Time to Change the BBQ

[vinny]

Originally Posted by artie

Depends how often you use your barbecue. For me only half a dozen times a year and the rest of the year it just sits there. biggest problem is putting the cover back on after the wind blows it off.
For only a few times a year a cheap barbecue is good enough

Yeah I never really thought of that. I guess if it’s only a few times a year, it’s not a great investment. We use ours all winter and summer.

[Savage Bacon]

We went with the broil king regal 5 burner. And this thing gets HOT! Like really hot. And their warranty is really good. Another thing I like is it has the straight bars on the grill. Our last BBQ, which was a stainless Centro from Canadian Tire, lasted us for over 10 years before the inside rotted out. It was a really good BBQ, but... those wavy grill bars were such a pain to scrape. I'll never buy a BBQ with wavy grill bars again!

[bigbuck]

Bought a Napoleon Prestige a couple months ago. Higher end BBQ but by no means top of the line. I love it! Heats up great and has a infrared side burner. Plus the prestige series and above are made in Canada. Rogue series made in China. If that sort of thing matters to you.

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Savage Bacon

We went with the broil king regal 5 burner. And this thing gets HOT! Like really hot. And their warranty is really good. Another thing I like is it has the straight bars on the grill. Our last BBQ, which was a stainless Centro from Canadian Tire, lasted us for over 10 years before the inside rotted out. It was a really good BBQ, but... those wavy grill bars were such a pain to scrape. I'll never buy a BBQ with wavy grill bars again!

Good to know, as I am looking right now!

[elkhunter11]

Originally Posted by bigbuck

Bought a Napoleon Prestige a couple months ago. Higher end BBQ but by no means top of the line. I love it! Heats up great and has a infrared side burner. Plus the prestige series and above are made in Canada. Rogue series made in China. If that sort of thing matters to you.

Mine is 7-8 years old now, and still excellent. I use it pretty much daily 6-7 months of the year, and in better weather, the rest of the year.

[CNP]

Wife just bought me a new NG barbeque. Ours was 7 years old and I use it all year. She bought a PC brand: https://www.presidentschoice.ca/prod...bq/21296467_EA

$500. Unlike lots of BBQ's at this price point it is sturdy. And I like the downsize from our 4 burner to a 3 burner. If I need to cook for a larger function I'll cook on the 36 inch fire pit.

[Supermag]

Costco has a couple awesome Napoleons. I bought the 74,000 BTU one a few years ago and it's the best BBQ I've ever owned.

[javlin101]

Originally Posted by colroggal

I have the old style webber genesis with the sideways burners. Great for smoking or rotisserie cooking. I've never had an issue searing meat with it either. It's better than 15 years old now and still looks brand new - aside from the flavour bars. Starting to get speed holes in the second set of those.

Colin

We have the same model and other the the side ways burnners no complaints. The thing is going on 16yrs old and we have been lazy and not covering it. We started looking a a new Q but decieded to overhaul the old one. New burners, grates, & igniter for less than $200.00. With a good cleaning & parts we should be good for awhile yet.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by javlin101

We have the same model and other the the side ways burnners no complaints. The thing is going on 16yrs old and we have been lazy and not covering it. We started looking a a new Q but decieded to overhaul the old one. New burners, grates, & igniter for less than $200.00. With a good cleaning & parts we should be good for awhile yet.

OEM parts or after market? That seems like a very reasonable price for those parts.

ARG

[DRhunter]

Originally Posted by bigbuck

Bought a Napoleon Prestige a couple months ago. Higher end BBQ but by no means top of the line. I love it! Heats up great and has a infrared side burner. Plus the prestige series and above are made in Canada. Rogue series made in China. If that sort of thing matters to you.

I have had the Prestige for a year and love it. Steaks using the sear station are unbelievably good!!

Certainly not cheap, but well worth the money for a long-term great grill. Bought mine at Barbecues Galore.

DR

[stob]

Had an excited states built VC...lasted 18 years...cooked a few 30lb turkeys and used 4 days per week on average all year long...NG powered...uncovered for the last 15 years...if built in the good old USA I would get another...will probably go the route of a weber in the future as my BIL has used them for decades and I liked using them as well...unfortunately never had a chance to utilize a BK as it blew off the deck and exploded after a 5' fall (had not put my railing up..lol)...that is how I migrated to VC, back then I paid 2200 when the regular price was around 4K...so about 12/mo over the years

[KGB]

In 2002 I bought the Phoenix Grill on a recommendation of a friend who used it for a year already. I still have it and it is still going strong. Even the electronic igniter works! You can still buy those grills.
Here is a link to their website if somebody is interested.
http://www.newphoenixgrills.com/

[walker1]

For 2k you can get into a great grill. When I was shopping last year I was budgeting around that but went for a Napoleon Pro series and paid a bit more. Worth it to me as I cook a lot and had 18 plus out of last VC.
I think the Prestige series at Barbecues Galore was around that price you mentioned. I like Canadian made. When you see the Napoleons at costco, Trail, Lowes etc, they are fine grills but probably the Chineese version???
The metal is lower gauge and I know the warranty is not the same . But they do come in at the lower price!

