Other grills to complement KBQ? (E.g. Argentine/Santa Maria)

[AJR]

Hi all,

I love my new KBQ, and I also have a Primo Kamado and a gas grill with rotisserie. Now that I am buying whole logs for the KBQ, recently I've been intrigued by all wood Argentine style grills / Santa Maria grills. Do any of you have them and recommend them? Or if you want smoke flavor do you just use your KBQ in combination with a larger charcoal or gas grill for searing?

Or put another way, is there anything uniquely special you can do with a Santa Maria or Gaucho grill that you can't recreate otherwise?

Thanks,
Aaron

[STEbbq]

Flavor wise you probably have it covered with the KBQ. The SM would mainly be the fun appeal of cooking with food over open flame.

[Old Glory]

Two completely different ways of cooking. I have a nice Santa Maria Assado and love it. It is fun. You are more actively cooking. Managing the fire, using all your senses to cook the meat.

[ofelles]

Ditto what Old Glory said. I have a LSG Santa Maria

[TripleB]

The only drawback with a SM grill is that you cannot close the lid.....since there is no lid. I have a PK360 with a SM attachment. IMHO, best of both worlds.

[Santamarina]

The trio of outdoor cookers I need to cover all my bases: KBQ, SM, and a griddle. Zero need for a gasser or a grill with a lid. Since I got my Blackstone years ago the only thing I use my wood/charcoal grill for is steaks and tri-tip…exactly what a SM is designed for!

[Uncle Bob]

Yep, all the above. For emphasis, you don't get much smokey flavor, but you do get a bunch of interactive cooking which some of us find very enjoyable at times. It's especially fun when you have company over as they see it as entertainment since most, if not all, of them don't have such toys. I did a good sized steak feed awhile back and rolled out the SM for just that reason. Most of the guests gathered round to be mesmerized by the flames and tantalized by the smells. It added a new dimension to their enjoyment of the end result.

[Bad Hat BBQ]

Agree with the above comments

It is a different way of cooking but it is fun

Suggest looking at LSG, Sunterra, Tagwood and get a hannle on the features you want. Then find a custom shop in your area that can build what you want AND save $$ ( I found my builder about 2 hours from me and saved a ton)

From a design perspective...
1. Firebrick is a great feature ....that is easy to do yourself
2. Brasero is a must (for me)
3 I like having enough height over the cooking area...some are pretty low

[Dr. Pepper]

I use my Weber gasser for sausages, and smash burgers or salmon with the aluminum flat inserts. Use the KBQ for smoking. And use an Argentian grill for grilling over wood (that's the Patagonian son-in-law in the photo).

[Jerod Broussard]

How do you like those V-Grates?? I'm shying away from those as a potential grate on an Argentine.

[Dr. Pepper]

They work fine. Only the top edge contacts your food.
I flip & rotate every 30-60 secs, depending on how hot and how high away from the fire. The grease funnels into the trays in front.
I know that Ox in Portland says that the grease is 'black gold', which they use to baste the meat. That probably works for them because they are grilling for customers all evening, but we are only making a one time meal. (Besides, if my wife saw me do that, she would likely refuse to taste the steaks!)

[STEbbq]

Welcome back! We have missed your posts! How has life been?

[Dr. Pepper]

Thanks, STEbbq We've been fine. I've missed y'all as well.

[Henrik]

What others have said. I think a Santa Maria is a great addition, and adds a unique style of cooking which complements your other grills. It’s fun to use, lets you work more actively with fire, it entertains the guests and food tastes great.

[Greygoose]

cedar planked salmon and a simple solution if you need a lid,,,