New Grill Input Request - Gas vs Pellet

[Moonshine]

I have a Ducane gas grill (pre Weber days) that has aged and it is time to replace. I was simply going to replace with the Weber Genesis E-330 and be done with it. However, last summer I saw the Louisiana Grills at a cookout event. I researched the Green Mountain and Traeger brands as well. So far I still like the Louisiana based on the open flame broiler option. My first decision to make is gas vs wood pellet. If wood pellet, which brand?

Does anyone have thoughts on both questions? I use my weber one touch charcoal on weekends like yesterday to cook steaks and have two smokers (wood and electric) for ribs, pork butt, etc. Kind of a side question, would the pellet rigs replace all of these grills?

Thoughts, ideas, additional questions are all appreciated.

[hockeybc69]

I have a wood pellet and am looking to get another one to have at the cabin.

Is that testament enough?

I have the Memphis pellet grill/convection/smoker.

They are made right in Bloomington.

And a super cheap way to feed it, is to buy the bags of pellets used for furnaces, rather than buying the pellets branded and sold for grills.

That is if using hardwood pellets for most of your needs suffices.

You can get apple, hickory, mequite, etc in pellets, but they are pretty pricey. I buy the pellets that Menards carries and they are under $5 for 50 lbs...

The guy at Memphis told me that 20 lbs of pellets in their grills will last about equivalent to a 20 lb propane tank on a grill.

I use it for everything. Smoking ribs, butts, turkeys, etc. Use it for all the standard grilling items.... and even pizza.... Woodfire pizza anyone?

Aboslutely LOVE it! And will never go back to gas again.

PS - NOT CHEAP to buy though..... So thats a consideration...

[Lip_Ripper Guy]

I am going through almost the exact same dilemma right now. I have a 6 or 7 year old gas grill that has seen better days, and a 2 year old Brinkmann Trail Master smoker that is starting to get a little rough around the edges. I was at the Mall of America last weekend and saw the Traeger display, and was intrigued, thinking I could replace both with one pellet grill/smoker.

The general consensus from reviews I've seen online is that the pellet grills won't replace the flavoring you get from a traditional charcoal/wood smoker/grill, but are a good 'in-between' option between a gas grill and charcoal/wood smoker/grill. An option to increase the smoke flavoring is the a-maze-n pellet smoker tray.

If I were to get a pellet grill, it would likely be the Green Mountain Jim Bowie in stainless. Comparisons have them as more precise with temperature settings, and higher quality components. The Traegers have cheapened their grills from the originals of 3+ years ago. That said,I think I have almost eliminated the pellet grill option. I am leaning towards going with a cheaper'ish charcoal grill, and getting a Lang 36" or 48" smoker.

[Moonshine]

Great input. I had not heard of the Memphis Grill's. I will check them out as well. The Traeger is probably not in the running based on similar comments. Being able to use wood pellets from Menards sure makes the pellet grills even more attractive. I really dispise lugging the propane tanks to the gas station and back. I guess you would buy the pellets like salt for your softner. Big trip a couple times a year and be done with it.

[BLACKJACK]

How long does it take to fire up a pellet grill? Does it take as long as charcoal? Whats the advantage of a pellet grill over a charcoal grill?

Thing I like about my gas grill is the speed, turn it on and five minutes later you're cooking. I use it a lot on weeknights, cooking up burgers, brats, chicken breasts, then do the bigger items - roasts, whole chickens, hams on the weekend over the charcoal grill when I have more time. I did burgers the other night and barely had time to get into the second beer and they were done.

[wormdunker]

Been there done that, in fact I had/have a pre-weber Ducane. Served me well and will for years to come.....as a storage unit for my Big Green Egg accessories.

The reason I always loved my gas was the same as you....time. I was under the impression charcoal took way longer to get going than gas. Truth is, it does not. Especially if you are pre-heating your grill properly prior to tossing your food on the grill.

What it really comes down to is efficiencies and how you plan your cook. Most Gas owners prepare their food then go out light the grill and then toss the food on. With Charcoal I start my grill first then prepare my food. I don't touch the refrigerator until the coals are going (5 minute process for me). End of the day you probably spend 5-10 more minutes cooking with charcoal (i only use lump coal) but the flavor of the food is not even close. A fair trade if you ask me.

