Grrrrill of my dreams!

[MiniDave]

Well, not really.

We've had this one since 2012 and it's still fine, tho like George Washington's axe only the shell is still the original part!

Over the years I've had to replace the post and baseplate twice, it rusts out right where the two join. The grill is bolted down and I run natural gas - which can be fraught with peril! One time she left it on for a week without realizing it. (I say "she" because I don't cook - or grill - anything) I looked out the window one rainy day and noticed steam rising up off the top of it......when I asked her when she last used it she said "last sunday". That little slip only cost about $65 in gas, so not horrible I guess. Since then she always puts a reminder on Alexa as she leaves it on for 20 min after cooking to burn off any grease and such.....makes it easier to clean the grates.

So, this time I found the burner was pretty much toast - and for anyone who thinks stainless doesn't rust, just check out the pics.

I also replaced the "flavor wave" piece that rides above the burner - I guess it keeps any drippings from flaring up?

Also the ignitor had died, so it got a new one of those and the bracket that holds it.

Total cost this time was about $125 in parts.

So, new base and post - twice. New burner, new grates a while ago - they're holding up well. New flavor wave, new ignitor - which is pretty much everything inside the box, the only parts that's still original, that and the valves.

Even so, this was close to $700 new in 2012, so I think it's worth it to continue to fix it.

I just found out that the base plate and post are no longer available from the mfr, I think I still have a spare down in the basement - I know I have a shiny stainless post at least, so I may have to do some welding on the base. But for now it's fine......

Edit: for those curious, the mesh on the ends of the new burner tubes is to keep spiders out - apparently they are drawn to something in the gas and  wind up totally blocking the tubes. Of course there were plenty of other places they could have gotten in on this burner!

[Dan Moffet]

Wow!

A friend of mine had a natural gas BBQ behind his house. One of his tennants was out for a smoke and that us when they discovered the gas leak, the bad way. Just about burned his house down.

The only gas cooker we have is a tiny one-burner propane unit that we had for camping about 40 years ago. We only use it when the power is off for several days, like when we have an ice storm or a deracho.

We've always BBQ'd with lump hardwood charcoal (not briquettes). For years we had a hand-me-down gas BBQ with the guts removed and a hibachi inside. When that gave out, we invested in a proper charcoal grill about the size of what you have. The coal grate can be raised or lowered by a crank on the front to adjust the heat. Below it is an ash pan. The grilles themselves are heavy castings with some sort of durable black coating. Very easy to wash in the kitchen sink.

The best part is that it does not need a flavour wave to get that nice smoky flavour. The other good part is that we don't have to worry about turning it off or burning the grease off (or the house down!). We also use an electric starter and avoid the stink of starter fluid.

[Jims5543]

Nice! I love trying to keep them going. I was doing that with a Weber Grill we had purchased in the late 90's. I rebuilt the insides like you Dave did 2X, and yes stainless deteriorates.

The base on the Weber was rusting out really bad, I was plotting ways to try to keep it going. My wife looked at me and said, isn't it about time to retire that thing? I have to admit, it looked really bad and was falling apart.

I looked at a new Weber, the thing that bothered me was the price, it was the same exact price I paid in 1998.  How could that be? I expected it to be at least a couple hundred more.

Then I had stopped at a grill store and they had a newer Weber on display out front with a sign that said, Weber is no longer the grill your daddy bought.  The grill was rusted out completely, speaking with the owner, he told me it was a customers grill that lasted less than 5 years. Weber were no longer the last grill you buy.

I ended up spending some good money on a 3 burner Napoleon Grill, it was a nice step up from the Weber. It has a infrared side burner that supposedly hits some insane temps over 1000°. I use it to sear my steaks.

I remember the day I rolled me Weber to the curb, I couldn't help but think of how well it served us over the last 20+ years, all the family grillings and pool parties. 

Dan, I have a Big Green Egg and do a lot of BBQ on it. And yes, only natural hard wood charcoal. I tend to only buy the BGE brand Coals since they are very low ash.

I would say 3 meals a week minimum are cooked on the BGE or the Gas Grill, we are always grilling or smoking something.

