Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===

Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman wrote:
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===

In my order of preference..

Burners:
brass
stainless
cast iron

Grill:
cast iron
porcelain
stainless (3/8" or larger rods only)

When I bought mine last year I could find none that had both brass burners
and a cast iron grill so I got a Jenn-Air that had brass burners and
stainless for the grill. Figured it might be easier to change grills later
than it would be to change burners.

On May 7, 4:49 pm, "Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman"
wrote:
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I own a BroilMaster that I've had for over 10 years now. As of last
fall, it is out of service awaiting a new burner for $85 that I can't
quite bring myself to buy yet. It's a very high quality grill to last
that long - I do nothing to care for it and it is uncovered year round
in Michigan. This is the second time it's needed a burner since I
purchased it. But here's my opinion about what I think I know about...

Grates: Mine had porcelain covered cast iron. My wife did me a favor
and cleaned it once with the scraper end of the cleaning brush and
that did it for the porcelain - for over a year of use after that, I
had to be very regimented about cleaning multiple times before cooking
to ensure the porcelain chips didn't get in the food. Whenever the
grates expanded from the heat or contracted, fresh porcelain would
chip off. Now it's all worn off as much as it's going to be, but I'll
never get that type of grate again. Stainless is nice and would do
that if I had the money, but plain old cast is probably what I'd
settle for since it works well and lasts a long time. A friend has
heavy stainless rods (about 3/8" diameter) for a grate on a trailer
wood/charcoal grill - very sweet. Stays clean and easy to care for.
But too rich for me.

Burners: Realize you'll be replacing it every so often, so be aware of
how much they cost for your model. I think mine is stainless, but
obviously stainless will rust out under those extreme conditions.
Depending on how thick the cast iron burner is, it could be extremely
durable. I have a cast burner on a propane burner that is old as dirt
and still going. On the other hand, it gets crudded up and ideally I
should disassemble it every year and blast the junk out. It isn't easy
to disassemble and clean since it's heated/cooled so many times and
exposed to humidity.

Infrared: No idea. Keep in mind that you aren't going to get much
flavor out of a gas grill - only the smoke from the juices as they hit
the burner unless you toss in a smoker box (which will only provide
marginal flavor - that's not what a gas grill is designed for). The
ability to provide tons of even heat is the key. It should be designed
in a way that doesn't encourage flare ups. If there's a place in the
bottom for grease to pool up, that isn't good.

There are others here who know a lot more about it than me, but mainly
I wanted to provide you the info about the porcelain grates...

--Jeff

Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman wrote:
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===


Probably comes down to personal preference, use, frequency, location, etc.

I live in NY and my grill is outside, uncovered, and used all year.
(gasp, yes, even in winter)

Grill: Weber Genesis Silver B
SS burner
porcelain coated CI grates

9 years so far (heavy use) and the only thing I've done to it is to
replace the starter a month ago. I do need to get new grates shortly but
that's probably due to the fires that started before I had the WSM and
was trying to que in it...

Infared I can't comment on.

--
Steve

"Rick Brandt" wrote in message
Grill:
cast iron
porcelain
stainless (3/8" or larger rods only)

I'd put porcelain coated cast iron in the lead, providing they are heavy
weight.

Agree on the burners

Both my SS burners and coated CI grates are perfect after eight years.

On Wed 07 May 2008 05:32:45p, Steve Calvin told us...

Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman wrote:
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===


Probably comes down to personal preference, use, frequency, location,
etc.

I live in NY and my grill is outside, uncovered, and used all year.
(gasp, yes, even in winter)

Grill: Weber Genesis Silver B
SS burner
porcelain coated CI grates

9 years so far (heavy use) and the only thing I've done to it is to
replace the starter a month ago. I do need to get new grates shortly but
that's probably due to the fires that started before I had the WSM and
was trying to que in it...

Infared I can't comment on.

--
Steve

We had a Weber that we used and liked very much for 7-8 years but chose to
leave behind on a cross-country move. After we settled into our new place
we felt we shouldn't spend quite that much money on a new grill, so bought
a Brinkman instead. It's a larger grill than the Weber, has 4 cast iron
burners and porcelain coated cast iron grates. It also has a smoker drawer
to hold wood chips. After 6 years, it's still performing as well as the
Weber did. Brinkman grills are not always easy to find, but we'd try to
buy another one if we had to.