5 minutes you say? Yep first of all if you own a charcoal grill and you are using a chimney devise or wax starting bricks, stop. Go out in your garage, grab your heat gun (torch works well too) plug it in and aim it at the coals (Never use starter fluid of any kind!). With the heat gun or torch the natural Lump charcoal is burning in a matter of minutes. 10 more minutes to pre-heat and you are coking.

The egg is unique and extremely efficient. Not knocking Weber but there really is not comparison when it comes to the variety of types of cooks you can perform. I grill 3-5 per week minimum all year long. Because the food is so good we have reduced our dining out by over 80% and have saved huge $ as a result. Typically speaking when we do eat out we are so disappointed with the food we force ourselves to order dishes we cannot make ourselves.

May sound like an eggsajeration but trust me when I say you will NEVER be disappointed in a Komodo style cooker. We bake, grill, bbq cold smoke and hot smoke in it, we do meat, seafood, fish, pizza, bread and fruit - it does everything. Cook from 185 degrees to 700 for a steak seer and everything in between. We get Natural lump from Walmart $6 for 8lbs and because the grill is so efficient you can cook a week off a bag.

I will give you an example of the efficiency by referencing a low and slow cook of pork shoulder for pulled pork. The egg will cook at 185 -200 degrees on less than one bag of coal for the entire cook. I have cooked up to 18 hours on one slow and low with about 15 lbs of pork on the grate. When done I had enough Lump left to cook burgers two more times and the greatest pulled pork you have ever tasted.

With the egg we make the greatest pizza you can imagine. You cannot cook pizza in an oven like you can on an egg. It is literally a wood fired pizza oven as well. Cook the pizza on a pizza stone and the crust is unlike anything an oven can make.

I gotta jump off now but don't discount the flexibility and reliability of an egg. Last thing, cooking on an egg becomes an obsession. I got an extra 15 lbs on me to prove that. Good luck with your decision.

[wormdunker]

How long does it take to fire up a pellet grill? Does it take as long as charcoal? Whats the advantage of a pellet grill over a charcoal grill?

Thing I like about my gas grill is the speed, turn it on and five minutes later you're cooking. I use it a lot on weeknights, cooking up burgers, brats, chicken breasts, then do the bigger items - roasts, whole chickens, hams on the weekend over the charcoal grill when I have more time. I did burgers the other night and barely had time to get into the second beer and they were done.

I use the egg a lot on weeknights for the same types of cooks. You will find chicken breasts are not even close to the same on the Egg as they are on gas or any other type of charcoal for that matter. They remain very moist and take maybe a few minutes longer if you just rearrange how you prepare the meal. Go to an Egg dealer near you and ask if they are going to have a sample cook or "egg fest" you will not be disappointed. At the egg fest you can get great deal son demo cookers. That is how I got mine.

[hockeybc69]

Here are a couple vids on the Memphis grill

[BLACKJACK]

Wormdunker,I've lusted after the green eggs but I've always had other things that I wanted to spend the $1000 on.

There is a local dealer in town, will have to go find out when they're having a sample day, maybe the taste of the food out of the green egg would push me over the edge. Not that the taste off either my gas or charcoal grills is bad by the time you use the right marinate or rub, with some wood chips.

I can see where a torch would get your charcoal going lots faster. So be honest, how long does it take from start of charcoal until you throw food on??

Whats a heat gun and whats it used for?

Prep time for my midweek burgers or chops is minimal, take out of the frig and put on grill. Only time spent in the house is changing clothes.

The only reason I give it some time to heat up is so it burns off the grease from the previous grilling. Had too many times where I'd take the food off the gas grill, leave it on to burn off the grate, come back two hours later to a still burning grill and wasted gas. Nowadays it gets burnt off at the beginning of cooking.

Threw away the chimney starter years ago, too many times I'd light it only to come back and find that it went out Now I use lighter fluid, lots of it, so when its lit, its lit!! But then it gets 20-30 minutes of burn time, thats why I only use the charcoal grill on the weekends. I know that if I'm planning a 5 PM supper, I better have the chicken on at 3, so I better be dumping in charcoal and lighter fluid by 2:15 - hence the weekend project.

