Home of the BrewNosers

So, after many months of yelling at my BBQ, taking apart the grill, cleaning out the charred meat and fat, adding ceramic stones, cleaning said ceramic stones, etc, I'm sick of the flare ups and think the best way to go is to get a new cooker.

I've got an electric smoker that I use for that sort of thing, so I was thinking of just getting a replacement propane BBQ. I figure this time of year would be a good time to get something on sale (if not a bit late). Does anyone have suggestions on brands/models they're especially happy with (or models to avoid)? Leads on good deals are much appreciated, too!

I'm leaning towards propane as opposed to a charcoal one, as I like the idea of being able to fire it up and be cooking within minutes, whereas other cookers need time to light and settle down to a consistent temperature. I think I have that right, but feel free to school me. And then maybe I sell the electric smoker and put that towards a higher-end unit that can be both a "cooker" and a smoker.

My friend has a broil king sovereign series and really likes it. Seems like a good little BBQ to me.

I'm sure others will chime in with an attempt to get you converted to charcoal

When it comes to propane bbqs I was told NOT to get the most expensive one as none of them will last much longer than any of the others.

Those side burners are a waste, I've never used mine and I've never seen anyone else use one.

Lastly, look for the highest BTUs per square inch

oh, and ceramic grills are supposedly better for heat displacement, but need a little more tlc when cleaning IIRC

I find propane BBQ also take time to preheat before they're good to go (at least when I use em I tend to preheat). For me the downside of charcoal is totally non portable.

I have no useful advice tho

I don't find the heating time to be bad on the charcoal grill, and I find it much easier to cook on than a propane one.

Maybe that's part of my problem: I fire up the BBQ to high, let it sit there for 5min, then dial it back to cooking temp when the meat/veggies go on. I thought that was enough warm up time, but maybe the way I was using it/my expectations aren't reasonable.

Thanks for the discussion thus far!

CorneliusAlphonse wrote:For me the downside of charcoal is totally non portable.

Charcoal can be just as portable as gas. It's really variable, depending on the gear you are comparing.

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I have a Weber Genesis that I've been very happy with (5 years old). It doesn't see nearly as much action these days, but it's great for handling overflow for big events in the summer. It'll hold around 550°F, but that's about the hottest I've ever gotten it.

bluenose wrote:When it comes to propane bbqs I was told NOT to get the most expensive one as none of them will last much longer than any of the others.

Those side burners are a waste, I've never used mine and I've never seen anyone else use one.

Lastly, look for the highest BTUs per square inch

I actually use mine quite a bit, even the the Kamado is my main cooker. During the summer, most of my cooking is done outside. It comes in pretty handy for breakfast.

jeffsmith wrote:I actually use mine quite a bit, even the the Kamado is my main cooker. During the summer, most of my cooking is done outside. It comes in pretty handy for breakfast.

ok I can see that, YMMV

It takes 20 minutes to have a charcoal bbq hot.I had a propane BBQ when I got my egg, and I sent it to the curb after a few months of using the egg.
The experience is so much better. It's almost primal. If you have a chimney, or electric starter (I only have a chimney, it may be quicker with electric) it will light your charcoal in a reasonable amount of time.
I have to admit, most times I light the egg I just jam some paper into the coal in four different spots and hit it with some used cooking oil to make it burn a bit longer to light the charcoal. It is still lit in a beer or so. Begs the point... If you are waiting for the charcoal to light an extra 10 minutes over your propane, That's one more tasty homebrew to drink!

I have a Weber Genesis Silver that is 9 years old. I replaced the flavour bars last year for the first time.

I use the kamodo about half of the time, and the Weber the rest of the time. For me, they both have their place.

If you're going gas, Weber can't be beat IMO.

I always found taht with my propane I was waiting 10+ minutes for it to warm up anyway, with a mapp torch I have my egg lit and raring to go in about 12-15 minutes, even on the coldest days this year.

For propane, I've always had great succes with anything from OMC, which includes brands, in order of price: Sterling, BroilMate, BroilKing. They are all made in Canada and for me, have had an excellent track record for longevity, quality and customer service. In Canada, Weber's are also made by OMC. For bang for the buck, I personally wouldn't hesitate in getting another BroilMate if I was set on propane.

Primo Oval Xl and lump charcoal fuel for you it is then! Order at Total Gas & Fireplace, distributor is in Sackville NB so they should have yours within two days. It's a Kamado cooker, a lifetime appliance; a grill, a cooker, a hot smoker, a cold smoker, an oven or whatever you want it to be. The greatest asset of these babies compared to others is the oval shape and split multi-level grate design. The cooker runs about $1500 I think, should be able to buy one with SS table and lots of accessories for ~ $2500 all in

As others mentioned, these things are real quick to start with a torch if you're in a hurry, no need to use charcoal chimney's or anything either, they are by nature of design a chimney starter themselves. Also, cooking on a gasser does work a heck of a lot better if you give it a decent preheat time as well. At the end of the day, gasser's suck by comparison. Nuff said, I'm done the sales pitch, no wait.... if you love food, you WANT a Kamado cooker. Now I'm done

If I were going to buy another type grill it'd be one of these infrared beasts...

I saw this charcoal grill in Wolfville Home Hardware today. $239. Don't know if it's of any interest. Looked big and reasonably sturdy.

Go ceramic charcoal Chris. It will last you forever, you can cook, grill, smoke anything and you'll never regret it.

Plus, all the uber cool caveman brewer types use them.

I have a Weber Genesis Silver that I bought 9-10 years ago and it worked great up until a year ago when I got my Egg...now it sits with the cover on it and is only used once a year or so when I do three plank salmons at once for a party. I'll never go back to propane. The Weber was the best propane grill I've ever had and all I did was replace the flavorizer bars.

Now Jason your not that fancy.

Sandy

Sandy, don't let out my secret! For some reason the Superstore ones grill better than the Sobey's...lol