Prestige 500 Pro 2-zone cooking

[2for66]

I’m considering the Napoleon Prestige Pro 500. How well does it do with 2-zone cooking? I figure there are 2 types of 2-zone cooking and would like to hear your experiences

1, Two burners on one side, creating a hot side and a cooler side. I see this for reverse searing a steak (although the sizzle zone would probably be better for the hot part. More likely I use this type of dual zone for things like chicken thighs. Start them on the cool side and then brown on the hot side.

Is the grill insulated well enough that the cool side won’t get too cool?

2. Using the 2 outside burners and cooking like an oven.

[Draznnl]

I’ve used the two burners on each side method on several occasions with good success. Never for steak which I usually SVQ, but for things ranging from veggies to burgers (where I am trying to please different tastes for doneness/thickness/juiciness/etc.). You know, it’s a fussy bunch I cook for.

I’ve never tried your "oven" method on my Napoleon. I can’t see why it wouldn’t work well.

[2for66]

Thanks Drazni! Until today I had never heard the phrase SVQ. Love it! I can imagine Sous Vide(ing) a steak and finishing on the side burner would be great.

[Draznnl]

Yes, 2for66, great is exactly the word I'd use. Even my wife who likes her steaks overcooked (medium well), never finds her steaks to be tough with this method.

[bbqLuv]

Greeting 2for66, going on a road trip on Route 66. That was the way back in the day. Even made a TV show Route 66.

[2for66]

Yep. Route 66 is the derivation of my username. Glad you caught it!

[GolfGeezer]

I cook spatchcocked chickens, pork tenderloin roasts and other indirect cooks using the 2 outside burners with excellent results. I usually turn the 2 inside burners on in preheat at medium, then turn them off 5-10 minutes before putting the food on. I have not really used 2 burners on one side. I would do that if I needed the main burners for searing, but with the IR burner on the side, I do all my searing using it.

[2for66]

Thanks GolfGeezer! I love the tweak of using the middle burners during warmup.

[2for66]

I made the "mistake" of going to a local grill shop to see the P500 and loved it. It looks plenty big enough. But then, the salesman compared and contrasted the P665. Things I liked more (in order): SS cooking box, beefier cart, much nicer/bigger grease pan setup, more space, the smoke tube (maybe just a gimmick?). Oh and more real estate and an extra burner can’t be a bad thing.

[GolfGeezer]

Yes, the 665 is very nice. It is too big for my needs, otherwise an excellent choice.

[Draznnl]

Are you regularly cooking for a large family/small army? The 665 is a gorgeous cooker, but do you really need something that big. Would the $900 be better spent on a bunch of wagyu beef from Snake River Farms maybe? Or as a major chunk of the purchase price of a nice offset smoker? I'd be happy to suggest myriad ways to spend that money. The key question, though, is do you need something that big?

[2for66]

Drazni, that’s true. It’s way bigger than I really need. I may yet come to my senses!

[Draznnl]

Who said anything about coming to your senses? Do that and the $900 winds up in the kid's college fund or someplace equally "practical". I'm saying that $900 is nearly half the price of a Lone Star Grillz 20x42 offset smoker for example. Or more than half the cost of a KBQ C-60. You get the idea? Why buy one oversized cooker when you can get two right sized cookers for just a little more?

[2for66]

Ah, you are way ahead of me! Unfortunately, if I get a cooker I have to kick one to the curb; so. buying two is, well, not in the cards. I had a Summit E-670 back in the day and it was huge; but I had times when I used every inch. And, even more than the size, I like the build quality of the P665 better.