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Well I thought I would ask this question here I have a 008 and it the best smoker I have ever had. So I am good in the smoker dept
But I would like to replace my old Gas grill that I use for steaks and burgers. The question is what to buy ? Any suggestions. I currently have just a $97 walmart special. I think I want a unit that has enough heat to put a good sear on things fast and large enough for a good size crowd of people . I have had a gas weber grill and was very dissapointed with it It could cook things ok but never got hot enough to put a good sear on the meat unless I let it preheat for 40 mins
So everybody please give me you opinions am I thinking the wrong way about things But this is what I am looking for
A gas grill that is as close to charcoal as it can get. I would like the unit to be able to be ready to quickly cook some burgers or steaks fast ( if I want some slow cook BBQ I can take the time with the 008 Smiler Also some the units have what is called a searing burner ( are they worth it ) Also could some please explane to me what these infrared grill are all about

thanks
Boz
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If you want a gas grill that throws a lot of heat comparable to a hot charcoal grill, then you're talking serious dollars. Professional gas grills like Viking, Wolfe, DCS, Weber Summit, Lynx, etc. I've got a Viking and it will cook to over 750*. It's an estimate cause I don't have a thermometer that registers that high.

Same idea as you. Cookshack for slow barbecue. Viking for steaks and burgers.

Never went with the searing burner, since I just preheat the grill to super hot. Infrared grills are new and produce serious heat. Hotter than gas grills can produce. Supposed to be the wave of the future. Based on dollars per degree of heat, I would check out Infrared. Still love my Viking. Charcoalers swear by the tried and true.

Sounds like good eatings at Boz's.
Lots of choices out there. If you can find it, Consumer Reports rates grills. They have a few that rate very well and are not real expensive. Surprising what they say about infrared use. My son just bought a Sears unit (most likley Char-Broil), with a side searing unit. He says it just takes seconds to sear a steak, then finish it on the regular grill. He can't imagine cooking a steak start to finish on infrared. Anyway, check out CR then google individual grills and include "reviews" in the search. Lots of good info out there.
I researched many grills before settling on MHP about 6 years ago now. They are the pioneers of gas grills and in my opinion still the best. The grates I recommend are the "sear magic" grates. They are the material equivalent to Calphalon and are indestructible. Filthy grates? Heat them up to about 600 degrees and quench them in cold water and then brush off the dirt. Good as new. Lifetime warranty, that is actually a lifetime warranty. My grill after 6 yrs looks new and sits outside here in Iowa year round UNCOVERED. Dont cover your gas grill unless you have to because those covers trap moisture and rust it out quickly. The MHP does not need to be covered. Once a year I coat it with clean veggie oil and heat it up super hot to bake it on and it glistens like the day I bought it. beyond that and the grates, about once a year I turn the ceramic "briquets" and vacuum the bottom out. Done. Last grill you may buy. Loved it so much I just got one for our parents. GREAT grill and many different configurations. Good luck.
Keep this in mind:

Searing? Is it real?

quote:
Yet many of the leading cooking experts agree that searing does not seal in juices. Harold McGee in his book On Food and Cooking shows scientifically that a "seared" steak has less juices than an equally cooked not "seared" steak. Frankly the idea that you can somehow melt the surface of the meat into a material that holds in all the juices has always seemed a little strange to me. Conclusively it seems that science is agreed that sealing in juices just doesn't work and is not the real goal of searing. Searing is a process of cooking that creates the crusty surface texture most people find appealing and the caramelized sugars that gives us that steak flavor we want.


Me? I like a good crust so I finish my PR on high heat, but I never sear. I do let the meat sit for 10 or more minutes before slicing.

I'm looking to replace my grill, just trying to decide how much I want to spend.
You can go nut looking at gas grills. I did. What you want is at least 100btu's per square inch. You will want multiple burners as well. It is always good to be able to control zones. Stainless steel burners is a plus. Stainless steel grates plus plus.

I looked at all the brands and I got a great deal at Sears on a kenmore. It is well built with heavy duty grates and SS burners,SS Hood and SS Cabinet. If I could do one thing different, I would have spent a little extra for the SS grates.

Here is a good deal: Main cooking are 472.5 output 61,000 btu that works out to about 129 btu's per inch.

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_1...ing&sName=Gas+Grills
Last edited by crazysmokinlarry
Seems like most everyone has their favorites. I've had two TEC Patio I grills over the past 25 years and have LOVED them.

I have a Luxor, built-in now. (a company here in Calif. Pretty sure they are available nationwide). LOVE the Luxor, too. (Luxor a little better built than the TECs IMHO) All the grills are all-infrared, all the time...no other burners. And if you get used to them you will love them, too.

