Posted: 9/21/2025 4:00:41 PM EDT
|
My last grill was a Weber Kettle Grill that I had to get rid of in 2018 when I PCSd to Germany. Went from Germany to NY to Florida between now and then, and didn't bother to replace it because we weren't staying in one place long enough to need one. Fast forward to now. We have our own house, my birthday is next month, and the wife unit says that she'll buy me a grill for my birthday. Hopefully some of the stores will have Memorial Day sales around then. I've been casually looking when we go to Home Depot, Ace Hardware, etc, and there are so many different choices now! Charcoal, propane, wood pellet, combination, Big Green Egg, griddles, pizza ovens... the list goes on, as many of you are likely aware. It's just the two of us, with the occasional dinner guest or four, so I don't need something that is the size of a small car. I also have never used a smoker. Right now, it would be the typical "weekend BBQ/cookout" type of use. |
"You see? It's like I've always said; You can get more with a kind word and a two-by-four than you can with just a kind word." - Marcus Cole
I'm not lazy, I just really enjoy doing nothing.
Joined:
Mar 2019
Posts:
14293
EE: 100% (17)
USA
| I'd go with a pellet as you can use it like a normal grill, chicken and pork is stupid easy on them no burnt flame thrower food or delve into smoking a but if you want. I have a weber gas, but still use the 15+ year old Traeger more. Downfall, no power no grill. |
|
It all comes down to how you would like to BBQ. If you like the perks of technology and want less maintenance, go with a pellet grill/smoker. They are handy, but anything that is good at two things is not excellent in one or the other. You mentioned owning a Weber in past years, and to be honest, it doesn't get any better than that, especially at that price. I am a big fan of charcoal and wood cooking. I have a hard time even thinking about cooking with rabbit pellets and using tech to control my temp. Cooking with coals gives your food a flavor that can't be duplicated with pellets. I know you said nothing big, but I would recommend going with their 26" because you will ALWAYS need more room. Good luck brother! |
|
I had a weber kettle, smokey mountain, ceramic grills, electric smokers, tons of shit. For the last 6 years i've been running a nice 3 burner + sear weber spirit. About 2 months ago I had a tank leak and explode my spirit, and my arm and leg. I'm expecting a check from Amerigas in the next week or so and I'm upgrading to a Weber genesis 435 . I use my grill so much it's just way easier to use gas. |
| Try to pick up a used kamado off of marketplace. Doesn't matter which brand/color. Give it a shot and if you really like it, then shoot for getting another new or used one in the right the size, brand, table setup, etc you're looking for. It's a buy once cry once situation. My dad has had the same BGE for over 30 years and I've had my two around 20 years. They have easily paid for themselves in fuel savings and replacement costs of metal grills. |
|
I ended up getting the 22" grill from Weber (10% .mil discount), and ordered a similar cart from Amazon to put the grill in. The total price was around $300 less than what Weber wanted for that setup. |
"You see? It's like I've always said; You can get more with a kind word and a two-by-four than you can with just a kind word." - Marcus Cole
|
Originally Posted By Kitulu: I ended up getting the 22" grill from Weber (10% .mil discount), and ordered a similar cart from Amazon to put the grill in. The total price was around $300 less than what Weber wanted for that setup. Originally Posted By Kitulu: I ended up getting the 22" grill from Weber (10% .mil discount), and ordered a similar cart from Amazon to put the grill in. The total price was around $300 less than what Weber wanted for that setup. I might do what you did, minus the military discount. Do they have the propane starter? |
|
I had a pellet grill (PitBoss), and it did what it was supposed to do very well, but I didn't enjoy cooking with it. Having to buy pellets online because the local stuff sucks, requiring electricity, worrying about an electronic failure over a long and expensive cook, the thing was big and heavy as hell, etc. Still use my Weber Kettle. The self-cleaning design of a Kettle is awesome, but it's not very efficient with heat retention, and mine has the annoying grate with the removable center section that always falls out and makes a mess. I don't want to spend money on a new grate because I'm eventually just going to suck it up and buy a better grill anyhow. Which leads me to recommending a PK Grill charcoal grill... I have their little PK GO for camping, and it's incredibly efficient at retaining heat and it cooks extremely well. I'm definitely going to get one of their larger models sooner rather than later. These grills are thick cast aluminum and supposedly they last long enough to pass down a generation or two if you take care of them. That's a pretty solid value IMO. It's also hard to beat food that's cooked over quality hardwood lump charcoal. Cooking directly over an open fire pit is cool too. I'm starting to plan for a setup like that in my back yard. |
|
These are really nice too. My brother just got one and really likes it. He's a long-time Traeger pellet guy, but I think he said he likes this more. |