- I know it is hard to get a gas grill to hold a steady temperature. Any suggestions on the best three (3) burner gas grill that does a good job doing this? Would like to hold around 250 for ribs and around 350 for chicken, etc. What grill would you recommend as I am looking to purchase in the near future. Have thought of a pellet smoker but have always used a gas grill and and comfortable using one. Just need to get something that will allow me a little tighter control on temps. Only cooking for two 95% of the time so do not need a large grill. Thinking about Weber Spirit or Broil King. Thanks.
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I can hold temps really steady on my Broil King Baron. I have a 4 burner model. I can do this with or without a water pan.
I like that the water pan fits below the grate.
I have had my broil king for 6 years, and it's been fantastic. Can't recommend them enough. I think they're a comparable grill to Weber, and less expensive.
I think with some experimentation, I could also hold a stead temp on my dads Charbroil performance series, although I haven't tried. The cook box on the Broil King is quite a bit sturdier than the Charboil.
Just my two cents.
I think you can accomplish your goal with most gas grills using the indirect heat set up, discussed on the free side. Just make sure you have a good Thermo-meter, like a Maverick 732 or XR 50, or something comparable. -
Over the years with various gas grills I have just thrown a small welding blanket over the cook chamber when needed due to cold, wind, or thin construction to keep steadier temperatures.Comment
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lovetogrill my son made some passable ribs a few weeks ago on a Weber Spirit II E-310, with 1 burner on, two off, and using wood chips in a foil packet for smoke. Took him about 6 hours to get 2 racks of spare ribs (trimmed to Saint Louis cut) done.
Just realize that a 3 burner gas grill does not give you much space for smoking, or an optimal smoke source. You would be better off with a 22" Weber kettle, even with no accessories, for smoking and having a reasonable amount of space to do so. My son was happy to smoke some ribs on the only grill he has, but seeing that it used propane for 6 hours, its not something he plans to do all the time, and his plans are to get a charcoal smoker (PBC or WSM) or a Weber kettle with a SNS soon.
If you really only want to smoke with propane, I would suggest taking a close look at the Camp Chef Smoke Vault 18 and 24. They will run for about 24 hours on a tank of propane, and will generate smoke much easier with wood chunks in the pan at the bottom. And they are actually designed for smoking. Gas grills are not designed for smoking - they are designed to be very leaky, and you are lucky to get much smoke on the meat at all, due to the huge amount of ventilation in a gas grill.Last edited by jfmorris; September 9, 2020, 01:16 PM.Comment
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ecowper that is where my 25 year old son is at this point. He just wanted to smoke some ribs on his Weber gas grill to prove he COULD, and has been asking me questions about smokers off and on for a few months. He knows he wants charcoal and wood chunks, and I've pointed him at the PBC, WSM and Bronco. After seeing the 16 pound brisket I made on a kettle+SNS, he is thinking a 22" kettle will be big enough for him... -
ecowper I routinely do 2 butts or 3 slabs of ribs on there, using a rib rack, and have crammed as many as 6 racks of baby backs into a kettle. Since the rib rack only held 5, one had to perch on top of the rest, and I just rotated which slab of ribs was in that spot about once an hour during the cook.
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I will also throw out there that the BEST thing I ever did for my gas grills was to get a full replacement set of Grillgrates for them. They let me cook a lot of stuff using direct heat, like the chicken you want at 350F, without the concerns of flareups or burning things up. I find chicken best cooked direct around 350F, but that items like ribs need to be cooked indirect, which is something as I said before, you CAN do on a gas grill, but for which a smoker will be best.Comment
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Thanks guys, appreciate all your thoughts and comments. My experience is limited to a handful of cooks the past few years when I decided to move beyond hamburgers and hot dogs. Have done ribs 5 or so times and chicken about the same. Loving it and want to "graduate" to more but will not go charcoal route. That is just not for me at age 80 . You have way more experience than I have and I am enjoying learning from all of you. I agree that 3 burners is not enough so will look at 4 burners. -
lovetogrill another thing to look at that might help when smoking on a gas grill, since it looks like you want one cooker to do it all on, would be to get an "Amazing Smoke Tube". It's just a perforated metal tube that you can fill with those wood pellets they sell for the pellet smokers, and set on fire. They smolder and produce smoke, and you can put it on the grill as an alternative to wood chips in a foil packet. -
Thanks to you I’ve been using my Grill Grates when cooking full chickens on my Weber Performer. I use to cook them using the indirect method but it made a mess in the bowl if I didn’t use a drip pan. Now I spread my briquettes out across the bottom and use the GG raised side up.
