Buying a grill

Hi

We are moving to a place (in Bucktown) with a wooden deck. I am a bit leery of grilling over coals on a wood deck, so I'm thinking about getting a gas grill. The smoker will go on stone pavers on the ground level.

Is it worth the expense to install a Natural Gas line to the outside where the grill is or is Propane OK?

Would you grill over coals anyway? Can I put the smoker on pavers under the deck? It is a full story tall deck.

Which grill do you have/recommend? I am leaning toward the Weber Silver Genesis B.

Thanks,

It's really a lifestyle choice, I think. No question, even the best gas grill gives you food that only sort of tastes like food off hardwood charcoal, despite their best efforts to come up with technology that mimics how charcoal behaves. But if you have a smoker for when you're making serious meats, it might well make sense for you to have something you can flip on and off so easily when you just want to grill some chicken breasts or steaks or whatever.

As far as lugging a tank to the store and back versus the line, well, the line would sure be convenient, but if you're only going to do it so often, refilling/replacing the tank a couple of times a season hardly seems like an onerous burden. The only thing that's a bummer is running out with half-cooked food on the grill.

There, was that wishy-washy enough for you?

leek wrote:Hi

We are moving to a place (in Bucktown) with a wooden deck. I am a bit leery of grilling over coals on a wood deck, so I'm thinking about getting a gas grill. The smoker will go on stone pavers on the ground level.

Is it worth the expense to install a Natural Gas line to the outside where the grill is or is Propane OK?

Depends upon how often you plan to use your grill and how big your tanks are. Over the long haul I would probably buy a 30-40lb propane tank instead of the normal 20lb'r. Of course the larger tanks aren't exchangable. You would have to get them filled somewhere. I seem to recall that natural gas does not get quite as hot in gas grills as propane does. So its really a matter of convenience vs. a little better cooking ability with propane.

Would you grill over coals anyway? Can I put the smoker on pavers under the deck? It is a full story tall deck..

I would. But I don't live in Chicago with a wooden deck. You might look into one of those fireproof carpets or boards that are frequently put in front of a fireplace to prevent sparks from burning. That might be a better idea.

Which grill do you have/recommend? I am leaning toward the Weber Silver Genesis B..

Any Weber grill will probably meet your needs. I'm a big fan of the bigger and hotter the better with grills. I don't care for side burners and other fancy stuff.

Bruce wrote: You might look into one of those fireproof carpets or boards that are frequently put in front of a fireplace to prevent sparks from burning. That might be a better idea.

I went to a metal fabrication shop and had them sell me a large sheet of aluminum, which I put under my WSM (which lives on my wooden deck). I also have a Weber charcoal grill that I have directly on the deck without benefit of the "blast shield". It's the kind with the closed in ash catcher, so hot coals do not drop out of the bottom. I've been using the grill that way for many years with nary a problem.

I've been very happy with my Genesis Silver B. Try Abt for good prices if nobody's got 'em on sale.

Only gripes:
1) paint on inside of the lid is peeling after only one season. Don't tell me I'm running it too hot, heat is the whole point.
2) The v-shaped bottom section which runs into the drip pan can get covered with ash, which traps grease, which causes really really nasty flareups (perhaps that's why the paint is peeling). It's pretty non-stick enamel, so a periodic light brushing cures this. But so far as I'm aware, this wasn't covered in the general instructions for use, I hadn't anticipated the problem.

Quality and consistency on this unit has been very good. The only thing I might look for is left/middle/right burners instead of the Genesis' front/middle/back: There isn't enough room in front or back to do an adequate indirect heat for something roast-sized.

"Flavor bars" beat the heck out of the old lava rock technology. Less maintenance, and flavor seems to be just as good.

Back when I had a porch, I grilled on it (using a tiny hibachi-style grill) frequently, without any problems. But I never left it unattended once the coals were lit beyond the quick run into the kitchen, and there was always both a pail of water and a fire extinguisher nearby.

You may want to check with the landlord. I know that due to some statute the developement that I live in the West Loop does not allow charcoal grills on the balconies.
I have a Weber Genesis that I use quite a bit year round.

Gas is OK for grilling. If the expense isn't too great having the gas line run is great as then you are never worried about running out. However, for probably way less money, you can remedy this by just getting 2 propane tanks. Whenever one runs empty you can just switch tanks and make sure to take the other one out for refill/exchange.

Unless you plan for long-term unattended charcoal grill operation in high-wind conditions the chances of setting your deck on fire are fairly low, especially if you select a Weber. The one-touch with ash-catcher systems are standard now and the Gold model has a more enclosed method for catching what exits through the lower vents that even high winds wouldn't be able to toss onto your deck. The Silver model would work fine in most normal wind situations, too.

Hi Leek,

You're just getting started in the Gary's WSM 5-Step program.

