We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.

wrote:

We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.

What kind of grill? Charcoal or gas?



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

"Default User" wrote in news:48j4ufFk8htcU1
@individual.net:

wrote:

We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.

What kind of grill? Charcoal or gas?

He said barbecue - obviously he means charcoal.

wrote in message
...
We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.

In that price range, they are all pretty much the same so buy what is on
sale. Great for hot dogs, not so great for any serious cooking. Chicken
will flare up and burn, burgers will flare up from the dripping fat.

If you can go $500 then you get into the smaller Weber sizes and much better
quality. If you can go $750 and up, we can get serous about outdoor
cooking.

Barry Bean wrote:

"Default User" wrote in news:48j4ufFk8htcU1
@individual.net:

wrote:

We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a
number of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price
range.

What kind of grill? Charcoal or gas?

He said barbecue - obviously he means charcoal.

You'd think that, wouldn't you? Best to check though.



Brian

--
If televison's a babysitter, the Internet is a drunk librarian who
won't shut up.
-- Dorothy Gambrell (http://catandgirl.com)

Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

wrote in message
...

We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.


In that price range, they are all pretty much the same so buy what is on
sale. Great for hot dogs, not so great for any serious cooking. Chicken
will flare up and burn, burgers will flare up from the dripping fat.

If you can go $500 then you get into the smaller Weber sizes and much better
quality. If you can go $750 and up, we can get serous about outdoor
cooking.



$400 or so will get you a Weber. You can get a cheaper grill but I can
tell you from experience that you really do get what you pay for.

Years ago, I went through my share of Sunbeams, etc. at the rate of
about one per year with frequent, year round, use in the northern
climate - snow included. They took three hours to assemble but that
might have changed by now.

When I bought my first Weber gas grill I was hesitant to drop that kind
of money on something that used to cost me $100. The Weber took 15
minutes to assemble and lasted about six years. I bought another that I
still have today. While my usage has shifted more to the WSM charcoal
smoker/grill, it doesn't change the fact that the Weber gas grill is
still alive and kicking and ready for quick burgers.

It's simple economics - pay now or pay more later.

Dan

"Dan Krueger" wrote in message

It's simple economics - pay now or pay more later.

More than that. Pay a little more now and have a tool that is much easier to
use and improves the quality of the finished product.

wrote:
We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.

When I was looking for a grill last summer, I searched this newsgroup
and other places and no matter how hard I looked I kept seeing WEBER
come up. Since I did not want to spend $1500 I went and got a Weber
Genesis Silver B last August. I can tell you I could not be more happy
with it. I have been grilling non-stop ever since. (And judging from
the contents on this newsgroup my next thing to try is a WSM or similar
and get into some real BBQ).

Anyway IMHO the grill is worth every penny and although it is a gas
grill what that means is then even with two small kids I still can get
home from work at 6, grill some nice chicken, veggies, steak, or
whatever and still have the kids fed, bathed, and down for the night by 8.

I still have a Weber Kettle grill (like $80) which I use on occasion but
for the Tuesday night meal the gas grill can't be beat, we use it up to
3 or 4 times per week.

Although I have not had to use them Weber customer service is supposedly
exemplary and for the money (I paid 499 at home depot) it sure seems
that this grill will last me a long time.

When I was looking around this grill seems to be the clear winner in
this newsgroup, but there are others too (Vermont Castings and few
others that some people give high ratings) mentioned as well. Anyway as
everyone says you can buy one for 200 and then buy another one for 200
in 3 years or you can spend 499 on a Weber (or one of the others) and
still be using it in 12 years.

One last note, at this price level Weber has the Genesis Silver A model
which is the same as the Silver B but smaller area and it only has 2
burners instead of 3. My cousin has one and it too is a nice grill (I
have used it at parties at her house), I think for the extra $100 the
added flexibility with the other burner and the larger grate area really
is worth it.

Good luck!
Eric

"Eric" wrote in message
m...
wrote:
We have been looking to buy a new outdoor grill. We have looked at
Sears, Lowes and Walmart. Our budget is $200 and there are a number
of options. I just wondered what is the best in that price range.

When I was looking for a grill last summer, I searched this newsgroup and
other places and no matter how hard I looked I kept seeing WEBER come up.
Since I did not want to spend $1500 I went and got a Weber Genesis Silver
B last August. I can tell you I could not be more happy with it. I have
been grilling non-stop ever since. (And judging from the contents on this
newsgroup my next thing to try is a WSM or similar and get into some real
BBQ).

