Which BBQ Grill to purchase?

Bill@LakeGeorge · « **Reply #80 on:** 6 May 2010, 04:07 pm »

Quote from: BobC on 6 May 2010, 02:45 pm

Wow, uh, yeah..the Lynx looks nice. Way out of my price range though

Yeah, I noticed current pricing, when I got my 27" with infared and rotesserie it was $1875 online shipped, of course that was at least 10 years ago.

BobC · « **Reply #81 on:** 9 May 2010, 01:51 am »

I picked up a Weber Genesis today. So far I really like it.

BobC · « **Reply #82 on:** 10 May 2010, 12:41 pm »

One thing I'm going to have to get use to is the fact that the burners run front to back, vs left to right. I'm use to keeping one side hot and simply moving over to keep warn. Now the warming tray is in the way because it's stationary.

No biggie, just need to adjust my habbits. Now that I think about it, I have to move the food around a lot before because I had only 1 hot spot, and now things are nice and even

jtwrace · « **Reply #83 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 02:05 pm »

My grill dome ships this week. I can hardly wait...its been waaay to long without a BBQ.

Bigfish · « **Reply #84 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 02:24 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 7 Jun 2010, 02:05 pm

My grill dome ships this week. I can hardly wait...its been waaay to long without a BBQ.

Don't forget to go to Lowes or Home Depot and invest in a propane torch with a push button ignition system to light the lump charcoal in your grill dome. I have tried fire starters, etc but the propoane torch works the best and is the cheapest lighting solution. A bottle of propane lasts at least a year.

Enjoy!

Ken

jtwrace · « **Reply #85 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 02:26 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 7 Jun 2010, 02:24 pm

Don't forget to go to Lowes or Home Depot and invest in a propane torch with a push button ignition system to light the lump charcoal in your grill dome. I have tried fire starters, etc but the propoane torch works the best and is the cheapest lighting solution. A bottle of propane lasts at least a year.

Enjoy!

Ken

Yes, I already have one. I use them quite a bit..

I picked up some Royal Oak Lump Charcoal. It wasn't rated the best from Naked Whiz but I thought I'd try it as it readily available and probably a good way to learn. We're so looking forward to it.

bixby · « **Reply #86 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 04:34 pm »

I have used a JNR model from Modern Home Products for over 14 years. Save your receipt though, they are sticklers for it when it comes time to replace a rusty burner under warranty. Who keeps them that long!

I have replaced the burner and grids once at my expense but other than that it is still going strong.

About $550 for the grill in 1996 dollars.

John151 · « **Reply #87 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 06:28 pm »

Great thread.

I had a Weber Genesis propane model a decade ago and was not very impressed. I now have a "Summit Silver" which is a huge upgrade over the Genesis. I am in the process of rebuilding the grill. The igniters needed to be replaced as the metal housings were rotted. The SS burners needed a good cleaning (made a huge difference in the flame), but were otherwise in good shape. All other parts are holding up well. However, I am experiencing an issue where the gas does not flow to the burners when first turned on - it takes 30 seconds to 5 mins for the gas to start flowing. Weird.

ctviggen · « **Reply #88 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 06:42 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 7 Jun 2010, 02:05 pm

My grill dome ships this week. I can hardly wait...its been waaay to long without a BBQ.

I'm not sure I can recommend a grill dome. I'm on my second interior piece (not sure what it's called; the ceramic piece at the bottom of the dome), and this one is horribly cracked, too. Also, the circular piece at the top of the dome (above and rests on the bottom piece) is also cracked. I have to contact the manufacturer yet again.

John151 · « **Reply #89 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 06:48 pm »

Anyone have a Solaire grill? Saw these at a local store and thought it looked pretty nice for the price (low end of the high end).

jtwrace · « **Reply #90 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 07:23 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 7 Jun 2010, 06:42 pm

I'm not sure I can recommend a grill dome. I'm on my second interior piece (not sure what it's called; the ceramic piece at the bottom of the dome), and this one is horribly cracked, too. Also, the circular piece at the top of the dome (above and rests on the bottom piece) is also cracked. I have to contact the manufacturer yet again.

Err. How old is the unit?

ctviggen · « **Reply #91 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 07:37 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 7 Jun 2010, 07:23 pm

Err. How old is the unit?

It's less than two years old. The interior piece cracked within a few months after I got it and I called the manufacturer and received a replacement. I did not put in the replacement for a long time, until the piece finally disintegrated. The problem was, too, that the replacement part, which sat on the floor of my house, developed cracks just sitting on the floor. I put it in recently, and it's basically disintegrating, too.

They may have fixed this issue by now, but I don't know.

jtwrace · « **Reply #92 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 07:51 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 7 Jun 2010, 07:37 pm

It's less than two years old. The interior piece cracked within a few months after I got it and I called the manufacturer and received a replacement. I did not put in the replacement for a long time, until the piece finally disintegrated. The problem was, too, that the replacement part, which sat on the floor of my house, developed cracks just sitting on the floor. I put it in recently, and it's basically disintegrating, too.

