Getting dad a new grill for father's day...recommendations?

[Entity]

Not sure how much I want to spend, but I know if I spend more than $300, I'll probably hear about it later. So cost is a consideration, though not a huge one if I'm getting good quality from it.

Anyway. The only details I know is that he loves grilling, his current grill (propane, which I'd like to stick with) is completely falling apart inside and out, and so I'd like to replace it for Father's day. Looking for anyone who knows much about grills, etc., to post some recommendations/experiences/whatever. I'm reading up @ Amazon on the reviews right now.

Rob

[asdf11]

http://www.triplexgoldteeth.com/

[thejerkface]

Get your dad something like this:

[RiverTheNuts]

[ QUOTE ]
http://www.triplexgoldteeth.com/

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I laughed

[jfk]

For $300, just get whatever the corresponding Weber product is at that price point. You won't find a better price/functionality combination.

For something truly memorable, go to kamado.com. The company is terrible but the products are great and you'll/he'll cherish and use the product for a lifetime. I personally think that propane is a tool of the devil. With the Kamado products you can hybridize the use of charcoal with the gas if you're so inclined.

You'll be spending at least twice as much but they are truly spectacular BBQs. Don't get anything smaller than 22".

[BrunoThePug]

Weber. Weber. Weber.

I wouldn't worry about charcol vs. gas. The only thing charcol gives you is soot and that's not flavor. Plus, weber has done a bunch of taste tests which show that people can't tell the difference anyhow.

[___]

[ QUOTE ]
Weber. Weber. Weber.

I wouldn't worry about charcol vs. gas. The only thing charcol gives you is soot and that's not flavor. Plus, weber has done a bunch of taste tests which show that people can't tell the difference anyhow.

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I agree with the Weber recommendation. My girlfriend's dad has one and I like it a lot better than whatever no name brand my dad has. If you are worried about not getting the charcoal flavour, get a model with a smoke box, or just get him some wood chips. You can wrap them in tinfoil and put them under the grate. They will add the smokey flavour you want, and better than charcoal.

[gojacketz]

Big Green Egg if you can find one.

Gojacketz

[jfk]

[ QUOTE ]
Big Green Egg if you can find one.

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The Kamado is to the Big Green Egg as Sklansky is to Ken Warren.

Charcoal, wood, chips, etc. do make a big difference when truly BBQing, meaning a long, low heat cook where smoke adds flavor. This is done with items like ribs, brisket, pork shoulder/butt, and the like. Basically, cheap, tough pieces of meat are cooked this way.

In my opinion, charcoal, wood, etc. make less of a difference when doing high temperature grilling, though to me it is still a significant enough difference to use the natural products. A bisteca alla Fiorentina is certainly better cooked over lump, oak or olive than it is over gas.

If you're going to use gas, really all you're doing is cooking in your back yard. You aren't BBQing. You could get the same result in your kitchen with your stove/oven.

While propane/gas is the preference for most people, it is a choice of convenience, not one of taste.

[Mr. T]

Entity:

I really can't recommend anything for around $300 but if you're willing to spend $450-$500 you could get a Weber Silver B or a Ducane both are good quality grills. Stay away from the Weber Siver A, it only has 2 burners and 22,000 BTUs, the Silver B I mentioned has three burners and around 35,000 BTUs. BTUs are really important, I would say anything over 30,000 is good.

My family is in the grill business, we mostly specialize in high end grills but feel free to ask me anything.

Here is a tip for people with grills that have propane tanks: I'm often asked, "How do I know when my tank is near empty?" If you have a portable bathroom scale just weight the tank. Most grills use a "20 pound" tank, that means 20 pounds of propane, the tank itself weighs about 18 pounds, so a full tank will wiegh ~38 pounds and an empty one will be around 18. You can get about an hour of use out of each pound.