Last year after I completed the 5-step, I had a conversation with Gary which I found quite enlightening. He not only smokes on his WSM, he uses it as a grill. He has been known to build his fire on the lower grate by simply bringing the ring up there, mounding the wood charcoal and lighting them. You then have a fire X inches from the grill --- if it were not dark outside I would supply the measurements.

He has also built a fire at the regular location, maybe not as much wood charcoal, then placed a grate on it. This was for steaks with a fast sear. You could also mound the wood charcoal on one side for searing, once done then move to the other side to finish cooking by indirect heat.

Just before the 4th of July, I smoked chicken and polish sausage. Let's be truthful, I oversmoked these sausages believing I needed 2 hours. Though I see in a response on the WSM 5-step forum I was really looking at a much shorter cook. At the conclusion of the smoking, I lifted the center tube off my WSM. I scrapped the upper grill with a brass brush, then placed it on the ring filled with coals. I then cooked corn on the cob with the residual heat, which was hardly dim.

On Father's Day, I smoked a salmon for about 90-120 minutes. I put the fish into oven to keep it warm. I again removed the center tube, placed the scrapped top grill on the fire ring and cooked a tri-tip. It was surf and turf to satisfy everyone who came for dinner.

If you use SteveZ's idea of a metal surface under your WSM to protect your deck, you could conceiveably use your WSM as your versatile all purpose cooker. Once I learned how to build a fire, covered in the 5-step, there were no more obsticles to wood charcoal cooking.

When Gary spoke to Culinary Historians recently, he discussed how he would not have gas at home. You will have convenience factor, though you will not have the same taste profile available from wood charcoal.

Is there a rush to buy the grill? Why not try out all the possibilities of your WSM before making a final decision. Since Gary's 5-step breathed new life into my WSM, I have not used my other Weber Grill.

Happy Smokin'!

Regards,

You can save some cash, by purchasing a 4x4 piece of cement backerboard, to put under your grill. It resembles a piece of drywall, but it is made of cement, is water resistant, and fire proof.

JoelF wrote:I've been very happy with my Genesis Silver B. Try Abt for good prices if nobody's got 'em on sale.

Only gripes:
1) paint on inside of the lid is peeling after only one season. Don't tell me I'm running it too hot, heat is the whole point.
2) The v-shaped bottom section which runs into the drip pan can get covered with ash, which traps grease, which causes really really nasty flareups (perhaps that's why the paint is peeling). It's pretty non-stick enamel, so a periodic light brushing cures this. But so far as I'm aware, this wasn't covered in the general instructions for use, I hadn't anticipated the problem.

Quality and consistency on this unit has been very good. The only thing I might look for is left/middle/right burners instead of the Genesis' front/middle/back: There isn't enough room in front or back to do an adequate indirect heat for something roast-sized.

"Flavor bars" beat the heck out of the old lava rock technology. Less maintenance, and flavor seems to be just as good.

I called Weber about the flaking and was told it was due to a build of up smoke and fat collecting on the inside of the lid. I took the wire brush to it and voila, it's good as new.

Costco has two grills that look like great buys. I am not sure what the BTU's are, but everything I have gotten there has been very high quality. PLUS, they have a 100% satisfaction guarentee, no matter how long you own it.

Now I would not take one back after years of use, but I wish I could take my one year old Weber (bought at ace) somewhere and exchange it, the heat is never the same on the left side as the right no matter how level the ground it.

Do NOT put a live fire underneath a wooden deck, even if it is a full tall story.

leek wrote:Is it worth the expense to install a Natural Gas line to the outside where the grill is or is Propane OK?

I ran a gas line out under my deck to power my TEC Infrared Grill and I will NEVER go back to hauling tanks. IMHO the one-time expense of installing the gas line is well worth it.

Bear in mind that you will probably have to order a special natural gas powered model, b/c they use different components than for propane (which is more corrosive than natural gas).

Even gas on a wood deck, with a little user error thrown in, can yield disastrous results.

HollyB wrote:Now I would not take one back after years of use, but I wish I could take my one year old Weber (bought at ace) somewhere and exchange it, the heat is never the same on the left side as the right no matter how level the ground it.

Holly,

Use that to your advantage. It's usually good to have a hot and a cool part of the fire when grilling. I'd consider that situation a plus, as long as you could predict which was the hot side.

P.S. My guess would be that the heat difference might be caused by atmospheric conditions, such as which way the wind is blowing and how hard. It's always best to keep the top vent pointed in the directin that the wind is blowing for the best circulation in a Weber.

CoolerbytheLake wrote:Even gas on a wood deck, with a little user error thrown in, can yield disastrous results.

Yeah but that guy was clearly an idiot. I mean, who puts charcoal in a gas grill? That's just asking for trouble.