--
Wayne Boatwright
-------------------------------------------
Wednesday, 05(V)/07(VII)/08(MMVIII)
-------------------------------------------
Countdown till Memorial Day
2wks 4dys 2hrs 5mins
-------------------------------------------
If money could talk, it would say goodbye.
-------------------------------------------

Before you decide on a gas grill, have a look at the Weber Q series. they
have a range of sizes from the baby Q that'll cook for up to 4 people
comfortably up to the Q300 for large gatherings or families.

I bought a baby Q a year and a half ago just for me and the Mrs and it's one
of the best little grills around. Easy to use, easy to clean and very easy
on gas. Another good thang is that they are relatively portable and will fit
easily in your car. The Q220 & Q300 both have temp guages in the lid where
the smaller baby Q's don't.

well that's my 10 cents worth.....hope you find a good one!!

DJ

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
On Wed 07 May 2008 05:32:45p, Steve Calvin told us...

Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman wrote:
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===

Probably comes down to personal preference, use, frequency, location,
etc.
I live in NY and my grill is outside, uncovered, and used all year.
(gasp, yes, even in winter)

Grill: Weber Genesis Silver B
SS burner
porcelain coated CI grates

9 years so far (heavy use) and the only thing I've done to it is to
replace the starter a month ago. I do need to get new grates shortly but
that's probably due to the fires that started before I had the WSM and
was trying to que in it...

Infared I can't comment on.

--
Steve

We had a Weber that we used and liked very much for 7-8 years but chose to
leave behind on a cross-country move. After we settled into our new place
we felt we shouldn't spend quite that much money on a new grill, so bought
a Brinkman instead. It's a larger grill than the Weber, has 4 cast iron
burners and porcelain coated cast iron grates. It also has a smoker drawer
to hold wood chips. After 6 years, it's still performing as well as the
Weber did. Brinkman grills are not always easy to find, but we'd try to
buy another one if we had to.


We have a Brinkman, too. It's got 6 burners, a side burner and an ice
well. It's been in use for well over 3 years and the one time it gave us
a problem, we called the company and got excellent help.

It's large enough for me to use it as a smoker by putting the meat on
one side of the grill and lighting the other side.

It is rather large. It's name is "Grillzilla"

--
Janet Wilder
Bad spelling. Bad punctuation
Good Friends. Good Life

"Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===

If I were looking to buy a gas grill right now I'd look very strongly for
one that has one infrared burner under the grates for searing even though
Consumer Reports in this month's issue didn't agree. They say the infrared
grill isn't any hotter than regular propane. They left out infrared burner
designations for individual grills. They more or less equate porcelain CI
with stainless. I wouldn't agree with that. Their top rated grill is the
Genesis E320, which is larger than the Silver B and costs $650 down the
street. The Weber Esprit 310 has the same surface area and the same BTU
output as the Silver B. I think for most of us that's enough. You can get
coated CI grates on it when you buy it.

Their best buy choices a Blue Ember at Home Depot, Char-Broil Red at
Lowe's and the Brinkmann 810 at Home Depot. Their test of the Broil King
Signet resulted in the grill melting and they said run from it at all costs.

Like many, I'd buy another Weber if I were looking. My Silver B is still
cruising along.

Kent

"Steve Calvin" wrote in message
...
Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman wrote:
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===


Probably comes down to personal preference, use, frequency, location, etc.

I live in NY and my grill is outside, uncovered, and used all year. (gasp,
yes, even in winter)

Grill: Weber Genesis Silver B
SS burner
porcelain coated CI grates

9 years so far (heavy use) and the only thing I've done to it is to
replace the starter a month ago. I do need to get new grates shortly but
that's probably due to the fires that started before I had the WSM and was
trying to que in it...

Infared I can't comment on.

--
Steve

I agree. We've had a Weber Genesis Silver B for 15 years. All grills have
wear and tear items that have to be periodically replaced. Weber has
excellent customer service. A grill from China puchased from CostCo or
anywhere else may not be around when you need a part. The porcelain coated
cast iron grates are an abslolute must. Now I can almost sear a steak. It's
better than charcoal for fish. Stainless steel grates don't conduct heat,
and are much inferior to cast iron. Ironically, they are in the higher buck
grills.

