OT: Tell me about your grilling set up.
With summer now upon us, I'm looking for a new grilling situation. We currently have a small propane gas grill. It's basic and somewhat lackluster. I'm thinking about getting a Weber kettle grill with an Arteflame carbon steel insert to use as a griddle. Seems like that will give me several different options -- gas, charcoal, grilling, griddling, etc...Anyone have any experience with this type of cooking? Or any other options that you love? I like cooking with fire but know that if you just want to get something done quickly, gas is good for that.
https://arteflame.com/products/weber-grill-grate-replacement-inserts
A stick and a lighter!
Classic Webber charcoal grill and a spatula. Anything else isn’t “art”, it’s just “computer grilling”.
#GrillSnob. #WishIHadATraeger
Traeger is just Easy-Bake Oven with smoke.
Not really an argument with this. But as unbeatable as a stickburner is for smoke flavor, managing a firebox for 12 hours isn't enjoyable for everyone, or even possible. So a Traeger is a compromise for the casual smoker.
Definitely don't use Traeger pellets. They're just alder with oils added. I use Bear Mountain; oak for brisket, pecan for others.
Also needs a second level (or rack) to get brisket away from the firebox. It took me about four briskets before I finally figured out how to do it.
I love tending the firebox but sometimes an overnight cook can be a bit much.
I would apply for a patent on this concept.
I have a Traeger and it's nice. However wood pellet grills do not grill steaks/burgers as nice as a charcoal or propane grills (imo). It also does not smoke meats as efficient as a dedicated smoker. I like how you can do both, but is not the best for either if that makes sense.
Next one will be a propane grill with a griddle insert option.
It all depends on your smoker. I have a Yoder which allows for direct grilling as well as being top notch as a pellet smoker. I also have an Artisan Pro grill which includes a sear burner that provides very high heat levels.
The sear burner, in addition to making terrific steaks, is great for finishing other meats, particularly if you chose a reverse-sear technique where you cook meat slowly (or smoke it slowly) at relatively low temperatures and then finish the outside with a short but very high temperature blast of heat.
I moved about a year ago from A2 to Texas. BBQ is a whole different world down here and can easily be done, with rare exception, year round.
I have 11 grills. I run a BBQ social media page. I have a bias for Weber because I work with them but also they're the best. Haha.
I own four 22" Weber Kettles. It's all you need. I cook wings, steaks to 14-hour brisket cooks on those. Amazing results. That insert you linked to looks good. Otherwise, Hunsaker griddle insert is another great option. You definitely want to get the "Slow n' Sear" for the Weber kettle or Weber's new "Heat Diffuser", if you want pellet-grill easy style smoking. If I had to choose, go with the Diffuser cuz you can smoke wings at high temp too.
The Weber SmokeFire pellet grill is amazing too. It can get put to 600 degrees and sear the piss out of stuff. It also does the usual low-n-slow smoke.
I also own the Weber Summit Kamado (their Big Green Egg or Kamado Joe) and it's also a beast. Probably my favorite grill but definitely way more expensive.
If you're interested in my BBQ page, it's The Kettle Loft
Bro, that confit garlic bread looks amazing. First thing I looked at. Do you have a website or insta only?
To me, either grilling is a "pastime" to somebody or it is just a method of quickly making food. I don't take much thrill in it so I fall in the lackluster propane grill camp.
I'm the same way. I admire when someone has a nice set up and they're good at what they do, but I just throw some meat/veggies on a cheap propane grill and it's all business from there.
Me too. I just don't have time. I think it is kind of related to what "speed" different families operate at. Some folks I know spend all day kind of just "hanging" and the grill becomes the center piece of the day. That not us. I wish it was sometimes, frankly. My family is not particularly good at chilling, we stay pretty busy and an all day cook is not in the cards.
I am admittedly in this camp as well. As much as I enjoy grilling in warmer weather, I don't have as much desire to be artful with that type of cooking as with others, so my setup is very basic. I do appreciate the people who are quite into it and even showcase it as their most elaborate culinary subspecialty, if you will.
I have a kamado style egg (got it from Costco, but mine's blue and not red). It's amazing for smoking, and it can get hot enough to make pizzas, too. Highly recommend.
My egg was a gateway drug.
I just got a Kamado Joe a few weeks ago. Have done a few cooks on it. Still learning the nuances. It's a lot different than my old charcoal/propane combo.
100%. Learning to think your way around a planned cook when you can always increase the temperature, but decreasing it is difficult, takes a minute or two.
But the results are awesome.
Honestly the 4-burner Char Griller Griddle that I bought last summer changed my grilling life.
The most flavorful burgers, chicken, etc...that I could ask for. The burgers for example rest in the fat instead of having it fall through the grate. I was skeptical since I had a traditional grill my whole life, but I won't be going back.
