I just recently wen through this decision making process... and decided on this: www .freedomgrill.com

it's a bit expensive for the size/features, but i bought it mainly for the portability of it (i've used it a couple times already - no need to worry about getting the inside of your vehicle dirty, or burned). It does have a stand (eg. for the house/patio), but i need to build a base for it - since it was designed for a boat)

anyway, that's my

 

Love my Big Green Egg. Was a propane man before but will never cook on anything but the egg.

 

We have had a Fireplace and grill shop for 30 years and here are some of the things to consider.

Stainless Steel Body : As nice as it looks it can be a pain to keep looking new. SS raw material pricing went up tremendously a couple of years ago so most of the box store or budget grills are not 304 or 316 Stainless. They look great, but a magnet will stick right to it....meaning rust withing the first year.

"Lifetime Warranty" ; DO NOT buy a grill just because it says lifetime warranty. Actually read the warranty card. Most states in the US only have a certain time frame on "Lifetime". The state of Missouri is only 7 Years. Make sure the warranty states; as long as the current owner owns the grill. That is better than a lifetime warranty, or considered a true lifetime warranty.

Brand Name: Weber, Ducane, Charbroil, ......Ect. Most companies with grills do manufacture their own products. That being said, 50% of all grills in the states are made in China using far inferior parts. Look at where the grill is made, and how long the company has been around. Everyday I have to try finding parts for grills that are all either no longer made or no longer have parts.

BTU: Btu rating show how much gas can enter the burner and be combusted. Low BTU = Low heat. Typically you want to look for a single burner BTU of at least 10,000 (with multiple burners in a grill) or a singe burner with a Minimum of 30, 000 BTU.

Burners: Always Stainless steel. Brass corrodes, Zink or chrome plated rust and fall apart, Cast always always rust. Multiple burner grills are the better way to go. At least two up to four. This allows for better heat control and usually hotter grilling temps. Another aspect is the burner layout. Some burners cover the entire bottom (Single burner) and makes major hot spots. Some burners run left to right (multiple burners) and the best is burners that run front to back (multiple burners) this allows for grilling at different temps on the same grill.

Grill Surface: Stainless, cast iron or porcelan. Never buy Chrome Plated.

I could keep going, but you can PM me will questions.

I have carried Napoleon brand grills for 20 years and have never had a problem. we used to carry Weber, but the quality went way down hill. We have also carried Traeger pellet grills, they are nice and expensive. Pellet grills give the smoke a tart taste because the wood is not wet, it is kiln dried sawdust. True smoking uses green and wet wood.

And my personal favorite. THE BIG GREEN EGG. Its a charcoal grill, smoker, pizza oven, bread oven, ......

We have sold these for years and have become one of the largest dealers in the Midwest. They are worth every penny. I use mine 3-4 times a week. The BGE has the same following (as far as grill) to the Wrangler.

Everyone that has one loves it (most of the time), tells everyone about it, shows it off to everyone, they have to have every eggcessory for it, they will have a 2 hour conversation with a stranger about it, and They would trade their first born for another one.

I am a NEWB, but this is my area of expertise, so PM me with any questions.

 

First off, great post Mosssr! Lots of invaluable info that pretty much covers all the bases. Well done!

Second, I will disagree with only one small piece of info, smoking wood doesn't always have to be green or wet--although it does give a nice thin blue smoke on certain smokers or grills! I am a big smoker so I will only say that seasoned wood smokes, in the right cooker, very nice as well!

Also, I will agree that the Weber propane grill have gone down in quality, but that is why you buy the old tried and true Smokey Joe Kettle.

 

My parents just got a BeefEatter. Its very pricey but I couldnt believe the control you have over the heat. I've eat and used a wide varity of grills and its by far the best I've seen.
Seriously, preheat it to 350 (takes about 7-10min) cook a ribey for 5min. on each side and your in heaven!

 

My girlfriend and I have been using her mom's grill since May, but since she just remarried and is taking it when she moves out, we're going to be needing to purchase a new one. My own parents won a Big Green Egg at a charity event raffle. I was so incredibly jealous! Anyway, currently I'm looking at a Weber Spirit E-310 or a Char-Griller Duo 5050. I like the Weber because the reputation for quality and durability is there. I like the Char-Griller because it gets me an LP gas grill, charcoal grill, and smoker all in one. Just wondering if any of you guys knew what to expect from Char-Griller in terms of quality and durability.

 

I know a lot, but it's hard to know what to expect. When someone comes in my shop I would rather know what they expect out of a grill.

If you want to smoke, it is not going to be anything like the big green egg. Mist multiple function grills do each type of cooking just average.

What I would do is look at online reviews of the grills. Hope this helps

 

We went with the Weber Genesis and love it! Plus it will last a long long time!

 

So I'm ending up with my Dad's old Weber Genesis Silver for now. Gonna have to thoroughly scrub it and maybe repaint, might have to replace a few things, but it's a hell of a deal considering it's free. I still wanna get a smoker later down the line, but this will most certainly do for now.