need your opinions on something

[cal1956]

sometime in early spring , i am planning on buying a new grill , i have always used gas grills but am thinking about a pellet grill
i want to stay in the $500.00 price range , while i like the pellet grills there are some drawbacks to them that i see
(1) they all use electricity ( power cord ) (2) ash clean up
it would be nice to get one that can double as a smoker as well
i cook mostly steaks and burgers on the grill and everything else on the smoker , being a long time gas griller it might be hard for me to get used to the idea of using anything else

 

[JLeonard]

Look at the Masterbuilt 560 gravity charcoal cooker. Lots of folks on here like it. And of course lots of pellet poopers on here too.
Jim

 

[Buckeye1]

Look at the Recteq Bullseye. It is a pellet kettle grill that can get really hot for burgers, steak and other items. It can also do low and slow smoking. I use mine to replace the gas grill since I also have a traditional pellet grill.

 

[BigW.]

What kind of smoker do you have? I have a GMG pellet, but when it comes to steaks/burgers they usually go on gas grill. Thinking of adding some charcoal to my life in the form of a kettle.

 

[whistlepig]

A Masterbuilt 560 works like a gas grill and can smoke also. I run my 560 off a battery pack.

 

[jcam222]

Lot of good options here. I cooked with a gas grill for the better part of 30 years. I moved to charcoal and finally gave the gasser away. I just never use it. You might also consider a Kamado grill. The Vision line might be close to your price range. It is for grilling and smoking. You can get it very hot if needed. With a decent loop charcoal starter it’s ready to roll in around 15-20 minutes.

 

[vtfarrier]

I have a pitboss austin xl and I love it you can grill smoke and bake and it has a sear plate that you open and let’s the flame through

 

[bregent]

sometime in early spring , i am planning on buying a new grill , i have always used gas grills but am thinking about a pellet grill

How many do you usually cook for? The direct grilling area on most pellet grills is limited. You can use grill grates and preheat the grill to get them hot, but I found that to be a pain. I still have my gasser, 3 charcoal grills, and a pellet grill. Hard to find one thing that works well for everything, but I think the Masterbuilt gravity series could get you pretty close.

 

[cal1956]

my son has the pit boss and he loves it, i want the convenience of gas with something that can get a good char on steaks and still be turned down low enough to use as a smoker , i still have my old dependable gas smoker , i was just thinking it would be nice to have a grill and smoker in one unit

 

[bregent]

The Cookshack PG500 has a great chargriller and is also a great smoker - but unfortunately out of your price range.

 

[Inscrutable]

If I could only have one device, first, I’d be sad but it would be a good pellet pooper or the MB Gravity. I see a those as the most versatile and best ease of use, but not as good at anything as special purpose devices that are more one (or two) trick ponies. Really the same for any multi-purpose tool.

That said, I am still also flirting with adding a pellet grill, mainly for extra real estate for smoking large cuts. My Vidalia gas grill is 1/2 direct and 1/2 indirect, and the BGE is only 3-400 sq in, and a full rack doesn’t fit in my vertical electric. But I do like the easy peasy high temp gas grilling, the flavor on the egg, and the ease of the electric.

 

[cal1956]

i live in Colorado , my son lives in Tenn. otherwise i would just go play with his to see how i like his pit boss ...lol nothing like hands on cooking to see how you like something !!!

 

[cal1956]

i think i found what i want !!! i just ran across the Webber E-310 gas grill and i really like the grease management system on it and for grilling steaks and burgers it will do what i need without the hassle of power cords and ash cleanup

 

[forktender]

i think i found what i want !!! i just ran across the Webber E-310 gas grill and i really like the grease management system on it and for grilling steaks and burgers it will do what i need without the hassle of power cords and ash cleanup

I thought that I liked the grease management system on my E 310 at first as well. I can tell you after using it all summer long that it's a gimmick. My old Weber gasser with the standard flavorizer bars worked 10x better than my E 310. I get brutal flare ups just cooking burgers and the grease tray even being located under it on the top shelf has been set ablaze at least 3x cooking beef and pork steaks. And the recovery time when you open the lid takes almost twice as long as my 25 yr d Weber.
I wish I would've just rebuilt it another time.
Sucks that I gave it away when I moved.

 

[zwiller]

I am with bregent there isn't one that does it all. To me if you are not happy with your gas grill, update it. Get a sear burner for it. Night and day from the standard burner. No way I'd be without it.