I have the Weber Spirit II which is a step down from the Genesis. In hindsight I should have gotten the Genesis but the Spirit II is still a fine propane grill for what the OP is asking for. And if you remove that back rack it will smoke big pieces of meat too. Makes a mess in the bottom, so there are many steps involved in using it as a smoker without turning it into a tire fire, but I can attest that it can be done.
Welcome Guest!
Best grill for a non cooker?
- Thread starter mattech
- Start date
I have the Weber Spirit II which is a step down from the Genesis. In hindsight I should have gotten the Genesis but the Spirit II is still a fine propane grill for what the OP is asking for. And if you remove that back rack it will smoke big pieces of meat too. Makes a mess in the bottom, so there are many steps involved in using it as a smoker without turning it into a tire fire, but I can attest that it can be done.
mrs. hornet22
Beach Dreamer
I've never grilled in my life
. Don't really want to start. 
H22 has a Weber Summit gas grill he has only used twice. A vertical gas smoker he used to use all the time when we had a bunch of folks to feed and share food with. His go to grill that gets used about 4 times a week or more is A Weber Performer Charcoal. He loves it. He has a few Weber Kettle grills that he will never be without. One of them is very old. I think his Dad used to have it a long time ago. He kinda "collects" the Kettle grills.
. Don't really want to start. H22 has a Weber Summit gas grill he has only used twice. A vertical gas smoker he used to use all the time when we had a bunch of folks to feed and share food with. His go to grill that gets used about 4 times a week or more is A Weber Performer Charcoal. He loves it. He has a few Weber Kettle grills that he will never be without. One of them is very old. I think his Dad used to have it a long time ago. He kinda "collects" the Kettle grills.
If I was you I'd just buy a propane grill. I'm in a similar boat. I like the propane for having food ready to eat quickly. Having 2 young kids I don't get to really "enjoy" grilling and I use it as just a way of cooking quickly. I just don't have the time right now in life to chill out on a Saturday and enjoy smoking something
AceOfTheBase
Senior Member
My son has a low end Traeger pellet grill, my Camp Chef seems better, with more features.
Cabelas has a model with a window, I'd go for that now, its made by Camp Chef.
Akorn and lump charcoal for the win.
/mic drop
/mic drop
If you wanted to throw three burger patties on the Akorn, how long does it take to go from "I want to grill some salmon/chicken/etc" to putting meat on the grill? And how many steps are involved? Assume food prep is already done... the only task is to get the Akorn ready for the meat to hit the grate and cook.
I have both a charcoal kettle and the weber propane. Since I got the propane two years ago, I have not touched the charcoal grill. The propane is just too convenient for me.
I am the opposite. I haven't used a propane grill in about fifteen years. Too much aggravation, and always flaring up and catching on fire when you try cook more than two burgers at a time. I have an Akorn, and a charcoal barrel grill. It takes maybe 20-25 minutes to get either one ready to rock and roll. In that time, I'm prepping my food. I always let a gas grill heat up ten-fifteen minutes before cooking, so not much difference. Except stuff tastes 10x better on the coal with some wood smoke. If you don't have 20 minutes to get a grill going, you probably need to be eating McDonalds drive-thru or Swanson TV microwave dinners. Heck, it takes ten minutes to preheat an oven. I usually light the grill and prep the food while the grill is getting ready. You couldn't run me down and give me a gas grill.
I don't keep track. I'm more focused on how the food tastes. Getting the fire just right before the food goes on is highly underrated. If it takes another 10 minutes to get the right smoke coming out of the stack with the right pit temp I'm all in.
Jim Thompson
Live From The Tree
I replaced an old gasser with this Weber last year and couldnt be happier. Personally I hate messing with charcoal. Dont have the patience and havent ever been able to get the coals to my food's liking. It's not the charcoal's fault, it is my fault for sure, but I like the simplicity of gas.
I like cooking on this one
Genesis® II E-315 Gas Grill | Genesis® II Series | Gas Grills | Weber Grills - US
I like cooking on this one
Genesis® II E-315 Gas Grill | Genesis® II Series | Gas Grills | Weber Grills - US
pop pop jones
Senior Member
Then there's your ticket, just come home late enough for her to do the cooking, and pocket the grill cash.
I like my pellet smoker, set the temp and forget it. Everything comes out great.