[6.5 shooter]

I have a Broil King Signet, That I bought 5 or so years ago. I BBQ about twice a week. It has the cast grills and rotisserie (I would never buy another BBQ without it). Cooks even even at -30c and some times even then seems to get to hot. To do a roast for example I pre heat with all 3 burners then turn off middle burner and set the two outside burners as low as they will go it seems to keep the cooking temp at 325 - 350f and very consistent. The biggest issue I have is wind with my set up as it can blow out the flame because they are so low.

I have owned cheaper BBQ and will never go back to cheap. Best thing to do if your buying a new BBQ is to go to the store (not the big box store either) and give them all the "shake test" if they fail that, you probably need to look at other brands or models.

[javlin101]

Originally Posted by Au revoir, Gopher

OEM parts or after market? That seems like a very reasonable price for those parts.

ARG

Bought off Amazon but turned out to be Weber OEM. Checked what i paid and was $220.00 for all.

[Penner]

18 years on the Napoleon I have is still going strong. If it ever dies I’d buy another one no questions asked.

[EZM]

Like many of the popular brands - there are a few series of BBQ with different features and prices. Like someone mentioned, you can get a entry level Napoleon at Canadian Tire but it is not the same as the the higher end Pro series BBQ's which are all stainless steel.

I have also ran Webers for years and they are underwhelming in the cold as others have mentioned. Especially in NG which isn't as hot as LP.

I now have been running a high end Napoleon (maybe 6-7 years) and it is great. We BBQ 3-4 times a week year round. Gets up over 600 degrees WITHOUT the infrared sear thing - so I can sear anything anytime of the year and control the heat down so low it can smoke as well (as well as a BBQ can smoke).

[270person]

Weber NG and wouldn't own anything but a Weber. One of the 2 is 25 years old and the only part changed was a set of grates. Hits 600 degrees fast so maybe some guys bbq at -45, in a howling wind, with the lid up.

Convection cooking pork ribs or rib roasts without having to open lid to check on things. Zero flare-ups.

Ok I lied. I'd own a good pellet smoker grill too.

[Faststeel]

One you try meat from a Pellet grill, you will never want to use your gas bbq ever again....

[wallz]

We had ours plumbed into our NG line from the house, and that is the best thing that anyone could do. About 5 ft of line from the quick disconnect on the house, so you could still more it around.

I also spend a few hours last summer and used a bunch of bricks I had to finish the house around the bbq. Last home owner seared the vinyl siding a bit as the bbq gives off lotsa heat. Did a 7 ft wide section about 6 ft up and it finished off nicely.

No more running out of LPG during a cooking session. Talk about a pain.

Just remember you need to get a NG labelled one if you go this route as they have different burner styles, and generally do not burn as hot. Hence the different style of burner to get you there.

[kinwahkly]

Bought a BROIL KING SOVEREIGN 20 years ago. Still going string. Natural gas.

[EZM]

Agree on NG. My last two homes had NG lines and I don't miss the "panic propane bottle relay race" .... just so convenient to never have to play that game.

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by EZM

Agree on NG. My last two homes had NG lines and I don't miss the "panic propane bottle relay race" .... just so convenient to never have to play that game.

If your house uses propane for the furnace/water heater you can still run a line for your BBQ... it ain't rocket surgery!

ARG

[-JR-]

BBQ are the way to go in summer if you have a lot of steaks to cook all at once But now that I am getting older and stay away from BBQ sauce its more like do I really need a bbq any more . I find doing a steak on a cast iron frying pan taste so much better as all the juices stay in more . All ways thinking of just getting an electric single burner hot plate to fry some steaks on for the out side to keep smoke and heat out doors in summer.
Am I totally wrong in thinking like this ?

[Geraldsh]

A good pan-fried steak is hard to beat, I have been thinking of going back to that method myself. Too much sauce on the bbq makes an awful mess.

[brendon444]

Surprised no one mentioned Saber

We looked at broil king, weber, Napoleon ,Saber

Saber seemed built way better and was our choice.

[Spidey]

Bought this one last year. I wanted something with a lot of grilling real estate and a sear station. So far, I've been very impressed with how hot it gets (almost don't need to use the sear station...almost!)

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/nap...ner/1001459702

[mooseknuckle]

Originally Posted by -JR-

BBQ are the way to go in summer if you have a lot of steaks to cook all at once But now that I am getting older and stay away from BBQ sauce its more like do I really need a bbq any more . I find doing a steak on a cast iron frying pan taste so much better as all the juices stay in more . All ways thinking of just getting an electric single burner hot plate to fry some steaks on for the out side to keep smoke and heat out doors in summer.
Am I totally wrong in thinking like this ?

Not wrong at all, sear in cast iron. then in the overn @ 250 for a bit.... I prefer over bbq. But everyone is different.

[sns2]

There are only 3 of us in the house, so I went with a smaller Weber that I ran a natural gas hookup for. Happy with her first trip out around the track

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by sns2

There are only 3 of us in the house, so I went with a smaller Weber that I ran a natural gas hookup for. Happy with her first trip out around the track

That's dinner for 3?!?

ARG