Barbecue Grill burner replacements

Ignoramus8246 fired this volley in news:48udnUCEgczaMDLWnZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@giganews.com:

So, all you guys really LIKE the combustion products of methyl mercaptan on your food? 'Tastes like rotten onions to me.

C'mon... a gas grill is useful, but not a _true_ connoisseur's form of cooking. It's primary advantage is that it's quick and easy to start up. Those purists who cook on charcoal regularly know that it takes no more time to light up a good bed of charcoal than it does to pre-heat all the volcanic basalt in a gas grill.

It's ALSO just as much trouble as a charcoal grill to clean up and put away. Charcoal "self cleans" the grill until it finally burns out. You have to deliberately fire a gas grill - and watch it (and remember to shut it off) to clean the grill after cooking.

Now, if you want "difficulty" in cooking, try barbeque (no! a stupid gas or charcoal "grill" isn't a "barbeque"; it's a grill, no matter what they call them at Home Despots). When I cook a brisket or Boston butt, it's

24 hours of natural wood fire-tending from start to finish -- not including the time to start and stoke the fire.

But then, if you can't tell the diff between gas and charcoal cooking, real barbeque would be wasted on you.

LLoyd

The problem is that many of the burners are not compatible. Different orifice sizes different regulators and air feeds make it hard to make a "universal" burner. However you could easily retrofit a better cast iron burner out of a different make into yours. You may have to change the orifices to compensate for the burner holes though.

As for the grids, Most stove/furnace places that sell wood/coal fired equipment can get you cast iron grates that will outlast stainless steel easily. Stainless doesn't do well in the presence of heat unless it is expensive alloy types.

Take a look at the high end grills and you find cast iron burners and grates. Some have cast iron burners with brass jets for even better heat control.

Let the Record show that Gunner Asch on or about Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:02:40 -0700 did write/type or cause to appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

I used some

the home made

I do like charcoal broiled. Too bad it takes so long to get going, and for one person - too much effort. I have a very nice Propane Grill, light it up, and while I gather the makings, it heats up - burns the grill clean B-) - et violia. But I still like the charcoal fire. Maybe I'll make a fire pit this summer,then I can do more.

- pyotr filipivich We will drink no whiskey before its nine. It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:25:59 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus8246 scrawled the following:

if I used some

the home made

I haven't tried that but don't doubt that it works well. It sure would beat having to fill my 20lb cylinder once every year. ;) And that beats the hell out of the 14oz cylinders.

-- "Not always right, but never uncertain." --Heinlein -=-=-

But not a part that leads to food that tastes good.

But the right way to keep the flames down is to limit airflow. If you're under a smoke hood, the flames can't get high.

I used some

Normally, the "natural" briquets burn quite a bit hotter, so I'd assume home-made charcoal would do the same. I used to use the natural briquets, but it's been a lont time since I've found them with a consistent size. A sack full of fines and one large tree limb seems to be about the norm...

I've made several attempts at barbecue, and have never wound up with anything edible. My hat's off to you.

How do you manage 10 minutes? Takes me 45, using the "chimney" style lighters.

Around here, the natural charcoal is so variable I went back to Kingsford to get predictability.

I don't know about that - but we have been burning propane for 39 years. We had to get out of college to get away from the bag method of cooking outdoors.

Brother-in-law had Natl' gas and it seemed to give a taste to the food. Might be the specific source of gas.

Propane is now multi-fuel but seems to be fine without taste.

We cook 12 months of the year - and have cooked turkeys, cakes and pies. We, when young lost the oven in the house - fix it three times and the same unit keeps crapping out. Save, save, cook everything outside - save - buy top shelf oven for the little woman - install it - it was nice - cook most outside.

From that time on, she and I cook outside - she does normal, I do special or complex. I smoke, she doesn't. Got and edge now :-)

Mart> >> >>

if I used some

the home made

Which, since it's mostly coal dust, etc, means it (predictably) takes 45 minutes to light. I've been able to manage 15-20 with nothing more than matches, newspaper and/or the charcoal bag while traveling (limited to tools on hand - not many), with the actual charcoal made from wood. Where I've been able to find it bagged I've not had the problems of great variability that some folks are reporting. When last in the Keys that was not-esoteric-at-all Publix (big Florida/Southeastern grocery chain), for anyone in their market area.

My grill has a smoking burner and tray, and smoking meat is completely easy, like 1-2-3. I smoked a lot of beef brisket and chicken. I simply need to remember to put in wet mesquite chips a few times. Takes 16 hours.

i

re: "I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a gas grill"

Because 12 minutes after I started the grill this morning I had a nice medium steak alongside 2 over-easy eggs and some whole grain toast - cooked on the grill and side burner.

Because 10 minutes after I decide to have a burger or sausage, I'm eating said burger or sausage.

Because I need the whole grill and a little more temperature control when cooking pizza on the grill.

Because I use my grill at least one a week, even in mid-winter, for "single servings".

Because grilled pineapple is a great - and quick - appetizer even when the rest of the meal is being cooked in the kitchen.

I could go on, and I'm not trying to convince you that gas is better than charcoal, I'm just trying to help you "figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a gas grill".

My Weber kettle is under the deck and comes out quite often, but for ease of use and quick-turnaround, a gas grill sure is convenient. That's why we "go to the trouble."

Yep, real BBQ starts with 4-5 hours cooking a simple roast, then goes up to 24 or more for full pig or even 36 hours for an in ground feast.

For folks who don't know the secret to starting charcoal - think CHIMNEY...

Toss your charcoal in there a couple hunks of newspaper (see print media has a use) underneath and light the paper. The smaller chimneys work good for a Weber kettle sized grill. Bigger ones are available or you can use multiples of the smaller units.

I made my own out of heavy walled 10" iron pipe. Just used the hand grinder to slot the bottom and a section of grating welded inside above the slots for a bottom.

I think my neighbour has it figured right - he picked up a BBQ someone had set out to the curb, stripped out the burners, and uses charcoal on the rock grid. Good cast aluminium housing on a decent stand, works great! Gerry :-)} London, Canada

Or not, You basically have two choices. Buy big box throwaway quality where they went to the ChiComs and said make us 100,000 grills as cheaply as possible or you go for better quality. I bought a quality grill and it is ~ 17 years old and it still is in really good condition.

So, tell us

1) What grill did you buy 2) How much did you pay 3) What was the material for burners and grates 4) What did you have to replace in the grill 5) How much do you use your grill

I put a SS burner in mine about 4 years ago. No problems so far but cant really say as the original ones lasted for 8.

Jimmie

Gerald Miller wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Charbroil used to make a nice charcoal grill that had the cast aluminum housing,with cast iron cooking grids and a moveable coal grate so you can bring the coals closer to or away from the cooking grids.It had a removeable ash drawer to make emptying the grill easier,and you could close up the grill and put out the coals for later reuse.Sears also sold the same unit under their brandname.

I have one,but the cooking grids have rusted away. I made replacements for the coal grid and ash drawer after they rusted away. It's at least 25 years old.

Hmm, spend 45 minutes replacing the burners once every 8 years....

or...

Spend 45+ minutes building a charcoal fire every day to grill a couple of burgers...

Tough choice.