Those Elcheapo Charcoal Grilles

Termyn8or

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This has to be a joke. (ain't) I want more than one grill, now I used my sister's and I guess I should buy her one. ;She want to clean it. YIKES ! Yuo do't clean those you just keep the ashes from clogging up the bottom vents, if you use them. The grill is cleansed in fire, a hot fire sustained as the coals light more and more. Nothing is more sterile. In fact it is more sterile than anything you would usually use to clean it ! Down the bottom does not need to look good for Good Housekeeping to stop by. It will be ash, let it be ash, just empty it out.

But what gets me is the grill being so, well I know it cost less to make, a grill with the slots or whatever over ¾" apart. What about hamburgers.

I know some people surrender and just put foil on it, but I refuse to do that.

Actually I can deal with it but that means they all need a sear. Some people do not like too much sear. I can still deal with it, but why when all they have to do is put the grates about at ½" spacing. How much can that really cost them ?

It is 14" and has 17 grates. (wrungs ?)

I don't really mind the rest of the parts are super elcheapo, they work. I ran one such grill for so long it rusted some and burned a hole in its bottom and burned the table under it. It did have much tighter spacing between the wrungs. Definitely less than ½".

I think I might have to look for a better one. Mo money. Oh well.

T
 
You can buy ten grills over the next ten years, or buy one Weber Kettle for the rest of your life. I bought my Kettle in 1995, and still use it. My Weber gas grill is a 2001 model. My grills are outside 24/7/365.

My story is not unusual.

As for cleaning, just brush out the coal dust, and scrape out any grease buildup. The grease can catch on fire and ruin your day.

CD
 
I've had grease catch fire, doesn't really bother me, that is why it is outdoors.

My peeve is people who wash the grill itself like the dishes. Not right.

When the charcoal is lighting there will be a flame. Put the grill on. The flame will turn anything on it into ash. Ash is cleaner than most things.

Some chefs wipe it down with a rag with oil but I never did. Never had to.

T
 
I do run my grate over with oil (Weber Spirit two-burner gas grill).

I did manage to catch a Meco charcoal grill on fire, like top to bottom, huge ball of flame. Have no idea how it happened.
 
My Weber Spirit will either get overhauled after next year or replaced. The thingies that sit over the burners are rusted through, the igniter quit working, and the door broke somehow. I don't even get how that happened, because the grill moves about three feet a year, at most.

Knowing my penchant for not working on things...I'm betting it'll get replaced. :laugh:
 
I have an expensive charcoal grill that also works as a smoker. A BGE.
 
I have an expensive charcoal grill that also works as a smoker. A BGE.

BGEs are great, but not anywhere close to "cheap." The OP can get a Weber Kettle for 150-bucks. I also use my Kettle as a smoker on a regular basis.

CD
 
My Weber Spirit will either get overhauled after next year or replaced. The thingies that sit over the burners are rusted through, the igniter quit working, and the door broke somehow. I don't even get how that happened, because the grill moves about three feet a year, at most.

Knowing my penchant for not working on things...I'm betting it'll get replaced. :laugh:

Those "thingies" are "flavorizer bars," and you can get them cheap and easy from Weber's outstanding customer service department. Just call them, give them the model number off the back or your grill, and they will ship your new parts -- and keep your grill information on file, so if you need anything else, they already know what you have.

A five-year-old could replace those flavorizer bars in five minutes, so you should be able to do it inside of an hour. :wink:

CD
 
Those "thingies" are "flavorizer bars,"
Now you know why I don't work it marketing. :laugh:

I may do that, thanks. Those just drop in, and even the igniter I could do, though I know it would annoy me no end.

It's the door that bugs me, more because I can't figure out how something like that "breaks" - I use quotes because it didn't break, it just won't stay in place any longer, like the frame is bent, but it's not bent, so it irritates me every time I see it.
 
My parents gave me their charcoal grill when they moved to an apartment in the late 90s. They'd used it since the 60s when they bought it. It was beginning to go on its last legs, but still functional, and I milked it along until about 2010. It was always outdoors - granted usually under an overhang, but that doesn't protect things from blowing rain.

I bought an el-cheapo in 2011 - just in time for what turned out to be three long term power outages! I tossed it in 2017 when moving. I probably could have used it a bit longer, but i didn't see the point in moving a piece of trash up to my new home. I now have a Weber grill, and love it.

I want to obtain a smoker grill for the patio, next, however.
 
I've had a few and the one I miss the most is a cheap little offset smoker bought years ago..I usually just used it as a grill but smoked some smaller stuff with it also..I painted the outside and even replaced the wooden handle with a piece of hockey stick..I never took it when I separated because I didn't have room.....I think it is still there in the shed as my ex didn't cook much...
 
BGEs are great, but not anywhere close to "cheap." The OP can get a Weber Kettle for 150-bucks. I also use my Kettle as a smoker on a regular basis.

CD
That is why I stated I had an expensive charcoal grill. But thanks for pointing that out.
 
Now you know why I don't work it marketing. :laugh:

I may do that, thanks. Those just drop in, and even the igniter I could do, though I know it would annoy me no end.

It's the door that bugs me, more because I can't figure out how something like that "breaks" - I use quotes because it didn't break, it just won't stay in place any longer, like the frame is bent, but it's not bent, so it irritates me every time I see it.

Is your grill less than 10 years old? The Spirit Series grills have a 10 year warranty on many parts, including the lids.

CD
 
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