# BBQ Question



## jargey3000 (Jan 25, 2011)

Do ya think the 2-burner propane BBQ I just picked up at wally-mart for $40 on end of season clearance will cook a coupla burgers or t-bones for da wife & me as good as some of those $1500-$1600+ jobbies I see advertised?


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## nathan79 (Feb 21, 2011)

It should do just fine. With the extra $$ you're mainly getting more features, capacity, and durability.

One thing you could look at is getting a better grate (ie, the grill that the food goes on). The cheap ones tend to rust and are just not very durable.


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## Plugging Along (Jan 3, 2011)

Sure a cheap bbq will do he job.

We had a cheap one, and when that dies we got an expensive one. The big differences are the eveness of the heat and how easily controlled, how long the grates and materials will last, and how long the parts will last. Our cheap one, the igniter went so we had to light with a lighter. No biggie, it did cook as evenly and had hot spots and flare ups. Oh had to watch it a little more, but my spouse said that was part of the sport. Our new goes hotter and has more features and does clean easier. 

If you looking for something for a few burgers and steaks on occasion, then go for it. If it’s something all the time, then you may want a nicer one,


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## Ag Driver (Dec 13, 2012)

Deleted


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## lonewolf :) (Sep 13, 2016)

I like the small portable BBQs


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## peterk (May 16, 2010)

Don't know what cheapo bbqs you guys have had that you've been so satisfied with. They are clearly inferior in every way to a high end bbq, the most important aspect being that they simply don't get hot enough to _actually grill properly_. Though even the best propane bbq also do not get quite hot enough for really effective searing either. You need a natural gas one with more power or a real charcoal bbq that gets piping hot. Unfortunately I just have a little balcony with no nat. gas hookup, so I'll have to stick with my propane Broil King for now.


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## milhouse (Nov 16, 2016)

Years ago, my friend bought a small, relatively inexpensive sub $100 propane bbq. It kind of struggled to get hot enough to properly grill as peterk describes in his post. 
The $40 Walmart special might do the trick but I suspect it may struggle. 



Ag Driver said:


> Consider returning it and finding a charcoal grill on clearance. I went charcoal over a decade ago and will never buy a gas grill again. Even the cheap charcoal grills are great and will provide umpteen times the flavour vs even the most expensive gas grill on the market.


I haven't used a charcoal grill in years but have been pining to get a new one to mess around with.


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## m3s (Apr 3, 2010)

I've always used charcoal. The slight hassle is well worth the results and you can't beat the price. A $20 charcoal chimney starter from amazon makes it less hassle to start and more efficient. The only feature I'd look for is something to catch the ashes.


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## Rusty O'Toole (Feb 1, 2012)

There is a guy named Townsend on Youtube who specializes in videos about cooking in the 18th century, and the lives people led in the US in the Revolutionary War period. In one episode he cooked a roast of beef in front of a fireplace by tying the roast up with a piece of string in front of the fire. A professional chef and culinary arts teacher commented that his students, using state of the art ovens with infrared temp control, could not do as good a job as he did with a piece of string and a handful of sticks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGS4BY7KjTM&t=16s

A long winded way of saying you can cook with primitive equipment, especially meat, and get an excellent result if you know what you are doing. If you don't know what you are doing the most expensive equipment in the world won't save you.


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## twa2w (Mar 5, 2016)

Sure it will do the job. You may have to play a little to find the sweet spot as far as heat controls and hot spots if any.

It may also depend on whether you want to grill or BBQ.

I just got back from camping. Used a 10 year old Nexgrill stainless steel portable propane BBQ from Costco. I think I paid about 70.00 at the time. New full price ones are around 100.
I used a copper grill mat over the stainless steel grill.

Cooked burgers, baked potatoes, onions and did a 5 lb roast.

Roast was seared on all sides on high then cooked on indirect heat on medium.

My friend in the next campsite fancies himself as a bit of a BBQ snob. Said no way roast will be good. I even left it on a little long and overcooked it a little so no rare bits in middle. The look on his face was priceless when he bit in and found out how tender it was.


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## AltaRed (Jun 8, 2009)

To me, it depends on where, when and how often one wants to use a BBQ... and consequently ease of use. I used charcoal, hardwood, propane and natural gas over the decades.

We BBQ 4-5 times a week during peak summer months and as little as 2-3 times a week in the dead of winter. Mostly for meat/fish/poultry, but also veggies, kebobs, etc. quite often too. With that kind of frequency I count on my NG fired Weber Genesis... 11 years old and still going as strong as the day I purchased it.


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## kcowan (Jul 1, 2010)

With just two of us, we buy used. This beauty was $80 at a used BBQ store. It is a Thermos 3-burner plus side grill. I use a water bottles for flare-ups. With all three burners going, I can easily handle a party of eight. 







The guy at the store says that used BBQs are not worth much. But Thermos is a high end brand.


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