I also think BBQ and More would be a good place to look. It's an Australian
Company and their grills are made there. I think they're going to be around
for a long time.

Kent

"Kent" wrote in message
If I were looking to buy a gas grill right now I'd look very strongly for
one that has one infrared burner under the grates for searing even though
Consumer Reports in this month's issue didn't agree. They say the infrared
grill isn't any hotter than regular propane. They left out infrared
burner designations for individual grills.

They are right, but they are wrong. Infrared may not be any hotter, but
there is more to cooking than just temperature. The way the heat is
transferred also makes a difference in how it performs certain functions.

I don't trust CR for things of that importance.

"Ray S. & Nayda Katzaman" wrote in message
...
Hi all,
Have been on the market for a new gas grill for the past few weeks and
it only gets more complicated. Have seen a couple that I like at BBQ
Galore (Capt'n Cook) that have cast iron burners, then a couple both
at Home Depot and Lowes with stainless steel burners, what is the
difference and which one is the better buy? Same thing for the
cooking grills, stainless steel, cast iron and porcelain covered cast
iron. Then I saw something new at Home Depot, their RED 3 or 4 Zone
Infrared grill. The flame never touches the cooking surface or food.

I did search Google, and now I am here for your expert advice. Many
thanks in advance.

Ray
===

Well can't claim to be an expert that's for sure, but I recently purchase
a new rig from Lowe's. It is a Char-Griller Duo that is both a gas grill
with side burner and a charcoal grill with a side fire box for smoking all
in one...

http://www.chargriller.com/pdf/duo_manual.pdf

their website:

http://www.chargriller.com/grills.html

I only have a dozen or so cooks on it so far, but it is fast becoming
my all time favorite rig. I frequently grill steaks on the gas side and the
cast iron grill sears them to perfection. It is a big rig but the price was
right for me. I have owned or own quite a few different grills like Weber,
Charbroil, Brinkman, etc... over the years. Except for longevity, which I
can not yet attest to, the Char-Griller Duo has out performed my
expectations.

Joseph

--

http://www.geocities.com/jrpitzner/BBQ

Brinkman Charcoal Smoker
Char-Griller Duo w/Side Fire Box

So I'm the only guy with issues with the coated cast iron grates?
Maybe I got a bad batch or something. Do you have to baby them when
you clean them up? It was happily using a wire grill brush until my
wife scraped them good with the grill scraper and they started flaking
off.

Also a comment was about SS not conducting heat properly - I don't
think SS is much different from CI in heat conduction, and I'd have to
assume CI conducts heat the same as coated CI (or worse - the coating
is an insulator). Could it be that the true issue has more to do with
thermal mass than heat conduction? A cast grate of any sort would have
a lot more mass than any other type, and when the food hit it, all
that heat would be waiting in reserve to do a nice sear.

--Jeff

JeffH wrote:
So I'm the only guy with issues with the coated cast iron grates?
Maybe I got a bad batch or something. Do you have to baby them when
you clean them up? It was happily using a wire grill brush until my
wife scraped them good with the grill scraper and they started flaking
off.

Dunno, I've had mine for 8 years - used year 'round in NY state. No
problems with them other than they are kinda "disintegrating" I think
just from overuse.

I never clean 'em when done with a cook. The next time I go to use it I
just turn all three burners on high for about 10 minutes or so and then
wire brush 'em.

If I'm doing something delicate like fish I'll hit 'em with a spray of
non-stick cooking oil but that's about it.

--
Steve

" JeffH wrote:
So I'm the only guy with issues with the coated cast iron grates?
Maybe I got a bad batch or something. Do you have to baby them when
you clean them up? It was happily using a wire grill brush until my
wife scraped them good with the grill scraper and they started flaking
off.

I bought coated CI grates for my Weber awhile back and was disappointed in
their performance. I couldn't tell any significant difference over the SS
grates that came with the grill. I did notice that after several use's tiny
spots of rust were appearing through the porcelain. I suspect at manufacture
that the grates were not free of oil/residue before the porcelain was
applied. I took them back for a refund and have used the original SS grates
ever since.