Do you have an outdoor area to cook food?

I chose gas grill, but our firepit is very important for smores, marshmallows and just relaxing by the fire.

chris

This message was edited May 11, 2009 6:06 AM

We have an old Weber grill. I would LOVE to have a gas grill.

We chucked the gas grill for a charcoal grill. We just didn't get that "grilled" flavor from gas. But then again, I also chucked the gas logs in our home fireplace and started using real logs because I didn't think the gas put out any heat. I will say, using gas both inside and out is much easier, faster, and cleaner, but just doesn't do it for me........

I voted the works... but don't really have the works... but do have a gas and charcoal grill... smoker and a portable firepit that doubles as another charcoal grill... love to cook outside!

I chose "gas grill" although our firepits are where I do the bulk of our cooking in the summer. We have three campfire areas on the property and depending on the occasion, we pick the one suitable.

We do wilderness camping and then of course all our food is cooked over campfire. It makes food preparation feel so real and thoughtful (as it takes more time and consideration) as food prep and eating should be...back to the roots so to speak. love and peace...lynnann

We have both a gas grill and a Weber charcoal grill. Depends on what we are cooking as to which one we will use. Gas grills are nice and fast but you just can't get that "grilled" flavor like Barbwk is talking about. We mostly use the Weber. We also have a wood burning fireplace indoors and in the winter we cook steaks over the hot burning wood.... yum... best tasting steaks around!

Voted the works as we have a covered patio (complete with ceiling fan, lights and stereo system) under which I installed a used combination stove/oven/refrigerator several years ago in addition to the requisite gas grill and charcoal smoker/grill. We also have a patio firepit on wheels and a regular firepit just up the hill from the patio. It gets used a LOT all year long. We have cookouts for the friends and neighbors multiple times during the warmer months, plus I grill/smoke year round under the covered patio.

Doug

Nice, Doug, whens the bbq?

I voted wood/charcoal but we also have a gas grill...eventually we'll be doing the works.

Come on down Memorial Day weekend! Will probably be smoking Boston Butts for pulled pork BBQ.

Doug

Oh yeah, my kind of man!

we have a gas grill, fridge and smoker but no oven (unless you count the gas smoker) or sink.. :(

The screened front porch is where all of the summertime food preparation is performed.

Oooh. My timing is bad! I just got back from a visit to Bardstown last night. Had I only known bbq was on the menu....! (very pretty area, too! BTW)

We have a rusty New Brounsfel (sp?) smoker and a little table top grill from Home Depot.

We really need to upgrade I see!

I have a gas grill with piled high with very well seasoned lava rock... that is the key to making a gas grill taste like charcoal. When I get a new one.. my old lava rock goes into the new one.. they say not to cover the gas openings but nothing says you can't stack it around.. I always put the grill on high when I finish and close it to burn off the drippings on the rock.. sort of like "cleaning the oven" it leaves a charcoal like finish on the rock.

I love food cooked on our gas grill and my DH does a great job of it. We cook out year 'round here as our climate is perfect for it. The few weeks of late summer that the temps may get hot, it is only hot in the middle of the day. It is mostly between 70-85 in the early morning when I putter in the yard and late afternoon when we throw some steaks or chicken on the grill. Our low humidity makes those temps perfect! Yum, this thread is making me hungry!

Well Tabasco the BBQ wouldn't have been ready but you could have helped me spread mulch and turn compost!

Doug

We use a gas grill because it is ready quickly. During the summer 90% of our meals will be totally cooked on the grill. We work outside until the daylight ends which means that we are usually eating our dinner while watching the 10 o'clock evening news. I love the summer but we will work ourselves to death, sun-up to sun-down. It is just quick and easy and doesn't heat the house up. I will usually go out to the garden with a flashlight to get some veggies to grill with some steak or burger. My FAVORITE summer meal is a hamburger steak with fresh sliced tomato on top with some Country Bobs and cottage cheese on the side. (I could eat it every night!) Simple. Easy. Wholesome.

We have a gas grill, a charcoal Webber and an electric smoker. The Webber is the grill of choice. (we've worn out 3)

We are planning on removing our old and shabby deck in the next couple of years and pouring a patio to be covered with either a roof or a pergola (maybe some of both) I'm planning on a firepit/fireplace feature to be incorporated as a permanent structure when we do this.

I like Doug's idea of ceiling fans...must write that down somewhere...

We've got a gas grill but I'll toss on some wood chips if I really want some flavor. Once in a while, I'll do it right and soak the chips and let them smoke away in a container.
We used to grill on the back porch but it always was smokey there and the smoke rose to the ceiling making a bigger stink. So we grill on the driveway by the garage. Easier, cleaner and less stinky. Plus, closer to the kitchen. :)

My husband makes the BEST rotisseried BBQ chicken & turkeys on his Weber gas grill. He cooks other stuff, too, but those are his specialties.

