Want a new gas grill, recommendations?

[civilsmoker]

Trying to figure out what you mean by this .

The fire box is deeper and it has a lower set of deflectors under the burners so keep the freeze tray protected from flame ups…

Lower deflectors

Upper set:

This box design is the game changer!!!

 

[civilsmoker]

The spirit is a nice small platform grill.

They also make the E 325 so a little smaller

It uses standard stem casters (they are actually too notch casters..

You can get a set of 4 inch casters to help roll it around just food for thought per Chops….ie this one even notes it’s for Weber grills…..there are even 5” casters with the right stem too if 4 inches isn’t big enough.

 

[chopsaw]

lower set of deflectors under the burners

OK , that's why I asked . Mines the same way . I think that's a Genesis design .
I replaced the heat deflectors and the flavor bars with 16 gauge stainless a year or so ago . Really increased the sear level , and temp in general .

 

[schlotz]

Don't know your deck layout/situation but you can definitely use a grill on a wood deck. Yes, always keep the grill away from vinyl siding. I ran a weber on our wood deck for more than 15 years. Covered it when not in use and the only thing I replaced was 2 igniters.

 

[normanaj]

Nothing wrong with a Spirit if that's what works .

I inherited a 10yr old Spirit 2 E210 from dad's house.Replaced the burner,flavorizers and regulator and it looks and works like it's brand new.

 

[sandyut]

I added Grill Grates to my Genesis, and they are a huge upgrade! heats fast, killer sear marks, and a lot less falls through to the bottom. Highly recommend.

 

[Chris_in_SoCal]

I think there are different versions. The one we have only has two large wheels. It is fine for dragging it around the flagstone patio.

 

[Fueling Around]

Following the thread and watching the comments.
Wife wants another gas grill so she can cook when I am working. She prefers chicken on a gasser over charcoal or the pellet.
I had the chance to use a Weber Spirit grill recently. IMHO they aren't worth the money versus a box store model. The feature I liked least is the cast iron grates. The burners just don't get them hot enough for a sear or to burn off the previous cook. This was at a resort where grills don't get used heavily, but the crud I had to scrape was annoying.
Anytime someone says they add something or change to improve the performance means it wasn't great to start.

 

[mike243]

My older spirit gets plenty hot but I had to add stainless grate and replaced the burners and covers, the next step up is a big upgrade imo. Pay for the upgrade up front instead of regrets later, they redesigned the burner covers ect which somebody mentioned already,

 

[JLinza]

I'll 2nd, or 3rd or 4th... the Weber. I've had mine for a good while now. It has seen some abuse and still cooks like a champ. The Colorado weather hasn't even diminished its pretty exterior blue paint.

 

[chopsaw]

Anytime someone says they add something or change to improve the performance means it wasn't great to start.

Same as mods or upgrades to any of this stuff . Gasket tape , smoke stack extensions or PID controllers .

The original deflectors and covers were thin on my Genesis . It heated up great when I first got it , but over time as the thin metal , gets thinner , that heat can't be reached anymore .
Combine that with flaking inside the burner tubes and you end up even worse off .

The 16 gauge replacement deflectors and flavor bars are a huge upgrade in performance .
Aftermarket for a 310 was under 40 bucks . ( 3 deflectors , 5 flavor bars )
Cooks better than new now .
I think I paid $700 for mine on a Labor day sale . Going on 8 or 9 years old .

 

[millerbuilds]

Hands down a Weber. They are great grills, but the biggest selling point it you can order parts easily through Weber or ereplacementparts.com to completely rebuild your gas grill. While the upfront costs are quite a bit higher, you will not be replacing it in 5-6 years like the most of the cheaper grills out there.

- Jason

 

[schlotz]

One of the best upgrades is a set of GrillGrates. These grates provide significantly more heat to be transferred to whatever you’re grilling.

 

[sandyut]

One of the best upgrades is a set of GrillGrates. These grates provide significantly more heat to be transferred to whatever you’re grilling.

100% agree! I was skeptical, but got a couple with my rec teq, I set them on top of the SS stock ones and could see improvement, bought the full correct set for the weber a LOVE them.

 

[schlotz]

When we built our retirement home I updated my gas grill to a high end Hestan but the solid billet grates were not pleasing me. Replaced them with a set of grillgrates and what a difference. Those things get really hot. So much so I actually can turn down the gas to no more than medium and get a fantastic sear.