Anyway IMHO the grill is worth every penny and although it is a gas grill
what that means is then even with two small kids I still can get home from
work at 6, grill some nice chicken, veggies, steak, or whatever and still
have the kids fed, bathed, and down for the night by 8.

I still have a Weber Kettle grill (like $80) which I use on occasion but
for the Tuesday night meal the gas grill can't be beat, we use it up to 3
or 4 times per week.

Although I have not had to use them Weber customer service is supposedly
exemplary and for the money (I paid 499 at home depot) it sure seems that
this grill will last me a long time.

When I was looking around this grill seems to be the clear winner in this
newsgroup, but there are others too (Vermont Castings and few others that
some people give high ratings) mentioned as well. Anyway as everyone says
you can buy one for 200 and then buy another one for 200 in 3 years or you
can spend 499 on a Weber (or one of the others) and still be using it in
12 years.

One last note, at this price level Weber has the Genesis Silver A model
which is the same as the Silver B but smaller area and it only has 2
burners instead of 3. My cousin has one and it too is a nice grill (I
have used it at parties at her house), I think for the extra $100 the
added flexibility with the other burner and the larger grate area really
is worth it.

Good luck!
Eric

I agree wholeheartedly with Eric. The Silver Genesis B is not hot enough to
grill a steak "char-rare" as I like it, but it is good at everything else.
It is especially good for grilling fish. Grilling fish with the charcoal
Weber is difficult; it flakes and falls apart into the coals. The charcoal
kettle works OK with halibut or seabas. As with Eric, I have found their
customer service excellent from the phone to the front door with the
replacement part.
I haven't tried "smoking with gas" with the B leaving one burner on and
using either a smoking box or foil. I would like to hear from anyone who has
done this successfully.
More Good Luck,
Kent

Kent wrote:
I haven't tried "smoking with gas" with the B leaving one burner on and
using either a smoking box or foil. I would like to hear from anyone who has
done this successfully.
More Good Luck,
Kent


I started doing ribs in the Silver B like you indicate. One
burner on and temp around 250-275dF It works ok. Problem is
that after a while you'll get a grease build up in the
bottom of the unit that'll have to be cleaned out. RPITA

I got the WSM that now sits beside my Gen. B and my only
complaint about it is that I didn't get it sooner. Both are
used year round here in upstate NY.


--
Steve
Dumb sign # 27: On a restroom dryer at O'Hare Field in
Chicago: Do not activate with wet hands.

Steve Calvin wrote:

Kent wrote:

I haven't tried "smoking with gas" with the B leaving one burner on
and using either a smoking box or foil. I would like to hear from
anyone who has done this successfully.
More Good Luck,
Kent


I started doing ribs in the Silver B like you indicate. One burner on
and temp around 250-275dF It works ok. Problem is that after a while
you'll get a grease build up in the bottom of the unit that'll have to
be cleaned out. RPITA


I clean mine about twice a year and it takes all of 10 minutes. Remove
the grates, scrape the crap into the pan with a putty knife, and replace
the pan and grates. It doesn't have to been perfectly clean.

Dan

Dan Krueger wrote:

I started doing ribs in the Silver B like you indicate. One burner on
and temp around 250-275dF It works ok. Problem is that after a while
you'll get a grease build up in the bottom of the unit that'll have to
be cleaned out. RPITA


I clean mine about twice a year and it takes all of 10 minutes. Remove
the grates, scrape the crap into the pan with a putty knife, and replace
the pan and grates. It doesn't have to been perfectly clean.

Dan

I agree, it's not difficult. Just a pita that I didn't want
to continue. The WSM works worlds better anyhow. *No*
comparison in the results from the methods.


--
Steve
Dumb sign # 27: On a restroom dryer at O'Hare Field in
Chicago: Do not activate with wet hands.

Steve Calvin wrote:
Dan Krueger wrote:

I started doing ribs in the Silver B like you indicate. One burner on
and temp around 250-275dF It works ok. Problem is that after a while
you'll get a grease build up in the bottom of the unit that'll have
to be cleaned out. RPITA


I clean mine about twice a year and it takes all of 10 minutes.
Remove the grates, scrape the crap into the pan with a putty knife,
and replace the pan and grates. It doesn't have to been perfectly clean.

Dan


I agree, it's not difficult. Just a pita that I didn't want to continue.
The WSM works worlds better anyhow. *No* comparison in the results from
the methods.



I also have both. The gas grill is great for some things...