In moments they are up to 'fry your eyebrows' hot temperature, (even in the dead of winter) but they DO cook lower if you turn the gas down...people seem to forget that....fully adjustable.

They shine, of course, in the searing hot heat department. Last night I came home late, and grabbed a 3/4 inch T-bone from the grocery. Rubbed on some rub. Went outside and fired up the Luxor.

Within a minute the steak was on the grill and sizzling. I was in a hurry so I let the grill crank the whole time (NOT what I usually do, BTW) 3 1/2 minutes on one side, 2 1/2 on the other and I'm back in the house with a winner, cooked medium throughout.

You need to know it is a GRILL, and though I have turned one side off and used it as a "two-level fire" type roaster, it's really best for steaks, chops, fish, vege's, ...direct heat kinda stuff....finishing ribs from the CS...

So, I highly recommend them. But, they are pricey. Contact me directly if you want to know more.

Here's the link: www.luxorgrills.com I have the 30" with rotisserie, side burners, built-in.
Two years ago it seemed all of the consumer mags were raving about this four burner Brinkmann with side burner as a 'best value' for 200 bucks. Faced with spending about $150 on renovating my old Ducane, I went with the Brinkmann. It uses aluminum heat plates with gaps in between them.

It looks like a champ on the patio and in the store, but it is as cheaply made as any no-name knock-off, and I was surprised that Brinkmann would risk their brand name to compete in the low-end market. It leaks flame around the distribution channels, and the convection heat around the plates are like engineered hot spots.

If you are serious about grilling, visit a store that specializes in grills. At least those guys will demo their products for you.
I have a charbroil with a tech burner and a Weber I think it's a 312. Sorry but it's at the summer fish camp. The charbroil is good and I have cooked some great steaks on it. I found temp control to be poor and even with the tech burner heats up slowly. The Weber is built like a tank and heats up quickly, less then 5 min to 450+. I prefer the Weber, easier to cook on and better temp control. The charbroil is difficult to clean and I haul out the pressure washer once a year. The Weber comes apart like a tinkertoy and is easy to clean. The Weber will outlast me but the charbroil is already showing signs of rust, in AZ no less. Weber I believe is built in US charbroil in China.
I am old enough to have gone through many grills, all of which have disappointed me with how short their lives were. That is, until I found the Wilmington grill I have now. It is expensive but I think it will last several generations! It is totally made of stainless steel and it is very heavy. I know that it gets up to at least 750 degrees within about 15 minutes. I use it several times a week and I have had absolutely no problems and, except for the seasoning, there is no sign of wear at all. Here is their website: http://www.wilmingtongrill.com/
It is a relatively small company and the people are very helpful.
Well, I have gone through at least 5 Weber grills. The first several were made really well. However, the last two, and especially the last one, were VERY big disappointments. Before I bought my Amerique, I used to grill 3-4 times every week. Now, it's only 2-3 times per week! After less than a year on a $1500+ Weber grill, I had to replace a significant and expensive number of parts. I decided it was not worth re-investing hundreds of dollars every year. I guess it all depends on how much you'll use the grill. I truly believe that you get what you pay for and I am always more satisfied with anything that I can depend on.

Enjoy the new deck. We have had some truly memorable events on ours!
What I love here is that people are talking high end grills that they're actually gonna use. At my last place, with my ex, we'd just moved, took out a loan for the garden, wanted a grill. I got a Char-Broil from WalMart for 130 with the tank. Everyone around us had these monster grills. I felt like a bit of a jerk until I realized I was the only person that actually used mine. All the rest seemed to be purely show pieces. So after a while I pulled out my cheap little grill and cooked on it with pride. Did a decent job too. And since this is Utah and I can be a butthead a beer was always on hand, really annoyed the neighbours. I left that grill with the ex, still works after 4 years. I need another to go with the smoker. Not in the same league as you guys.

If you are looking at the expensive stuff what about Jenn-Air? They have a couple at the hospital I work at, the CEO loves to grill, good at it too, and they seem to be really good grills.
quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
Getting close to dropping some coin on a Weber Summit. Been comparing, reading reviews, etc.

Building a new deck, so have to have a new grill Big Grin


Smokin,
Did you ever get the Summit and if so which one and what do you think? Anybody else have an update? I can't decide Pellet Grill vs Gas.
I have a Weber Summit Gold with 6 burners, a side burner,smoker box and a rotisserie. It's 8 years old and I cook full blast on it all of the time.

