Need help with an outdoor grill

[shimsham]

buy some landscaping bricks, a grate, and dig a hole.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

see post 21

Congratulations! Excellent Decision!

 

[Sheik Yerbouti]

It'll need a few grillings to season the grate properly. I love my weber, 3 burners, warming basket hangs from the lid. A rock solid grill.

 

[AustinInDallas]

so i got the grill, and last night, grilled for the first time. It was pretty good but not amazing.

anyone have a favorite recipe or technique?

 

[kranky]

Why not describe what you did - what did you grill, how did you season it, how long did you grill it, and what didn't turn out amazing.

I love Hebrew National hot dogs on the grill, but no matter what they will never be amazing.

 

[AustinInDallas]

Why not describe what you did - what did you grill, how did you season it, how long did you grill it, and what didn't turn out amazing.

I love Hebrew National hot dogs on the grill, but no matter what they will never be amazing.

burgers, corn with husk on, veggie skewers, and mushrooms in a foil pack.
veggie skewers I just marinaded in Italian dressing for a bit(quite fond of this method)
burgers- cut up some bacon, a little shredded cheese(very little), Worcestershire, salt, pepper, cayenne, one small egg and a tiny bit of bread crumbs and parm cheese to bind (more or less a highly rated recipe on allrecipe)

I had the burners on high and got it nice and hot before I started.
burgers took much longer than 4-5 mins on each side. and never really got a nice char on both sides.
Skewers ended up almost oover cooked on some, but raw on others.
Corn turned out excellent
mushrooms tasted great, but didnt get as done as i like

 

[iRONic]

You grilled meatloaf... Not a fan.

 

[AustinInDallas]

You grilled meatloaf... Not a fan.

very small egg for two pounds, and very little bread crumbs, just enough to help hold it together

 

[AustinInDallas]

You grilled meatloaf... Not a fan.

whats your top secret recipe?

 

[SpatiallyAware]

burgers, corn with husk on, veggie skewers, and mushrooms in a foil pack.
veggie skewers I just marinaded in Italian dressing for a bit(quite fond of this method)
burgers- cut up some bacon, a little shredded cheese(very little), Worcestershire, salt, pepper, cayenne, one small egg and a tiny bit of bread crumbs and parm cheese to bind (more or less a highly rated recipe on allrecipe)

I had the burners on high and got it nice and hot before I started.
burgers took much longer than 4-5 mins on each side. and never really got a nice char on both sides.
Skewers ended up almost oover cooked on some, but raw on others.
Corn turned out excellent
mushrooms tasted great, but didnt get as done as i like

It will take some time to learn the hot/cold spots on the grill, particularly on something cheap.

I recommend anyone, even a "pro", cook for just themselves at least 4-5 times before cooking for company.


Personally I would've got a $100 weber kettle, but meh.

 

[AustinInDallas]

It will take some time to learn the hot/cold spots on the grill, particularly on something cheap.

I recommend anyone, even a "pro", cook for just themselves at least 4-5 times before cooking for company.


Personally I would've got a $100 weber kettle, but meh.

i got a weber

 

[iRONic]

very small egg for two pounds, and very little bread crumbs, just enough to help hold it together

whats your top secret recipe?

I live around the corner from a butcher shop. Fresh ground sirloin + fresh ground pork = burger heaven.

It ain't rocket scientology.

 

[NetWareHead]

whats your top secret recipe?

Regular 80-20% ground beef mixed with salt and pepper shaped into patties.

 

[Scarpozzi]

I bought essentially that same grill from Walmart 3 years ago. I paid $94 and got a $50 gift card so it was essentially $44+tax (taxed on $94 though)

I talked my dad into buying one too. I kept my grill under a covered porch the whole time and its worked great for the most part. I can do about 12-15 burgers at a time, but the edges of the grill don't heat up much so it takes a little rotation to keep things cooking evenly.

