Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Any type of high heat grill.

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Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Pete » Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:33 am

Hi folks!

I have recently bought a townhouse and am planning to get into the world of grilling. My whole life I have lived in an apartment and never had the opportunity to grill so I am fairly inexperienced with grilling and have no one to ask so I am hoping I can get some guidance on the forums in picking out my first grill. Feel free to correct anything I say and feel free to give me any advice on how to go about this. Are there any specific models that I should consider? Thanks in advance!

Gas or Propane – I am a big fan of the added smoky flavor you get from meat cooked on charcoal grills and I would be getting a charcoal grill if there were no HOA regulations against it and the complex. I am guessing improper disposal caused some issues in the past. I don’t see the point of electric grills except to keep your home cooler by cooking outside. That said, my options are to go with gas or propane. From what I have read it seems most of these types of grill can be converted. Is that true? There is a gas hook up at the house but I have never worked with gas before either so I am hesitant to hook it up to the grill. I have seen a few trays where you add wood chips to mimic the charcoal or pellet grills. Do those actually work?

Size – I don’t have any kids or the room for large family gatherings so it makes sense to get a smaller sized grill – maybe a 2 burner. I will be living in Massachusetts so I will have to bring it inside during the winter as well since I have no shed to store it in so smaller is better.
New or used – I would prefer new but is there any merit in looking for used grills on craigs list or fb marketplace?

Budget – Strict limit on $500, would prefer somewhere in the $300-400 range. I plan on living at the townhouse for the next 5-6 years then moving into a larger home with a yard so I will upgrade the grill at that point so life span should be about 6 years. I would love to get one of those $2,000 models I have seen but it doesn’t make sense for me at this time. I am really out of my dept here but I don’t need any extras. All I need is a reliable grill surface that can easily cook for 2-5 people and wont break down too often in the next 6 years. I know there are hundreds of considerations that make up the price but I am really clueless here on what to look for to have an effective price range.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Okie Sawbones » Mon Jun 17, 2019 9:59 am

Yes, there are converters and they work. Smoker boxes do work. I use one on my propane grill when doing burgers. You can often find good values on Craigslist. As to what to buy, look at the reviews on Amazing Ribs: https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill-and-smoker-reviews Hope that helps. Edit -- I prefer Weber because of their support.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Pete » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:31 am

Thanks for the reply Okie.

I will have to smell around on Craigslist Tonight and see if I can find anything. Is there something I should watch out for when considering a grill on Craigslist?

I checked out the amazingribs reviews per your recommendation. I set up the search filter and two grills popped up with gold ratings and were well below my budget:
https://amazingribs.com/grill/char-broil-tru-infrared-commercial-2-burner-review
https://amazingribs.com/ratings-reviews/grill/huntington-cast-4200-review
What do you think of those? Would you recommend for a townhouse?
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Okie Sawbones » Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:46 am

No experience with these brands so maybe someone else will chime in.
KCBS - CBJ
PNWBA - CBJ
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby GRailsback » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:54 pm

Hey Pete,

Several years ago I had an outdoor kitchen and bar built on my patio. I was going to go with propane for the grill, and my wife talked me out of it. And i am glad she did. You never ever run out of gas, no running out in the middle of a cook. And if you hook it up to natural gas, you won’t need to bring it inside, you can use it during the winter. Just ask our favorite resident Viking from Norway. He cooks on his grill in the winter, with some assistance from agonize of course. So my advise is to take your time, do your research, and get something nice and is going to last. And buy a cover for it.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Norway Joe » Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:22 pm

Welcome to the forum. As my friend Grailsback said. No reason to stop grilling during winter. Don't know the climate at your place but maybe something similar to what we have here in Norway?

Regarding the grill I would suggest a Weber if you can find one within your budget. My experience with them are nothing but great. Also during winter. A couple other brands I've had have rusted apart within few years.

The one in the picture is 17 years old and still working great. Stand out in the weather all year round. Didn't even use a cover, except for the first few years, until it blew away.

