BBQ setup

[DollaDollaBillS$$$]

what about pizza oven, does anyone have one? I'm trying to debate if I should do a built in or countertop model.

[zlandar]

I've actually got the opposite problem. When we moved into our house, we kept our Weber, but had a built in grill. The Weber was in case the built in one failed. The built in one has been going fine with a couple of minor repairs. On the other hand I tried the Weber about 5 years ago and I couldn't get it to work. It's still sitting out there because I'm too lazy to get rid of it.

It's easy to get replacement parts for a Weber. I've replaced the flavorizer bars (corroded), switched from porcelain to stainless grill grates, burners twice (corroded) and replace the igniter twice (suspect corrosion dang thing wouldn't click). You can order the parts off Amazon or from Weber's website. With my previous non-Weber grills it was very difficult trying to get replacement parts and I ended up junking the grill.

Assuming the box is in decent shape you could likely sell it to someone locally if you didn't want it.

[MaxPower]

It's easy to get replacement parts for a Weber. I've replaced the flavorizer bars (corroded), switched from porcelain to stainless grill grates, burners twice (corroded) and replace the igniter twice (suspect corrosion dang thing wouldn't click). You can order the parts off Amazon or from Weber's website. With my previous non-Weber grills it was very difficult trying to get replacement parts and I ended up junking the grill.

Assuming the box is in decent shape you could likely sell it to someone locally if you didn't want it.

I agree. I bought two cheap gas grills (think <$250 apiece) one each during medical school and residency. They looked nice on the surface, but the burners corroded after about 3 and 4 years. I tried to contact the manufacturer and in both cases they had gone out of business or couldn’t be found.

When we moved into our doctor house for my first, and so far only, job I bought a Weber Genesis. It was a floor model so it cost about $200 less. A year or two later, I saw an igniter on sale for my model and bought it, thinking that it wouldn’t be long before I needed to replace it. It will be 8 years in August that I’ve had that grill and I’ve replaced zero parts except for the AA battery that goes in the igniter, and I grill at least 2 times per week.

i live in a relatively dry climate, and the grill is under a roof and inside a cover when not in use. Some storms blow water on the cover when it’s raining, but I haven’t noticed even the slightest bit of corrosion.

I also have a Camp Chef propane smoker that works pretty well. Temperature maintenance is a bit of a chore since there is only one dial to control gas flow, and a vent on top and two on the sides, so it isn’t very precise. But I’ve smoked some great meat in that thing. When it goes out I’ll have a hard time deciding between the relative ease of a pellet smoker and something like a BGE or Kamado Joe.

[CalMD]

Current setup: Kamado Joe, Kamado Joe Junior, big ugly drum smoker, ooni, and konro grill. I asked a restaurant equipment manufacturer to build a custom cart for the kamado units.

The Kalamazoo seems to be a high end unit with the convenience of gas and charcoal.

I've tried smoked meats on the kamado, pellet grill, and off set smoker. Ribs in the kamado do taste more moist. The beef brisket can taste boiled though, where some dryness on the outside and bark may be desirable.

Weber also makes an S6 Summit Kamado with gas to ignite the charcoal.

The ugly drum smoker does ribs more suitable with dry rub. It is also good for roasting duck Cantonese and Peking style; the temperature does not need to be constant but rather decreasing gradually from peak.

For pizza I use ooni; it is quite easy to bake a Neapolitan style 90-sec pie. It is rather difficult to control the heat and keep it at proper temperature for a pizza party on the kamado. Kamado Joe has a pizza insert to mimic a brick oven, although I've never used it.

[VentAlarm]

High end Weber. Mods, close the thread.

[ENT Doc]

I have a Camp Chef pellet smoker, quite happy with it. Pork shoulders for pulled pork, brisket, salmon, sides...very easy. My new want is a Blackstone flat top

Chef Tom at All Things BBQ is my go to as Im still a novice learning much of this. Excellent resource.
https://www.youtube.com/user/allthingsbbq?app=desktop

That’s a great channel.

[ENT Doc]

Maybe in general, but the problems I've had were easy

1. The installation was stupid, so the LED lights and warming drawer are connected to a GFCI outlet that is extremely difficult to access. Finding it was tough, but now that I know where it is, it is not so bad (it requires 2 people and moving the grill slightly).

2. Led light bulb went out and needed replacement.

3. There are these ceramic blocks for heat distrubution at the base that get food drippings on them and they are very difficult to clean, so I replaced them. They're cheap, but prying out the old ones and putting in the new ones is a pain. It's easy enough that I could do it, but I had a handyman do it when he came over for something else.

I guess the grill still worked the whole time despite above problems.

Speaking of grills, anyone have any tips for cleaning them?

Don’t use a wire brush. Dealing with a guy right now who has a bristle lodged in his tongue that came off during cleaning and got in a burger that he grilled. And he’s a lucky one.

[childay]

Don’t use a wire brush. Dealing with a guy right now who has a bristle lodged in his tongue that came off during cleaning and got in a burger that he grilled. And he’s a lucky one.

Yeah heard of bowl perfs etc but what's the alternative?

[ENT Doc]

Yeah heard of bowl perfs etc but what's the alternative?

Maybe something like this?

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07F7...haWwp13NParams

There was a wooden one I had years ago but you had to use it routinely to develop the grating lines on it so it would be useful. Don’t recommend that one. I’ve seen videos on spraying the grates to break up the char then cleaning with a Brillo type pad. Heck I’d use the back of one of those blue dishwashing sponges before a bristle brush.

[CordMcNally]

Yeah heard of bowl perfs etc but what's the alternative?

Wadded up aluminum foil.

[MaxPower]

Yeah heard of bowl perfs etc but what's the alternative?

I have a wire bristle brush I use occasionally for hard stuck on stuff. Then I have one of the wooden ones that I use routinely, and always after I use the wire bristle one. I also bought one similar to the one in that Amazon link but found I haven’t had to use it because of my method above. I do tolerate a slight amount of stuck on food, but the current system gets 95%+ of the stuff on there.

[CalMD]

This week's cook. The rib was smoked in a ceramic cooker at 250F, then grilled at high heat with the vent open for a quick char. The char siu was cooked in a ugly drum smoker with final maltose glaze with declining temperature from 300F down.

[childay]

This week's cook. The rib was smoked in a ceramic cooker at 250F, then grilled at high heat with the vent open for a quick char. The char siu was cooked in a ugly drum smoker with final maltose glaze with declining temperature from 300F down.

Making me hungry

[toofy]

I had one of those green egg things and never could get it to work. It would never heat up and the charcoal stuff would just burn out no matter how much I played with the vents, etc.

[JWeb]

I had one of those green egg things and never could get it to work. It would never heat up and the charcoal stuff would just burn out no matter how much I played with the vents, etc.

Seriously? Watch any of the numerous YouTube videos about it and you'll be glad you did.