Sell Me On A New Gas Grill

[1968]

Grilling for me is a continuous season. I could never spend a lot on something that is perpetually put away and stored wet. Don't even fix them anymore. Been running Charbroil tru-infrared's with the "stainless" grates and really like their cooking action.  3 burner at home, a patio size round for camp and their cast aluminum portable unit to cover all bases. Different stores have different versions of the same grill, usually "stainless" vs porcelain coated steel grates.  

 

Wasn't trying but ended up with a smart grill last fall on a deep clearance deal.  Kept it dumb so far, but like the built in propane scale. The light up burner knobs also help with not forgetting about burn off after dark. 

 

[Moonshine]

I just bought a Louisiana pellet grill from Costco on Sunday for $599.  We were walking through Costco and the wife said why don't you get rid of the gas grill and buy this.  She even prefers cooking on, and the food flavor from our other pellet grill.  I haven't found anything better than my green egg, but for weeknight work, the pellet grill is perfect.

 

Louisiana Grills LG900 Pellet Grill with Flame Broiler

Features:

48,000 BTUs

180° - 600° Cooking Temperature Range

913 Sq. In. Total Cooking Area

Programmable Meat Probe Included

Cover Included

[nofishfisherman]

3 minutes ago, Moonshine said:

I just bought a Louisiana pellet grill from Costco on Sunday for $599.  We were walking through Costco and the wife said why don't you get rid of the gas grill and buy this.  She even prefers cooking on, and the food flavor from our other pellet grill.  I haven't found anything better than my green egg, but for weeknight work, the pellet grill is perfect.

 

Louisiana Grills LG900 Pellet Grill with Flame Broiler

Features:

48,000 BTUs

180° - 600° Cooking Temperature Range

913 Sq. In. Total Cooking Area

Programmable Meat Probe Included

Cover Included

 

I saw those at costco this last weekend but only stopped to look briefly.  i was looking more at the Louisiana smoker they had. 

[Mike89]

I have a green mountain and it's very good,  you need to look them all over and see what your needs will be...   

[Moonshine]

17 minutes ago, nofishfisherman said:

 

I saw those at costco this last weekend but only stopped to look briefly.  i was looking more at the Louisiana smoker they had. 

 

Saw those and the ceramic.  I didn't know Louisiana made a ceramic kamado and it was only $599.

[Big Dave2]

5 hours ago, nofishfisherman said:

 

How does the pellet grill work for smoking? 

 

Smoking is where a pellet grill excels. Fill it with pellets, turn it on to the desired temperature and walk away.

 

5 hours ago, nofishfisherman said:

If I want to do a 12 hour smoke on a pork shoulder at 250 degrees is that easily doable?

 

Absolutely, Like I said, just turn it to the desired temp and smoke away. No worries about temp.

 

5 hours ago, nofishfisherman said:

  How low of a temp can a pellet grill be set to?  Wondering about smoking other things like fish. 

 

 

That will probably depend on the individual smoker you are using but most I have seen go down to at least 225, maybe lower.

[Big Dave2]

6 hours ago, nofishfisherman said:

What brands of pellet grill should I be looking at?  Same considerations apply, I don't mind paying more upfront if I'm going to end up paying less in the long run by buying something thats going to last. 

 

Your mileage may vary but for me I wouldn't look at anything but a Louisiana Grill or a Pit Boss or the Cabella's unit that PF has. All 3 are made by the same company and the main reason for me is that they all have a searing feature. IMO, Pellet grills without that feature, such as Traegers are more of a smoker than a grill. Having said that though, I have not been looking at new models for a while so there might be something else out there I don't know about.

 

As far as how long any of these grills will last, I have no idea but it's always wise to remember that pellet grills have more moving parts than a gas grill and certainly more than a charcoal grill. 

[nofishfisherman]

15 hours ago, Big Dave2 said:

 

 

 

As far as how long any of these grills will last, I have no idea but it's always wise to remember that pellet grills have more moving parts than a gas grill and certainly more than a charcoal grill. 

 

As soon as I looked closer at the pellet grills the first thing I noticed was the moving parts and it made me wonder how long term durability.  I am going to take a serious look at the pellet grills as well as a few gas grills and smokers to see what makes the most sense for my needs.

[Big Dave2]

23 minutes ago, nofishfisherman said:

I am going to take a serious look at the pellet grills as well as a few gas grills and smokers to see what makes the most sense for my needs.

 

Let me know if you have any questions about pellet grills, I will try to answer them.

[leech~~]

11 hours ago, Big Dave2 said:

 

Let me know if you have any questions about pellet grills, I will try to answer them.

 

Are they very expensive?    

[Moonshine]

11 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

Are they very expensive?    

 

About half the cost of a green egg with similar results.

[Big Dave2]

13 hours ago, leech~~ said:

 

Are they very expensive?    

 

One member here they call leech believes that they are over priced. I believe they are worth the money and due to rising popularity, some models can now be had at a very reasonable price. I'm pretty sure the leech guy just doesn't understand pellet grills and has no idea what he is talking about. 

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

 

Edited April 4, 2019 by Big Dave2

[leech~~]

11 hours ago, Big Dave2 said:

 

I'm pretty sure the leech guy just doesn't understand pellet grills and has no idea what he is talking about. 

 

I hope this helps.

 

 

Geez, 11 hours later and it's seems like a few other members don't really understand or care either!

Edited April 5, 2019 by leech~~

[delcecchi]

Here is my attempt.  

