Sturdy Gas Grill?

[Matt_T]

Hi all. I hope I can get some help once more with shopping...this group hasn't steered me wrong yet!

It's my job to pick out a new gas grill for our firehouse. We've gone through at least three hand-me down grills in recent years and are ready to pitch in and spend a few dollars for a decent grill that will last a while. I'm only familiar with the Weber brand (positive experience) and Char-Broil (negative), and not with any of the brands I see mostly on mail order like Ducane, Broil King, Napoleon and etc.

We have a natural gas connection, and need about 640 sq in cooking surface....that's what we have now and I don't think we'd want any less. This will be used probably 3-5 times a week to cook for a dozen people. We'd need something good performing, with enough BTU to put a nice crust on steaks and decently even heating. Above all it must be very durable, low maintenance and easy to clean. Fancy features like sear burners, rotisserie and etc might be fun to play with but not important. Cosmetics are of no importance at all. A high enough lid to do a large turkey would be nice, but not necessary.

Any suggestions or experience for a sturdy, simple, high-value natural gas grill would be welcome!

----

edit: I didn't state budget...I don't want to spend any more than necessary but we have 30 people pitching in for this so up to $1000 would be ok... or maybe a little more if it would make a difference for durability and cleanability compared to cheaper grills. I really don't want to pay extra for any gadgets that most of our cooks won't learn how to use properly. We have some great cooks but they don't all like to read manuals or handle tools gently!

Edited January 11, 2010 by Matt_T (log)

[John Rosevear]

If you want to keep it under $1000, you want something that will cook consistently and evenly time and time again, and you want something that will last for more than a couple of years with some assurance that you'll be able to get parts for it 5 or 10 or 15 years down the road... I'd love to be able to recommend 2 or 3 different options for you to compare, but I can't even think of a reasonable alternative to a Weber Genesis. As far as I'm concerned, nothing under $2500 or so even comes close. I've owned 5 Weber products over the last 20 years and 4 are still going strong -- the 5th was retired after 10 years of hard year-round (in New England) use. Great company, great products, buy without hesitation.

[John Rosevear]

One more thought -- if you really need something bigger than a Genesis, look around for a Weber Summit E-620 on sale. The Summits -- particularly the natural gas models -- often get heavily discounted in the offseason, and you might be able to get one for not much more than $1,000. Excellent grill.

[robirdstx]

We are in south Texas and use our grill almost year round. We have had our MHP Chef's Choice gas grill for over two years and we still love it. Here's a link to their web site: MHP Gas Grills

[scubadoo97]

I bought a Weber Genesis over 10 years ago. At the time there were not a lot of high end choices. Previous to the Weber I had purchased less expensive Char Broil grills that would need to be replaced almost every 2 years due to corrosion. I still have the Weber and have replaced the flavorizor bars and the electric starter a couple of times but the burners are still fine. Now there are a lot of choices with IR burners and more options. Good luck with your search. Make sure that the burners are stainless with brass fittings. I think most of the upper end grills today are built to last.

[mgaretz]

Weber! Make sure you get one with three burners so you can do indirect heating.

[John Rosevear]

Weber! Make sure you get one with three burners so you can do indirect heating.

Or four, or six. (But not two! Though the two-burner Webers won't meet your size requirement anyway.)

[rlibkind]

Like most of the others above, I say Weber. I've had my Silver B (propane) for 10 years (and even moved it from Upstate NY to Philadelphia) and it's still going strong. I've only had to replace flavorizer bars and once, because I wasn't diligent enough in my cleaning, the grates. I don't think they make the Silver B anymore, but I think it would be just a tad small for your purposes. Assuming they make a similar grill in the size you need, go for it.

[John Rosevear]

If you're looking for an online vendor, I can recommend these guys. A lot of the online places advertise low prices and clobber you on shipping charges, or their "free shipping" takes weeks... I ordered my Summit S-670 (the replacement for my old Genesis) from these guys last fall and it was delivered 48 hours later -- best of all, they put it right on my deck, no extra charge. A lot of folks on the BBQ forums recommend them, which is how I found them. Call and ask if they don't have the model you want listed on the site. Good luck!

[Matt_T]

Thanks for the replies! I figure i can't go wrong with Weber but was just wondering if there might be some alternative I was unaware of. I'll check out MHP and RAC too, before buying.

Any thoughts on Kenmore Elite? i don't know anyone with a Kenmore grill but think well of their appliances. Not much detail in this listing, but this looks like a possible deal:

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_07117676000P?vName=Outdoor+Living&cName=Grills+%26+Outdoor+Cooking&sName=Gas+Grills#specs

[John Rosevear]

I hear anecdotes about a lot of those big shiny Chinese-made grills from places like Sears and Target... most of the stories go the same way -- something broke or rusted a year or two in, and nobody could figure out how to get a replacement part for it. Your mileage may vary, but I suspect you'll find they have a lot more in common with Char-Broils than with Webers.

[Matt_T]

Just placed my order with RAC, for a Weber S-650 for $1493 shipped. It was only about $150 more than the 620 and I figure if we're going to be spending over $1000 might as well have the bells and whistles. Near as I can tell, the difference is the 650 adds a special rotisserie burner, as well as a smoker boxer which sounds like something fun to play with.

Thanks for the tips and links! I'll post when it arrives and review RAC's service.

[John Rosevear]

Great choice. I've done as many as five 4 lb chickens on my 670's rotisserie. Good luck with it!

[Okanagancook]

I've had Webers and my latest one is a built in Summit Gold D with four burners, built in smoke box with its own gas supply, rotisserie and back board rotisserie heater. I love it. My other Weber was a small three burner unit that we left at the other house when we moved. However, I have two friends here in the Okanagan who have Vermont Castings BBQ's and I have to say they look great and these friends love them. Not sure how long they have had them. I think the oldest one is about 6 years and get's its share of neglect. The Vermont Castings are a very heavy duty unit and you may wish to check them out. All said and done, I would still go with the Webers.

[Marlene]

We have two Vermont Castings. the one at home is natural gas and the one at the cottage, propane. While we love the propane one, we will never do natural gas again with a BBQ. It just doesn't get hot enough and it takes a long time to heat up.

Vermont Castings are heavy duty BBQ's, but you'll pay a premium for them. That said, they should last for years and years.