Anyone had luck using combination grills (charcoal/LP) before? I have Masterbuilt electric smoker for my long smoke stuff and a medium size chargriller that I’m going to chunk soon. Think I want LP for quick cooks but still want charcoal ability when I want it. Just something good about a man trying to tame a fire to get the perfect temp.
OT: Combo Grill
- Thread starter GTAdawg
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I’ll probably catch hell for this but you can’t beat a Big Green Egg or similar ceramic kamado grill. I can cook all day at 225 or I can go from lighting the charcoal to 600 degrees plus in a matter of minutes for searing steaks. A cheap rechargeable leaf blower or just an old hair dryer will have you ready to cook in minutes. There is more of a learning curve than just turning a dial on a gas grill but the difference is worth it.
Char Griller Duo. I love the ease of LP for quick week night sausage/burger/chicken and the charcoal side for steak or wild game. Bought at Lowe’s on Memorial Day sale 3 years ago. $279 I believe. It’s big enough to cook for a Browns but small enough that I can wheel it out from under the patio when cooking with charcoal. Only issue is that 1 thermometer is broken but I have my own wireless thermometer.
I had one in the past. It was great. Used the gas side during the week when time was scarce and the charcoal on the weekends. The only time it became an issue was when we had large groups. You either have to fire up both sides or cook a whole lot longer because neither side has a ton of space. This was 10 years ago when I bought mine so they probably make them even bigger now. They have an optional smoker box that can be attached off the charcoal side but I never got it because I had an electric smoker. It was a char griller similar to the one below.
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Allow me to present the Akorn Kamado Kooker $328. Porcelain-lined steel instead of ceramic, but does the job just as well, at least according to my research. Some cheap hardware (nuts & bolts) and a poor temperature gauge/thermometer, but you can change those out for high end and still be under $400. Other criticism is it's not good to leave it uncovered outside all the time, so keep it covered or stored out of the elements when not in use.
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I don't have a Duo but have owned the regular Char Griller charcoal grill for years. Ordering parts from Char Griller is easy on their website and they ship real fast.
I have the Akorn. It has served me very well (I think this is my fifth season with it) but as for weeknights I'd still like to have the convenience of gas.
No I don’t have smoker box. Mine has a single burner eye attached on the LP side. Looks just like the one in Dawghouse picture below.
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I also have the Akorn and it has served me well also.
A couple of mandatory upgrades (besides the thermostat which you already mentioned):
1) High temp gasket seal for the lower vent (mine leaked smoke out of this area when I was doing low temp cooking / smoking)
2) Amazon also has an outstanding aftermarket stainless steel grate that can replace the PITA cast iron one that you always have to re-season every couple of months to keep the rust away.
The cover also doesn’t do well in direct sunlight. I’m on my second one of those. Also, the drum insert for the fire box that holds the lower grate and smoking stone is starting to show it’s age. A lot of pitted rust, and it is probably on it’s way to cracking in multiple spots. I’m looking into some replacement for that too.
You can most definitely do two zone cooking on a BGE.
They sell 1/2 grid plate setters for the expansion kit.
They sell 1/2 grid plate setters for the expansion kit.
Agree. I have a large BGE for smoking and grilling with charcoal. Then a gas grill hooked up to natural gas for other cooking. Mainly use it with my stainless steel Little Griddle for all kinds of flat top cooking. I probably average 2-3 meals per week on one of those.
Yeah, a chimney full of charcoal takes 20 minutes. Half of that time I'm
doing some final prep. So I figure using charcoal costs me 10 minutes. It's worth it for me.
Used most propane for many years, I guess mostly out of convenience. Switched to charcoal many years ago and wouldn't go back.
doing some final prep. So I figure using charcoal costs me 10 minutes. It's worth it for me.
Used most propane for many years, I guess mostly out of convenience. Switched to charcoal many years ago and wouldn't go back.
About 30 minutes for me usually. Gas is ready in 5. Get home at 5:30 and the fam wants to eat by 6 doesn't leave you any room for waiting on charcoal. Charcoal you're looking at minimum an hour from start to finish (depending on the meal of course), gas can do the same meal in under 30.
If you're single or have no kids, you have all the time in the world but hearing your kids wailing and gnashing of teeth because they are about to die of starvation kinda takes the fun out of charcoal grilling. This doesn't really apply to me now but back when i was working the 8-5 grind it definitely helped.
If you're single or have no kids, you have all the time in the world but hearing your kids wailing and gnashing of teeth because they are about to die of starvation kinda takes the fun out of charcoal grilling. This doesn't really apply to me now but back when i was working the 8-5 grind it definitely helped.
Agreed. I like the idea of charcoal, used to have that in both grill and smoker. Just too much time and trouble. It's not just the prep time, it's the cleanup, too. I have an older six-burner summit and the electric masterbuilt smoker and haven't noticed a drop-off in taste.
Still have a chimney and charcoal for cooking in state parks and such, but don't see myself ever going back to black.
What is your cleanup time with charcoal? I clean my grate, which I assume you have to do even with gas, then close the lid and shut down the vents.
I have a Weber that has a cart with a side table and it has a propane starter for the charcoal. The instructions say use the propane starter for 10minutes and the let rest of charcoal catch up. Usually 17-20 minutes depending on amount of charcoal. I’m on my second one. Burned first one up after aprox 12yrs. I also have a Trager pellet smoker/grill.
I am serious about the leaf blower
I can go from unlit charcoal to 600-700 degrees in less time than it takes to drink a beer. I'm like DRab though, I usually light the fire, go back in the house for the meat and tongs or whatever, and get a fresh beer and by the time I get back out to the grill it is usually ready to go. Using lump charcoal and fire starters instead of briquettes and lighter fluid is the key, you no longer have to wait for the fire to burn down and burn off all the chemicals. There is just not a better more versatile grill than a ceramic kamado,
I had the Duo with side fire box, but I left it in MS at my rental house, when I moved to CO.
It worked pretty good, but the side firebox didn't seem to heat the main charcoal side very well.
I usually just did indirect heat on the charcoal side when smoking meat.
There are several other ones on the market that might work better and are made of real steel.
It worked pretty good, but the side firebox didn't seem to heat the main charcoal side very well.
I usually just did indirect heat on the charcoal side when smoking meat.
There are several other ones on the market that might work better and are made of real steel.
Get a charcoal chimney style charcoal lighter. Set it on top of a fish cooker burner and light it up. Let it burn about 2 minutes on high. Turn it off and charcoal is ready in about 5 minutes.
Watch Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. If you're willing to drive an hour or two, those Performers pop up regularly for under $100. Be sure to buy the kind that uses the small, disposable propane tanks. I have an older one, with the stainless table, that is now at my sister's place, that uses the 5lb canister. Those smaller cans are hard to find, so you have to pay to recertify.
Like I said, I _like_ charcoal, just got really tired of the extra work with lighting, heating, ash cleanup, etc.
I'd really like to find an older Genesis and make it a dedicated rig for rotisserie. One of the very best for that type of cooking, imho. Just don't have the deck space for it right now.