We do breakfast, hibachi and so much more on there as well. Just my two cents, it is unbeatable!
Is the clean up a pain? One of the benefits of grilling to me is throwing something on the grill and not having a lot of greasy pans to clean. I'm sure it's more flavorful if you don't mind the extra fat.
I would describe it as moderate. I do have to:
1) Clean the surface(with a spatula or similar tool)
2) Heat it up again
3) Pour water on it
4) Let it cool down
5) Put olive oil on it
All in, maybe 7 minutes of post meal clean up? Nothing I would go back on myself.
Good to know thanks.
100% agree. We were able to nab a Camp Chef FTG600 griddle for $50(!) on clearance (it was a online order that was shipped to the wrong store) and it’s the best thing ever. The griddle top can be taken off so you can use it as a traditional grill but we haven’t tried that yet. Agree with your estimation of the cleanup time as well. We’ll never go back to a traditional grill again.
Yes being able to do breakfast on a griddle on a nice summer weekend morning is a game changer. So much easier than making breakfast on a stove or oven with a whole ton of pans and mess.
Also like you said doing hibachi or something like a lo mein is also awesome. Quesadillas, grilled cheese and smash burgers.
Himalayan salt block on a grill. Does a fantastic job. Just steel brush the salt block to clean it. Grill flavor and the ability to fry your burgers in bacon grease. 🤤🤤🤤
I have 3 grills and
I grill almost every dinner between March and October so I spend a lot of time using these three pieces of equipment.
1. Weber old school Charcoal Grill
I love charcoal grilling, but its a process to get the thing up to heat. Theres a pretty big learning curve to maintaining/controlling the heat, but its fun. If you have time, and want some good flavor, charcoal grills are the way to go. I find myself collecting a ton of different woods to add some smoke to the cooking.
2. Weber 3 burner propane grill
I've had the Weber propane grill for 4 years and I would say its about ready for a few small replacements with the internal hardware, but otherwise its built VERY well. Ive had other grills that have completely broken down after a few years of heavy use. The Weber holds its heat very well, and its pretty low maintenance (please clean your grease). It's a quick start, and clean each use and really is my goto for "quick" dinners. I rarely use the 3rd burner since it holds it's he
3. Recteq pellet grill/smoker
The recteq is built like a tank, it holds its heat like and oven, and its super easy to use. I bought it because its heavy duty enough to smoke in cold weather, and its pretty much foolproof. I would love to dedicate my time to maintaining a smoker all day, but time is money....So getting a pellet smoker will give you the smoked food you want, with little intervention.
If I were to give a suggestion to anybody who wants to up their grillingvgame - buy a higher end propane grill. If you want smokey flavor - you can always buy small smoke boxes to put on the grill while you're cooking. Also, cast iron surfaces are readily available for most grills...so if you want to add a griddle you can.
I had a Traeger, gave it to my Daughter and bought a Rec-Teq. I love the set it/forget it aspect of pellet grills and unlike my Traeger that topped out at 500* I can get that Rec Teq up to 650*.
As for service: Rec Teq is all direct and yes it is a stainless steel tank! I have had (2) service incidents. When first delivered the trucking company (Req Teq is all direct to consumer) drop shipped it damaged. So after dragging this monster to the back (no small feat) to open it up and see the damage I was not happy. The customer service answers live every time and they had a new one sent in 72 hours. Of course dragging beast back up the drive SUCKED. As for set up - very easy took 15 minutes.
The next year (on year 4) I forgot to cover the grill and left the pellet hopper opened when the rain hit. Completely my bad but the pellets clogged the feeder. Customer service stayed on the phone with me for 90 minutes (I am not a handy person) as they babied me through unclogging my grill.
The Rec Teq products (grill cover - sear products) are excellent quality and value. I highly reccommend this product.
I bought a 590 a few years ago. I ran into an issue and within 30 minutes I had 3 direct lines to someone and two guys gave me their cell numbers. Their customer service is top notch, and their product is really good. 99% of my cooks are on the RecTeq or Blackstone or both. The 590 has been a machine! Been thinking about adding a Weber* gasser but haven't really found a need for it.
*I love Weber products.
" you can always buy small smoke boxes to put on the grill while you're cooking"
This is the #1 trick I tell people all the time who are bouncing between propane and charcoal grills... if you want to smoke on a propane grill you can do it with $2.50 of materials from Dollar Tree (roll of aluminum foil to make a smoke box and a cheap Al pan to put under your meat to keep the juices available for basting), a basic knowledge of how read a thermometer, and some wood chips. On your basic 3 burner grill, put the Al foil smoker box you made over the direct heat (burner #1), put the foil pan over Burner #2 and 3 and adjust your propane dial on Burner 1 until you get the stable temperature you want.