That said I lIke a charcoal grill for high temp cooking, Akorn, Weber, etc.
That said I lIke a charcoal grill for high temp cooking, Akorn, Weber, etc.
mattech
Deranged Throat-Puncher
I definitely understand that, but aren't you retired with grown children. For me who leaves the house at 7 am and walks in the door between 8 and 9 pm 3-5 days a week, it's more about being able to turn it on, cook and then go eat. Once I get home, I still average and hour or two of paperwork, help 3 teenagers with homework, get ready for the next day, try and have some kind of relationship with the wife, etc. On Saturday afternoon, after the grass is cut, and the beer is cold, I can take a few minutes to wait on charcoal, but day to day life, every minute counts.
mattech
Deranged Throat-Puncher
Life is crazy busy with a family of three teenagers all in sports. It doesn't mean we can't try and have some form of normal dinner at a table in our own home. just because I'd rather push a button and have a flame to cook on instead of rubbing two sticks together to start my own fire to cook on doesn't mean we should be condemned to eating from a drive thru each night. I can open a box of bubba burger and grab a bottle of seasoning and walk out to the back porch and be back in with burgers for the family in 10-15 minutes. They may not be gourmet perfectly seasoned world's greatest, but they are very good and way better than a tv dinner. One day life will slow down for me and I can dedicate the time needed to make meals good enough to take pictures of and brag about online, but for now, I'd rather enjoy watching my kids enjoy thier last few years of school sports and feed them mediocre gas grilled burgers.
mattech
Deranged Throat-Puncher
Thanks for all the help everyone, I definitely think a gas grill is the way to go for me. Definitely won't have to worry about me claiming to be the greatest cook in here while using one of those. Lol.
Will share my $0.02. It's even free!
I've been using a gas grill for several years. The speed and convenience is might nice. First gas grill was an inexpensive propane grill from Home Depot. 4 burners, plus the side burner. Used it until it wore out not too long ago. It died at the same time we were remodeling the house so I had the plumber run a natural gas line out back, bought a Weber Genesis II fueled by natural gas instead of propane. No more tanks. It's connected to the house line, all I gotta do is turn on the gas and hit light. Heats up quick.
It does a really good job and I've found for more precise grilling it's easier to control temps. The propane grill seemed to be cold and scortch with no in between no matter how I set the dials on the gas burners. Might have been propane as it burns hotter, might have been a cheap grill, might have been both. For quick and easy purposes, the Genesis is awesome. And it is very robust. I don't anticipate buying another grill as long as we live here.
I have, in the past, done a lot of charcoal grilling as well, cooking on open wood fires (thank you Boy Scouts), and I've got an electric smoker these days. The smoker just takes loading wood chips in to keep it smoking, other than that it's an electric oven that can pass thru wood smoke from the heating element that smolders the chips. I actually like the taste of charcoal better than gas, and the smoker has produced some truly epicurean delights. I'm in the market for a cheap cast iron box to put chips in so I can get some smoke in the gas grill but haven't been willing to shell out the $$$ that Weber wants for the name brand.
I also have a large cast iron griddle that I can set in the grill. Done a few steaks on it, and did a big slab of salmon. Got great results, food cooked quick and evenly, etc. Plan to experiment more with it soon.
All that said, if you can afford to spend the money, the Weber Genesis II is the best gas grill I've ever used, bar none. I've seen more expensive ones, but I can't imagine they work any better. The Genesis is the best bang for buck long term for a grilling investment. You get great quick cooking for burgers, dogs, etc. and you can actually control the temps pretty easily for more precise or more specialized needs if you want.
I've been using a gas grill for several years. The speed and convenience is might nice. First gas grill was an inexpensive propane grill from Home Depot. 4 burners, plus the side burner. Used it until it wore out not too long ago. It died at the same time we were remodeling the house so I had the plumber run a natural gas line out back, bought a Weber Genesis II fueled by natural gas instead of propane. No more tanks. It's connected to the house line, all I gotta do is turn on the gas and hit light. Heats up quick.
It does a really good job and I've found for more precise grilling it's easier to control temps. The propane grill seemed to be cold and scortch with no in between no matter how I set the dials on the gas burners. Might have been propane as it burns hotter, might have been a cheap grill, might have been both. For quick and easy purposes, the Genesis is awesome. And it is very robust. I don't anticipate buying another grill as long as we live here.
