July 2018 - Gold Medal Giveaway Winner!

[Jetski]

Congrats!!

[crunchysue]

Here's another question: Is it easy enough to move the HB around? I'd probably want to store it up against the house, then move it out during use. It looks like it would roll around a concrete patio with no problem.

[crunchysue]

You've echoed my thoughts exactly, jfmorris - except that I see no reason to add a third type of fuel burner to my collection. My Weber Genesis is from 2011, and I paid around $700 for it brand new; that's all I know. True, it's fast, but there's no denying that steaks cooked on gas don't taste as good as charcoal cooked ones, or even pan cooked ones.

[ecowper]

The firebox has a range of motion that is about the same as a true Santa Maria grill. So, you are moving the firebox, not the grill, but it is a very similar outcome. Which is why it’s fantastic for cooking Tri-Tip. :-)

[EdF]

I feel the Force moving towards Hasty-Bake!

[Mosca]

Wow, got to move your market over this way a bit! Wagyu is available, but ridiculously expensive here. At $13.99 per, I think it's all I would eat!

[jfmorris]

If it were me, considering you have the charcoal smoker (PBC) and a gas grill, the choice really comes down to pellet smoker or charcoal grill/smoker. I know you said you would sell the Weber Genesis, but there are good reasons to keep a gas grill around for those times you just don't have time to deal with the added time charcoal takes. If its an older Genesis, those were much better at reaching searing temperatures than the new Genesis II, and I would hang onto it for sure.

Good luck with your decision - it looks like you are gradually working your way towards the Hasty Bake, which is what I've had my eye on too. I've also considered the Green Mountain pellet grill if I were to ever win, but to be honest - you already have a pretty much hands off smoker in the PBC. What you don't have is a good charcoal grill. While the PK360 is super nice, as others have pointed out - no one ever says "my grill is too big". The Hasty Bake has a much larger grilling capacity for direct, and has the added bonus that you can pretty much use the full grill for indirect AND I think you can even control the distance from the charcoal to the grate letting you somewhat emulate what a Santa Maria grill does. It seems very flexible.

[jfmorris]

I agree with JCBBQ and Potkettleblack - seeing the winner think through the choice and discuss it is good to see.

[crunchysue]

Or maybe just the most indecisive? Discussing this with y'all is fun, for sure.

[Potkettleblack]

Maybe the best winner yet, just for the whole discussion.

[JCBBQ]

Spinaker, jimmac is smart - staying under 10 posts until he wins the giveaway.

[JCBBQ]

Well isn't this fun. I like reading crunchysue 's thought process here. Can't wait to see your choice. Congrats!!

[crunchysue]

OK, that doesn't sound bad at all. Thanks!

[JCBBQ]

FireMan hahahaha

[ecowper]

crunchysue great question ..... Here's my normal keep it clean routine

1. During the cook, keep a aluminum drip pan under the food you are cooking indirect. The v-shaped grills and grease trap is nice, but not perfect.
2. After the cook, dump grease trap if needed, sweep the coals, dump the ash, scrape the grills
3. Prior to next cook, quick clean of the grills and the flat exterior surfaces with non-toxic grill cleaner (I like Weber)
4. Monthly, I use a wire brush and clean the "gunk" buildup off the interior walls and firebox rails. I don't try to get to bare metal, because I don't want a reflective interior. Clean exterior with oven cleaner to get smoke and such off the exterior surfaces - this is aesthetic more than anything else. Clean interior of glass to get smoke/soot buildup removed.

I don't spend more than 5 minutes pre/post cook and my monthly maintenance takes about 30 minutes. YOu will get a bit dirty on the monthly maintenance, so I wear shorts and a t-shirt that are reserved for that task and I don't care if they have grease/soot stains on them.