How is the green egg as far as 'saving' charcoal when you shut all the vents?? Smaller webers will choke off the coals for use next time but it seems like my big Weber has too much air in it, not much charcoal left for next time.

[wormdunker]

Wormdunker,I've lusted after the green eggs but I've always had other things that I wanted to spend the $1000 on.

There is a local dealer in town, will have to go find out when they're having a sample day, maybe the taste of the food out of the green egg would push me over the edge. Not that the taste off either my gas or charcoal grills is bad by the time you use the right marinate or rub, with some wood chips.

I can see where a torch would get your charcoal going lots faster. So be honest, how long does it take from start of charcoal until you throw food on??

Whats a heat gun and whats it used for?

Prep time for my midweek burgers or chops is minimal, take out of the frig and put on grill. Only time spent in the house is changing clothes.

The only reason I give it some time to heat up is so it burns off the grease from the previous grilling. Had too many times where I'd take the food off the gas grill, leave it on to burn off the grate, come back two hours later to a still burning grill and wasted gas. Nowadays it gets burnt off at the beginning of cooking.

Threw away the chimney starter years ago, too many times I'd light it only to come back and find that it went out Now I use lighter fluid, lots of it, so when its lit, its lit!! But then it gets 20-30 minutes of burn time, thats why I only use the charcoal grill on the weekends. I know that if I'm planning a 5 PM supper, I better have the chicken on at 3, so I better be dumping in charcoal and lighter fluid by 2:15 - hence the weekend project.

How is the green egg as far as 'saving' charcoal when you shut all the vents?? Smaller webers will choke off the coals for use next time but it seems like my big Weber has too much air in it, not much charcoal left for next time.

$750 for Egg, 20lb bag of lump, grate gripper, platesetter, cleaning tool and some other things at an Eggfest. Most I am aware of are in the fall, All Poolside in Little Canada is where I got mine 2 years ago.

To start my coals with the Heat gun it takes less than 5 minutes, I shut the lid open vents and let it go while I go tak emy meat out of frig. I marinate and rub, trim, form burgers whatever. In addition I will cut veggies I will cook on grill. Grilled Corn, zuchini and asparagus is unreal. Time to wait depends on the cook if I am trying to cook at 350 then 15 minutes. Once the egg hits 350 you can attain 450-500-650 pretty quickly. It turns into an inferno if needed within 20 minutes MAX.

A heat gun is an electric heat gun you can get for $15 at ace hardware or any hardware tool store. It is in essence a commercial grade hair dryer that pumps heat big time. 5 minutes I have a spot in teh middle of the lump that looks like a volcano.

IF all you are doing is taking meat out and tossing it on a grill then you are missing out on flavor. You gotta let some of the rub sit or marinade do its job. bottom line is the food will be better than ANYTHING you cna get at the finest restaurants. PIZZA better than anything you can imagine. If it takes you an extra 10-20 minutes you will find it is worth it. I have 2 boys playing high level hockey and Lacrosse I work an hour form my house. I wanted the easiest method of cooking for a long tim(gas) to save time.....I will never own anything other than an egg again. it is worth it.

In fact when I shut the lower door and set the ceramic lid on the egg it sounds like a steam engine, it hisses as the air burns off kind of like cracking open a cold one.

Lighter fluid will NEVER be purchased again with heat gun or torch. In addition lighter fluid is not good for you and you can taste it in the food whether you admit it or not. The egg is so efficient the coals get snuffed pretty quickly when the dampers are shut. i.e. my example of an 18 hour cook with out adding lump then cooking burgers twice on consecutive nights.

Egging is an addiction so be warned, nothing like it.

[BLACKJACK]

Egging is an addiction so be warned, nothing like it.

Written with such conviction that I added 'check out Green Eggs' to my To-Do list. Last time I checked it was $850, thats without any accessories. I generally grill every summer weekend, adding this 'tool' to my grilling arsenal might be justified.

How easy is it to roll one of those big Green Eggs around? How stable is it with the wheels? If I got one, I'd store it in my garage and then roll it in and out, concerned about the 3/4 inch difference in slabs....

