As the tile states; I want to buy a grill for July 4th. Have friends coming over and I don't want to be cheap, but don't want to spend too much either. I am thinking of going with gas over charcoal (Someone get Hank Hill on the phone)...

I'm not afraid of putting the grill through it's paces and I have a few recipes i want to try out, but i want to start on the right foot.

Help me ARFCOM GrillMeisters.

Webers are pretty good for the money....
What ya cooking on the 4th?

Weber would be my first choice... The one I got retailed for 400+ by got a floor model from WM for 150 since it was missing the ignitor. Its worth checking out.

I got 'a tell you:  Compared to charcoal grilling I absolutely hate the taste of gas-cooked food!  (To me gas-grilled food has a distinct metallic taste to it.)  I'll second a Weber Kettle.  We got the Performer Deluxe 22"; and I've learned how to cook like a professional chef with it.  

(Oh, wait!  I am an adult Sicilian male; so I SHOULD be able to cook like a professional chef!  I was born knowing how to cook; it's in my genes!)  

If your going gas, then just set your gas oven to 500 / broil and throw the food on the rack.

You do realize you can use charcoal and wood chips on most gas grills for flavor don't you?



 

Weber. Either gas or charcoal you can't go wrong. If on a tight budget, just check Craigslist for some use Weber goodness.

The usual - Hot dogs and burgers for the kids (not my kids) and some steaks for the adults.

If you are not very experienced at grilling it is hard to beat a holland grill. Very hard to burn things on there.

I would go for a Weber.  My last Weber lasted me 10 years and I just replaced it this year, not that I really even needed to, I just wanted a new one.

I have the three burner Weber Spirit, which is awesome and I would recommend it.  Cost is $550ish.  Or if you can afford a few hundred extra you could move up to a Weber Genesis depending on how big you want to go.

For me, the Spirit works well and will last many years if you take care of it.

Webber Genesis 330 IIRC. Has the sear station and 3 burners. Solid grill and will max the temp gauge in 12-15 minutes.

I have a wood chip box and works when I soak the chips. I got the copper color. Best grill yet.

get charcoal, webber kettle!

Same one I have except I got the stainless model, and mine plugs into a NG line from the house. Great grill.

 
The hell you say!  Wow, what a revelation!    

(Still doesn't taste anywhere near as good, though - Does it.)    

I think Weber is almost always the way to go. They cost more upfront but they last 2-3 times as long.

Gas vs Charcoal? I think they both have their place and because of that, I have both. Generally speaking charcoal grills do impart a better flavor (assuming you don't use lighter fluid - if you go charcoal, get a charcoal chimney) but depending on what your cooking, the difference isn't enough IMO to go through the extra time it takes to get a charcoal grill going. For short cooks (burgers, dogs, chicken breasts, etc.) I usually use my gas grill (Weber EP-330) but for longer cooks (whole chickens, leg of lamb, BBQ, etc.) I use my Weber Performer kettle or Jumbo Joe.

The Weber Jumbo Joe may actually be a good place for you to start? Its a damn good portable Weber kettle that can be had for $60 BNIB. Don't let the price or size fool you. The JJ is just as good as their larger models and big enough to cook a fair amount of food on but still small enough to put away when not in use or to take camping. Its a small investment to see how you like cooking with charcoal and you can always add a gasser later (or a bigger Kettle if you decide you really like charcoal).

Also watch your local Craigslist. There are always smoking deals on Webers there (gas and charcoal). One of the things I love about Webers is you can always get parts for them, even for grills that are 10 or 15 years old. Most other grills are only good for 3-5 years and then you throw them out. Many people have made a hobby of finding old Webers on Craigslist for next to nothing and refurbishing or restoring them.

I have the EP-330 (same grill except it has SS flavorizer bars and SS grates). Great grill but might be a little much for a first grill? The sear station is great and while I use to think side burners were stupid, I now use mine all of the time. As for smoke, if you get large enough pieces of wood, you can lay them right on the flavorizer bars and get all the smoke you could want

Gas is for inside.....Charcoal for outside.....It's really that simple

Care for a side-by-side blind comparison?

