So Josh…I know it’s only your first cook but if you had to choose to grill a steak next time or going forward; would you grill it on the BM or Jr? Is the “charcoal” flavor there? I know for myself, if I have the time, I grill my steaks on my kettle with some mesquite wood chips. This is something that I can’t replicate on my genesis.
Broilmaster P4 pick-up, test run....
- Thread starter Josh Dekubber
- Start date
Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
That's a great question Paul. So far I'm very impressed with the BM and I'll definitely continue testing it out. I also love my Jr. and I can grill an excellent Ribeye on it or Genesis 1000 or Genesis ii LX grills. I always enjoy trying new things and this BM is fantastic. I asked my wife and daughter if they could taste any difference and they said it was as delicious as always but I've cooked Ribeyes on a charcoal kettle for my family also and none of us thought it was any better than being grilled on one of our gassers so I might not be the right person to ask. This BM is definitely solid built and that's important to me in a grill. There are just a couple things so far about the BM that may not hold up as well as a classic Weber and that's the burner and the igniter not being as protected from grease fall which sounds like could shorten the lifespan of the burner and igniter. Something to take into consideration but seem to be worth the occasional replacement if and when needed. Also I think it makes a difference that you keep your ceramic briquettes or plates gathered close together over these components to keep them more protected. I think if you wanted to Paul you could do a mesquite wood chips smoker tube or maybe another method in a BM also.
Thanks Josh. I’m sure you will keep us posted as you continue to use the BM. I think most of us on this site appreciate the quality of well made grills whether it is Weber or otherwise. I have a feeling that after your restore/review there may be several of us trying to find a BM to restore. You and several other restorers do inspire us to take on projects that we may not take on because of the unknowns. I appreciate that!
Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Thank you very much Paul! I'm always happy if I can help others in any way possible. I have to give credit to all the great guys here that came before me who helped me and inspired me to take my work with these grills to a higher level than I had previously been before I found this place.
I know what you’re saying. It truly is awesome. Thanks.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Josh, I am not sure that there isn't supposed to be some kind of a damper on that vent in the back. This is a bit older version of the grill, but it had a cover over part of the vent.I could even watch the Steaks through the big vent on the back.
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Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Thanks Bruce! I'll look into it. Definitely doesn't seem like it needed it but also seems strange that it was so big.
Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
LMichaels
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Bruce, that cover was definitely not stock. I've owned 2 BMs and used quite a number of them over the years and never once seen a cover over the rear vent like that. That was someone's misguided attempt at keeping more smoke in it. Not a good idea with the kind of heat these grills can pour out
Joe Anshien
TVWBB Honor Circle
I don't recall the dampener on any of the 5 I had but I can see why someone would want one. I don't recall ever running mine to inferno levels but they do sell the shutter system for low and slow. Maybe that could go with it? It looks pretty factory on Bruce's.
Bruce
TVWBB 2-Star Olympian
Josh, I imagine you already noticed this site in your searches, but this is where I got a lot of the parts I needed for my Broilmaster restore.
Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Bruce I've been looking up everything Broilmaster and I don't think I've come across that so thank you very much. I'm considering a very rare old Broilmaster in excellent condition but I'm not sure if I want to dive into an old rare one with hard to get parts. Maybe this site will help me decide.
Oh and by the way the old vintage one that I'm considering picking up. It looks like it has that same flange / damper on the back vent as yours did.
Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
I decided that I'm keeping the Broilmaster P4. I'll keep it in the rotation. So I like having any parts on hand that I may need in the future. I'll have my eye out for deals on any parts I may need. Today I picked up a new Broilmaster burner for about half price. It's a pretty simple design grill so not many thing to get. Since this grill is still in production I should be able to get parts for a while.
Josh Dekubber
TVWBB Hall of Fame
Just Finished My Broilmaster P4XF-2.
I picked this grill up for $100. It was barely used and I put it to work right away. I was so impressed with it that I thought I'd do some nice custom IPE Ironwood (Brazilian Walnut) flip tables and a new paint job. I decided not to detail the inside of the cookbox because it's still pretty clean and I'm just going to put it back to work as one of my daily use grills. I bought a pair of SS brackets for the front flip table and used the SS brackets that came with the grill that originally had plastic side flip tables. This was different than my Weber wood work because with Webers I try to stay close to factory original besides the wood species.
I took a full day to mock up different size wood to figure out what would look best to me in every configuration weather tables are up or down or some of each. I used the same IPE Ironwood (Brazilian Walnut) that I used on my Jr. Except I decided to use 1" think wood and every other slat twice as wide. I also routered the slats more aggressively and spaced my slats a little closer at 1/8" between slats.
It turned out exactly how I envisioned it to. I just take my time as long as it takes to get the result I'm looking for and I'm happy with how it turned out.
I picked this grill up for $100. It was barely used and I put it to work right away. I was so impressed with it that I thought I'd do some nice custom IPE Ironwood (Brazilian Walnut) flip tables and a new paint job. I decided not to detail the inside of the cookbox because it's still pretty clean and I'm just going to put it back to work as one of my daily use grills. I bought a pair of SS brackets for the front flip table and used the SS brackets that came with the grill that originally had plastic side flip tables. This was different than my Weber wood work because with Webers I try to stay close to factory original besides the wood species.
I took a full day to mock up different size wood to figure out what would look best to me in every configuration weather tables are up or down or some of each. I used the same IPE Ironwood (Brazilian Walnut) that I used on my Jr. Except I decided to use 1" think wood and every other slat twice as wide. I also routered the slats more aggressively and spaced my slats a little closer at 1/8" between slats.
It turned out exactly how I envisioned it to. I just take my time as long as it takes to get the result I'm looking for and I'm happy with how it turned out.
Jon Tofte
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Oh wow, Josh, that is one incredible custom Broilmaster! They could only have dreamed of making one look that stunning. Very beautiful and functional, too. Your patience in laying out that design has been obviously well rewarded.
Keep those steaks sizzling and someday try it on indirect
.
Keep those steaks sizzling and someday try it on indirect
.