[Moonshine]

Agree with Wormdunker that the pizza aspect of the egg is a real selling point. However, I am installing a coal/wood pizza oven in my new patio this summer for that purpose. If you have ever eaten pizza at Lombardi's or John's Pizza in Manhattan, you will know why you must have a vessel (egg or oven) to cook pizza in that manner. Plus, asthetically the oven looks really cool as an inset to your stone patio surround.

The other thing that keeps me from strictly going to an egg is that there is no rotisserie option that I have seen. Always make my chicken wings in a rotisserie basket, chicken on the spit and make my formed gyros meat on the rotisserie.

Another upside to the egg though, as Wormdunker mentioned, is the high heat it can create. Perfect for blackened fish/steak (must be done outdoors)and it is perfect for wok cooking that requires that high heat as well.

It's all personal preference on how you like to cook.

[BLACKJACK]

Another upside to the egg though, as Wormdunker mentioned, is the high heat it can create. Perfect for blackened fish/steak (must be done outdoors)and it is perfect for wok cooking that requires that high heat as well.

To each his own preference but I HATE BURNT FOOD!!!!!!! Had blackened catfish once, said to myself afterwards 'what the hell was I thinking'???!!!!!!

[NKLCOLT1911]

all this green egg talk has me very interested.

[McGurk]

BlackJack, I think you need some help fine tuning your skills before dropping a $1k on charcoal anything. Don't take that the wrong way; I simply mean that I was in your shoes and have evolved into a better cook with some research and experimenting, as I am a self-taught charcoal cooker born from a hockey-puck steak loving, gas-cooking father. Honestly, I knew I was supposed to like steak growing up but didn't care for it until I ventured into grilling myself.

I use a Weber kettle and have gotten cooking time down pretty quickly, and would probably be a dead heat with a gas grill if it needs pre-cook attention. I won't buy lighter fluid again, and don't use Matchlight, either, but a chimney with lump for charcoal. As stated: you can really stretch out a bag of charcoal if you pay attention to your cooking methods. I even snuff out lit coals and re-use them in the next cook! I also have a drum smoker for ribs, brisket, and pulled pork, but I can raise the basket to use it like a conventional high-heat grill, too.

An Egg will be an awesome tool, and it will turn out phenomenal food, but you will need to hone your skills and have a meal plan including grill set-up. Starting a chimney of charcoal is always the first step, and happens around 45 minutes before meal time in most cases. Eat at 6- start it around 5 to give your self some wiggle room. Or, get a heat gun or weed-burner off of a propane tank to speed things up even more. I don't use one, but see the advantages of them.

[McGurk]

Also, if you are doing a lot of rolling around on uneven surfaces, you might want to look into a custom cart as they stock carts aren't that nice for that. This is about as rudimentary as they come, but would work fine.

[wormdunker]

Regarding rolling around, Yes they can roll. I have built mine into a permanent outdoor kitchen patio. If you are going to move it however you will need a nest at the very least. If this leads to purchase I have one I can sell you for a steal. In addition you will need a handle they make for people that move them alot. Oh you definitely want a level surface as well. Heat rises so if you want an even cook in any grill this is pretty inmportant. Secondly when cooking chili (unreal if you like chili) or other foods with liquids level will be required of course.

While I do thin kyou can cook burgers an other simple cooks on a regular charcoal grill the Egg offers flexibility that is pretty awesome.

However the thing I most appreciate is the online support from 2 forums in particular. The forum makes Egging food in any category a breeze. Believe it or not I got support for my first low and slow Pork butt at 3am! I made a mistake and my coals went out....Basically I did not put enough lump in the Egg. The egg burnt down the center and lost heat. I was able to get help and finished the cook. this is but one example, the forum will make you a better cook. My next low and slow sstarted with a full firebox and never had a problem since, 16-18 hours long and have enough coal left for 2 more cooks during the week. The thick ceramic construction, gasket lid and bottom adn tigh fitting lower damper and ceramic lid snuff your coals in not time preserving your coals for the next cook.

Oh another thing, they are safe. You can rest yoru hand on it with out fear of being burnt during the hottest cooks.