 

[chopsaw]

high end Hestan

That's an awesome grill . Been waiting for you to show it off .

 

[fxsales1959]

Time to replace my old grill. It is an old BBQ Grillware three burner similar to this.
View attachment 708016
Nothing fancy obviously and I've cooked a lot of good food on it. My major complaints is it seems as it gets older, the hot spot is more pronounced and doesn't cook as evenly as it did when newer. Also, the side burner would be handy if it was better controllable. It wont turn down enough to hold a cast iron skillet at a low temp for instance.

I'm not afraid to spend a little money, but I've read that buying high end grills has diminishing returns. They are nice but dont necessarily cook better than a medium priced grill.

My grill is kept right inside the garage door tucked out of the way of a vehicle getting in and out. It keeps it out of the weather which prolongs its life. I just roll it out to the driveway right outside the garage door and fire it up. THAT is something to consider, I dont want anything super heavy, and the wheels in this picture? I got rid of the little casters, moved the larger wheel to where they were (required some drilling, etc.) and put even bigger wheels from my generator on the right side there (Bought never flats for the genny). My driveway is gravel. Those little casters just dug in and made it hard to move.

So, any advice or lessons learned from experience is very much appreciated. I need a grill to fit that same spot, about 54" left to right and 22-23" front to back. I need to roll it out on a gravel driveway (and I dont mind doing my own wheel modifications), so the styles with 4 tiny little casters is a no-go. Looking for excellent heat distribution on the grill grates for even cooking. I'd like a side burner that is more controllable and wont keep a cast iron skillet at 400 degrees-plus on low. But, a side burner is not an absolute requirement.

Lowe's will have this one on sale for Black Friday weekend for $200
View attachment 708021
It's the right size, has 5 burners (is that a good thing?). Reviews are mixed. Hard to read between the lines with reviews. These days people are as likely to review the delivery experience as provide anything helpful on the actual grill performance. That's why I'm asking here. If there is any group of people who have a clue about gear, it's here.

I'll have to run up and look at this one if I consider it. Those resting non-wheeled legs dont look readily modifiable for adding wheels, and it just occurred to me, this configuration is backwards from what I have now. That may be a deal breaker with the way I'm used to rolling it in the garage and still access the cooking side to get a griddle plate or something out/off of it to clean. So, thats an additional thing to consider, lift/tilt on the left side, primary wheels on the right.

I kind of like this one. They never show it with the tank attached though. It's a little deep at 27" but I kind of like the simplicity. Its the right configuration, tilting from the left side to move. Its the only one of this "best of" rating that would work. I cant have one with little dinky casters.

All advice, except "stop grilling with gas!" is appreciated.

If monet REALLY

Time to replace my old grill. It is an old BBQ Grillware three burner similar to this.
View attachment 708016
Nothing fancy obviously and I've cooked a lot of good food on it. My major complaints is it seems as it gets older, the hot spot is more pronounced and doesn't cook as evenly as it did when newer. Also, the side burner would be handy if it was better controllable. It wont turn down enough to hold a cast iron skillet at a low temp for instance.

I'm not afraid to spend a little money, but I've read that buying high end grills has diminishing returns. They are nice but dont necessarily cook better than a medium priced grill.

My grill is kept right inside the garage door tucked out of the way of a vehicle getting in and out. It keeps it out of the weather which prolongs its life. I just roll it out to the driveway right outside the garage door and fire it up. THAT is something to consider, I dont want anything super heavy, and the wheels in this picture? I got rid of the little casters, moved the larger wheel to where they were (required some drilling, etc.) and put even bigger wheels from my generator on the right side there (Bought never flats for the genny). My driveway is gravel. Those little casters just dug in and made it hard to move.

So, any advice or lessons learned from experience is very much appreciated. I need a grill to fit that same spot, about 54" left to right and 22-23" front to back. I need to roll it out on a gravel driveway (and I dont mind doing my own wheel modifications), so the styles with 4 tiny little casters is a no-go. Looking for excellent heat distribution on the grill grates for even cooking. I'd like a side burner that is more controllable and wont keep a cast iron skillet at 400 degrees-plus on low. But, a side burner is not an absolute requirement.

