Looking for a high quality grill to fit in a 'tight' spot.

Doc

Doc

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edit to add:
Very poor choice of words on my part when I used small to describe the grill. I have changed the title and adding this to help avoid confusion. I'm looking for a quality grill with a large cooking surface and maybe a extra burner on the right side with a left side table that can be removed or folded down out of the way.
End Edit.


I'm in the market for a nice but small grill. Most grills nowadays have gone to mammoth sizes with all kinds of extras. I have a limited space on the back of the houseboat where it would be great to have a grill, but with the big wings on the sides of most grills that makes it to wide. The small grills I have seen are low cost ($99) and low quality. I need a quality free standing grill with a small footprint. Any suggestions?
 
SilverSage

SilverSage

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

I have a little Smokey Joe on the lanai that I use just to cook up dinner for 2. It's charcoal, and shaped like a miniature Weber kettle grill (it's made by Weber). I can fit 2 pieces of meat, 2 ears of corn, and some side veggies - just enough for dinner. I think it cost about $25 or $30 at Home Depot or Lowes.

Here's a link.
 
buckytom

buckytom

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

doc, are you looking for gas or charcoal?

does it need to be raised above the deck for fire prevention?

have you looked into gunwale mounted grills?
 
Mama

Mama

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

What about a Big Green Egg? They have a small one and a mini version. I've never had one but they say that once you eaten food that has been cooked on one, you are hooked.
 
Doc

Doc

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

I'm looking for a gas grill. I have a nice little stainless grill on the back of the boat, it's to small. I want a decent cooking surface (enough space for 6 or 8 burgers at a time) but I do not need the wings / little tables on the side. Preferably the grill would be on wheels and I would strap it down to the railings. I would not have to move it often but the wheels would protect my decking from scratches if it did move a little.
You can see a pic of the little grill in the apron thread. I was cooking on it for that pic. The green egg one would be nice but I don't want to mess with charcoal on the boat.
 
Jim_S

Jim_S

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

Doc, I had a small Ducane that lasted over 20 years. One new burner and new brickets every few years. Cast aluminum body and everything else heavy stainless. The side shelves were bolted to the grill body so they would have been easy to leave off.

We would still have it but we left it with my sister in Dallas when we moved here.

Jim
 
QSis

QSis

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

I highly recommend the Weber Q 220, Doc. It's the midsized Q, which has cast-iron grates and is designed to run off the small propane cylinders. However, you can buy an adapter hose which will allow you to cook off of a 20 lb tank.

You can buy either a folding stand or a stationary stand (the latter comes with the adaptor hose) to sit it on. Depends on how portable you want the set-up to be.

I know you said you don't need the side tables, but they really are handy to have, and these fold up under the lid after use.

These are sweet grills - I've sold a ton of them! They cook like a dream - great grill marks!

If you want one that's a little larger and is attached to the stand, go with the 320.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/...w=weber+q&origkw=WEBER+q&searchId=46736045833

Lee
 

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buckytom

buckytom

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

oh no.
i've bought things from deal studio and it was a total rip off.

high pressure sales, bait and switch tactics, slow and overpriced shipping.

i would avoid it at all costs, mandy.
 
Fisher's Mom

Fisher's Mom

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

Thanks for the heads up, BT! I agree that deal studio is one of the worst places to buy anything on the internet. So bad I had to delete mandy's link. LOL
 
Doc

Doc

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Re: Looking for a small high quality grill

Thanks guys. I had looked at that boating site Joe. All of those are the rail mounted grills. I prefer staying away from those. Lee that grill does indeed look nice, but I'm trying to stay away from the tabletop grills.

I want the type you see at Lowes or Home Depot with the full stand under it, and the 20LB propane tank.

Poor choice of words on my part in the title ...I never should have said 'small'. I'm looking for a nice size quality grill with removable wings / tables thingy's on the side. If I can remove one of those side things I should have enough room. So, ideally, I'm looking for a grill with an extra burner on the right side. That would stay on, and I would remove the left side table thing.
 
joec

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Most of those with the wings on the portables (some rather large one too) the tables can be folded down for easy storage. There is no need to raise them either. As I said my son has one that is like that and it is rectangular in shape but I've also seen the round ones like that. I beleive he bought his a WalMart and it has held up now for a good 8 years.
 
O

oakview

New member
That Weber Q 320 looks like just the ticket for us...? We do a lot of grilling, and recently our 20 year old Broil King gave up on us. Parts are a bear to find, and when we did locate the needed burners they were quite expensive. The rest of the old grill is fine though.

Think we'll be picking up a Weber this weekend - thanks for the tips (plus any others you might have!).
 
Doc

Doc

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oakview said:
That Weber Q 320 looks like just the ticket for us...? We do a lot of grilling, and recently our 20 year old Broil King gave up on us. Parts are a bear to find, and when we did locate the needed burners they were quite expensive. The rest of the old grill is fine though.

Think we'll be picking up a Weber this weekend - thanks for the tips (plus any others you might have!).
Click to expand...
Good choice Oakview. Both you and Buzz got me looking at the Weber Q 300 series. I ordered a Q320 last night from Amazon. No tax and free shipping. Heck the free shipping alone was worth 79 bucks. :thumb: It should be here next week. It looks to be the perfect fit for our application and a heck of a grill from all the reviews I've read. I tried to buy locally and wanted to see the grill up close but not one of the local big box stores had one. Sears came closest, but they only had the Q200. All the stores carry tons of the big sized grills, all mostly the same. Why no one would stock this gem is beyond me. :confused:

Here's a few pics:
 

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O

oakview

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Adding to this, my father has a Weber Q 220, the smaller portable version of the 320. I've cooked on it several times at family gatherings and liked the way it was built, as well as doing a good job cooking. That helped me finalize the decision to go with the Q 320.

That said, I was sorry to see our Broil King go south on us. Basically, the SS burners had rusted out and the annual deep cleaning I give the BBQ caused them to fall apart. Can't complain though - we got 20 years out of it, just that parts are hard to find and expensive.
 
Doc

Doc

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Know what you mean. I'm replacing one at the house that I've had for 18 years. It should have been replaced 3 years ago but I've kept it limping along. Once I try out the Q320 I have a strong suspicion that I'll order a 2nd one for the house. I normally cook for 6 or less people and I think the Q320 would be big enough, but I want to see one first. I'm sure it will be perfect for the houseboat, so this first one is targeted for da boat. :D
 
O

oakview

New member
Been busy with some other things (y'all know how it goes, no?) and failed to report back on our purchase of a Weber Q 320 - we love it! It actually has more grill area than our previous Broil King, heats up quickly, and does a really nice job on the chicken, steak and burgers we've cooked on it to date.

@Doc - if you haven't already gotten one, it seems like it should cook for up to 6 people (provided they don't eat like NFL lineman). Should anyone ask, I'd recommend this grill in a heartbeat as an economical purchase and for the quality of construction. Onliest thing I'd recommend is doing your best to clean the burners in between uses - oughta make 'em last longer.
 
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