[wormdunker]

Forgot one thing, a Rotisserie is not necessary with an egg for Chicken. the most popular way most use is the spatchcock method where you remove the backbone from teh bird and cook flat. When cooking indirect with a flame diverter teh egg becomes almost a convection oven. Wings, with no breading cook to a colden brown crisp as does Chicken. This is why it is such a great tool for baking. It has great baking ability as well.

I have not cooked gyro meat but suspect teh same woudl be true. the higher in the dome you cook the higher the temp is. I am now able to cook on 2-3 tiers indirect cooking meat and veggies, potatoes too if I want all at once.

As you can see it is incredibly flexible.

Check out Eggheadforum.com main egg forum for info on cooks and such.

[BLACKJACK]

BlackJack, I think you need some help fine tuning your skills before dropping a $1k on charcoal anything.

Thats kind of a head scratcher??! What did I say/write that made you come to that conclusion??

[McGurk]

Like I said, don't take it the wrong way, but you wrote about starting 3 hours ahead of time and using "lots and lots of lighter fluid". I used to hate charcoal cooking due to the time factor, but have gotten much better at total meal planning. I usually ended up with mediocre food (burnt and under cooked at the same time!!!). I used to use lighter fluid and always tasted the chemicals in the food so I ditched charcoal completely. I started again with a chimney started to eliminate the fluid taste. It also fires up all of the charcoal from bottom to top to get it all started more consistently than a pyramid of lighter fluid soaked charcoal. I also switched to mostly lump charcoal, but I always have bags of Kingsford Blue as backups. It starts and burns faster and hotter, but you might need to add more to a long cook (I rarely do though).

No disrespect intended, but when you talked about your charcoal experience, it came across as you weren't very happy with the hassle and timeframe, and your interest in the Green Eggs would rely strictly on charcoal. That would be an expensive learning experience if you didn't like charcoal cooking. I'd love to see you get one and really enjoy it! If I had the cash, I'd love to get into a Kamado setup in some form! (Promo, Kamado, B.G.E, Bubba Keg, etc..)

[BLACKJACK]

I guess I haven't expressed myself very well, trying to be too nice on this HSOforum.

I think its absolutely fricken ridiculous when people complain about using charcoal lighter fluid, 'leaves a taste', 'doesn't light', 'not hot enough', etc. IF THEY GET THE TASTE OF CHARCOAL LIGHTER FLUID, THEN THEY SHOULD GO LOOK IN THE MIRROR, BECAUSE ITS NOT THE CHARCOAL LIGHTER'S FAULT, ITS THE PERSON POURING IT ON.

There, not so nice, did I make my point?

Seriously, there are two keys to lighting charcoal 1) use plenty of lighter fluid. 2) Give it enough time.

If you're cheap with the lighter fluid, the flame goes out right away, the charcoal doesn't light very good, people get impatient and start grilling before the fluid is burnt off - gee, I wonder why it tastes like lighter fluid??!! Same principle for length of time, you have to give it time so the coals are red hot, then you can spread them out, making sure the outside coals get hot too - and all fuel is burnt off.

Speaking of time, when I say three hours, two hours of that is cooking time on the chicken, which is what I'd plan on in the oven. The other hour is for cleaning out the grill, starting the charcoal, giving it time to light - see above. And of course it depends on the day, on a calm foggy day you need lots more time, a windy day and they'll be ready in 10 minutes. But then I can take more time grilling, keep the chicken off to the side. Better to have more time than to tell the wife and guests that it’ll be another 45 minutes.

How long does it take on your grill to cook a 6 pound chicken, from the time you touch your grill until the time it goes on the plate?

[McGurk]

You are completely right: cook time can't be altered without food quality being compromised. For a 6 lb chicken, I'd allow about 20 minutes of charcoal burn and grill warming/cleaning, cook as long as needed, rest about 15 minutes. Didn't mean to call you out, just thought I'd offer some help. You don't have to use a chimney, and I don't have to use light fluid. We will still both be the kings of our respective backyards. Like I said earlier, I am pretty much self taught, and wish I could have read this stuff when I was first getting started. I wish you a summer full of good cooks with good eats and good times.