First of all, mine will be propane. Yes, there are purist out there, but I don't need to use dry aged 12 year old Scotch barrel oak charred to perfection to cook a good steak.

I BBQ a lot. Probably 3 nights a week year round, easily. During the summer, almost every evening we are home. I have a big covered deck, and I had my plumber plum the deck for gas lines. BBQ is happy and dry, and if I want to cook in my underwear, I do. I am right now.

I had to rebuild my charbroil every year. Got it for free from Mom & Dad, added new burners and heat shield things every year and grates every two years. Finally burned the bottom out.

Have a nice mid grade BBQ I bought for about 400, stainless grates, etc. I have burned through the stainless grates, and the body of the grill is having issues.

Steer me towards the right BBQ.

Needs:
Propane
Bullet proof body
Easy to add rotisserie
Stainless "bar" grill
Be able to hit high temps, 800F.

$1,000 budget.

ETA: I need to be able to cook enough food on the thing from time to time so I can feed 40+ people every once in a while.

Holland Grill, i buy my Peterson Pucks from these guys that own a shop down the road, and they are some of the baddest ass grills ive ever seen... not huge crazy ones, but decent sized Ferrari's...


http://www.hollandgrill.com/

Webber, there is no other. You can pay more but why? The main bodies are lifetime warranty and every part is available at Home Depot, Lowes and the internet. They use tube style burners and they last 10 years. The flavor bars will last 3-5 and the grates, depending on standard, coated cast iron, or stainless 2-4 years. I have the silver series and I just rebuilt the insides after 10 years of 3-5 times a week BBQ. As far as I am concerned every other gas grill is junk because the burners just don't last and getting the replacement parts that fit is impossible. I've had Sunbeams, Charbroils, and a couple other no name brands and none of them would go more than 18 months without having to be rebuilt. Consumer Reports (I think) just named Webber the best grill for even heat distribution too.

Holland isn't rotisserie ready.

...off to Google Weber.

Our first BBQ was a Weber charcoal. Wedding gift. Lasted 6 or 7 years, which I consider good.

Hollands dont need them... they are in a way indirect heat via a pan below the grill surface, you get litterally zero flare ups... Webers are good too, had a 700 dollar one stolen outta the back yard... but the way that the Hollands are constructed will blow your mind...


this aint high end, but my buddys fiance bought it for him, and hes pretty exstatic about it... for the price, i might just buy one myself...


http://www.samsclub.com/sams/smoke-hollow-4-in-1-combo-grill/prod3920115.ip

Char Broil's are crap, hard to get parts that fit. Just went with a smaller Weber for close to $400 and really like it.

I heard a consumer reports thing on bbq's yesterday on the news radio...they said a 600 dollar weber came out on top I belive... I need one also... just not ready to fork out that much cash but I will eventually do it when the cheap one I have breaks down...was kinda hoping my mom would buy me one for a house warming present but I think she has her eyes set on a pot and pan set from Emeril Lagasse for me...im not going to complain at all if she wants to buy me something

Two Webers earned top marks for the mid sized grill category:
Consumer Reports Grills

What to look for:
Consumer Report Grill Guide

We just got a new Weber a few months ago - the S-330, IIRC.

So far, no complaints. I think it was just under a grand with the grill cover.

Andy, you need to talk to Rico...not just for the scoop on high end BBQ's, but for a good deal on one, too

Fish on...

Todd

Andy we both BBQ about the same amount per week.That being said I have had the $100.00 model all the way up to the $1,000.00 model.Where I live my BBQ takes a lickin.......I forget to cover it alot of times and it bites me.No matter what kind of coin I drop on a Q I only get two three years out of it in the price range mentioned above.I seem to get the best value from a $250.00-$300.00 stainless steel model with the four heat sheilds below the cooking rack.Good luck,
SZ


PS, The peterson pucks work awesome in my gas grill.

Lotta' non purists around here I see. What's the attraction to propane BBQs? Is the food really BBQ without the charcoal flavor? Am I missing something besides the status associated with a high end high falutin' bells and whistles BBQ?

I get about 10 years out of a Weber Smokey Joe and buy 2 double sack packs of briquets at Costco every year. Obviously I don't cook for 40 people like Andy does, and although I could BBQ in my underwear on my covered deck on the back of my house, the thought has never occurred to me until Andy mentioned it.

I have been running a Weber Genesis LP for 8 years now. Right now I am waiting for a new manifold to arrive, since they don't sell the valves separate for my year anymore. This is my first major repair.

I have never had to replace any parts except flavorizer bars (burner covers) twice over that span and the grill grates twice. I grill 3 nights per week min. 650 is about as high as it will go.