I bet I can confuse the hell out of you without even trying, just normal grilling... 50/50 chance you'll like the gas-grilled food over the charcoal or can't even tell a difference. Let me know when you'll be over...

Yea but you dont get near the smoke out of them because they burn clean due to the excessive oxygen. In a webber kettle there isnt enough oxygen to support a flame so they smolder wich produces a lot more heavy smoke. Then when you cook a steak for a short period of time with the weak smoke output of a gas grill burning chips, you get hardly any smoke flavor.

that. IF you really mean you want a grill and not a BBQ. Its damn nice and has ALL the deluxe features.



 

Wood pellet.  I just got a green mountain grill Daniel boon size.  OMG this puts out fucking great product!

Look at Weber performer or the gold you won't regret it!!




as a competitive cook and BBQ shack owner I'll take you up on that. I'll PM you may address and also let you know when I'm in the states to compete.... lets say my plane ticket for stake? Gas can not compete with charcoal of any kind... facts are facts.... best brisket cook in US uses wood.... best whole hog.... wood, best pork ... once again wood.... there is a reason lol

Clint

Yep and for the hundreds of teams I have seen on the competition circuit RARELY do you see a gas grill/smoker (at least one that wins).

Also, cheap gas grills from the big box stores are notorious for rusting from the inside out.  They may be shiny stainless steel on the outside, but the innards are junk and will last a year or two even if you cover it up--and even if you can get the parts, they cost just as much as the new [junk] grill.  A good charcoal kettle like a Weber will last a very long time and all replacement parts are low cost and easy to get.  A kamado style grill is quite a bit more, but since they're ceramic, they'll last forever and use very little charcoal.

Gas not charcoal, charcoal not gas; you guys talk like it's an either or situation.
I say get one now and add to your collection with the other later.  You've got to
have both if you're going to be a true manly outdoor chef.    

And the gas has it's place you purists.  Great for throwing that meat on and
cooking real fast when you're in a hurry and don't want to mess with the charcoal.
Like during the week.

Primo ceramic or similar nothing else comes close.  The heat range and ability to hold the moisture is so far above and beyond.
It is truly a buy once cry once purchase.  
 I have a Primo Lg round and with good lump hardwood charcoal I can easly hit 750deg and properly sear a steak.
Hate to be a snob but gas grills are for hot dogs and that includes the infrared versions.
 I still have love for my old Webber but I'd buy the Acorn Kamado if the Primo or BGE were out of budget


FYI for the gas is quick guys. Using lump charcoal and a Mapp/pro gas torch I can be up to temp in less than 10min.
I only run the torch for about 45-60sec then close the lid and walk away.
  Very little ash is left after a cook and I only need to fill with charcoal every 3-4 cooks

Lets get a few things cleared up.

First and foremost, when you say "wood", do you mean wood or charcoal or some combination of both?

Second, lets not forget the OP is looking for a GRILL, not a smoker.

You're a BBQ shack owner, which screams smoker, you go on to reference best brisket, best whole hog, best pork (ribs or pulled I presume) as evidence that gas can't compete, but those are all meats that are cooked on smokers... they are cooked on smokers for a reason.

I'm a man as much as any, and I love to cook man-style, which means I have a grill, and 2 smokers (both of which I made). My UDS smoker is charcoal powered, my big smoker (400 lb capacity) is tri-fuel, it has a charcoal grate, home-made LP burner, and a firebox for indirect wood-heat. I completely understand the advantage that wood/charcoal cooking provides. That advantage is primarily provided in low & slow cooking; how ribs, pulled-pork, brisket, & whole-hog are all cooked. For grilling (hot & fast) the heat-source doesn't matter much, it's primary purpose is heat, very little flavor is actually derived from the source of the heat. As a matter of fact, for hot & fast cooking the food has so little time to absorb any "flavor" from the aromatic compounds of wood smoke, most of the smoke is provided from the drippings coming into contact with the heat source and turning to smoke (this phenomenon can be found on gas & charcoal grills alike) and most of that smoke breezes right past the meat on it's way out of the grill. Most of the flavor comes from the Maillard reaction on the surface of the meat which is often enhanced by the charred grill-marks seared in by the hot grates.