Gas grills are easy and convenient and they will get the job done for stuff like burger or sausage. Or steaks.   In my experience they flare up more than my Weber Kettle.  Gas grills are safer on a deck that charcoal.

Never used a pellet grill but it seems like a pellet grill has many of the advantages of a gas grill while providing smoke.  

When I had both a gas grill and a Weber kettle, used the weber most of the time.  

Mostly a matter of which one you think you will use.  

[nofishfisherman]

While I like the concept of the pellet grill and there may be one in my distant future I think I'm leaning toward sticking with a gas grill.  One of the bigger issues for me with the pellet grill is the need to plug it in.  My patio that is right off the kitchen is where I do my grilling and there is no outlets any where even close.  I'd have to run an extension cord to an outlet in the garage or into the sun room.  i don't want to deal with that on a daily basis.  

 

I've also done some reading on pros and cons and comparing pellet with gas and I think a gas grill with a separate smoker is the way to go.  I may also add a good kettle charcoal grill to the line up.  

[Big Dave2]

22 minutes ago, nofishfisherman said:

While I like the concept of the pellet grill and there may be one in my distant future I think I'm leaning toward sticking with a gas grill.  One of the bigger issues for me with the pellet grill is the need to plug it in.  My patio that is right off the kitchen is where I do my grilling and there is no outlets any where even close.  I'd have to run an extension cord to an outlet in the garage or into the sun room.  i don't want to deal with that on a daily basis.  

 

I've also done some reading on pros and cons and comparing pellet with gas and I think a gas grill with a separate smoker is the way to go.  I may also add a good kettle charcoal grill to the line up.  

 

Everyone's tastes are different so maybe this won't apply to you but if I were you I would consider purchasing a Weber Kettle first because you might find that is all you need. Personally, when I bought my first charcoal grill, I tossed my old gasser out because it never got used again. Once you get used to charcoal or wood fired grilled food it makes it hard to cook on anything else, but that's just my opinion. I also never find that the start up time with charcoal is all that much different. I just got in the habit of getting charcoals started right away when I got home from work and while the coals are heating up I get all the prep work done for the meal. 

[nofishfisherman]

I have thought about just going with a kettle.  Normally I'd probably say dealing with the charcoal isn't a big deal but meal prep on week days at my house is usually me home alone with 2 young kids trying to get dinner prepped while simultaneously doing 50 things for the kids.  That has taken the kettle off the list for now since I don't want to add one more thing to monkey around with. 

[delcecchi]

14 minutes ago, nofishfisherman said:

I have thought about just going with a kettle.  Normally I'd probably say dealing with the charcoal isn't a big deal but meal prep on week days at my house is usually me home alone with 2 young kids trying to get dinner prepped while simultaneously doing 50 things for the kids.  That has taken the kettle off the list for now since I don't want to add one more thing to monkey around with. 

Sounds like the kitchen stove is your best bet on those kind of days.   Gas grill would be second.  And don't forget the microwave.

[nofishfisherman]

The stove and microwave get a workout in the winter, the gas grill is a nice change up during the summer.  

[CigarGuy]

On 4/1/2019 at 5:33 PM, CigarGuy said:

I bought a Cabela's pellet grill a couple years ago.  I think I like it, but definitely a learning curve and I'm still learning. Smoked a turkey (first time) during one of the holidays, my wife didn't trust me and made a back up in the oven. Mine turned out fabulous!  With that being said, I'm still not totally comfortable with it.  I need to replace my gas grill at the cabin and was debating between a pellet grill and a gas grill. I've done the $300.00 gas grills and get po'd with all the flare ups, that's why I went to the pellet grill. After a bunch of research, I just ordered a Weber 2, 310.  In the cities the sale price is $449.00+tax. I looked on eeebaay and found a new-open box for 439.00 b/o, free shipping.  Plus, they had a 10-percent off coupon. I ended up getting it for $399.11 including tax, it will be here Friday!

Got it yesterday, a day early!  It's for the cabin, so I won't be back up there for a couple weeks to assemble and try it out.

[Jim Almquist]

My Weber gas grill is right out the door and is connected up to my natural gas. It gets used a couple times a week year round. I also have a Weber charcoal and a gas smoker. Time and a place for everything.

[nofishfisherman]

Figured I'd loop back on this with an update.  I ended up getting the Weber Spirit 3 burner.  Picked it up at Ace Hardware.  Its the same price everywhere ($449) but Ace will assemble it, deliver it, and haul away the old one for no charge.  Bought it Saturday morning had it sitting on the back patio by 3pm that same afternoon.

 

I ended up looking at a lot of grills including many brands of gas grills, pellet grills, and some charcoal grills.  There were some other gas grills that I liked, they looked to be made solidly from good materials and they came at a decent price.  However, they all lacked a decent warranty.  The webers use less stainless steel than some of the others and I'm not 100% sure what the china production will do to the quality and longevity of a Weber but they do come with the best warranty that I saw.  I believe grates and flavorizer bars have a 5 year warranty and everything else has a 10 year warranty.  Customer service and part availability was also a big selling point.  Weber parts look to be easily available and if you do end up having to replace the grate, flavorizer bars, and burners it will only set you back $150 which should get you many more years out of the grill. 

 

I let my almost 3 year old son pick the color since he came with to help pick it out.  I couldn't argue with his choice of red.  It is clearly the fastest looking grill, now I just need to add a racing stripe. 

[rundrave]

Joined the Weber crew after some Black Friday shopping. Ended up with the Genisis 310 model, looking forward to using it now that I got it all assembled today.