Dan

I agree wholeheartedly with Eric. The Silver Genesis B is not hot enough to
grill a steak "char-rare" as I like it, but it is good at everything else.
It is especially good for grilling fish. Grilling fish with the charcoal
Weber is difficult; it flakes and falls apart into the coals. The charcoal
kettle works OK with halibut or seabas. As with Eric, I have found their
customer service excellent from the phone to the front door with the
replacement part.
I haven't tried "smoking with gas" with the B leaving one burner on and
using either a smoking box or foil. I would like to hear from anyone who has
done this successfully.
More Good Luck,
Kent



Kent,

I use a foil packet of wood chips (mostly hickory) almost every time I
grill something that takes longer than about 10 min to cook. It works
nicely I think. I used to live in Austin and I have had my share of TX
brisket and smoked sausage, chicken and turkey. So I would be lying if I
said using some wood chips gives you the full-on smoked flavor, but I do
think it adds quite a lot to just plain grilled foods.

In fact just last weekend I brined and then cooked a whole bone-in
turkey breast on the Weber Silver B and it was fantastic. I use a large
foil packet of soaked hickory chips while I did it. I just brined the
turkey breast about 12-14 hours. I heated the grill as high as it could
with the chips on there until they started smoking (took about 20 min to
start smoking, and just so you know they do not smoke that much but only
a little is all you need). Then I turned down the heat rubbed the
turkey with oil and some dry rub and cooked indirect for about 2 or 3
hours at about 350. It came out great and had a mild but nice smoke
flavor to it.

I also have done ribs, pork loin and some other stuff using wood chips
and we have enjoyed them all. Of course it is not like smoking a
brisket for 9 hours but it does add some depth to things done on the grill.

Try it and you'll like it I am sure. BTW as far as I can tell some foil
with a few small holes poked in it is all you need to add smoke flavor,
the smoking boxes just cost money and don't add too much, seems to me.

Thanks all,
Eric

"Eric" wrote in message
m...
I agree wholeheartedly with Eric. The Silver Genesis B is not hot enough
to grill a steak "char-rare" as I like it, but it is good at everything
else. It is especially good for grilling fish. Grilling fish with the
charcoal Weber is difficult; it flakes and falls apart into the coals.
The charcoal kettle works OK with halibut or seabas. As with Eric, I
have found their customer service excellent from the phone to the front
door with the replacement part.
I haven't tried "smoking with gas" with the B leaving one burner on and
using either a smoking box or foil. I would like to hear from anyone who
has done this successfully.
More Good Luck,
Kent



Kent,

I use a foil packet of wood chips (mostly hickory) almost every time I
grill something that takes longer than about 10 min to cook. It works
nicely I think. I used to live in Austin and I have had my share of TX
brisket and smoked sausage, chicken and turkey. So I would be lying if I
said using some wood chips gives you the full-on smoked flavor, but I do
think it adds quite a lot to just plain grilled foods.

In fact just last weekend I brined and then cooked a whole bone-in turkey
breast on the Weber Silver B and it was fantastic. I use a large foil
packet of soaked hickory chips while I did it. I just brined the turkey
breast about 12-14 hours. I heated the grill as high as it could with the
chips on there until they started smoking (took about 20 min to start
smoking, and just so you know they do not smoke that much but only a
little is all you need). Then I turned down the heat rubbed the turkey
with oil and some dry rub and cooked indirect for about 2 or 3 hours at
about 350. It came out great and had a mild but nice smoke flavor to it.

I also have done ribs, pork loin and some other stuff using wood chips and
we have enjoyed them all. Of course it is not like smoking a brisket for
9 hours but it does add some depth to things done on the grill.

Try it and you'll like it I am sure. BTW as far as I can tell some foil
with a few small holes poked in it is all you need to add smoke flavor,
the smoking boxes just cost money and don't add too much, seems to me.

Thanks all,
Eric

Eric, thanks for your reply,
Do you place the foil wrapped wood on the directly heated grate, or
underneath, as some do?
Have you ever tried to "smoke-cook" for a long time at a very low temp., in
the 225-250 range, on the B? There was a post here some time ago where the
"chef"* put the wrapped wood on the direct heating element, and smoked a
long time, 10+/- hours at a very low temp. He even was able to leave some
propane in the tank at the end!
Also, did you cook your turkey breast using the direct burner in back, in
front, or both, leaving the unused middle area for indirect cooking?
Thanks again for your posts,

Kent

*That's who we really think we are. The little woman at the back door is
smiling furtively.