Further-more, charcoal has an infinitesimally small amount of the aromatic smoke compounds left in it from the wood that if you're counting on charcoal alone to give you good flavor a guy with a gas grill and a bag of wood-chips can easily out-do you...

Oh, my grill: it's gas... I've had charcoal grills in the past, but when I'm grilling things I want the convenience of gas and even without wood-chips the flavor difference isn't noticeable. The care you put into the meat from purchasing & prepping right up to taking it off the grill have MORE to do with the taste than ANY heat source will ever have to do with it. FWIW, I'm not a competitive BBQ person; I cook for fun and doing that would take the fun out of it for me, plus I don't have time for it, I have a family. I'd much rather just cook for friends/family, and I've been told by several of them that I need open my own restaurant and one of them swears he's hiring me as his personal chef if he ever hits it big... GASP, from a gas grill? But, but, but, gas grills can't possibly turn out good food.



You speak the truth!!!

The gas vs. charcoal debate will go on forever, but:

The guy is looking for a something in the couple hundred dollar range.......any gas grill in that range is going to be a total POS.  It's going to look shiny on the outside, and be barebones crap on the inside.  It will rust out in two year unless you clean it and keep it inside.  We went through one every two years at work even though it was on a covered patio and kept covered up--the company would never spring more than $299, so that's what we always got from the Lowe's up the street.

For a couple hundred bucks you can get a very nice charcoal grill that will last MUCH longer.  You can use it as a smoker and will have more versatility than a gas grill.  Try not to buy the ones from the big box stores, go to the local fireplace / grill stores--same size/model but a different part number.  Grill companies, just like tool, garage door, window, etc companies make cheap crap models for the big box stores since those stores only name the price they'll pay.

And if you get a charcoal grill, use all natural domestic hardwood lump charcoal.  You'll find floor and molding scrap in the cheap stuff, or weird flavors and smells from some of the stuff from South & Central America.  Find something available local and made in the US.  Light it with a torch, then if you want to accelerate the process, hit it with a hairdryer or battery powered fan (BBQ Dragon or Looftlighter are the fancy ones.)

Don't buy the $4 bag of match lightable briquettes, because now you're cooking with softwood sawdust, starch, anthracite, lime, borax, sodium nitrate, that's all soaked in petroleum.   The "competition variety" smells better because they keep a lot of that crap out, but they still produce a ton of ash and produce less BTU's by weight because of all the fillers and binders in them.  Good lump gives you a much wider temp range, you use less of it, and it hardly produces an ash.  Take a look at Whiz's Lump Charcoal Database for a ranking of the 100+ brands out there.  Not sure what's available in AZ, but you should be able to find domestic lump like Royal Oak at Home Depot if you don't want to mail order the premium stuff.

After looking at the fact the OP said inexpensive the above poster was right on about the gas grills in that price range.
Isn't the orginal Weber silver like $149?
 For all the charcoal guys if you are still using briquettes stop.  Royal Oak natural lump is $12 for a 25lbs bag at Home Depot.
It lights fast and easy with a gas torch it burns hotter ( if needed)and leaves very little ash.
    It makes having a charcoal grill much more user friendly.
Briquettes with fluid and your looking at 25-30min Lump and torch 10min at least in a Kamado

 Publix Greenwise,Whole Foods Lump and Royal Oak are good easy to find brands
Cowboy and non USA Frontier are not that great id avoid those unless that's all you have access to.

I picked up my used Weber that had new burners within a year of when I bought it for $75 on craigslist, 6 years later it's still chugging along nicely. I've replaced flavorizer bars and side tables (wood ones eventually rotted out).