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I second jfmorris comments. Please rethink sticking to what you know instead of adding a different type of cooker and letting it do what it's best at. You'll have fun exploring new ways to cook, master using a kettle pretty quickly, and be happier with your results and associated costs. Or just win our new second place monthly prize!Comment
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Yep, second place just took a giant leap forward. My primary concern is not to get smoke flavor as much as to hold a consistent temp for what I am cooking. Pellet will hold the temp but I also want to grill so I am not sure about them. Thanks for all your help. It is really helpful to those of us who are so new in the game. -
I'll give you lovetogrill the most bass ackword comment so far... Running outside consistent temp has never hurt my low and slow cooks. They run 70% in the window I want, but an all day cook also runs as low as 170F for a bit, and sometimes as high as 290F far longer than I want. This is strictly with charcoal briquettes and wood chunks, but you can vary in temp far more than you think.. -
Have a Char-Broil Advantage 3 burner, purchased from Lowes several years ago on Black Friday sale. It does get HOT and is great for grilling but have a hard time getting temps down below 350, even with two burners off and third turned down. Now that I am trying to "graduate" to lower temps and longer cooks, looking around. As I said, charcoal is out and I am not looking for a lot of smoke flavor. All the comments have been most helpful. Thanks everyone, what a great resource this site is.
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lovetogrill it sounds like maybe you have a gas grill now, and want to get one that is more consistent in temperature? Can you tell us what you have now?
I don't know what your budget is, but the Weber Smokefire is a pellet cooker than can grill exceptionally well, and smoke well too. It has had a little controversy, as it appears you need to use a drip pan under the grate when smoking, to avoid build up of grease that can flare up while smoking for long periods, but if you use a drip pan, it seems golden. Several folks on here that have the SmokeFire say it smokes better than any other pellet smoker they have ever used, and grills about as well and easily as a gas grill.
To me, if I really wanted a nice smoker AND grill, the Weber Smokefire would be something to consider. It will definitely smoke a lot better than any gas grill.
Paging glitchy in case you are interested - he can give advice and testimonials.Comment
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I misspoke earlier. I have the 5 burner Broil King baron. I should be ashamed of myself.
If you're starting out, a grill with more real estate for smoking, and a couple/few grillgrates to add sear capability can do a lot.
I have grillgrates over 2 of my 5 burners, which has worked really well for cooking indirect, and then reverse searing. It's plenty of space for just the two of us, or I can cook for larger groups.
I've smoked up to 3 racks of ribs, OR 3 pork butts at a time.
This set up worked for me for 5 years-ish. I am definitely happier smoking on my PBC, butyou can do a lot on a 4 or 5 burner gasser.
It's not a bad place to start.Last edited by BFlynn; September 10, 2020, 07:50 AM.Comment
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If you are considering a pellet smoker I recommend you look at and ask for feedback on any with a gas assist. I have a GMG and am limited on what i can do on it alone because of the amount of pellets and smoke above 350. GMG recently said they are NOT considering a gas assist option.Comment
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lovetogrill my son had no issues maintaining 225 to 250 using one burner on his Weber Spirit II 3 burner grill, but I think you will want a little more space than that.
Some of the Broil King grills have a LOT of BTU's, but I like their construction. A friend has a 3 burner model and has issues getting the heat down without turning off burners, and he has switched to a Weber Performer (charcoal) for most of his grilling. You may just need one burner for smoking on the Broil King. I really liked the one I looked at in my local Lowe's last year, when considering grills - it came with a dedicated rotisserie burner, rotisserie, and had a side burner as well. Seemed like a lot of bang for the buck.Last edited by jfmorris; September 10, 2020, 09:16 PM.Comment
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Thank you for your time and attention. You are so helpful. I am enjoying learning how to cook various things on the grill. I seem to improve a little each time I try. I am keeping notes on each cook and that has really helped. The information on this site is invaluable. Have a great day and stay safe. -
lovetogrill a lot of the journey is just using the tools you already have - your existing grill for example - and mastering techniques and recipes that you can make there. There are too many toys to buy, and not enough time (or appetite) to try all the food you can make. Sounds like you are on a good start to your journey. Taking notes puts you one step ahead of me!
