NCEPR: Anyone have a charcoal grill?

[msmerymac]

H's birthday is Friday. We're thinking about getting a grill over the holiday weekend (especially if there are sales) and it will count as his b-day present. We've never had one because I was a vegetarian for years, so it seemed pointless. 

From what I've been reading, Weber is the best. Also $$$. H has also been talking about getting a charcoal grill instead of propane (or, as my dad suggested, running a gas line from our basement to the back of the house, which is what my grandfather did, but sounds insane - my grandfather was a pipefitter and probably did it himself, as he did all the other pipes in his house). 

I'm sure charcoal tastes delicious, but could also be a PITA to clean and or bring up to temp. What are your experiences, and what type of grill do you have? We don't need anything insane - we have a paver patio that's like 10x12, so a smallish grill with maybe a side shelf to put platters for serving would be good. 

[zelda25]

H has Char-Grillers; one propane and one charcoal with a smoker box attached. They're pretty no-frills, but he likes them and they've lasted forever (we've had the propane grill for about 14 years I think). They're about $200. ETA link: www.chargriller.com/collections/charcoal-grills/products/super-pro-a-2121-charcoal-grill

It takes maybe 30 minutes to get to temp? Not sure because he does all the charcoal grilling.

Sent from my SM-G960U using proboards

[picksthemusic]

We’ve been Char-Broil fans forever. It’s what my grandpa has used my whole life. It’s cast-iron and can be used as a smoker too.

[turnipthebeet]

We love our Weber grill. The problem with a lot of cheaper grills, and we mostly had this problem whenever we tried to get a gas grill, is that they tend to rust and look junky pretty quickly. Our Weber still looks as good as the day we bought it, and we don’t cover.

He will quickly learn how to grill with it. It does take a little longer to get up to temp, but you learn to just add that into your timeline. Also, I strongly suggest this, it makes getting the coals hot so so much easier.

www.homedepot.com/p/Weber-Compact-Rapidfire-Chimney-Starter-7447/203609220

[beerlover]

Basically seconding everything turnipthebeet just said. We love our Weber too and have the chimney starter. My husband loves grilling on it and yeah it maybe takes 20-30 minutes to get up to temp.

[pitta12]

We have a Weber Q grill which was our first grill when we got married because we lived in a condo and needed one we could take to the park to use. It is awesome and we still use it sometimes if we are not at home. There are a few different models available.

Weber 50060001 Q1000 Liquid Propane Grill www.amazon.com/dp/B00FDOONEC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_5rG4CbEP40FS6

[lilibet]

Also agree with everything turnipthebeet, said. We have a gas and a charcoal because dh is a big griller/smoker but he mostly uses the charcoal. Our Weber charcoal grill is 6 or 7 years old and in great shape. There are tons of youtube videos about anything you could ever want to grill, so it's really easy to pick up.

[penguingrrl]

We have a basic Weber charcoal grill. It’s 7 years old and still in great shape! I’ve never used any other type of grill, so I have nothing to compare it with, but it works well for us.

We use plain charcoal, not the match light stuff, and there’s a chimney thing to help the coals light and heat a bit faster without using chemicals on it.

[thejen626]

My H is an excellent griller. He only uses charcoal. I actually bought him a cool bbq years ago that was one side charcoal, one side propane, and he never used the propane side. He ended up just buying a bigger one that is only charcoal. We buy from Home Depot.

[lilac05]

Charcoal makes the best grilled food, IMO. But we have a gas grill because we rarely plan ahead enough to have time for the charcoal to heat up.

We have a Weber Q that we’ve had for almost 14 years. It’s only used now for tailgating, camping, or park picnics, but we love it! We have a bigger Weber gas grill that we use all the time at home. We bought a less expensive grill once, but will never do that again. It only lasted about 4-5 years before things started to die. The Weber is now 5 years old, I think, and is still in great shape.

I know lots of people who have their gas grills hooked up to the house. It eliminates the biggest pain about gas grills...running out of propane mid-grill! Obviously it’s not a DIY project, though!

[namasteak]

We have a Webber - DH grills weekly so we have the more expensive one America’s Test Kitchen recommended but the cheaper one is under $200 and still highly recommended/well recieweed.

[mrsukyankee]

We have both and use both - my H made his own charcoal grill with bricks and we have a cast iron grate on it. We use it to make amazing flatbreads more than anything else.

[bowies]

We have this one.

Weber 15502001 Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch, Copper www.amazon.com/dp/B00N634VD0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rGN4CbS58B97P

Mainly because the previous owners of our house didn’t run a gas line to the back patio like literally everyone else did. But, my H is totally fine with charcoal since he says it makes food taste better. (Aside: I’m not a fan of grill taste no matter the method, so I have no comment.)

Whatever you buy, don’t forget to also buy the cover.

[Jalapeñomel]

We have a cheap Weber, and it works great. It takes about half an hour to warm up. We don't really use the chimney any more, and we grill every Saturday and Sunday.


Although DH wants to buy a gas grill, since he's concerned with the environmental aspect of burning charcoal.

[msmerymac]

May 20, 2019 4:54:59 GMT -5 bowies said:

We have this one.

Weber 15502001 Performer Deluxe Charcoal Grill, 22-Inch, Copper www.amazon.com/dp/B00N634VD0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_rGN4CbS58B97P

Mainly because the previous owners of our house didn’t run a gas line to the back patio like literally everyone else did. But, my H is totally fine with charcoal since he says it makes food taste better. (Aside: I’m not a fan of grill taste no matter the method, so I have no comment.)

Whatever you buy, don’t forget to also buy the cover.

This one (also posted by namasteak) is in the running, as is this slightly smaller one without the charcoal bin: www.acehardware.com/departments/outdoor-living/grills-and-smokers/charcoal-grills/8406688?x429=true&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoInnBRDDARIsANBVyASm-SduLkqm1UoMwIvEArlSdUikT_3NO8vpoYqZgM-3hwTsJvrGat8aAggWEALw_wcB

[msmerymac]

Thanks everyone! Sounds like charcoal might be a nice way to go after all.

[namasteak]

If you can wait I bet there will be sales soon for Memorial Day or Father’s Day.

[sent]

We got a $100 Weber charcoal grill right when we got married. Bought a chimney starter for it. My husband would go around the apartment building in NYC looking for abandoned newspapers to use it. We used it in our apartments that had balconies. At one point he started using self lighting charcoal but I found some link randomly that self lighting charcoal might not be good for your health and he went back to the chimney starter, mainly for DD’s sake. Last year we got him a massive gas grill for his birthday/Father’s Day since we live in a house now. He likes both but slightly prefers the gas grill because it’s faster and larger.

The food tastes the same to me.