Very happy with the Weber Genesis. Clean it once a year and change out grease bowl every month.
Posted in the Father's Day thread yesterday, but I'm looking at buying a Traeger-style wood pellet smoker. Rather than an actual Traeger, I'll probably save ~$100 and get the Victory version which was higher rated on BBQ Guys and functionally the same.
I'll also put in a plug for Gridiron Metal Works if you're looking to accessorize or put in a custom grill insert featuring your favorite school. I bought my father in law a custom spatula (he's an Aggie) a few years ago. It looked really sharp.
I have & love the Char Griller Duo with the firebox attachment for offset smoker. Gas side is great for weeknights/quick meals. Usually do charcoal or smoker on the weekends.
I wheeled my last rusted out gas grill to the curb 15 years ago. I replaced it with a large Green Egg that I absolutely love. Not only does everything taste much much better, but it is also much more fun to grill and/or smoke your favorite meats.
As an example, last night I cooked up a few NY Strips on the grill but used a cast iron pan in which I added some butter, garlic and fresh Thyme. High-end restaurant quality every time. One of the beauties of the Egg is that you can get that sucker up to 600-700 degrees to get that good crisp sear on the outside of the steaks.
I also have a custom table that the Egg gets dropped into to provide some much-needed counter space and areas to store your grilling tools.
If I could cook on only one device the rest of my life, it would be a Kamado grill (Big Green Egg, Kamado Joe, etc.). I smoke at 180-200F no problem with a single pile of real charcoal, and can alternatively crank it as high as 900F when I open all vents -- although I like to sear my steaks in the 650-700F range.
There is a thermo-fan regulator that lets me overnight my brisket or pork shoulders and get a good night sleep.
I'd like to smoke colder if I could, but when I drop to 160F the charcoal tends to go out. Other than that, it's the perfect device.
Sometimes I start it with a small kindling fire, but I love using an electric firestarter even more. 10-15 minutes and the charcoal is started, leave the vents open for 15 and it's good to go. Cannot recommend this more highly. Super efficient ceramic, tight seal, everything is easy cooked. Get an electric thermometer with an exterior wired probe and everything can be pulled at the exact moment for perfection.
I have a Napoleon Gas Grill - its fantastic - for day to day stuff. Gets crazy hot and crazy fast. I opted against the "searing station" as i felt it would probably "sear" my hand or my children's fingers more often than a steak.
I have a Big Green Egg. I don't use it as much anymore, but when I do, everyone flocks into town. Something cathartic about waking up extra early on the weekend (occasionally) and getting a smoker going in the backyard as I sit and relax smelling the gently smoke on the back deck, gazing into the woods. 3 hrs later, however, I'm tired as shit.
Second on the Napoleon, especially if you are going higher end. I researched a lot of high end grills before purchasing, and this brand came out on top. Actually has a light inside the grill (so does need to plug in) that is quite useful when the sun goes down sooner. The grill itself looks super sleek, and has all kinds of bells and whistles (including the burner dials going from blue to red when activated, easy to make sure you remembered to turn it off).
I have a natural gas line ran from my house, and the grill nestled in next to my patio stairs/kneewall on one side, and landscaping on the other. Have it on a bed of decorative little rocks (contained on one end by the patio stairs, and the other end with an ornamental limestone piece that is cemented in) so it doesn't drip all over the patio/take extra space.
I decided to go with the sear station model, it also has a rotisserie function 😀
I'm looking at the Napoleon Prestige because I really like the rear rotisserie burner on my current rusting out 20-year old Ducane, and almost nobody offers that feature today unless you're willing to either replace it every year or two on some POS made in China, or drop North of $2K.
I'm not sure what your goal is here - hot dogs and hamburgers, steaks, BBQ?
If it's the simple stuff, I've had a lot of luck with lower end Weber propane grills - I say lower end, but a lower end Weber will probably cost twice what they chain up outside your local Home Depot/Lowes. Propane is easy to control, heats up fast, and the Weber ones don't rust out in a year.
For steaks, I reverse sear by heating in the oven until about 118-120 F internal at 225-250 and sear over a simple charcoal chimney starter with a grate over it, right above the coals. Unbelievably simple, but perfect results every time, as long as you start the charcoal at a reasonable time - usually when steaks are running in the 70-80 deg range.
I personally only use charcoal for grilling the higher temperature when you need higher temperature, and don't understand why some people insist on trying to do as much as possible with charcoal when it isn't optimal. It can be finicky, some of the products produce a lot of smoke when starting, is useless if it hasn't burned long enough, can have inconsistent burn times or peak burn times, and has a relatively small window of optimum usage before burning out.
Smoking/BBQ is a whole separate topic depending on what you want to cook, how often you want to make adjustments and mess with your equipment during a cook, what quantities you want to cook, etc.