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I am going to throw out an argument against Broil King, unless someone else who has one chimes in.
Between my friend here in town with the 3 burner, and reviews I just read on Lowe's website for the 4 burner Regal 420 seem to indicate that getting the temperature LOW is a problem. Seems like these grills are GREAT if you want high heat searing. Not sure they will be great for going low and smoking - which I will repeat, is NOT something gas grills were designed to do. I think you need to research this carefully and read reviews yourself.
The fact you need to come to terms with is that gas grills were designed for direct heat grilling as their primary function. Not for smoking. Just as flat top grills (griddles) are designed for direct heat griddling. Charcoal grills are about the only grill type that can excel at both grilling and indirect heat smoking, as you have full control of how much charcoal is in there, and how it is arranged.
I seriously think you should consider a quality gas grill like the Weber 3 burner, and a vertical propane smoker like one of these:
That 18" wide model doesn't take a lot of space on your patio, and is designed expressly for smoking at temperatures that are lower than gas grills are designed for. The 24" model is going for $269 on Amazon.
You could keep your existing grill, and just get the Camp Chef propane smoker as an added tool. Think of it as an outdoor gas oven, which you can optionally add wood chips and chunks to.
NOW, if you really want one cooker than go do it all, here are the ones I would consider:
1. Weber Smokefire EX4
This is a wood pellet grill (yes, grill) that smokes AND grills as good or better than most propane grills, with thermostatic control.
2. Camp Chef Woodwind
This is a wood pellet smoker that sues wood pellets for smoking, and solves the grilling issue by adding a side table that has a propane grill embedded in it, so that you can sear or direct grill items.Last edited by jfmorris; September 11, 2020, 08:44 AM.Comment
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Last thought, and I gotta get back to work, comes back to the Weber 3 burner you started off mentioning.
My father, who is 79, sold his house and moved from Georgia to Alabama, to be near my family, about 2 years ago, and left behind his large gas grill and offset smoker for the guy who bought the house. Here he has a Weber Spirit 3 burner (an E-330 model with sear and side burner), and has somehow mastered smoking ribs on that (turn on left burner, put ribs on the right end), griddling with a Lodge cast iron griddle, and cooks a lot of meals for my mother and himself, and guests, on that grill on the patio of their new house. My son has the newer Spirit II E-310 that I got him as a wedding gift, and grills a lot, and just smoked ribs a week ago.
The point is, you use the tools you got. I don't know how much trouble you are having staying stable with the grill you have, but maybe just play with that a little longer, and keep an eye out for a season end clearance on a better grill.Comment
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My situation is very much like yours as I am 79 years old with a wife in her 60s. Most cooks are just for her and I so I don't need or want 15 different cookers. I have a pellet smoker, a charcoal grill and a Weber Spirit 315 that I bought 3-4 months ago. I bought it for "spur of the moment" cooks or other quick cooks such as steaks, thin pork chops, shrimp, or veggies.
Recently I have been trying other longer cooks at low temps and using a smoke box with wood chips. Although it has only 3 burners it does everything I have asked it to do. It gets up to 550-600 quickly using all 3 three or I can use only the first burner and maintain 225-250 easily.
My first choice of gas grills when researching was the Napoleon w/4 burners (don't remember model) but the local dealer was asking a price $100 over MSRP plus he asked $100 for assembly and delivery. Since he already had it assembled I asked him to deliver it free (5 miles) and I would pay his asking price. He refused, so I bought the Weber Spirit 315 from a different store!
I was concerned about reviews of Weber products as many say the quality has been lowered and the customer service is terrible. So far, I have enjoyed my Weber and I recommend them as a reasonable value for cooks like us.Comment
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I absolutely LOVE!! my Weber Genesis.....it is a 3 burner.Comment
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