Non-gas grill/cooker

paradisePWoffrd

paradisePWoffrd

Recovering Project Junkie
Joined
Nov 5, 2005
Location
Newton, NC
Looking to pickup a new grill and am mostly decided on going with a Kamado style.

My budget doesn't really allow a full-size Primo, KJ, or BGE. I have been looking at the Acorn, Joe Jr, etc. Thinking about the Acorn for a bigger size, easy ash tray, and freestanding with a tradeoff on efficiency, but can be swayed.

I have recently contemplated a pellet cooker also, but don't know much about them. I use pellets with my smoker, so am familiar with the fuel, just not the grill options.

If there is something else, non-gas, that I should be considering please enlighten me.

I want to be able to grill steaks/burgers at 4-500 normally, with ability to do 200-700 deg cooks for light smoking duty, pizzas, etc. Also, babysitting it less to maintain temp is preferred.
 
Might want to check out one of these, I've had one for a decade at least. It comes w a curved steel bottom coal holder w a coal grate attached to it. It is suspended on each side of the grill w simple notched handles to raise/lower the coals easily while it's hot, you can have one side all down and the other all up for a hot side/cooler side. There are 4 levels you can move the tray, from the bottom to right under the cooking grates. It's also a great smoker, big enough to have a pile of coals/wood on one end and the smoking meat away from the intense heat. They also come w 4 iron grates, you can remove easily when its hot w an iron tool that comes w the grill. You can remove one on the intake side and have a pile of wood higher than the grates for smoking for hours etc. w 3/4 of the grates left for the meat.
DELUXE GRILLER™ 2828
 
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Cant go wrong with the Akorn it will do 200 - 700 easily, i have both of these styles. i use the bigger barrel style like the deluxe griller for big cookouts burgers and such. But it doesn't control the temp like the Akorn. The only way to control temp is how much charcoal you put in, The akorn will stay at a desired temp for hours without having to add any charcoal.
 
83oldyoda4x4 said:
Cant go wrong with the Akorn it will do 200 - 700 easily, i have both of these styles. i use the bigger barrel style like the deluxe griller for big cookouts burgers and such. But it doesn't control the temp like the Akorn. The only way to control temp is how much charcoal you put in, The akorn will stay at a desired temp for hours without having to add any charcoal.
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I can control the temp w the vents when smoking and use charcoal and wood for the heat/smoke. When smoking I usually start w charcoal first and switch to all wood when the heat starts to drop. I soak the wood overnight and let it dry a few hours before smoking and it burns slowly w the vents choked right. About every 2-3 hours I add more wood and it's perfect for smoking butts, turkeys etc. If you're grilling and raise the coals all up/about 3" under the grates it's well over 700 for searing or burning whatever is above them. The deluxe also has almost twice the cooking surface of the kamado and less than half the price. I'm sure the acorns are more efficient, probably faster and more set and forget but the deluxe can do a fine job of grilling or smoking. It's also big enough to sear stuff and then move it away from the heat to smoke indirectly w the lid down.
 
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I have really enjoyed my Smoke Hollow electric wood smoker box. I know that electric-based cooking is kind of sacrilegious to some people, but it is soooo easy and relatively cheap. You can really control the temp well, no constant messing w/ it. IMO it's a good addition to a real grill of some sort for cooking burgers etc quickly. The flavor comes from slow-cooking wood chips.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
My budget could be larger if there is another grill worth spending the extra.

@frankenyoter @rockcity @Ron @/dev/yj

I'm surprised you guys haven't chimed in.
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I inherited a medium BGE. Before I owned it I knew they were cool, but it wasn't until I started using it that I began to appreciate how bad ass they really are.

The medium works for a family of 4 but gets tight sometimes. If I was going to spend money I'd get a large.

There are other egg type options that I've seen that seem to be lesser quality and I've seen some that might be better. I think BGE has the best distribution of aftermarket and replacement parts.

It an investment that will likely last a lifetime or more. Like may things, buy once and cry once.

Now with that being said, a classic Webber with a vortex would be my budget minded option 2.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
My budget could be larger if there is another grill worth spending the extra.

@frankenyoter @rockcity @Ron @/dev/yj

I'm surprised you guys haven't chimed in.
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I love my Wilmington grill. Everything is stainless and it will last forever. But mine is gas, not charcoal. I'm not sure how the charcoal version cooks but it sure as hell will last forever. As far as simple charcoal grills that just plain work and are budget friendly, it's hard to beat the classic Webber.
 
