Need a new BBQ

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pooladdict

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TFP Guide
In The Industry
May 14, 2007
797
New Brunswick Canada
Hello all:

Well, I have begun my search for a bbq that does what I want, cook good foods with no flare ups, no rusting burners and the like. I am presently trying a Traeger Wood Pellet Grill, and after two meals, I have to say I am deeply disappointed for an item with a $1,300 price tag. Cook a plain chicken breast on it, at medium heat, from frozen...it took..1.2 Hours..YEP..that long. There was no recognizable taste difference then propane bbq's.

I am looking at a Weber Genesis, Stainless Steel. They say the burners are covered by a 10 year warranty. Sure would be nice to stop throwing out BBQ's every two years due to not being able to find replacement burners. I guess I get caught buying a cheaper version of the expensive models.

Any ideas? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Rik
 
I am not far away, in Prince Edward Island. We have had a made-in-Canada Vermont Castings (http://www.myownbbq.com) stainless steel and cast iron model for three years, and it has stood up so far. Five burners deliver even heat, and stainless steel sear plates keep the flareups to a minimum without rust. The current-year equivalent of what we have is the 937 square inch VCS5008. I think they run around $1500 including cover and rotisserie with built-in infrared rotisserie burner. They have a lifetime warranty on cast iron end caps and stainless steel rust-through, a 10 year warranty on the firebox, rear lid assembly, all burners except side burner, and stainless steel cabinetry and lid, plus a five year warranty on the cast iron grates, the side burner and all remaining parts, except for the grill lights and rotisserie and painted parts, all of which have a one-year warranty.

You should also look at the slightly more upscale Napoleon brand. They have an infra red burner for fast cooking of steaks. Canadian Tire sells an 845 square inch 3 burner "Ted Reader" (famous Canadian barbecue chef) model for $1200 (product # 85-1658-8). Warranty: "This product carries a limited lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects in workmanship and materials when accompanied by proof of purchase."
 
Molson would be the one to ask for Traeger tips. I've only heard good things which makes me wonder if cooking from frozen might have been part of the problem.

Having said that, you may want to check out www.grilldome.com. I'm very happy with mine. Everything I have cooked has turned out great, first time. Being a ceramic, there is nothing to rust or burn out, the only metal parts are stainless and clean-up is a snap.

It's very easy to light and holds heat VERY well for high or low heat cooks. For a high heat cook, you can have it ready in about 15 minutes. Low and slow takes a bit longer as you need to wait for the temp to stablizie, but even then only around 30 minutes. It'll cook for over 20 hours on a small amount of lump charcoal - again due to the extreme heat retention.

I have Grill Dome, but you would get similar results from any of the ceramic style cookers. hth.
 
The only way to avoid "flareups" is to cut all fat off the meat first. Then all you have to deal with is the fat within the meat. Paying attention and having a spray bottle of water nearby will minimize the damage caused by flareups.

Make sure when you purchase your grill it is made of a "300 series" stainless and the grates are solid bar, not tube construction. You want your burners to be cast stainless. Buy from a manufacturer that has been around for a while and 10 years from now if you need parts, you will have a better chance of getting them.

Tip: take a magnet with you when you look. If it sticks anywhere, the grill is not 300 series ss.
 
Sean, you have no idea how excited I was about the Traeger, even had the better half all psyched. We cooked steaks, from room temp. and they took over 50 minutes to finally get them to medium rare. I will try tomorrow on High Setting, but honestly, I do not see us buying one. You have to clean it out every single time you use it, and that large cooking grid isnt exactly easy to move around, not to mention the drip pan. I guess I want a BBQ that is easy to use, simple to light and next to no clean up. Fire it up next time, and its ready to go.

I am sure I will be getting a Weber. I like the idea of the 10 year warranty on burners. Any bbq I have bought had those things rusting out in like 3 years, then the mad scramble around to find replacements. Half the time you cant. So bbq ends up at end of driveway for garbage/recycle and I go out and buy a new one.

I want quick, not patient enough to sit around watching.

Rik
 
I bought a used Weber Summit off craigslist and absolutely love it. It is two years old, but was kept in immaculate condition. The original owner actually took it apart every time and cleaned it! Ever heard of such a thing? It is now not so spotless, but cooks very well. Plenty of heat when you need it, but can cook very low also.
 
Thanks Loving HDTV...I cant imagine cleaning it like that, isnt that why they build self cleaning ovens? I tend to do the same with my bbq, lots of heat, burn off the goey stuff.

Fairly certain I am going to get a new one, then again, found a site yesterday that sells quality ss burners, and I have my eye on a new Honda Snow Blower, so that might take precedent.

Time will tell....going to try the Traeger again tonite, have some people coming over for a party, lets see how it does on high heat.

Rik
 
The Treagers are very good at what they are designed to do, that is low and slow BBQ. I have seen people try to use it for steaks and such, but it just does not get that hot.

For Grilling, you need to look elsewhere, I like my ceramic's but I do have a Jenn Arie Gasser from Lowes that gets very hot. Brass Cast Burners, Rotis, 300 SS body.

Keep the Treager, get some ribs, rub them down and put them on. In 5 hours you will have great ribs or smoked chicken in 2 hours.

Good Luck on finding that perfect grill.
 
Rik, I think your problem is you're using the medium setting. 1.5 hours for a frozen chicken sounds right, anything you will be grilling needs to be on the high setting, or 350+ on the digital temp controller.

I can do steaks just as fast on the Traeger as I can on my charcoal grill or my gas Napoleon. The best chicken comes off the Traeger IMO, as it keeps the moisture inside. We have made award winning chicken, ribs pork and brisket on a Traeger.

I'm not sure why you're cleaning it every time, even after 14-16 hour cooks, we only clean the firebox every 5-6 cooks, and change the foil on the drip pan when it needs it. Generally all it gets is a scrub of the grills.

Before you get too frustrated, send me a PM and I'll answer any questions you have.
 
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