Just because he has a low budget doesn't mean his only options are charcoal or garbage brand gas, he just has to look in the used market. As a matter of fact, a quick craigslist search in my area reveals numerous older Weber Genesis grills for less than $100.

There is even a Weber Summit 6 burner (plus side and sear burner), which is a $2500 grill today, on there for $400 but it's natural gas and I'm pretty sure it will be costly to convert.

I am biased no doubt but I agree a used Genesis would be better than a new box box store gas grill.

  I just hate that so many people don't know how to efficiently use Charcoal and use Gas even though they would prefer not to.
I love to BBQ and I probably take it a little to serious.  

Bingo!

Using charcoal efficiently! With my Weber Kettle I can turn it on and off like gas. I just light it and when finished close it off and the fire goes out. About every 6-8 grilling sessions I have to clean out and start all over with all fresh charcoal. In between its just adding a few briquettes...

Best Ribs in Town 2014

Yeah so many people say that charcoal takes too long to start, but I average 5 minutes, maybe 10, max.  Blast the lump with a weed burner or torch.  Some will spray a little rubbing alcohol, hit them with a heat gun, or use an electric coil........doesn't matter, whatever it takes to get some heat on the lump that over about 600F and you're good.  Once you light it, a battery powered fan can help spread the fire faster if or you can use a hair dryer if you're really in a hurry.  BBQ Dragon is a cool toy for that.  I'm not really into the Looftlighter since it's just a fancy heat gun for $100.

The half used lump lights faster since it's almost 100% carbon at that point and all the pores are open.  Blast that stuff, then top off with some new lump.....prep your food, then you're ready to go.  When your done cooking, close the lid and vents and the fire will snuff out.  Briquettes seem to break up more after they've been partially used--the lump seems to hold together better until all the BTU's are used up.

How is charcoal used efficiently?

I've never found a speedy & easy way to get it lit except by using a chimney or lighter fluid (no thanks), am I missing something?

FWIW, I can light my weber, and less than 5 minutes later it's 550+ degrees and ready for burgers/steaks/chicken. The lighting process involves: open tank valve, turn on 3 burner-valves, push igniter button. Maybe it's just laziness on my part but to me charcoal involves: grab torch, charcoal, chimney, newspaper; put charcoal in chimney, stuff newspaper underneath, light, wait ~5 minutes for charcoal to get going then dump, put away torch, charcoal, & chimney.

Doesn't seem like a lot of extra work until you grill 2-4 nights a week with a busy work/home life already and the process of lighting a charcoal grill just takes additional steps/time.

I will caveat this with the fact that a charcoal grill with a propane igniter (they do make these IIRC) would eliminate most of the issues I have with inconvenience of charcoal but I still don't think it's enough to get me to switch. I like the fact that I can change heat level anywhere I want on my grill with the turn of a knob; with charcoal you have to move coals around to change heat levels and that often entails lifting the grate etc (more tedious).

The Weber kettle I have is one with the little propane bottle that is supposed to be used to light the charcoal.  It worked very
briefly until the juices from cooking combined with ash and plugged up the burner.  I didn't use it but a couple of times.  More
trouble than it is worth.  Good concept though, just needs to be improved.

I ignored the advice years ago and bought a Kenmore instead of a Weber. I ended up replacing the burners twice and the heat shields twice. The bottom rusted out and now it barely get ups to temp.

Buy once, cry once. Get a Weber.

My next one will be with the cast iron grates, fuck the stainless steel shit.

Dump a layer in your grill, then blast it with a weed burner or use a handheld torch for 30 second to a minute.  Let the fire spread over the next 5-10 minutes and you're good to go.

You can also plunge one of those electric coil starters underneath the charcoal for about 10 minutes.

Some people like those starter cubes, but you can just soak a paper towel in cooking oil or squirt some rubbing alcohol on the charcoal.

