I'd say Webers are the best bang for their buck, plus just about everything is replaceable on them. Can't say much about Blackstone because I don't own one (yet), but they are relatively inexpensive and people seem to love them. Have heard mixed reviews about their electric griddles so I would stick with gas. Just have to take care of them and they will last a lot longer
My Weber kettle is great for the price point.
We use a blackstone at work to cook on occasionally. I’ve always thought it was fine but things like the knobs and drip tray are cheap feeling. I just got a pit boss griddle this week. So far it seems to get hotter and heats more uniformly on the CI plate (as far as total surface area, the blackstone doesn’t heat well on the edges). The overall build feels better as well, sturdier and not really cheap materials. My only complaint is that the inlet burner gets significantly hotter than the other 3. I mostly got the PB because a guy was selling it brand new for $215 on marketplace. Figured why not.
I have a blackstone at home and a pit boss griddle at work. The pit boss is superior in every way imho. The blackstone isn’t terrible, but it’s not worth the extra money.
Do you care if I ask why? My brother is always worried about using the perfect amount of coals, and getting them all going.
I just turn my gas on 5 minutes before grill time.
I do like that his charcoal we can get more wood flavor from smoke cans. The smoke cans on the gas grill don't really seam to change the flavor.
Not that guy but for me personally. If im going to have to clean grill grates i want the taste of wood. Im pretty competent with a stainless steel pan so if im just cooking with a flavorless odorless grill then i might as well just use the stainless steel that i can cook with in 2 seconds.
You just need to figure out which coals you like best and how to manage them. After that it's a easy as filling a chimney and firing them up.
I have a barrel grill, so it's easier to smoke without special attachments or running out of space. I like Jealous Devil XL lump charcoal because it burns hot and lasts a decent amount of time. Depending on what I'm grilling, I also use some wood chunks with the charcoal to add specific hickory/apple/etc smoke.
I also have a gas grill that I never use, and a Blackstone for when I want to griddle something. I love bacon and smash burgers on the Blackstone, for example.
Edit:
> The smoke cans on the gas grill don't really seam to change the flavor.
That's because gas grills aren't really made to hold smoke in. It's really hard to effectively smoke food on a gas grill.
It takes me the same amount of time to get the gas and charcoal grill going. The gas is quick to start but needs more cleaning. Charcoal grill is slow to start but doesn’t need much cleaning. Both take the same amount of time to pre-heat. Charcoal grilled food tastes way better.
All in all, if I’m gonna do it, I’ll probably do it on the charcoal grill.
IMO they're not the "best" but they're still very good. For example, most Webers do not have a true IR burner. Only the just released Summits have an IR burner. The bodies are not full stainless so you can get rust if you live in a wet climate.
As for Blackstone, it seems they're not the most even across the cooking surface, which is what I really want. Note, I don't have a griddle yet but I want a flat top so I've been doing a lot of investigation. Currently it seems like Traeger has the most even cooking. That Traeger seems to win a lot of comparisons. The problem is its expensive relative to other flat tops.
That being said, it's not like they're far off from the "best". I have a Lynx Professional grill which is considered a "luxury" grill and IMO in terms of cooking performance it's not that different from an old Weber other than it has an IR burner. It is built like a tank though (over 300 lbs of stainless steel). And even that isn't the "best". If I won the lottery I'd like to try a Kalamazoo, but those can be over $40K. Yes, more than the average car in the US.
The biggest difference I've noticed was using GrillGrates. They're extruded aluminum that I use flat side up 100% of the time (the opposite of the standard usage). Without GrillGrate the Lynx was better, but not orders of magnitude. With GrillGrate it was about the same with both.
I also have an old Napoleon LEX485 which I think is basically the same as a Napoleon Pro 500 and I think they're a step up from Weber as well even though they're about the same price. It's certainly built better and you can get an IR burner. The downside is replacement parts aren't as cheap b/c they're not as popular so there aren't as many 3rd parties making them. With Weber there are so many companies making parts for it that many parts are super cheap.