Big Green Egg as my primary (large) and I bought a small Blackstone for smashburgers, bacon, breakfast, etc.
I've played around with and even owned a Traeger and hated it. Flavor isn't there and it's just not the most authentic, 'fun' BBQ experience (although I see the appeal for people who don't want to do any work). I sold it pretty quickly.
I can't because it would belong in the Diary section of MgoBlog.
I won a Big Green Egg is a raffle about 5 years ago and holy shit - I would never have spent the money but now that I have one I would never go back. You don't have to buy BGE brand - the officia name is Komodo grill I think - Costco has a blue version.
I have three grill/smokers (and an Ooni Koda)
- a charcoal kettle with a SnS insert
- a gas grill
- Pit Barrel Cooker.
The gas grill is rarely used, generally only for grilled chicken breast (for salads if I'm working from home). I would love to get a freestanding griddle but don't think my wife would stand for a fifth cooker in our backyard. I am leaning towards getting a griddle insert to slide into the gas grill. I have a Lodge cast iron griddle I can use on the grill but it is too small to be of much use
But if you get a Weber kettle, it can pretty much do everything. It can direct grill, smoke, etc. When smoking things, I go back and forth between using the kettle and the PBC depending on what i'm feeling like... size is the only limitation if using a kettle to smoke, as I can't cook 6-8 racks of ribs in there like I can with the PBC
Things like a SnS can make smoking and indirect cooking a bit easier but not necessary. And if you use something like a chimney starter, it only takes like 15-20 min longer to start grilling than a gas grill.
If you can keep the propane grill and want a griddle, I'd lean more towards using that with a griddle insert (like a Steelmade or even a Weber insert) rather than having a griddle on a charcoal grill. You will want more control for a griddle and you don't need super high heat, so "converting" a meh gas grill to a griddle may be the best option
The PBC is a great (IMO, best) option for anyone aspiring to try smoking meats that wants to give it a real (IE, not a propane smoker or pellet smoker) try. Unfortunately, not quite as cheap as it was a few years ago. Still good value and the closest thing to "set and forget" you can get for smoking with charcoal outside of maybe a Weber Smokey Mountain, but the WSM is pretty limited on space.
Have a PBC Jr., it is great for chicken and ribs, but need sous vide first for briskets.
You shouldn't have to sous vide your briskets. Also, you will never achieve bark worth a shit if you are just heating up to eating temperature in the smoker after sous vide.
1.) Buy Prime. It isn't that much more expensive than select if you go to Costco/Sam's.
2.) Trim and dry brine 16-24 hours before cooking
3.) Wrap it after the stall is complete. I've smoked a lot of briskets. I've done no wrap, foil, and butcher paper. While I like the balance (keeping bark solid/still tender) of the butcher paper, I can honestly say nothing beats the tenderness of wrapping in foil. The key is knowing that it will overshoot, so you need to pull it just before it is done, not when it is done. For example, if you cook a brisket in foil all the way up to 203 deg, it will probably run up to almost 208 deg even after being removed from heat, which 99% of the time is too hot and can dry the meat out, even in foil. I usually pull them out around 197-8 or so, which will run up to just about 203 deg.
4.) Let it rest/keep in a cooler packed with towels for a minimum of an hour. Ideally, let it cool to around 170 deg before slicing.
All of you grilling experts with your fancy-schmancy equipment would laugh and point at my ridiculously low-tech setup.
I have an aging old-school Weber kettle and I use an aging old-school chimney charcoal starter filled with the cheapest Kingsford I can find. I keep an old stick from one of my trees to distribute the coals after I dump them from the chimney onto the bottom grill. I dump the ashes into a used paper shopping bag.
Mad respect to the Weber Kettles...nothing wrong with that!
This is the way to go right here, Don.
I had to leave my old Weber kettle grill I bought when I lived at A2 at my last place in Burlington because I don't have backyard access at my current place. Damn, I miss that grill. I never cleaned it and had just gotten it seasoned.
I have a Weber 3 burner propane for weekday grilling and a Weber kettle that I'm using more on the weekends for smoking and grilling.
I keep staring at the tabletop Blackstone setup and wondering if it's worth the discounted price compared to the full set up.
For charcoal, I have a Weber Performer. It uses a small propane tank for lighting the charcoal, so lighting is very easy. It also has bins to hold the charcoal, so it’s easy to get direct or indirect heat, as you choose.
For smoking, I have a Traeger. One thing to consider in choosing which brand to choose is that Traeger has excellent customer service. If you need help (which I did a few time when I first got it), you just call the toll-free number and someone will immediately answer and walk you through the process. Also you can control it from your phone at a distance. You can also use the Traeger as a grill (mine goes to 500 degrees), but I didn’t find it very satisfying. No smoke flavor at that temp. Might as well use your oven.