My dad goes on camping trips sometimes and loaded his in the back of his truck a few times. During the loading/unloading process, it ended up resulting in the wheels breaking off. They're made of cheap plastic that's 2 pieces welded together (plastic welds).....they fall apart if you roll it over any rough terrain. After 3 years, one of mine did the same thing. They can be replaced for $3-4 each from Charbroil's website, but I may look and see if I can rig it with a $4-6 wheel from Northern Tool or Harbor Freight if I get time. For the money, this grill has been great and I've had many cookouts with 30+ people attending. My only complaint in those situations is that the grill surface could heat more evenly and be larger.....but for $44, I'll keep using it until I decide to spend more on a larger natural gas grill.

 

[GullyFoyle]

When assembling it, be aware of what surfaces are porcelain coated, and try not to tighten screws on them too much, they will crack and let moisture in and it will rust sooner.

 

[UglyCasanova]

I love my Weber charcoal grill. Roughly the same price as that one, but its such a pleasure to cook on. Do get a chimney tarter to go with it, and it'll be just as easy as any gas grill.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

i got a weber

Right... I said kettle... IE charcoal. Gas is fine though, depends on your needs really.

 

[AustinInDallas]

Regular 80-20% ground beef mixed with salt and pepper shaped into patties.

so just meat and salt and pepper?

 

[slag]

so just meat and salt and pepper?

Nothing more needed.. Although I tend to use one of the grill mates shakers because I love garlic.

 

[NetWareHead]

so just meat and salt and pepper?

Pretty much. Sometimes a meatloaf type burger with 10 ingredients is ok as well if that is what you like. I happen to enjoy a pure beef burger made with good butcher shop beef

 

[JEDI]

Buy a weber.




In other news, if you don't care about quality and just want something to hold you over, I'm sure any model from the big retails stores in your budget will be fine. Just don't expect them to last.

whats wrong w/a $150 stainless steel 4burner grill from walmart?

its stainless so wont rust. should last as long as a weber at 1/4th the price

 

[Vdubchaos]

Buy a Charcoal Weber grill for 10-20 bucks more!!!

It will last longer and it will actually make sense to cook with it outdoors. Let;s face it, cooking on a Gas grill is no different than setting a griddle on your stove (it will save you tons of money too).

whats wrong w/a $150 stainless steel 4burner grill from walmart?

its stainless so wont rust. should last as long as a weber at 1/4th the price

Not all stainless steel is created equal. Stainless steel DOES rust.

What's worse is that the INSIDE is what will fall apart long before outside does on these POS grills (trust me I had 1)

 

[NetWareHead]

Webers are expensive but in general they are constructed with higher quality materials and longer lasting equipment. They have longer warranties and spare parts are available to replace consumable parts (flame diffusers etc...)

I think they are better built and grill better. I've gone through my fair share of shitty cheap grills from walmart, kmart, home depot etc... Last summer I purchased a weber from a guy on craigslist. An absolute steal at $75, a grill that would have cost hundreds. My previous grills would never get hot enough and would never leave dark sear marks on the food. This weber is different. It grillls to near perfection. The thing gets hot and stays hot (600+ degrees with all three burners on high). Food always comes out fancy looking with nice black grill marks. The three burners grill evenly so there are not hot and cold spots on the cooking surface. Food tastes better when grilled at the proper temperature too. I'm convinced and sold on the Weber bandwagon. I have never tried their charcoal grills, but when my other charcoal grill dies, I may get a weber one too.

 

[AustinInDallas]

Nothing more needed.. Although I tend to use one of the grill mates shakers because I love garlic.

like the montreal flavors?

 

[CurseTheSky]

whats wrong w/a $150 stainless steel 4burner grill from walmart?

its stainless so wont rust. should last as long as a weber at 1/4th the price

It's stainless... on the outside. The internals are usually mild steel and will rust out in a few years. Ask me how I know.

The outside of the one sitting in the back yard still looks great. The area under the burners and on the inside of the "cabinet" look like something out of a post-apocalyptic horror movie. We don't use it anymore for fear that it will catch the grass on fire.