So, my son’s got friends graduating soon (from high school) has me thinking about gifts you want them to have that will actually get used. Aside from the obvious things, some get new cars, phones, laptops, etc etc. I thought a good starter grill would be perfect for those who are into grilling and will likely take it to college tailgates, occasional steaks or whatever else college kids cook. Just curious what y’all think is the best first grill?
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Club Member
- Nov 2015
- 4688
- The Great State of Jefferson
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24X40 Lone Star Grillz offset smoker
Weber Summit Charcoal Grill w/SnS and DnG (Spartacus)
20X36 Lonestar Grillz pellet pooper
SnS 18" Travel Kettle
SmokeDaddy Pro portable pellet pooper
2 W22's w/SnS, DnG (1 black, 1 copper) (Minions 1 and 2)
20+ y/o many times rebuilt Weber Genesis w/GrillGrates (Gas Passer)
20 x 30 Santa Maria grill (Maria, duh)
Bradley cabinet smoker (Pepper Gomez)
36" Blackstone griddle (The Black Beauty)
Fireboard
Thermoworks Smoke and Thermapen.
Gourmet dinnerware by PJ Enterprises
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Charter Member
- Aug 2014
- 869
- Orlando, Florida
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Equipment:
'88 Vintage Fire Magic gasser with over 4000 cooks to its credit
Large Big Green Egg
18 Inch Weber Kettle (Rescued from neighbor's trash)
Rotisserie for 18 inch kettle
Dyna Glo propane smoker
Pit Barrel Cooker
Smokey Joe with mini WSM mod
Garcima paella burner
Anova Sous Vide
Slaiya Sous Vide (gift)
LEM grinder, sausage stuffer and meat slicer (all gifts)
Favorite Beer:
Key West Wheat
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I concur on the Jumbo Joe. College kids typically move each year or store items over the summer break. The JJ is easier to throw in a car or a storage unit.
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Yeah, I'd go with a Jumbo Joe or even a Smokey Joe over a 22" Kettle, given that space is likely limited for a college freshman. Way easier for tailgating and moving around - if they live in a dorm, they may not even be allowed to possess a grill.
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Founding Member & Pit Barrel Cooker Queen
- Jul 2014
- 7136
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My toys:
Weber Summit Charcoal Grilling Center (WSCGC) aka Mr. Fancypants
Pit Barrel Cooker (which rocks), named Pretty Baby
Weber Summit S650 Gas Grill, named Hot 'n Fast (used mostly for searing and griddling)
Weber Kettle Premium 22" named Kettle Kid, eager to horn in with more cooks in the future
Camp Chef Somerset IV 4-burner outdoor gas range named AfterBurner due to its 30kBTU burners
Adrenaline BBQ Company Gear:SnS Low Profile, DnG, and Large Charcoal Basket, for WSCGC
SnS Deluxe for 22" Kettle
Elevated SS Rack for WSCGC
SS Rack for DnG
Cast Iron GriddleGrill Grate for SnSGrill Grates: five 17.375 sections (retired to storage)
Grill Grates: six 19.25 panels for exact fit for Summit S650
gasser
Grill Grates for 22" Kettle
2 Grill Grate Griddles
Steelmade Griddle for Summit gas grill
Fireboard Gear:Extreme BBQ Thermometer PackagePit Viper Fan (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Additional control unit
Additional probes: Competition Probes 1" (3) and 4" (1), 3 additional Ambient Probes. 1 additional Food Probe
2 Driver Cables
Pit Viper Fan new design (to pair with Fireboard Fan Driver Cable)
Thermoworks Gear:Thermapen MK4 (pink)Maverick ET 73 a little workhorse with limited range
Thermapen Classic (pink too)
Thermoworks MK4 orange
Temp Test 2 Smart Thermometer
Extra Big and Loud Timer
Timestick Trio
Maverick ET 733
Maverick (Ivation) ET 732
Grill Pinz
Vortex (two of them)
18" drip pan for WSCGC
Ceramic Spacers for WSCGC in Kamado Mode: 2 sets each 1/2", 1", 2". The 2" spacers work best with the 18" drip pan. The 1+1/2 inch spacers work best with the 14 inch cake pan.
Two Joule Sous Vide devices
3 Lipavi Sous Vide Tubs with Lids: 12, 18 and 26 quarts
Avid Armor Ultra Pro V32 Chamber Sealer
Instant Pot 6 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Instant Pot 10 Quart Electric Pressure Cooker
Charcoal Companion TurboQue
A-Maze-N tube 12 inch tube smoker accessory for use with pellets
BBQ Dragon and Dragon Chimney
Shun Classic Series:8" Chef Knife
6" Chef's Knife
Gokujo Boning and Fillet Knife
3 1/2 inch Paring Knife
Depends on where he lives. If on campus, he may not be able to use any sort of fire source, and he'd have to have a place to store it. If those possible impediments are of no concern/don't apply, then I vote for the Weber 22", or a Jumbo Joe.