I do two things with all of my grills and that is, I keep them covered and I keep them clean inside and out.

This winter I completely refurbished the Summit from top to bottom, anything that was questionable got changed and it cost around $500.00.

8 years ago I paid $1,700 for this grill, today they list at $2,600.00.

Because I took care of it I got a brand new grill now for $500 and I know I'll get at least 8 more years out of it maybe more.

Weber is top notch when it comes to parts and service, there are many grills out there that have a few more bells and whistles and cost many, many dollars more but I am completely satisfied with Weber and over the years have accumulated 5! 2 gas Genesis grills, the Summit Gold, a Ranch Kettle charcoal and a 22" kettle charcoal.

Weber grills are bulletproof with just a little care.
My son says my setup looks like a Weber showroom and he's not far off the mark.

Now, how would you like your steak done?
you pay for what ya get!!
that being said I have had several different gas grills most fall apart right after the warranty expires, 5 year on the burner oh yeah but that does not cover the mounting rails that are all burned out and rusted away.
my vote is the Weber, high price, good warranty, currently 4 years and going strong, versatile high heat for pizza, low heat with the proper rotisserie to do a turkey and good on steaks however I use the Weber charcoal grill for steaks and fish. My patio looks like a BBQ store, but each device has its own specialty, just my opinion...
quote:
Originally posted by PorkPie:
I have a Weber Summit Gold with 6 burners, a side burner,smoker box and a rotisserie. It's 8 years old and I cook full blast on it all of the time.

I do two things with all of my grills and that is, I keep them covered and I keep them clean inside and out.

This winter I completely refurbished the Summit from top to bottom, anything that was questionable got changed and it cost around $500.00.

8 years ago I paid $1,700 for this grill, today they list at $2,600.00.

Because I took care of it I got a brand new grill now for $500 and I know I'll get at least 8 more years out of it maybe more.

Weber is top notch when it comes to parts and service, there are many grills out there that have a few more bells and whistles and cost many, many dollars more but I am completely satisfied with Weber and over the years have accumulated 5! 2 gas Genesis grills, the Summit Gold, a Ranch Kettle charcoal and a 22" kettle charcoal.

Weber grills are bulletproof with just a little care.
My son says my setup looks like a Weber showroom and he's not far off the mark.

Now, how would you like your steak done?


I have a Weber Summit. It replaced my Genisis Gold when we moved from Maine to Florida. Mine is a natural gas model. Love the rotisserie! The Summit is built like a tank.
Last edited by smokinmaineiac
This is an old thread.

No, I didn't get the Summit, actually ended up getting a CS FEPG1000, then the next year got a 36" Charbroiler.

What price range are you looking for.

And exactly what capacity are you wanting?

Of course, I love for the PG and the CB. CB cooks for a crowd. The PG is a combo grill/smoker and with the pellet flavor, works perfect for wood flavor on the food.

It gets to 600 (I do pizza's on a pizza stone on the time on the PG).

If I did it today, I'd do a PG before a Weber. Price is comparable but the flavor off the pellets/wood compare to gas is no comparison at all.
Oh my, I think the moderator is hijacking this thread!

The original statement was "A gas grill that is as close to charcoal as it can get. I would like the unit to be able to be ready to quickly cook some burgers or steaks fast ( if I want some slow cook BBQ I can take the time with the 008 Smiler Also some the units have what is called a searing burner ( are they worth it ) Also could some please explane to me what these infrared grill are all about"

Smokin if you want to talk about burning pellets maybe you should start a new thread. Roll Eyes
quote:
Originally posted by PorkPie:
Smokin if you want to talk about burning pellets maybe you should start a new thread. Roll Eyes

I disagree, poster was asking for advice. And looking for something as close to charcoal as you can get. Pellets are probably as close to charcoal as you can get. That's the reason I stated I'm probably getting rid of my gasser and replacing with a pellet muncher. I miss the charcoal flavor and pellets will give me the smoke flavor I'm missing with my gas grill without all the work of firing up a charcoal grill.
Thanks Joe for popping it. It happens sometimes with old posts, the first part was from 2009 and the new adds from 2012.

Thanks Pork for trying to keep me straight, but after 13000+ there's probably more than one case of me hijacking a thread. I'm like a skymarshall, I'm allowed to take control of the plane.

In my Moderator manual, I'm allowed to do anything I want, including using fortune telling to answer or hijack a thread. Do as I say, not as I do (didn't you get that lesson from your parents) Big Grin

And I can also put anyone who tries to give the moderator a hard time into the penalty box. I don't work for CS, I do this for free and the only fun I get (not) is moderating.

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