I would not consider it an upper end grill however, I would consider it a good consumer grade model. Performance and availability of parts are much better than other consumer models. With other consumer grade grills you are dealing with hot-spots and that kind of thing, my Weber still cooks very well and I get what I am expecting out of it each time.

If you are looking upper end, you are going to have to stop in to see some experts at propane/fireplace shops. There are some really well made products out there, but cost may be higher.

Also, for cooking for big crowds I expect a man of your skill-set to weld up a sweet charcoal grill out of a 50 gallon drum.

SG,

Glad I could enlighten you on the sport of grilling in your underwear. I like propane because it is quick, no fuss, no mess. I can add flavor with a smoke bomb (foil pouch with wood of my choice) if I want. Most times it is turn on the grill, cook and eat.

Got 4 years out of my current grill, which I consider pretty good. Looks like Weber will be the deal, unless Rico has a better suggestion. I know Ryley got a sweet machine from him.

My welding skills totally suck, but I can wield a mean cutting torch. You want something ruined? I'm your man. I've got 10 years of restaurant experience, so I have no issue cooking for that many on a regular grill. It is all about timing, and managing your grill space.

If Rico can hook you up with a Weber Summit in your price range, get it. I got one as my 40th birthday present from the parents + in-laws and we use it LOTS... I can't defend the price -- I doubt I'd have paid retail -- but it's been bombproof.

SG -- grilling is not BBQ, but it's also quick/fire & forget. If you get home at 6:30pm and want to be eating at 7, it works, where charcoal doesn't. And as you say, cooking for a big group is another winner (though a 3x a year thing, not multiple times a week). The flavor is lesser than charcoal grill, but the intrinsic advantages of cooking outside (less cleanup, pyro factor and less stanky house) are still there.

Andy I just went through analysis of all the grills on the market after my 5 year old 700+ dollar grill fell apart in front of me. I was so pissed because the exterior looked like new, but the interior metal used b y Vermont Casting fell apart and I could not replace it. Of course I found this out after buying new drip bars and venturi tubes, I went to unscrew the old tubes from the pan, and the pan literally fell apart in 1000 pieces.... repair would have been a futile effort.

We grill several nights a week year round too, so I went on a deep dive analysis into the best grill I could get that would last and had all the features I wanted.

After reading a ton of info, consumer reports, and customer reviews, I settled on a Weber Summit and couldnt be happier...I think you saw me posting pictures hugging the damn thing on Facebook...I love it. Weber makes the only grill that rally last because they dont skimp ANYWHERE on cheap materials. This is the one main thing that set them apart and adds longevity to their products over others.


I would suggest not looking around, and simply call Rischarded and ask him to get you the best Weber you can get for the maximum amount you wanna spend, and leave it to him.

My new Weber Summit 4 main burner grill w/ infra rotisserie, center searing station, 30k btu side burner, LED lighted burner knobs and cook station light, and built in smoker:


Many a Flank and Halibut steaks have been cooked to perfection here.

Aint She purdy? ..and the lighted knobs..totally pimp! Though I never use them other than to briefly impress people who come over...

As others have said - Weber is the way to go. Ducane is also good for the price and owned by Weber, but they are made in China - whereas Weber's are made stateside.

Regardless of the brand you end up with....the simple most important thing is BTU output. If you are going to grill premium steaks, you want that sucker as hot as you can get it (and not have to wait forever to get there). 700 degrees plus as a starting point for a 3 burner grill.

Good luck!

I have a 10 year old Vermont Castings with the rotisserie and it has been flawless.

Next up is a large Big Green Egg.

Another black-handed, wind-cursing charcoal enthusiast here, but I do believe gas has its merits. As others have noted, the speed and ease of a gas grill are unmatched. I also like to cook most fish over gas vs. charcoal, as it protects the delicate flavors of mild fish. There are exceptions to the rule; sockeye is delicious over charcoal, as is most any salmon/steelhead.

I don't currently own a Weber, but when I need a new grill, I will probably go for a low-end Weber, for the quality of the essential components. Most of what you pay for a grill over about $300 is for "features," some of which are nice, but none of which you need. As regards heat, I have yet to find a gas grill that won't get hot enough to get the job done, but then, I rarely cook steaks (or anything that requires high, searing heat) over gas. If you plan to do that, a few more BTUs may be required, and that will bring up the price. Bigger burners would also be nice when cooking for crowds, as they bring the heat back up quicker after repeated uncovering to turn/remove items.

What I really want is one of those Green Egg jobs. Now that's a BBQ! But I'm not likely to be able to justify the cost anytime soon.

Whatever you get, happy grilling!

If it doesn't have LED lit knobs I won't buy it....