I'm a big barbecue fan... That is, I love to grill... You name it, I'll grill it... Usually I can do a pretty good job of almost anything...
My grill of choice has been a Weber LP gas grill... I'm not big on screwing around with charcoal... When I want to cook, I want to cook then, not after playing with the bloody grill until the coals are just right, and when I'm done, I want to shut it off, and forget it, not wait for the coals to die...
Well, the cast iron burner on my Weber is pretty well shot now... I bought a Weber after having a number of different brands over time, simply because they support their grills... In other words, here it is almost 7 years after I bought mine, and I can still order parts for it... Now, I can't get a cast iron burner for it, which ticks me off... Now I would end up with stainless, and historically, I've found that option to be sub standard... Odds are I'll get them and live with it, because I just spent some time looking at different grill options (it'd be nice to have a little bigger grill, and this is a good excuse) and all I see is exactly what I don't want...
I don't want stainless steel... Unless we're talking about the bolts that hold the grill together, I don't want it... My grill should be black, preferably glossy black backed on porcelain, but I'd take a powder cote...
I don't want an enclosed bottom... Just a frame please with a decent place to hang the gas bottle... I don't want to have to wrestle a tank in to a confined space, where spiders and bugs are sure to hang out...
Hold the pointless options please... I don't need molded in toll holders that never get used... Dual thermometers are pretty friggin pointless on a grill... Mesh like grilling surfaces are out too, give me heavy cast iron or porcelainized cast iron grates... I like the grill lines on the steak to run one direction only... Get rid of the bloody flip up food prep wings... Who the hell actually does their food prep outside with the bugs?... You need someplace to put the spices, and perhaps the barbecue sauce... That area will hold the platter for the food too... You do not need a gourmet cooks cutting board built in to the grill... You do not need enough area to dress an entire cow... There isn't that much room on the grill, so why so much prep area.... Spare me with the fuel gauge folks... I've seen lots of options, and they all suck... Unless you put a glass dial gauge on the tank, forget the other kinds... They rust up in a year or two, and don't help any more... Get an extra tank, keep it full, and when you run out of gas, just swap the tank.... (which is easy when it just hangs on an exposed frame)
Grills were built the same for what seemed like forever... Why doesn't even Weber still make a nice simple grill... Sure, make the insane gourmet grills for people who want that look, but damnit, will someone please make a simple, high quality grill that doesn't assault the viewer with pomposity...
Posted by Backstage at December 30, 2006 03:10 PM | TrackBack