonderful food tastes when cooked with this electric grill. Jeffrey Steingarten praised it for the way it cooks a whole duck on the spit. I'm not sure they still make this, but it is available. I've used it for grilling steaks, chops chicken, etc. It especially shines for roasts and whole birds, even turkeys, cooked on the spit. I think I've replaced the rotisserie motor and the electric element and the power cord a few times in past almost 40 years (OMG, it's older than many of you!!!).

Bill/SFNM

Bill,

I've seen those at rummage sales from time to time. It must be a great device considering all the maintenance you've done to keep it.

Regards,

Bill,

That's what I use in KC for my electric grill. They are a complete total mess to clean, so I don't clean them. I say "them" because I leave them outside in KC's weather. I buy them at Goodwill stores. The element burns through every few years, as does the connection socket. I found a lid which fits, and I raised the element up closer to the grate. Wonderful device, so long as you keep backups. It's very hard to find parts now, w/o cannibalizing another unit.

I'll see if I can get Elam to take a pic or two of what mine looks like now.

Geo

I used to have an electric grill/smoker when I was an apartment dweller, and it was the worst.

bad temperature control, and overall just a waste of my money.

Geo wrote:Bill,

They are a complete total mess to clean, so I don't clean them.

Geo,

I cover the drip tray and the sides in aluminum foil. That makes cleanup a breeze and may also make the cooking a bit more efficient. Mine looks almost as good as the day it was born.

Bill/SFNM

I have a Bradley Digital electric smoker. It's a smoker only (looks like a mini-fridge). Totally simple clean-up, racks, drip pan and water bowl all pop in the dishwasher. Won't solve the grilling problem, but you can brainstorm on the issue while enjoying your smoked ribs or brisket (or salmon, or turkey or....)

I think electric grills are disgusting as a substitute for a gas or charcoal grill. I've been to a few people's houses that did that and I could not even stomach the meat. They used a George Foreman type grill. This might be okay to cook a couple pieces of meat in the house occasionally but when you put a few steaks or burgers on it pools of grease form, they don't drip down as they should because the grill is solid.

I'd vote no on this. I'd rather just get a good broiler rack and cook meat in the oven. I'm not aware of electric grills that are smokers or use charcoal so maybe those would be okay but the George Foreman type would not bear any resemblance to outdoor grilling on gas or charcoal in my book.

ReverendAndy - for those of us not familiar with Florida laws, but that may be contemplating relocation in the future, could you please share some info or a pointer to info regarding gas grills being illegal there? This is the first I've heard of it (and it's more than a bit disconcerting). Thanks.

Kman wrote:This is the first I've heard of it (and it's more than a bit disconcerting). Thanks.

Kman,

Andy's referring to the condo building where he lives, not the entire state of Florida.

Enjoy,
Gary

Kman wrote:ReverendAndy - for those of us not familiar with Florida laws, but that may be contemplating relocation in the future, could you please share some info or a pointer to info regarding gas grills being illegal there? This is the first I've heard of it (and it's more than a bit disconcerting). Thanks.

GWiv is correct. It's not a state law for any Florida dweller, however it may be a state law for any hi-rise dweller. The use of a gas grill on our balcony employing propane tanks is illegal, as is the storage of any tank over 20 lbs. A few buildings in my development have gas and there are grills on their decks, however they are hooked up to a gas line and vented.

Toria, the Dimplex grill I was interested in bears no resemblence to a George Forman. It's a full size grill, not tabletop. It's a new grill and not meant for indoor use. Maybe new technology has increased the performance of electric and narrowed the gap with gas.

Father's Day gift!!!

http://www.amazon.com/Zojirushi-EB-CC15 ... B00005YXC0

Got it early, on Friday, and have tried two things on it so far...some baby steps.....

I have pics and will post soon.

kenji wrote:
I have pics and will post soon.

