BBQ advice needed

[Rick Potter]

I just finished looking at old threads about BBQ's. The weber seemed to be the choice in '05/'06. Is this still the case, or is there a new best choice?

I just need a basic, medium size gas BBQ that runs on natural gas. I think I want stainless burners and grates, since I have had problems with cast iron rusting.

Suggestions? Sales?

Rick Potter

[Brian Kent]

Weber Genesis is probably the best buy in the long run if the price is not too much up front.

[Don Morris]

You won't find completely stainless steel burners. At least I didn't. They all need some sort of iron in them and over the years will rust. That's why you find replacements at HD and the like. But they can be replaced with not too much problem. I do a lot of grilling and enjoy it. If I have to shovel snow to get to the grill in winter...I do. Weber makes several levels of quality. Make sure you read all of the specs and get the level you want.

[Mike Cozad]

I also seen burners by some manufacturers that are brass rather than iron. I am actually looking for a set to upgrade my rusted set with....

[Jim Matthews]

I like my Big Green Egg, which is a glorified smoker.

Two things guide my cooking -
Low and slow
Release the grease

I do believe there are some genuinely skilled practitioners of the "meat over fire" arts in the Creek.
I also believe that keeping things simple leads to better results.

My most successful meals involved wrapping everything in tinfoil,
forgetting about it and coming back in fifteen minutes.

[Matt Meiser]

Big Green Eggs get great reviews but the prices I've seen make even an expensive Weber look cheap. They do look really nice.

I've had to replace my Weber Genesis Silver burners once in 8 or 9 years. Weber replaced them for free. I probably need to inspect them--might be time to do it again and this time it might be at my expense. I've also bought flavorizor bars and grills once. Now they have SS flavorizor bars and welded wire grills which is what I'll get next time--I've got at least another year left on these. My parents got a Genesis Spirit probably 4 or 5 years ago which is very similar and their experience has been similar. They need new grills and flavorizor bars this year.

The year after I got mine it blew over in a wind storm and I called Weber to see about replacing the broken lid side. The conversation went something like:

Me: My grill blew over in a storm and one one of the castings broke. I wanted to see about ordering a replacement
Them: Did you see it happen?
Me: No
Them: So you don't know for sure how it broke
Me: Well, it did blow over.
Them: But you didn't SEE it so you aren't SURE, right?

And then they sent me a whole new lid and said it was a warranty issue.

Before the Weber we went through 2 cheap grills in about 4 years. Averaged out, the Weber has been LESS expensive than a cheap grill.

Even the Weber covers seem better. We bought a couple cheap ones and they lasted maybe a year. We've had the Weber one probably at least 5 years maybe longer. Its looking pretty ratty so I bought another one but figured I'd let this one start actually falling apart so the new one is still in the box waiting. We leave our grill out all winter with the cover over it.

Oh, and the Weber--it actually LIGHTS when you push the button!

[Mike Cutler]

Wilmington Grills.
100% stainless steel construction. Every part is stainless, and they're made here in the US. I have the Cape Fear Traveller, and it is built like a tank. The gauge of stainless, and build quality, far and away exceeds any other grill on the market. They are very close to commercial quality restaraunt equipment with respects to the material.
If the Wilmington's don't suit your need, Viking and Wolfe both make stainless outdoor grills, but you'r talking $5-7K.
You would have to probably special order it for NG. but it shouldn't be hard to do.

http://www.wilmingtongrill.com/

[Steve Friedman]

To echo what Matt said, the Weber warranty is amazing. 25 years on the cookbox and lid, 10 years on the burners, and 5 on the grates and bars. I bought a Genesis with the stainless steel top in 2003. Over the years, they have replaced the top, burners (twice), grates, and flavorizer bars. I never had to prove that the parts needed to be replaced. Just called and they sent them out for free - not even shipping costs. I just called them a couple of weeks ago because the cookbox is a bit warped. They said they would replace it if the warp was bad enough to prevent the grates from sitting flat. I told the truth (that it wasn't that bad) and the woman said just to call them if it gets worse.This is my second Weber gas grill and I think that my first one lasted at least 10 years and probably would have lasted longer if I had realized how generous the warranty policy was.

I haven't kept up with different products, but I love my Genesis and when this one dies, I would not hesitate to buy another one. We use it all year - even in the rain and snow. It is a beast.

Steve

[Prashun Patel]

I am happy with my weber genesis. Stainless steel where it counts. Front mount burner controls. Sear zone has made it easier to grill.

[Brian Elfert]

There are many different grades of stainless steel. I would assume most grills are made with a lesser grade of stainless. Some stainless has so little nickel content that it is still magnetic.

My parents and I both have Ducane grills made with stainless burners and grates. They have a stainless grate above the burners. My parents have had to replace the burners and the grate. The heat appears to kill the grate and it simply starts breaking apart. Ducane has a full lifetime warranty, but not sure if Weber still fulfills the warranty since they bought Ducane.

[Rod Sheridan]

Napoleon BBQ's, very popular in Canada, made in Canada except for a cheaper line sold through big stores.

I've had mine for 15 years, zero issues, very high quality stainless steel, great warranty.

Not sure if they're popular in the USA however it's another brand to consider............Regards, Rod.

http://www.napoleongrills.com/

[Tom Fischer]

And then they [Weber] sent me a whole new lid and said it was a warranty issue.
Before the Weber we went through 2 cheap grills in about 4 years. Averaged out, the Weber has been LESS expensive than a cheap grill.

I had that experience with Weber too. I had some ignition problems, Genesisi Gold, three burner. So I was trying to order a new regulator from the internet ($20+). Wasn't sure which one to order, so I called them. They asked a few questions, then said "Don't worry, we'll send you one for free"
Turns out my problem was the Blue Rino propane tank was defective. And Big Wally took that back full refund.
Weber has great cust service.
And the Weber grill covers are nothing like the off brand stuff. Much better.

[Biff Johnson]

The OP stated that he needed to run it off natural gas. If he really meant that, instead of propane gas, then he will have to get involved in the changing of orifice sizes and regulator adjustment.

If you have the money to spend and size is not an issue, consider looking at a used commercial grill. We installed one at the company I worked at for weekly bbq's for about $600. The grates were massive!

For a natural gas bbq you will probably have to go to a specialty bbq supplier which will equal more money than a box store. You may also look at the pellet feed grills, like Traeger.

If I had natural gas at my home, I would certainly tap into it for a bbq. I've done a few converstions from LP to natural gas and vice versa and it isn't too hard if you do your homework.

[Steve Wurster]

We just bought a new Weber about a month ago and it was natural gas out of the box. Now we did go through a local store that sells grills (including the Big Green Egg), but I think the big box stores can sell them to you as well (might be a special order). All we had to do was have a plumber come out to run a line; there's no way I was going to do that myself.

Related story to Matt's is that our previous propane Weber had its lid blown off (during Hurricane Sandy). Pretty sure that wasn't covered by any warranty since it was a pretty old grill. Insurance got some low-ball quote for fixing the castings for that, but we knew we wanted a new natural gas grill anyway, so we just waited until the spring to buy it.

[Gordon Eyre]

I have a Ducane and like it a lot.