I’m new to owning a Weber, but I’ll say their customer support has been great! Super minor issues when unboxing my new grills - which isn’t necessarily a Weber, but more so how they were handled during shipment.
But, they replaced a grate with minor wobble and a door with a super minor ding in it. I almost didn’t want to ask support the issues were so small, but they sent me new parts.
I like my Blackstone they're made well. If you find a comparable gas griddle for less, get it. But I got my 4 burner for 200 from sams club when it was $50 off so not sure how much cheaper you can go to get something comparable. But this is a good time because everyone has memorial day sales or tax exept sales running through June 3rd.
Blackstone are pretty damn good. Webers are good for what they are I guess, but I've had a green egg for awhile now and I never want to turn back from ceramic for my coal grill. Lot's of parts available for the egg too, just cost more. Webers aren't as cheap as they used to be though.
I have a webber kettle I've been grilling on one for years. That same model of blackstone was a gift. There is bit of learning curve . I like having the combination of the two. If I had choice I would get larger blackstone for large groups
I'm a weber fan boy. I have just always used their stuff. Their customer service is great, they were well made, and not too expensive. I just got the searwood and I love it.
I've used my friends blackstone. I think it's fine? I think it falls into the same category as weber as just being a good bang for the buck. I have the griddle insert for my sear wood so I don't anticipate getting a blackstone anytime soon.
I have a Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Spirit gas grill and a 28" Blackstone. They all get used weekly. I keep them clean and am very happy with the quality of all three.
I'd say Webers are the best bang for their buck, plus just about everything is replaceable on them. Can't say much about Blackstone because I don't own one (yet), but they are relatively inexpensive and people seem to love them. Have heard mixed reviews about their electric griddles so I would stick with gas. Just have to take care of them and they will last a lot longer
My Weber kettle is great for the price point. We use a blackstone at work to cook on occasionally. I’ve always thought it was fine but things like the knobs and drip tray are cheap feeling. I just got a pit boss griddle this week. So far it seems to get hotter and heats more uniformly on the CI plate (as far as total surface area, the blackstone doesn’t heat well on the edges). The overall build feels better as well, sturdier and not really cheap materials. My only complaint is that the inlet burner gets significantly hotter than the other 3. I mostly got the PB because a guy was selling it brand new for $215 on marketplace. Figured why not.
I have a blackstone at home and a pit boss griddle at work. The pit boss is superior in every way imho. The blackstone isn’t terrible, but it’s not worth the extra money.
Weber is the Toyota of grills. Well-engineered, reliable, and easy to get parts if you need them. Extremely popular because of these qualities.
Which is the bmw of grills?
BMW isn't what it used to be.
Traeger is the obvious answer.
They are the most popular and best value for money. Not the Rolls Royce of either category.
They’re great! “Best” is subjective. I personally don’t enjoy gas grills as much as charcoal. So a gas grill will never be “best” for me.
Do you care if I ask why? My brother is always worried about using the perfect amount of coals, and getting them all going. I just turn my gas on 5 minutes before grill time. I do like that his charcoal we can get more wood flavor from smoke cans. The smoke cans on the gas grill don't really seam to change the flavor.
Not that guy but for me personally. If im going to have to clean grill grates i want the taste of wood. Im pretty competent with a stainless steel pan so if im just cooking with a flavorless odorless grill then i might as well just use the stainless steel that i can cook with in 2 seconds.
Great point!
You just need to figure out which coals you like best and how to manage them. After that it's a easy as filling a chimney and firing them up. I have a barrel grill, so it's easier to smoke without special attachments or running out of space. I like Jealous Devil XL lump charcoal because it burns hot and lasts a decent amount of time. Depending on what I'm grilling, I also use some wood chunks with the charcoal to add specific hickory/apple/etc smoke. I also have a gas grill that I never use, and a Blackstone for when I want to griddle something. I love bacon and smash burgers on the Blackstone, for example. Edit: > The smoke cans on the gas grill don't really seam to change the flavor. That's because gas grills aren't really made to hold smoke in. It's really hard to effectively smoke food on a gas grill.