They may have fixed this issue by now, but I don't know.

Please let us know what they say...Mine is on the way.

datman · « **Reply #93 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 08:16 pm »

I know I am in a REAL minority here, but I am going to suggest something completely different. Take a look at Electri-Chef grills (Electri-chef.com).

We have all gotten used to traditional gas or charcoal grills. In my current residence, I can not have an open flame or coals in the common area. I was forced to look at electric grills and initally I was NOT happy. In my searches, I accidentallay found Elecri-Chef. After reading their information and speaking with them, I purchased one of their Safire grills. I was able to do this because I have a 20 amp 120 volt outlet outside.

The unit I purchased is ALL (and I mean ALL) stainless steel, so no worries about rusting. Now that I have figured out how to properly use the grill, I am really delighted with its performance. Lower temperatures for longer time consistently produces flavorful, juicy results. Being able to dial in an exact temperature is terrific. I am able to use my grill with a pizza stone and bake a fabulous pizzas.

As for flavor, this is where my Safire really shines. Because there are no products of combustion, flavors are clean and pure. Meats taste grilled, but have no underlying burned taste. Vegetables cook evenly with great appearance and taste. I can even BAKE on this grill.

I will say that I like it so much that I am installing one of their larger 220 volt grills in our vacation house in Louisiana. This should be quite interesting. Louisiana is the home of traditional grilling and I expect to have a lot of questioning looks when it is installed.

Finally, the Electri-Chef products are made in Texas. It is nice to be able to buy something made HERE for a change.

Bigfish · « **Reply #94 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 08:23 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 7 Jun 2010, 06:42 pm

I'm not sure I can recommend a grill dome. I'm on my second interior piece (not sure what it's called; the ceramic piece at the bottom of the dome), and this one is horribly cracked, too. Also, the circular piece at the top of the dome (above and rests on the bottom piece) is also cracked. I have to contact the manufacturer yet again.

The Grill Dome instruction book informs owners of this potential cracking problem. To prevent it from happening when you quit cooking you shut down the bottom vent and leave a small crack in the top vent. You must allow the moisture collected during the cooking process to escape and allow the grill to cool before totally shutting the top vent. Try it with your replacement rings and I am confident you will not have further problems.

Ken

ctviggen · « **Reply #95 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 08:34 pm »

Quote from: Bigfish on 7 Jun 2010, 08:23 pm

The Grill Dome instruction book informs owners of this potential cracking problem. To prevent it from happening when you quit cooking you shut down the bottom vent and leave a small crack in the top vent. You must allow the moisture collected during the cooking process to escape and allow the grill to cool before totally shutting the top vent. Try it with your replacement rings and I am confident you will not have further problems.

Ken

That's not possible with my grill dome. The bottom vent is so loose that completely shut it lets air flow through. When I was cooking at a low temperature (around 200 degrees), I had the bottom vent completely closed and still was getting about 200 degrees with the top vent cracked open.

I always close the bottom vent and then leave the top vent open for 5+ minutes, which is what the instructions say to do. Then I close the top vent. If I leave the top vent open, the grill dome will stay at about 200F for hours and hours and hours.

ctviggen · « **Reply #96 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 08:46 pm »

I'm not the only one with this problem. Read this (page 2 then page 1):

http://grilldome.com/community/index.php?showtopic=285&st=20

http://grilldome.com/community/index.php?showtopic=285

Bigfish · « **Reply #97 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 09:08 pm »

Quote from: ctviggen on 7 Jun 2010, 08:34 pm

That's not possible with my grill dome. The bottom vent is so loose that completely shut it lets air flow through. When I was cooking at a low temperature (around 200 degrees), I had the bottom vent completely closed and still was getting about 200 degrees with the top vent cracked open.

I always close the bottom vent and then leave the top vent open for 5+ minutes, which is what the instructions say to do. Then I close the top vent. If I leave the top vent open, the grill dome will stay at about 200F for hours and hours and hours.

I have owned my unit for 3+ years and I do not have that problem. My vent door fits snuggly and I can easily control slow cook tempts at 220 to 230 F. When I quit cooking from a steak, chicken or burger high temperature cook the unit slowly comes down in temperature as I would expect from the thickness of the grill being so hot. I can usually do 3 high tempt cooks without adding more lump.

Ken

Ken

jtwrace · « **Reply #98 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 09:33 pm »

Oh boy...not what I wanted to read on delivery week.

Bigfish · « **Reply #99 on:** 7 Jun 2010, 09:40 pm »

Quote from: jtwrace on 7 Jun 2010, 09:33 pm

Oh boy...not what I wanted to read on delivery week.

If you receive your unit with a loose fitting lower vent door I would call TK immediately. Since you had to wait quite a long time for your unit to ship I suspect it is from a new batch and the door issue may be resolved. As I posted above I have not had a problem with my vent door but my unit is 3+ years old.

Ken