My first grill in college was a hibatchi. Small enough to cram under my bed in the dorm, and perfect for burgers, etc whenever the cafeteria was serving mystery meat.
Kathryn
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Weber 22: versitle, but it’s going to be to tough to stash in a dorm. Not impossible, just get one with a basic cart that can be taken apart.
Weber 26: same as above but even harder to stash
original PK: quite a generous gift! Awesome "starter" grill that will last decades! But again tough to stash in a dorm. But without the large table/cart and just the short legs awesome on a pickup truck tailgate.
PBC: impossible to stash in a dorm. Good for smoking but not great for direct grilling (like can be done on a kettle or PK). IMO better suited as a starter smoker gift for a new homeowner.
So I am going to vote "other". Something sneaky that can be smuggled into a dorm. You can even fit it in a duffel bag! Nobody will suspect anything and snitches get no burgers. You can take it tailgating, or picknicking at parks. If necessary, it can be stashed in the trunk of a car. A charcoal fired marine grill. Magma makes good stuff. All marine grade stainless steel so it will last forever. They also have propane grills that use the small 1 pound bottles.
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Charter Member
- Oct 2014
- 2814
- Winnipeg Manitoba Canada
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Cookers:
Broil King XL
Broil King Smoke
Weber Kettle 26
Grilla Pellet smoker
Capital 40 natural gas
Napoleon Pro 22 kettle
Thermometer:
Maverick 733
Thermapen (ok..4 thermapens)
Thermo works DOT (or two)
Fireboard (probably my favourite)
Thermworks Smoke (or two)
Accessories:
SnS (original, plus and XL)
DnG pans, 6 or 7 of these
Vortex
Grillgrates
and, maybe some other toys as well
Unless he already knows how to grill with charcoal, I would go with a propane fired table top unit. Easy to transport or tailgate, and fast when college kids need a hotdog or a burger in the middle of the night.
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I’d probably not get a grill for a high school graduate. They move around, live in small a small apartment or dorm or room in a house. Most probably aren’t too interested in cooking, if they are interested in cooking that’s a different story. If you do get a grill, I’d vote for a hibachi or jumbo joe.
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I vote kettle too. My Pop's advice when I left home was get yourself a good sleeping bag and keep it and little stash of cash in your car at all times ! Guess he thought there could always be a need to be on the run from something.
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RustyHaines in Wyoming it gets Cold night
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Club Member
- Sep 2015
- 8034
- Colorado
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> Weber Genesis EP-330
> Grilla Grills Original Grilla (OG) pellet smoker with Alpha/Connect
> Pit Barrel Cooker (gone to a new home)
> WeberQ 2000 (on "loan" to a relative (I'll never see it again))
> Old Smokey Electric (for chickens mostly - when it's too nasty out
to fiddle with a more capable cooker)
> Luhr Jensen Little Chief Electric - Top Loader circa 1990 (smoked fish & jerky)
> Thermoworks Smoke
> 3 Thermoworks Chef Alarms
> Thermoworks Thermapen One
> Thermoworks Thermapen Classic
> Thermoworks Thermopop
> Thermoworks IR-GUN-S
> Anova sous vide circulator
> Searzall torch
> BBQ Guru Rib Ring
> WÜSTHOF, Dalstrong, and Buck knives
> Paprika App on Mac and iOS
If you want to keep the focus on cooking, how about an Instant Pot? Not BBQ, but does a passable job on a wide variety of dishes.
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Remembering back to when I graduated college about 10 years ago we definitely couldn’t have grills in our dorms and most of the college housing apartments didn’t allow for charcoal fires and such in balconies....
however....
A portable pellet cooker like GMG has or like rectec had would be AWESOME and great for college imho if they are allowed to have such items.
OR...
I think a nice Weber Q with cart/stand would work nicely. You can’t necessarily 2 zone with it but for grilling purposes it will definitely get you through. It got me through for a while.
Now if college wasn’t a factor and then I would be looking at this completely different.
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Club Member
- Aug 2018
- 1094
- Heart of Dixie
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Kamado Joe Big Joe III, Recteq 1250, PKGO, Jumbo Joe and PBC. Weber kettle @ the hunting camp.
Good ideas and thoughts thus far. I do want you clarify, this was just a thought I had. The boys graduating are into grilling and won't live in dorms. I'm sure I'll get over ruled by my accountant (wife). She'll probably buy them towels or something.....😒
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