[94touring]

I rebuilt some guts on mine a couple years ago too.  I have one of these, paid $250 for it brand new ages ago. I see they go for about $600 now.

[Jims5543]

I found a pic of the Weber the day I tossed it.  I was going to pull the grill off the strand and mount in in a outdoor kitchen setup. That was when the wife suggested just getting a new grill. I was obsessed with keeping this one.

I honestly felt bad tossing it, I had it for over 20 years. I remember purchasing it a year after we bought this house. A friend of mines dad told me to get a Weber and never need to buy another grill for the rest of your life. Back in the 90's $400 was a lot for a grill. I sucked it up and bought it and man he was right, having it over 20 years was a testimony to their robustness.

[94touring]

20 years out of a grill is a good return on investment I'd say

[jeff10049]

I won a Webber Silver Line from Snap-On Tools years ago, 20 years or more. I have replaced the flavorizer bars a few times. I finally made some out of 1/8" angle iron; they have been going for eight years but need to be replaced again.  The burner is still perfect, and it has always lit off with one push of the button. It's sad to hear they don't make them like they used to. Webber was the brand to have at one time. I guess I'd better take good care of this old thing since I can't get another good one. We use it a few times a week, year-round. It came with a cover I've never used it. In the winter, I push off enough snow to turn on the burners and hit the button, then let the rest melt. In hindsight, I probably could have taken better care of it, lol.
My wife bought me a Blackstone propane griddle for Christmas. The quality looks good. I still need to get it seasoned and put it to use.  I think it'll be nice for a summer breakfast on the weekends.
We also have a Traeger pellet grill. I've cooked almost everything on it since we first got it, until the novelty wore off. However, it excels at low and slow cooking, and a pizza cooked on the Traeger is quite impressive.
Now time to get that outdoor kitchen setup.




 

[Jims5543]

All my friends have pellet smokers, I am an old school hold out that prefers to do it the hard way. I have a Big Green Egg and added a Flame Boss to it, which controls it in the same manner a pellet smoker works.

I dial in a temp and a fan does the rest. I put everything through the paces these past couple of weeks.

2 weekends ago we made pizza on the BGE:


Last week I smoked a meatloaf.


Friday we grilled Burgers and Saturday I smoked a chicken and bakes beans with leftover smoked pulled pork and home made smoked bacon tossed in.



Over this past winter, we had pavers installed and built this grilling area, I added some screens to keep sun/rain out and an outdoor waterproof fan to keep the chef cool. We gill every weekend and most evenings all year round here, my grills get a workout. Especially in the summer when we do not want to heat up the house using the oven.

[Jims5543]

My wife bought me a Blackstone propane griddle for Christmas. The quality looks good. I still need to get it seasoned and put it to use.  I think it'll be nice for a summer breakfast on the weekends.

We purchased a camping Blackstone years ago, they do not hold up well, they tend to rust so keep it out of the weather. I use mine every weekend, we cook breakfast on it every weekend. Its great because you can cook everything at once. I am about to retire the camping one and get a stationary one that is a little larger. I am going to buy a Blackstone in a size that I can buy one of these and replace the griddle with it.
https://steelmadeusa.com/products/replacement-griddle-for-blackstone

[MiniDave]

The bride cooks everything on the grill that she can, all year around. Another reason why I decided to spend the bux to fix this one ....it's working like new again.

She told me she couldn't get it to light, so I went out and it lit off immediately. Turns out it wasn't making the big whoosh sound when it lit so she didn't think it was on!

[Veggivet]

I clicked on this thread thinking it was going to be about different styles of Mini grilles!

[MPlayle]

I clicked on this thread thinking it was going to be about different styles of Mini grilles!

It's the "Lounge".  You never really can tell what a thread is about or where it will go.

[94touring]

I thought it was girl of my dreams 

[MiniDave]

It was a play on words!   

[jeff10049]

...

[Scargo]

The "GrillMaster" at work at Mini Meet East '95 outside of Washington DC. The late Hrach Chekijian.

His weapon of choice is a home made concoction incorporating a Mk.1 Mini grill surround and four camshafts as legs. Notice the menu board items.

The hungry masses were lined up.