Gas & Charcoal Combo - thoughts?


 

Steven Savois

TVWBB Member
My gas grill is on it's way out and I'm shopping for a replacement.

I've had a WSM for a little over a year and love it. It has sparked my interest in charcoal cooking instead of gas.

BUT...I do like the ability of gas to be ready quickly if I'm only grilling for a quick dinner.

I've seen Combo Gas/Charcoal rigs - gas on one side, charcoal on the other.

Does anyone have expierence with one of these? Pros/cons?

This is the one that caught my attention.
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn...9769-5050&lpage=none

Thanks for the help.
 
most that have one seem to like it. i'm not a fan of dual purpose units. if ya get a failure in one unit it messes up the other. suggest you get a weber kettle and a q gasser.
 
Originally posted by Steven Savois:
BUT...I do like the ability of gas to be ready quickly if I'm only grilling for a quick dinner.

I would get a separate small gasser for that purpose.
 
Steven,

I don't have any experience in a dual unit, but I've owned and worked with both fuel types. Currently I've gone 100% charcoal. FWIW, my coals can be ready in 15-30 mins which is not that long to wait. While the coals are coming up, I prep the food, let the meat come to room temp, mix up glazes or sauces, have a cool beverage, etc. In other words, there's always something to be done and rarely do I find the need to put a piece of meat down on a grate in 5 mins. That's my .02.
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Paul
 
Keep an eye on Craigslist. You can get a charcoal kettle grill AND a Weber Q 220 for less than the $300 that combo grill costs.

Bill
 
Napoleon Prestige I and II gas grills have an optional charcoal tray (see bottom of page in link). You remove the sear plate, put the tray directly over the burner, use the burner to light it then turn the burner off.

The tray sits on a ledge so it is suspended over the burner, not sitting on it directly.
 
doesn't the Lowe's BBQ system take the place of a smoker?

how about a used 22OTG or even one of the performers or the one touch SS used and a small gasser.

I need to get my gasser working again, it will be convenient for fast lunches or dinners and veggies but my go to will be one of the charcoal units
 
That one looks good in the picture. What is the quality like? The side burner is a major plus for me. I use a vintage kettle, a Genesis Gold, and a small green egg. I like them all, but on weeknights the gas just seems easiest right after work.
 
The folks over at Barbecue Bible seem to be Char-Griller enthusiasts. I was looking at one of those a year ago, which brought me to this site as I explored my options. I purchased a WSM to supplement my POS Char-Broil gasser. I decided to re-build that. By the time I collected all the parts in the basket, I was within a couple dollars of a new POS Char-Broil. I put it all back and purchased a OTG.

I used the gutted Char-Broil as a table until this week when I picked up a used Performer.

A year ago I did not use charcoal. Today I use it exclusively. As others have said, in about the same amount of time (perhaps a couple minutes more), you can have your charcoal lighted.

Craigslist is your friend. With a little patience, kettles and gassers can be found. Shoot, someone picked up my gutted gasser from the curb before the trash pickup today.
 
My neighbor just bought a char-griller. I personally wasn't impressed. He does mostly burgers and dogs,but that's what he wanted. I'm getting a weber kettle for my birthday in September. That's what I want
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Living in Michigan, having the gasser in the middle of winter is a major plus. Having the idea to hook it up to the house natural gas was a stroke of genius (highly, highly recommended). However, in moderate weather I use the performer (Craigslist find, $60, stainless steel
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). The time difference is insignificant as I use the side-burner of the gasser to light the chimney...takes literally 3 minutes to get them lit, transfer to grill, ready in another 10 or less, dump, start steaks indirect. Of course the WSM is used for smoking. So, my advice is to be patient, find a great deal on Craigslist for a quality gasser and a kettle (performer if possible). You will have quality for both worlds.
 
Thanks for all the comments, opinions, & thoughts.

I appreciate it.

I found the Char-Griller Duo at Academy Sports for $250. So, that's not a bad price.

I have a gas grill now and it needs so replacement parts. I added up the cost of the parts, over $130. So I don't think it's worth fixing a 5 year old gasser for $130 when I can buy a new gasser/charcoal combo for $250.

If I get 4 or 5 years out of it, that's still a better value than buying replacement parts every 2 or 3 years.

If I end up getting the Duo, I'll post a review of the grill after a few weeks of use.

Thanks.
 
I was surfing the discussion boards and realized I didn't finish off this thread.

So...it's a year later and I'm loving the combo charcoal/gas grill.

The large cooking surface is great. The other day I did burgers on the charcoal side and grilled corn on the cob and other veggies on the gas side.

The gas side gets VERY HOT, very fast.

I only use it once every three weeks or so, but I keep it very clean and check it for rust often. So far no rust (knock on wood).

Only problems is that this grill is VERY heavy and not easy to move around.
-I keep it under the back porch and wheel it out to the driveway to cook.

I would recommend this grill.
 
A Weber Kettle and a Weber Q and your in business . I just got a Q and there amazing units built like a tank in the <span class="ev_code_BLUE">USA</span> Iam told
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I'm glad you like it Steven. I have it as well. I'm not sure I would recommend it though. Here's why/what I'm thinking...

-I very rarely use the gas side. With my chimney starter I can have the coals going and be cooking in 20 minutes. Not long at all. But....my wife is glad it's there in case I'm not around.

-The quality is not that great. I've had several brands, Char-Griller, Char-something or other, and Weber. And from here on out I"m strictly Weber. It just feels a bit cheep.

-What really annoyed me is that I bought the side smoker addition TWICE and both times it was missing parts. Both times!!!! Missing parts and no instruction manual. And from what I read online, you need to make serious mods to make it work anyway. I returned it, but still annoyed they would put out such a crappy product.

-It's big and clunky.

Anyhow, I have no desire to ever own a gas grill again. The only reason I'll keep it around is for my lovely wife. But, all in all, if you're just doing average grilling, this is actually a decent unit for someone to be able to do both, plus the side burner.

Sorry, rambling on
 

 

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