Getting back to the grillin' game - BBQ
 

just picked up a natural gas weber Q3200.

... need to get a set of BBQ tools.

i'm hearing alot of people saying avoid the steel bristled brush to clean your grates....some are suggested wood?... what y'all using?

https://i.imgur.com/ouL9FG7.jpg

I use a wood scraper, it takes a few uses to match the shape of the grill but it works great.

I use a coil style steel scraper instead of the bristle style scraper: https://www.amazon.ca/Accessories-Ef...72&sr=8-7&th=1

Anyone do any cheap and easy DIY charcoal setups?
I’ve seen some online with just a few red bricks to place coal briquettes on and then a grill on top to cook meat on

I got a Weber kettle charcoal grill 2 years ago and haven't turned on my gas grill since, ended up selling the gas.

Charcoal just so much tastier, hotter sear, and more flavourful.

I use steel bristle, the 3-way y-style. The square head one where the bristles are win bundles does not work as well. Get a quality one (i.e. not dollar store) and it's fine.

Weber one is great https://www.homedepot.ca/product/web...ush/1001661196

Are you talking about the grill itself or are you talk about the cooking setup?

If it's the grill itself then the Weber Kettle is still the boss for charcoal - relatively cheap and cooks great all the time. It's $279 for a premium (https://www.homedepot.ca/product/web...ack/1000762725) and sometimes you can find someone on FB selling theirs used for dirt. They are very durable if you clean them once a year.

If by cooking setup then something like a slow and sear (https://snsgrills.com/products/slow-n-sear-deluxe) can be a great way to get more out of your charcoal.

oh i was thinking of something where you build the setup for charcoal yourself like this


was curious if anyone played around with a simple setup or just went out and bought stuff like the weber kettle, but seems like it's more the latter

Isn't charcoal a pain in the ass for clean up and stuff?

it is kind of a bitch to cleanup. Disposing of the ashes is like having your own meat crematorium to clean out every time. I just got a knock off webber grill (80 dollars at homeless depot) as well but charcoal flavor is amazing. Makes all the food taste better.

If youre going to eat carcinogenics anyways, you might as well eat the tasty carcinogenics

I remember my dad used to lay down aluminum foil at the base of the grill to make charcoal clean up easier.

tbh its not that bad. A bit messy with flying ashes however a lot of it just burns off, and with the kettle the ashes fall through to a collection plate on the bottom that I just dump out.

If anything, cleaning of the inside of the kettle is way easier/less hassle than the firebox of a gas grill since all the burnt up crud gets trapped and collected in there.

Same - I don't find it that bad except when it's windy (the ashes can blow everywhere). Cleaning the inside is definitely easier with a Weber kettle than a typical gas grill.

To me the only downside of charcoal is that it's not very weekday friendly - it's more work to wrap up your work day and get cooking quickly. You either use a gas grill for that or you plan on eating later in the day.

Maybe coz I dont have kids, but I don't find it that much of a hassle.

I fill the chimney with charcoal with some firestarter and let it heat up while I do my mise en place inside. By the time I am done (~15 mins) the fire is ready, I put the protein on the grill and then finish off the sides/vegetables inside.

I bought a wireless probe thermometer on Amazon for like $40 and so I can monitor the meat temp while I am inside prepping.

Once the protein is done, i basically close off the vents and go inside to eat.

Yeah, I think part of this for me is the setup and habits - my kettle is downstairs on the patio and if I'm using it then I'm eating outside whereas my gas grill is outside my kitchen upstairs. This means setting up the patio area and moving dinner outside.

That said, if I cook with the kettle I always have to shower before bed from the smoke. I never have to do that with my gas grill.