He also has a "Big Green Egg" that his dad brought over from Okinawa in about 1970, and DH has learned to cook with charcoal on it. It's a lot more complicated than firing up the propane model, and I think if that was all we had he just wouldn't bother.

Barbecuing is really a whole art form!

Gas for the fishies and birdies. Wood firepit for the roasted beasties. mmmmmmmm

This message was edited May 11, 2009 3:41 PM

We have a electric smoker Brinkman. It's to die for. Anything goes. It converts to a electric grill and we add a few charcoal bricks for flavor. They smolder while the electric grid does the cooking. You can put a whole turkey on it and leave it there for 12 or so hours after marinating and it will melt in your mouth!!!! Or just grill some dogs/hamburgers. Try it you'll wonder what you did w/o one.........

This message was edited May 11, 2009 4:12 PM

I put soaked wood chips or charcoal on our electric Brinkman as well. It does make the meat really tasty.

I always smoke a log of bologna for the Kentucky Roundup...it has become a tradition of sorts. BBQ Baloney and the KYRU

I use charcoal + real wood for flavor or just wood in covered iron bbq pits.

I recently ran across an hibachi grill on the Internet and remembered how well they cook. So, now I am planning to get another hibachi grill and will also use some real wood for flavor.

Jerry

We had a little hibachi when we first got married, many a meal was cooked on it out on the fire escape from our apartment. Our first house had a built in gas grill, now I like the gas grill on a cart better.

I chose 'the works' but do not really have 'stovetop'. I have a gas grill and my oven is really a medium/large charcoal fired BBQ pit. I also sometimes use a smaller electric BBQ.

Just finished Q'in Saturday morning actually. 3 briskets, 5 pork butts and dozens of different types of sausages.

I picked charcoal grill but actually we have a charcoal grill and a wood grill. However, we never use the gas grill so a Finch family made a home in it 3 years ago.

We've worn out 3 or 4 charcoal grills over the years. Funny, my parents have a big grill but they've only used it 2 or 3 times in 10 years. LOL

Love to cook with soaked wood chips or grape vines too. We've cooked on the grill in the middle of winter and summer. Probably would use the grills even more, but in Oklahoma we have crazy weather ranging from flooding downpours, tornadic winds and then periods of 100 degree weather with no rain but lots of wind about every year.

I love the outside cooking 'cause my DH does all the work then. :-)

April

We have the good standby charcoal grill but I second the opinions in this post

http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/p.php?pid=6532730

But I am eyeing a beautiful cobalt blue (!!!) charcoal grill that has a gas start :). It's got a rolling table it's on with plenty of room (always a problem with your typical bubble style charcoal grill--what are those called lol?) and a covered bin to store the extra charcoal. Sweet! Eyeing it but it's 300 bucks so I've not bought it.

We have a charcoal grill, a hibachi and a wood smoker. We tend to use the hibachi more because there are just two of us usually. The smoker is good sized and we use it for major meat projects!

I voted that we cook indoors & that's been since my daughter purchased a George Foreman Grill that I use on my countertop for everything from chicken breasts to pork chops. Actually, we do have a portable gas grill that we use for camping trips and a charcoal grill that we use for roasting hot dogs & marshmallows on cool Autumn nights.

Does anyone use an electric grill?

Gas grill - it's out by the pool, on the lanai, which is totally screened in.

We have a charcoal grill and wood smoker. We love that grilled flavor you just can't get with gas!

My parents have an electirc grill that they love.. won't use anything else and it tastes good. They are just soooo hard to find.

perhaps Meco, Weber or others have an electric 'smoker' that converts to an electric grill? Also check Masterbuilt.

In the 80s we had a simple electric grill that was basically a ceramic ring-shaped base, an element, a coupla rings/cones of sheet metal and a grate. maybe they are still around or check ebay?

Carl

I've got something like that as a table top electric grill for indoors. I haven't used it in ages, but it did a good job.

We have a basic charcoal grill. There is a firepit but we have never used it.

any electric grill will likely be small due to the energy required. Good for 2-3 people, or maybe more if waiting around is OK.

I have a small portable charcoal grill/hibachi that I almost never use. Roasting baby peppers and tomatoes while their parents watch seems cruel somehow. However, I do have plenty of state parks with grills in my vicinity, and eat there often.

I also have all the parts needed to build a solar oven. I could probably finish it in a weekend if only I could finish this weeding!!! Arrrghhhh!!!