Had a BBQ Galores gas grill for 15 years. 3 Cast iron burners replaced once. Had a tray that I lined with foil and sand on top for drippings. I think that was the one feature that made It last so long. It could reach 650 to 700 easy. Quality gas grill!
I bought a Joe this year and love it. They recently just redesigned it with a better gasket and top vent. I went with the big Joe more $$ but we grill at least once a week minimum. Personally probably won't go back to gas.

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Got a family member that spent out and bought a Traeger. High dollar, but stupid simple and the food comes out awesome. Worth a look online if all you do is drool.
 
If you want low and slow for bbq plus 700* steaks then you're looking at some sort of egg/akorn. I got my son the Akorn with the attached cart (this model was discontinued for a while but they're brought it back) and he loves it. He keeps it at my house as he lives in an apartment, so I get to "borrow" it on occasion. Hard to beat at the price compared to other Kamado style pits.
 
I second the Kamado! I thought they were mainly for the yuppie crowd. Especially the BGE.

But after much convincing from friends, I jumped in and am extremely pleased. They do everything very well. From smoking to grilling, they handle it all.
 
/dev/yj said:
If you want low and slow for bbq plus 700* steaks then you're looking at some sort of egg/akorn. I got my son the Akorn with the attached cart (this model was discontinued for a while but they're brought it back) and he loves it. He keeps it at my house as he lives in an apartment, so I get to "borrow" it on occasion. Hard to beat at the price compared to other Kamado style pits.
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I've got a friend with an akorn and he likes it. His FIL had a Primo oval and he likes it also, but can't tell a big difference between them.

That's my real question, is a BGE/KJ/Primo worth the extra $$ over an akorn/bubba keg/Louisiana grill/etc.
 
I'm gonna get in on this convo. We've got a gas grill and a small charcoal grill. I prefer charcoal the wife likes to be able to turn it on and go, (gas) how long do the egg type grills take to get up to temp? Are they about the same procedure to light as a traditional charcoal or are they easier.


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I can be ready to grill on my Joe in 30 minutes. Lump charcoal only. To get 700 plus maybe another 10 15 minutes. Larger lump seems to come up to temp quicker. Little learning curve but once you get it temps are stable. Joes have an ash tray in the bottom easier to clean.

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paradisePWoffrd said:
I've got a friend with an akorn and he likes it. His FIL had a Primo oval and he likes it also, but can't tell a big difference between them.

That's my real question, is a BGE/KJ/Primo worth the extra $$ over an akorn/bubba keg/Louisiana grill/etc.
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The BGE/KJ/Primo's are ceramic (amongst others as that's how the originals were made back in Asia or wherever some devious but beautiful soul dreamt them up), whereas the Akorn is insulated steel. In theory the ceramic should hold up better over time - as long as you don't drop it... ;-)

For me, the cost difference isn't worth it as you can buy spare parts and replace. There are even upgrades... ;-)

You'll burn up charcoal and cooking grates over time in either so that may be a wash. Hey, I'm broke...
 
josh m said:
how long do the egg type grills take to get up to temp? Are they about the same procedure to light as a traditional charcoal or are they easier.
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I can have mine ready in about 15 minutes. I use a Harbor Freight LP weed burner flame thrower! Hold that over the charcoal for about 2-3 minutes and it does the rest while I get the food ready...
 
Good to know. It would be nice to replace my smoker, Weber and gas grill with one unit. I'll have to scope them out. The wife's been asking about what I wanted for my birthday. I don't think I'll be getting the Barrett 50bmg this year.[emoji853]


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I have a large Big Green Egg. It was definitely a luxury item, but at the same time, it'll last us forever.

I can slow cook brisket for 14 hours at 220*, sear a 2" thick ribeye at 750*, smoke sweet potatoes at 500* or bake apples in a Dutch oven at 350*. All with the same cooker.

Getting it up to cooking temp isn't hard at all. I light mine with an electric wand, open the intake wide open and remove the chimney. Within 15 minutes it'll be at 400*. As soon as the smoke changes color, you're ret to go!

Good lump charcoal is the main thing to look out for. That's the game changer with a BGE it similar cooker. Never, ever use lighter fluid as it will contaminate the walls of the cooker.
 
not exactly on topic but this thread made me hungry. I just looked up the dates for the egg fest in hiawassi
 
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