Lowe's will have this one on sale for Black Friday weekend for $200
View attachment 708021
It's the right size, has 5 burners (is that a good thing?). Reviews are mixed. Hard to read between the lines with reviews. These days people are as likely to review the delivery experience as provide anything helpful on the actual grill performance. That's why I'm asking here. If there is any group of people who have a clue about gear, it's here.

I'll have to run up and look at this one if I consider it. Those resting non-wheeled legs dont look readily modifiable for adding wheels, and it just occurred to me, this configuration is backwards from what I have now. That may be a deal breaker with the way I'm used to rolling it in the garage and still access the cooking side to get a griddle plate or something out/off of it to clean. So, thats an additional thing to consider, lift/tilt on the left side, primary wheels on the right.

I kind of like this one. They never show it with the tank attached though. It's a little deep at 27" but I kind of like the simplicity. Its the right configuration, tilting from the left side to move. Its the only one of this "best of" rating that would work. I cant have one with little dinky casters.

All advice, except "stop grilling with gas!" is appreciated.

Nothin against the weber grills but 12 years ago i bought a Napoleon from Lowes. must have been drunk because it was gawd awful expensive. They are Canadian and its a lot of stainless steel. it's been covered on the patio for all that time. when the deflectors got worn, they sent me new ones due to warranty. Grab your cajones before you check price cause mine was $1100.00 with commercial rotisserie and rear infrared burner,

 

[chopsaw]

bought a Napoleon

Another awesome grill . Really nice .

 

[schlotz]

That's an awesome grill . Been waiting for you to show it off .

I did Rich, but you might have missed it.

Finally the replacement grill arrived.

For the last 11 years I've struggled keeping my Twin Eagles gasser working correctly. Always something to be fixed and this should not have been the case considering the initial cost. I vowed that when we moved into the new house I would unload this money pit. Last Friday the new Hestan 36"...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[chef k-dude]

Thanks again all. I knew y'all would have plenty of input!

The spirit is a nice small platform grill.

They also make the E 325 so a little smaller
View attachment 708067
It uses standard stem casters (they are actually too notch casters..
View attachment 708068
You can get a set of 4 inch casters to help roll it around just food for thought per Chops….ie this one even notes it’s for Weber grills…..there are even 5” casters with the right stem too if 4 inches isn’t big enough.
View attachment 708069

That's good to know. Not sure how well even the 4" or 5" casters would roll on gravel though. Definitely better than smaller ones I'm sure. The E325 is a bit larger than I want, but might be able to make it work in the space. So, it may be a contender figuring the large casters upgrade.

Don't know your deck layout/situation but you can definitely use a grill on a wood deck. Yes, always keep the grill away from vinyl siding. I ran a weber on our wood deck for more than 15 years. Covered it when not in use and the only thing I replaced was 2 igniters.

That's the problem. Deck/Layout, plus I really dont want a permanent grill on the deck unless its a built-in when we rebuild the deck. I do have a spot that could work thinking about it again but I really like keeping the grill out of the elements in general.

I'm not concerned about it bieng a wood deck, It's hard to imagine with out a pic, but the wood deck I was concerned about is a raised deck higher than the main deck and parking the grill up near it where the heat from the grill would get on it. The side of that raised deck area, not the wood deck that would be below the grill.

I have actually rolled my grill around to the deck from the garage door when its hot or cold outside so I dont have to keep the big garage door open (I keep the climate in the garage moderate because I store some foodstuffs out there) and can just step outside the back door out of the garage to the deck. Lately I've been parking it in the gravel where it's usually used right outside the big garage door, close that big door and just go out the back door and walk around the corner of the house to use it.

I'm at the point now where I gear my menus around "grilling season" and just avoid grilling when its African hot or Nordic cold outside. That's me getting old. In my younger days I would shovel a path through the snow to the grill and grill away!

I think there are different versions. The one we have only has two large wheels. It is fine for dragging it around the flagstone patio.

View attachment 708113

Yep, the one I'm looking at is the three burner model. I will shop around some more. Other than missing some holiday sale, I dont HAVE to buy one at this moment and I'm gearing away from grilling for the winter so its not urgent. But, so far, the three burner spirit is the only one I've seen with the two larger wheel style (instead of 4 smaller ones) on the right and is the size that would fit my parking spot for it in the garage, albeit a few inches chubbier front to back so I'll have to double check that. The two burner would fit, but thinking the real estate of the three burner grill grates would be more ideal.