Grilling advice

[pacanis]

Sad... they are all plastic now I'll bet.

 

[roadfix]

Also, instead of using the grill you can use the chimney itself to quickly grill something over very high heat. Place a small grate on the chimney.

 

[pacanis]

Also, instead of using the grill you can use the chimney itself to quickly grill something over very high heat. Place a small grate on the chimney.

Like this.
AND... I am using the gasser

 

[Dawgluver]

Also, instead of using the grill you can use the chimney itself to quickly grill something over very high heat. Place a small grate on the chimney.

Brilliant. I have a small round grate that was a part to something long discarded and since unknown, now I know why I saved it!

 

[Dawgluver]

Like this.
AND... I am using the gasser

And this looks awesome, Pac!

 

[Kayelle]

Pac, that picture is hysterical!! I gotta try that!

 

[pacanis]

Actually whenever I use my Smokey Joe I set it in my gas grill. It gets it up to working height.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Chimneys rule. They are so fast I can't believe I used lighter fluid 30 years ago... unless they didn't have chimneys yet and I just liked playing with fire.

My Dad and I made a chimney fire-starter as a Girl Scout project when I was a Cadette scout...back in the mid-1960s. It worked way better than his electric charcoal starter!

 

[pacanis]

I remember those electric starters. My favorite uncle used one. He always used weird charcoal though... it was like paper nuggets. Real light, beige colored... does anyone else remember that charcoal? That was a little "before my time" to pay attention to such things.

 

[Roll_Bones]

I like my Weber charcoal grill and my little hibachi. We've had a couple gas grills over the years, but they were too fiddly, and something or other always managed to rot out or rust. And I like playing with fire too...

A nice extra for a charcoal grill is a chimney. You shove a couple sheets of newspaper in its bottom, light, and voila, no need for lighter fluid.

My Weber gas grill is almost 15 years old and there has only been minimal replacement parts used. I have replaced the flavorizer bars. They will rust even though they are enamel coated. The high heat on them destroys them over time.
But the burner, enclosure and the grates are all still in fine shape. This grill was well over $400 back then also.
I still have never had to use a match either to light it. One push on the ignite button and its on.

The chimney starter is the only way to go. I put a few drops of cooking oil on the paper. About a teaspoon or less.

Sad... they are all plastic now I'll bet.

Actually, the coffee cans (Kirkland) at Costco are still metal cans. 3 LB cans.

 

[Andy M.]

When using a chimney, I started by adding a little oil to the newspaper. Now I don't bother. I just use three full sheets of newspaper and light it with a long neck butane lighter.

I bought a Weber gas grill back in '99 and it lasted to the Fall of '09. The bottom of the grill body rusted out leaving wide open spaces under the burners. I did not buy another Weber because of price and a couple of design factors I didn't want.

 

[Roll_Bones]

When using a chimney, I started by adding a little oil to the newspaper. Now I don't bother. I just use three full sheets of newspaper and light it with a long neck butane lighter.

I bought a Weber gas grill back in '99 and it lasted to the Fall of '09. The bottom of the grill body rusted out leaving wide open spaces under the burners. I did not buy another Weber because of price and a couple of design factors I didn't want.

I never used oil to start my chimney either until a couple years ago when I saw someone do it. There is no doubt it lights faster with a few drops of oil. But it lights without the oil too. A little breeze really helps a chimney starter.
I guess used cooking oil is a good idea. I could save a small bottle for this purpose I guess.

I am a bit surprised your Weber gas grill only lasted 10 years.
I am assuming the part that rusted was the pull out oil trap? The tray with the catch under it? It is steel unlike the grill body that is 100% aluminum.
Mine will never rust as it always got grease on it except for the first use after cleaning it.
I can still wipe/push off any grease that remains and mine is still as good as new.
That part was available to be replaced and if mine were to rust (I don't see how it could as it where all the grease goes) I would definitely replace it.
In fact, there is no part on my grill I would not replace.

The only feature I don't like is the burner placement. Three burners front to back instead of side to side. I have learned to cook indirect with the burner placement, but side by side burners seem better.
What features did you not like?

 

[Andy M.]

The damage to the underside of the body where the attachment points were for the tracks that the tray rode in was not repairable.

All the Weber gas grills I've ever seen have burners that run from left to right (parallel to the front and back walls). For indirect cooking that gave me a long narrow area not over a lighted burner. I felt a three burner grill with burners that run front to back provide a more useable indirect cooking area.

Also, I found I could not do a beer can chicken as there was not enough head room under the lid.

 

[pacanis]

I love a front to rear burner.
That's the reason I bought my Ducane so many years ago over a Weber of similar price. My new Genesis has front to rear burners or I would not have gotten it.

 

[Roll_Bones]

The damage to the underside of the body where the attachment points were for the tracks that the tray rode in was not repairable.

All the Weber gas grills I've ever seen have burners that run from left to right (parallel to the front and back walls). For indirect cooking that gave me a long narrow area not over a lighted burner. I felt a three burner grill with burners that run front to back provide a more useable indirect cooking area.

Also, I found I could not do a beer can chicken as there was not enough head room under the lid.

My grill (Weber Silver, no side burner) I think its a Genesis, has three burners. Parallel to the front and back. Unlike some grills that have burners side by side or perpendicular to the front or back.
They (mine) run from left to right or right to left.
I think we have the same set up, just confusing each other with placement.
For example if I make beer can chicken (and I have many times in this grill) the chicken goes on the very center. In between the front burner and the back burner. The center burner is off.
Some grills have side by side burners. You can turn off one side completely. This is what I meant.
I still do not understand why you could not repair yours? Unless I ruin the cast aluminum body, anything can be replaced on mine.

I love a front to rear burner.
That's the reason I bought my Ducane so many years ago over a Weber of similar price. My new Genesis has front to rear burners or I would not have gotten it.

I have gotten used to the front to back burner system and its just fine now.
When I first got this grill, I was not used to front to back burners and did not like the placement.
I think I would still prefer side by side for indirect cooking as it would provide much more room for food. The narrow channel in the middle is smaller than one whole side free to place food on.
I have heard of Ducane. Never saw one though. How much was it?

 

[Addie]

thanks for the advice and i like grill most . so i have clicked this topic and find a lot of interesting thing that i want and your post is awesome to me . so i wanna thank you again for your kind reply .by the way i can ask you more question later.

You can ask all the questions you want, anytime you want. One of the things we do best here at DC is answer questions and help others. It is our pleasure.

Welcome to DC.

 

[teeinthekitchen]

Steven Virgadamo says thanks to all. The first grilling session of spring a huge success.

From the sounds of it, it sounds like your also in the Southern Hemisphere. Spring has definitely arrived and lots of braaing (grilling!) is in store! looking forward to gathering up as many different methods, ideas, and recipes for the season.

 

[Cooking Goddess]

Hi, teeinthekitchen, and welcome to DC.

Actually, I'm pretty sure "Steve Virgadamo" is in Guilford Connecticut, U.S.A. His posts were from May of last year, when we were finally getting warm enough in spring to grill. He hasn't been around since then.

You might want to look over the Outdoor Cooking Forum here at DC to find a lot of good ideas. There are four sub-chapters that cover all kinds of outdoor cooking. If you have questions, just ask! Lots of folks here know lots of stuff - or at least pretend to.