I want to buy a BBQ for less than $2000. Main differentiating factors to look for/ be carefull of?

Answer 1

It depends on what you will be grilling, how often you'll be grilling, whether you'll be grilling for just family or entertaining, the importance of convenience to you and your personal taste in food.

If you'll be doing the basics like steaks, burgers, pork chops, boneless chicken breasts, etc., most grilling recipes recommend doing these over a direct-medium fire (350°F to 375°F) on a covered grill (for grilling times we use the cookout calculator at charcoalbob.com), so you have a lot of options.

If you'll be doing things like chicken parts, whole chicken, roasts, you'll want something that lets you grill over indirect heat, and possibly a rotisserie.

If you want to do things like ribs, pulled pork, brisket, you'll want something that can cook "low and slow," which you can do with any method of indirect heat and wood chips or with a dedicated smoker.

If you think you'll be doing a lot of sauces, you'll want to consider a grill with a side burner.

As for weighing convenience compared to taste, the flavor that makes grilled food so delicious comes from the juices as they hit a hot surface and vaporize. On a gas grill, this is usually the flavorizer bars, lava rocks, ceramic pucks, etc. On a charcoal grill or when grilling with wood, this is the coals themselves.

The added flavor that causes some people to prefer charcoal to gas comes from the fact charcoal and wood also give off radiant heat (like the sun), causing the Maillard reaction which allows the juices on the surface of the meat to caramelize and give the food that unique flavor.

There are also several gas grills on the market that include an infrared burner or grilling surface to achieve this same result. As stated by others, there are many excellent grills available today for well under $2000 at a lot of retailers. There are also retailers who specialize in outdoor grills and kitchens (like Barbecues Galore and Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet).

Sorry for such a long answer. Hope this helps.

Answer 2

Do you want a BBQ or a grill? A BBQ you can get a Big Green Egg for around 900 a grill? Stick with a Weber Kettle and they start at 39.95 for a lil smokey joe. If you're thinking about bbq competiting you will need a BBQ and it's not heated by gas but by wood and a good one can start at 1500 and go up to 100k or more if you want. Just for home a barrel bbq with smoke box is the cheap way to go at about 200 but you do get what you pay for and true bbq is cooked "low and slow"

Answer 3

$2000... you're referring to a propane grill instead of a bbq, correct?

For a propane grill, especially if you're paying that much, you want a work space and side burners.

For the main burner, you want multiple burners so you can control the heat in zones.

A grill with a large cooking area would be nice too.

What I generally do is look at what Costco has to offer and compare to grills to see if they have equivalent characteristics.

Why Costco? I feel that Costco products are pretty decent and that they usually have good package deals where their products are a little more "deluxe" than elsewhere.

http://www.costco.com/Common/Category.aspx?whse=BC&N=4014767&in_dim_search=1&cm_re=1_en-_-Top_Left_Nav-_-Top_search&Nr=P_CatalogName:BC&lang=en-US&search=grill&topnav=

Answer 4

http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2007/charcoal/oneTouchSilver22.aspx

We bought this grill. My husband did so much research and it was rated #1 with grill masters from around the world. We love it. It ran about 90 bucks, but we got it on sale for half price. It's the best thing we ever used.

Answer 5

$2000!!!!
im from australia, (land of the BBQ) and you can buy a gas bbq for about $500.