Looking for a gasser

[aks801]

Not giving up on my wood and charcoal, but: want to add a gas grill to the mix. Will add flexibility for cooks during the week. Plus the wife wants it.

Want to spend less than $400, looking for suggestions. I know Lowe's offers a Weber at $399, probably my first choice. They also have some of those Char-Broil "infrared" grills in the 300's, not sure on those.

Any tips?

[Pony Express]

I bought a gasser at HD couple years back. Its a Charm Glow. Its stainless and porcelan and has 5 burners. I cant say anything bad about it. It is my firat gasser that didnt have lava rock, but that dosnt seem to make a difference. Seems like it was 399 if I remember correctly.

[roaniecowpony]

I've had a half dozen or so gassers. The latest is a BBQ Galore store brand I bought a few yrs ago. My issues with some of my past gassers were: 1) ceramic coated grates flake off into your food and the grates rust afterward, 2) some gassers don't have enough BTU (heat) to grill steaks properly.

I have used a Weber Genesis gasser a couple times recently. I think it's a very well made product as all the Weber products I've seen seem to be. I don't think you can go too far wrong with anything Weber and they seem to last longer than most other brands.

Look for either cast iron grates or stainless steel grates.

Good grilling
Chuck

[tex_toby]

Go with the Weber. If something breaks, you will be able to buy replacement parts in the future. Their customer service is also second to none...

[Gomeat]

Yes, sit the wife down and explain that life is too short to eat food from a gas grill!!

[just-4 fun]

probably more than u want to spend but i love my holland grill do yourself a favor and check into it they r awesome

[ikiru]

craigslist

[DATsBBQ]

Yes, sit the wife down and explain that life is too short to eat food from a gas grill!!

Friends don't let friends eat from a gasser

I'm thinking about getting rid of mine. Its an odd duck to be sure. Has a cast iron grate on one side and a CI griddle or CI wok insert on the other. 4 burners, made in Australia. No lid for it (other a a weather cover). I only use it once or twice a year, thinking I could use the real estate for something else but the Mrs is against it Seems like I paid close to 6 bills for it back in the day.

[egghead]

probably more than u want to spend but i love my holland grill do yourself a favor and check into it they r awesome

Had a Holland. The big one - I think it was called the Congressional. From memory the grill area was about 1-1/2' x 3'. My problem with it was that it cooked at one temp - 350. Turkey and chicken came out nice but searing a steak at high temp or putting on a pizza was out of the question. Also from memory, I paid over $2,500 for it - sold for $500.

I bought a cheap pitmaster from Lowes that I used for a couple years before it rusted out. Preferred it over the gasser.

Sounds like you are all set with wood and charcoal - personally I would spend the 300-400 somewhere else. But if your bride is set on getting a gasser that is a different story.

Went ceramic (flower pots ) 3 years ago and won't go back - my three Eggs with lifetime warranties were not cheap (around 1200) but I won't be replacing them every couple years and certainly less than a half dozen gassers over several years.

Just me - good luck with it.

[Rooster]

My gas grill hardly ever gets fired up these days... i can drink more beer when charcoal grillin or offset smokin

[Backyard Grilling Co]

In all honesty, if you are looking for a good quality gasser that will last you a while with good/great warranties, a budget of $400 is most likely not going to get you there. If you want a gasser that cooks okay and will last you a couple of years, you are right on budget. Just my 2 cents in all honesty. Not bashing the big box brands, but the quality is just not there.

[Papa Tom]

I have a Brinkmann gasser I'll sell if you or anyone wants it.

Lightly used 4 burner, side burner, ceramic infrared rotisserie, stainless, cabinet 3 drawers, 2 doors. I converted to lava rock because the flame spreaders were missing but Brinkmann sent the spreaders overnite so got them too. Custom made heavy duty grey cover. Rotisserie never used.

Notes: Brinkmann customer service was exceptional.
Avoid the Char Broil infrared, my son had one and tossed it. Doesn't cook well, no flavor from drippings, grates extremely hard to clean.
Reason for selling is I have a Fast Eddy PG500.
PM if interested.

[Scott P]

My father bought a Holland Grill many years ago for probably $1,000. It was nice and all, but it just sits in the backside of his barn now for a basic Weber Spirit. It is a great roasting grill, but since it didn't provide any direct heat, burgers, dogs and steaks were a pain to cook on it. I am partial to Weber and have a nine year old Weber Genesis Silver C gasser. I love I and use it quite a bit. Weber seemed to build up the Genesis (and raise the price point) to a nicer model and introduced a light model as the Spirit Line. The Spirit feels a bit light to me, but I'm comparing it to my current Genesis. I'm sure it cooks nice and all, but I do not know if I would buy one new.

I'd check craigslist. I've seen a lot of good deals on Weber gassers.

[Gator]

Got one from Sears in the early 90s. Rebuilt the guts several times & parts were easy to get from Sears.

[Grizz]

I bought the Char-Broil 5 burner infrared. Have had it now for about a year and as far as gassers go...I love it. Its not really a true infrared but its cooking grates have tiny holes which make for a very even cooking surface. It is also very clean, primarily because as your food cooks and the fat is rendered out it drips down onto those tiny holes and is pretty much turned into steam. Because of this your cooks tend to be a little smokier but the meat stays much more moist. It is also important to oil your grates well before placing your meat down, especially chicken, to keep it from sticking to the grill. You will also want to keep it brushed well, this will help prolong the life of the grates. After my grates go out I am going to buy the aftermarket replacement grates from "Grillgrates". All in all its a great grill (as far as gassers are concerned) and has held up exceptionally well (stored outside covered).