You can hold a heat gun to the charcoal for about two minutes, that will get it going.

Once it's lit, a battery powered fan, hair dryer, or a product called the "BBQ Dragon" will blow air on the fire and help it spread faster.

Chimney starter works just fine, but if you want to do it faster, here are your options.

**BTW, this was all with lump charcoal......briquettes are harder to light if they're not soaked in lighter fluid.  Imagine trying to light a piece of Masonite vs. chunks of rough cut dry hardwood.  Briquettes are compressed, and burn from the outside layer in.  Lump charcoal has millions of pores......so the O2 has access an exponential amount surface area over a briquette that's all pressed together with starch and lime filling those pores.  High carbon content (premium) lump charcoal can have a surface area averaging 250 square meters per gram--it's that porous.

  There are a few ways to be more efficient.
First natural lump lights way easier and faster than briquettes plus it will burn hotter.
A mapp gas torch is my method but I admit I like to play with fire.
Other ways are the chimney, electric starter or you can add a single propane burner to get the fire going.
     The key is good natural lump.  Is it as fast as gas of course not. Is it at least twice as fast as briquettes you bet.
Honestly the mapp gas IMO is the fastest.
 The Kamado grills light really fast due to the design I encourage you to try one I doubt you'll not want one after.
The Acorns are $300 for those on a budget and the Lg Primo and BGE are $800-900 depending on what deals you find.

Thanks for the responses on procedures for lighting charcoal; certainly numerous ideas that could potentially speed up the process...

Lump is primarily what I use; the only time I use briquettes is when I smoke pork butts in my UDS and that is because I can't get the lump to burn for the 16 hrs needed for large butts where-as the briquettes will.

Regarding your "if you want to do it faster here are your options" do you keep all that extra "starting equipment" at your grill or do you get it out each time?

I'm trying to envision myself preparing to light a charcoal grill "faster" or more "efficiently" and every time it involves "go here and get this, go there and get that, go to this place and get this stuff, then go outside and spend 2 minutes lighting the fire that still takes 5+ minutes to warm up". My process for lighting the gas grill involves "go outside, turn gas on, hit igniter, go back inside" It takes ~1 minute of my time from start to finish and the grill takes care of itself while I'm inside prepping the rest of the stuff that goes on.

Just to be clear, I'm not a charcoal hater, I simply appreciate the time & convenience advantage of a gas-grill and I don't notice a difference between the 2 when cooking things like burgers/steaks/chicken. I have a disdain for the folks that look down their noses on those that do use a gas grill. As a matter of fact, I generally have a disdain for anybody that looks down their nose at other's decisions on what tools/equipment/etc they choose to buy/use as if they know what criteria the other judges their tools on. In the end we may just have to agree to disagree on things; if a guy wants to use charcoal and he thinks he gets better flavor or anything of the sort, more power to him, I don't care one way or the other. I'll happily use a charcoal grill just as readily as a gas grill but for the sake of my time and convenience I don't see that any advantage the charcoal could have as outweighing the advantage the gas has...

Yep, get both!  I have both... I also have AR's and AK's, and I like chili with or without beans!  



On a side not, I am looking to get a new gas grill.  It's going to be a Weber.



 

I have three BGE's on my deck and a Rebel23 underneath.  I keep a propane tank with weed burner right in the middle.  That's my single lighting component.  So it's not like I have an arsenal of crap laying everywhere.  I just got a case of BBQ Dragon fans so I swiped one to try out......I'll keep that in the cabinet just inside the door, but I don't see myself using it every time--just if I'm in a hurry.

I'm surprised that your lump is only lasting 16 hrs......  I can go 30 hrs at 225 in a BGE, but I have plenty of friends with UDS's that have no problem going 24 hrs on lump.  What brand are you using?  Might try to give one of the premium brands a run and see if you can get a longer cook out of it.