Here's some of the things I've made so far using the Zojirushi Indoor Grill EB-CC15:

http://pages.ripco.net/~kenji/zojirushi_grill/index.htm

Today's lunch was great too:

http://pages.ripco.net/~kenji/zojirushi ... _lunch.htm

Folks,

I'm not proud to say it, but The Other Dr. Gale and I just moved into a new condo in central Montréal (the Petite Burgogne quartier), and our bldg won't allow any kind of a grill on the stair-deck or the balcony. Okay, so I signed the agreement with my left hand behind my back, fingers crossed. But I'm not going to blatently go gas or charcoal. What I want is a *real* electric grille. I've always had electric devices in the past, usually a Brinkman smoker, or my current model at the Lake, a lovely Meco smokers. But for your actual grilling, what I've always used is one of those old Farberware thingys, the ones which can have the rotisserie added. It's actually a piss-poor substitute for a real grill but it did what I wanted it to do on sausages, turkey thighs, etc.

But now, since I can't have a real gas/charcoal grill, I want a REAL electric grill... if they even exist. So I am open to any and all suggestions. I'm sure some LTHers Out There have a solution or two for me.

Go to it!!

TIA--

Geo

If temperature is your main concern, what about using a portable induction cooktop with a cast-iron grill pan?

Shoot, just what independent said.
I have been using a $80 1800 watt induction cooktop in the back since my green egg was smashed.
Not as good, but does a decent job until I can replace the egg.

Tnx guys!

No, I'm looking for an intense radiation flux which will crisp, brown, and maybe even put a bit of char on the victim on the grill. A really good
stove broiler will do this, but, in so doing, smoke up the house and sound the damn smoke alarm every time.

Geo

Geo wrote:What I want is a *real* electric grille.

Geo,

Here are my suggestions for a "real" electric grill in descending order.

1)
2)
3)

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Gary

You're late Gary. I figgered you'd come in as #1 or #2. Guess you must have been busy, eh?

I wonder what it would take to do it? It really is a question of radiation flux density (and wavelength). I mean, if I put an arc welder head inside one of those crap electric grills, I'd sure as shootin' get my result. Be a bit noisy, but no sacrifice to great for The Cause.

(Do you think you've got your choices rank-ordered properly? Isn't #2 worse than #3?)

Geo

Can you get one of those gyro cookers, turn it on its side, and then mount it in some sort of housing as a kind of makeshift salamander? How much do they go for, anyway?

Hi,

This is yet another discussion on outdoor electric grills: viewtopic.php?p=20070#p20070

Regards,

Very low end, does an "ok" job get a used (try not to giggle or scream in agony!) one of the 550 degree Forman grills. From what I have seen and bought, $10 from a thrift store.

However,
For the best pressed burgers/grilled cheese/awesome bacon/split hot dogs, try to find a mirromatic whiz grill
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Mirro-Matic-Whiz-Grid-Electric-Speed-Grill-Press-Nice-Gold-70s-Panini-/181166128168
I buy every one I see locally in the thrift stores. Just for the awesome bacon strips that come from it and the great toasted sandwiches. I cannot live without one. Also awesome for inexpensive sandwich steaks sorta like George Webb in Milwaukee.

Other work arounds that I am using. Ronco rotisserie for roasts/commercial burgers. $10-20 at thrift.
Butterball turkey fryer ($50). Great for wings/legs for snacks. Back before they got expensive, my kid loved a fried Cornish hen when he got home from school.

Other George--

That turned out to be an excellent suggestion. Buying one on eBay, used, would run c. $500. But, you know what? I'm not interested in all the extra stuff, like the rotisserie, stand, etc. All I'm interested in are the electric elements themselves, which turn out to be c. $40 each. If I could get a couple of those babies mounted in a cheapo gas grill frame, like the stainless one from Lowes, I might have something.

Thinking, thinking.

Also looking at the TEC mentioned in the thread C2 referenced.

Keep those ideas coming friends!

Geo

Jeez, the TEC countertop sized portable Cherokee is $700!!! Yikes!! and, it's not electric: it makes infrared with gas!

Not for me.

Geo

I got busted again so my gas grill will have to go. I've been looking at electric grills out there and it seems like the Char-Broil tru infrared might be the best of the bunch, without spending thousands of dollars. Does anyone have any updated thoughts?