I have, in the past, done a lot of charcoal grilling as well, cooking on open wood fires (thank you Boy Scouts), and I've got an electric smoker these days. The smoker just takes loading wood chips in to keep it smoking, other than that it's an electric oven that can pass thru wood smoke from the heating element that smolders the chips. I actually like the taste of charcoal better than gas, and the smoker has produced some truly epicurean delights. I'm in the market for a cheap cast iron box to put chips in so I can get some smoke in the gas grill but haven't been willing to shell out the $$$ that Weber wants for the name brand.
I also have a large cast iron griddle that I can set in the grill. Done a few steaks on it, and did a big slab of salmon. Got great results, food cooked quick and evenly, etc. Plan to experiment more with it soon.
All that said, if you can afford to spend the money, the Weber Genesis II is the best gas grill I've ever used, bar none. I've seen more expensive ones, but I can't imagine they work any better. The Genesis is the best bang for buck long term for a grilling investment. You get great quick cooking for burgers, dogs, etc. and you can actually control the temps pretty easily for more precise or more specialized needs if you want.
Dr. Strangelove
Senior Member
@mattech - Gas grill is the way to go for you, going by how you describe your life and how you would like to use a grill.
Lighting my BGE with a weed propane weed burner I can be up to temp and cooking burgers and dogs in ten minutes if I want. Honestly though, it's a waste of charcoal, even though I can close it up and cook several more times on the same coals.
Get an electric smoker if you want to dive into brisket and butts and such, and a gasser for everyday cooking. I won an Outdoor Gourmet gasser from Academy in a raffle about 4yrs ago and even as little as I use it, the burners and flame shields are rusted out.
Lighting my BGE with a weed propane weed burner I can be up to temp and cooking burgers and dogs in ten minutes if I want. Honestly though, it's a waste of charcoal, even though I can close it up and cook several more times on the same coals.
Get an electric smoker if you want to dive into brisket and butts and such, and a gasser for everyday cooking. I won an Outdoor Gourmet gasser from Academy in a raffle about 4yrs ago and even as little as I use it, the burners and flame shields are rusted out.
I think you're misunderstanding me. Dude, I raised two teenagers in school with sports every afternoon, too. And tournaments and games on the weekends. I never once in all that time regretted 15 minutes of lighting charcoal. My youngest son always enjoyed taking a hand in grilling stuff, actually. And he remembers that nowadays a whole lot more than the sports practice that afternoon. He's grown and living on his own, and he still loves to cook and grill. It's just part of our life. An important part. I learned to cook and love and appreciate food and cooking because my grandparents and parents took time out of their busy lives to teach me, because they considered it important. I'm glad they did. Raising kids isn't just about hauling them to sports. I remember very little from my teenage sports participation. I remember helping grandpa cook trout and fried taters over a campfire in vivd detail. I didn't mean to offend you at all, just gave you my opinion. You were the one who asked, but apparently already had your answer cemented before you did.
mattech
Deranged Throat-Puncher
If I misunderstood you then I apologize, the comment of stating that if I don't use charcoal then I should stick to mcdonald's or TV dinners comes across as a snobby comment. That's like saying if you don't make your own bow and arrow and hunt like an Indian then you are not a real hunter. I had a charcoal grill for a while before I got a gas grill years ago. It wasn't worth the effort to me, it takes forever to get the coals ready to cook, 10 minutes of cooking and then you have a pile of coals just sitting there burning away for nothing, it was very wasteful for me. The taste improvement wasn't there to offset the effort. Bass may not i.orve the taste, but it definitely doesn't make food on the same level of mcdonald's or TV dinners. I appreciate any and all opinions that help with making a decision, especially if they have substance and aren't berating. I haven't made an opinion and is the reason I started this thread, I'm not an expert at all in grilling, was looking for options of something as quick and easy as gas, but had a all in one option of smoking/grilling etc.
Lilly001
Senior Member
I use my Blackstone for most everything.
The Weber and the smoker just sit back and cry.
I’m to busy to care and I want to eat fairly quickly.
The Weber and the smoker just sit back and cry.
I’m to busy to care and I want to eat fairly quickly.
Not knocking anyone's method or motivation but I've never been in that big of a hurry.
If folks don't enjoy the grilling/smoking experience then gas grills are for you.
Similar threads