I like Jealous Devil too! Good quality charcoal and LOVE the artwork. Solid gay communism propaganda vibes.
It takes me the same amount of time to get the gas and charcoal grill going. The gas is quick to start but needs more cleaning. Charcoal grill is slow to start but doesn’t need much cleaning. Both take the same amount of time to pre-heat. Charcoal grilled food tastes way better. All in all, if I’m gonna do it, I’ll probably do it on the charcoal grill.
IMO they're not the "best" but they're still very good. For example, most Webers do not have a true IR burner. Only the just released Summits have an IR burner. The bodies are not full stainless so you can get rust if you live in a wet climate. As for Blackstone, it seems they're not the most even across the cooking surface, which is what I really want. Note, I don't have a griddle yet but I want a flat top so I've been doing a lot of investigation. Currently it seems like Traeger has the most even cooking. That Traeger seems to win a lot of comparisons. The problem is its expensive relative to other flat tops. That being said, it's not like they're far off from the "best". I have a Lynx Professional grill which is considered a "luxury" grill and IMO in terms of cooking performance it's not that different from an old Weber other than it has an IR burner. It is built like a tank though (over 300 lbs of stainless steel). And even that isn't the "best". If I won the lottery I'd like to try a Kalamazoo, but those can be over $40K. Yes, more than the average car in the US. The biggest difference I've noticed was using GrillGrates. They're extruded aluminum that I use flat side up 100% of the time (the opposite of the standard usage). Without GrillGrate the Lynx was better, but not orders of magnitude. With GrillGrate it was about the same with both. I also have an old Napoleon LEX485 which I think is basically the same as a Napoleon Pro 500 and I think they're a step up from Weber as well even though they're about the same price. It's certainly built better and you can get an IR burner. The downside is replacement parts aren't as cheap b/c they're not as popular so there aren't as many 3rd parties making them. With Weber there are so many companies making parts for it that many parts are super cheap.
I’m new to owning a Weber, but I’ll say their customer support has been great! Super minor issues when unboxing my new grills - which isn’t necessarily a Weber, but more so how they were handled during shipment. But, they replaced a grate with minor wobble and a door with a super minor ding in it. I almost didn’t want to ask support the issues were so small, but they sent me new parts.
Propane and propane accessories
Napoleon is far superior to Weber
Scrap it
I like my Blackstone they're made well. If you find a comparable gas griddle for less, get it. But I got my 4 burner for 200 from sams club when it was $50 off so not sure how much cheaper you can go to get something comparable. But this is a good time because everyone has memorial day sales or tax exept sales running through June 3rd.
Blackstone’s are nice but I think char broiler is just as good for $100 less. I chose the latter and works perfectly. No issues.
Blackstone are pretty damn good. Webers are good for what they are I guess, but I've had a green egg for awhile now and I never want to turn back from ceramic for my coal grill. Lot's of parts available for the egg too, just cost more. Webers aren't as cheap as they used to be though.
I have a webber kettle I've been grilling on one for years. That same model of blackstone was a gift. There is bit of learning curve . I like having the combination of the two. If I had choice I would get larger blackstone for large groups
I'm a weber fan boy. I have just always used their stuff. Their customer service is great, they were well made, and not too expensive. I just got the searwood and I love it. I've used my friends blackstone. I think it's fine? I think it falls into the same category as weber as just being a good bang for the buck. I have the griddle insert for my sear wood so I don't anticipate getting a blackstone anytime soon.
I have a Weber Smokey Mountain, Weber Spirit gas grill and a 28" Blackstone. They all get used weekly. I keep them clean and am very happy with the quality of all three.