Hope you find a grill that fits your need and budget.

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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby OldUsedParts » Mon Jun 17, 2019 2:35 pm

I've been listening in and once Norway Joe commented about Weber Grills, I went browsing.
I'm sure there are Home Depots and Lowes in Massachusetts and they have their Webers on Sale it seems. :tup:

https://www.homedepot.com/b/Outdoors-Ou ... lsrc=aw.ds

https://www.lowes.com/pl/Weber--Grills- ... 4294963688
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Pete » Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:29 pm

If the BBQ community says that I should go with Weber then maybe I should do just that especially if they can handle those Norwegian winters for 17 years!

Thanks for the links to HD and Lowes. I think I may go with the 2 burner Spirit model (https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-Spirit-II-E-210-Red-2-Liquid-Propane-Gas-Grill/1000366149). I will take a look at some reviews and videos tonight.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Norway Joe » Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:43 pm

A couple of more things, I don't pretend to know every brands on the market. Just that Weber has worked great in my environment and the other cheaper brands not. There might very well be other quality products out there, but I'm pretty sure you won't go wrong with a Weber.

The other thing is that if you can find one within your budget and have space I would strongly suggest a three burner variant. Imho it gives you a lot more flexibility in grilling and especially in indirect grilling.

I see Amazon sells one for 449 usd.

https://www.amazon.com/Weber-45030001-S ... B077JK6FG3

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Last edited by Norway Joe on Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby GRailsback » Mon Jun 17, 2019 3:56 pm

I meant Fonzie in that first post pete, you will see him in the future. He’s the ultimate.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby GRailsback » Mon Jun 17, 2019 4:00 pm

Pete, what the Viking is suggesting will allow you to expand your cooking capabilities, especially after you see some of the stuff that is posted on here. Like Woody, who refuses to adopt me, or EH down in Corpus. There is a lengthy list of really good cooks on here.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby spacetrucker » Mon Jun 17, 2019 6:47 pm

I have experience on many different cookers, one of them is my natural gas webber gas grill...
I would ditto what the others have said about webber quality and support.
I also have a webber kettle although that is out of your HOA rules..
Good luck with your decision.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Pete » Tue Jun 18, 2019 7:55 am

Thanks for all of the help!

I think I will go with the Weber Spirit II line. Do you guys still recommend going with a 3 burner even if I will only be cooking for 2-5 people most of the time?

It sounds like you guys are saying that it has less to do with the amount of food I am making and more to do with different cooking techniques which advantage of the 3 burners.
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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Norway Joe » Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:26 am

Imo you are correct about 3 burners. I normally only cook for my family of 4 persons but still have a grill with many burners, even if I often use only two or three. Gives me the ability to have different temperature zones in the grill and more flexibility when I cook different food. And you can cook to more people if that occasion arises.

Also during the winter an extra burner helps get the temperature in the grill up. Especially if it's very cold outside

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Re: Newbie here looking to buy my first grill

Postby Pete » Wed Jun 19, 2019 11:38 am

I have decided.

Getting the Weber Spirit II 310: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Weber-Spirit-II-E-310-Red-3-Burner-Liquid-Propane-Gas-Grill/1000363109

Going with 3 burners since the BBQ community agrees that more burners = more better.
Going with red since red = fast
Going with propane because of HOA pain in getting gas routed outside. Apparently I will need a licensed contractor and city permit and an HOA vote approval to route the gas line outside for the grill. No thanks. I wish I could just flash my mechanical engineering degree around so everyone could just let me screw up stuff on my own.

It looks they dont stock them in the store so I will get it shipped and assemble it. Should not be an issue but hopefully it wont take more than an hour.

Since I am going with propane, should I get a spare tank so I dont run out in the middle of cooking? When getting gas, is refill better than exchanges? Are there any recommended brands of tanks? Where does everyone usually get their refills? What does everyone think?

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