I agree with you on the last paragraph.....not knocking gas, I just hate it went inexperienced BBQ'ers immediately knock charcoal saying "I'm not waiting a half hour for it to light!!"  I can also absolutely tell the taste difference though when it comes to burgers, steak, etc.  It's not to do with wood vs. gas taste, it's the miallard reaction.  I'll sear at 800-900F+ which is a lot hotter than standard gas grill can ever get.  That seals up the meat and gets that great crust.  Sear on both sides, the shut the fire down as the meat rests.  Finish it indirect.  Anytime I have anything someone else grills at 400-500, it's just a boring piece of meat without any texture or levels of flavor.

I really love my Weber Genesis.

I do competition BBQ too (and chili) and like was said above, I can make it so that you can't tell the difference. You believe what you want to believe.



 

Yep just like McDonald's has its place when time saved out weighs quality.

Useing charcoal can be just as easy if you can manage your time. Lite the charcoal first. That way it's getting ready while your preparing the rest of the meal.

If you really do keep your "quick-ignition source" right by your grills that's great! But some people either can't due to theft concerns, won't because they need those items elsewhere, or simply don't because they have other priorities. Sounds like you have some serious money wrapped up in grilling stuff...


I'm using Royal Oak; I've been using Royal Oak lump since before it was even widely known or available (at least in my area). I'm sure basket size has a lot to do with length of burn as well. My basket is quite large, but for your friends to be getting 24 hrs out of lump in a UDS is pretty remarkable by all accounts I've seen.


There are gas grills that rival that temp for searing... the newer higher end Weber models even come with sear stations built in, which entails an extra burner tucker in between two of the others to provide a VERY hot spot for searing. Considering my old Weber with no sear station can easily reach 550-600 at the lid, I would say it can reach 700 at the grates pretty easily. I can't say for certain what a newer model with sear-station reaches at the grates but I would say it's probably pretty close to your preferred 8-900 sear temperature.

This is the ultimate agree to disagree thread as bad as any AK vs AR or 1911 vs Glock
I do think we can agree that not all gas and charcoal grills are created equal.

If I only have $150-200 and a killer deal isn't on craigslist for a used Webber genesis I am going webber kettle for $99 and a ton of lump.
If the deal for a high end gas is available then so be it for those that need the extra couple min.
IMO there isn't a new gas grill in the $150-300 that's worth owning while a Webber classic Silver kettle is awesome for $99
As another poster said it best. Turn your oven to broil it's the same thing as gas.


    Being objective if all I cooked was hot dogs and Bubba burgers gas would be fine.
I don't mean that to be condescending as that is most of what my friends cook

 

Bought a Sam's club brand propane.
Made sure that the burners were cast iron.
> ten years and still going strong.

Had a major brand with aluminum burners.
Burners needed replacing every 3-4 years.

I was going to give you a big QFT until I got to the part about turning your oven to broil, I'll certainly disagree with that statement...

I'm also curious what is a "Bubba burger" and how does it differ from a hamburger?

   I am just joking around about using the oven I am easy going but a bit sarcastic.  Cooking outside is always great.
Anyway Bubba burgers are a frozen pre made patty that you can buy in any grocery store around here .  They are not to bad if I am being honest and they come in a few different styles.
         I did read up on the Genesis and if I were buying a gas grill they look to be way better than most the other stuff out there.
 I wounder if the OP bought a grill yet or we scared him away

I can agree with that... you will find no such burgers in my home. Only burgers you'll find here is ground beef from the cow I get butchered every year and I press my own patties... simple season them with lowry's & fresh ground black pepper, then on the grill...

There are also several professional gas grills that compete with or out-do the Genesis but they are all $$$$; the Genesis is the best bang for you buck when it comes to get a grill that can compete with a professional gas grill at a reasonably affordable price.

Weber 22.5in kettle and a chimney starter. Simple and getting the coals ready is pretty simple and you don't have to use lighter fluid.

When I want to grill I get the chimney going then go inside and get the food ready. Takes about 15min for the coals to be ready.

If you want simple that's the way to go. IMO.