Thinking of NG as well. I would only have to get about 10 feet of line installed. Right now I have 3 20 lb tanks (which keep me going all year). The tanks were pick-up when I had some friends move away. I keep my BBQ covered all season and before the snow flies I move it indoors. Even that does not save those SS burners. I read that grease is very corrosive so I guess a little rain is not my problem. Anyway we had a meltdown a few years ago. The burner developed a large hole rather quickly and the resulting flame actually torched a hole in the bottom of the BBQ. The liquid aluminum dripped onto the feeder hose and then the fire works started. My brave wife reached in and turned off the tank getting spattered with the metal drippings. Why the safety value did not shut-down when the pressure dropped I do not know. Anyway, before it gets to that point I plan to change gear.

While I am at it I may buy one of those heat distribution plates. I see Fiesta sells the accessories. I could ditch the ceramic tiles. Wow this is starting to look like a PC upgrade. :(

Edit: I suspect those 10 year SS burners are very heavy gauge. Unfortunately they don't list the specs of the steel at stores.

That's probably why mine lasts so long.

1. Covering is not a good idea as it often "traps" condensation.

2. Operating it all year, prevents any time for any corrosion because everything is always "burned off".

3. Every couple of months after I've had it on "high" to BBQ a steak, I leave mine on high for about 20 minutes. Everything is then clean. Easy and inexpensive with natural gas.

I'll second that. Bought a Weber Silver C about a month ago to replace a 9 year old Broil King that had the burner and grills replaced many times. All stainless steel in the Weber. It's a thing of beauty!


How is it for searing steaks?

Looking at the specs, it only puts out 36,000BTU's from the main burners for 400+sq in cooking surface vs 44,000 BTU's from the mains on a Broil King Crown 20.....(375"^2)

P

T Even that does not save those SS burners. I read that grease is very corrosive so I guess a little rain is not my problem.

While I am at it I may buy one of those heat distribution plates. I see Fiesta sells the accessories. I could ditch the ceramic tiles. Wow this is starting to look like a PC upgrade. :(

Edit: I suspect those 10 year SS burners are very heavy gauge. Unfortunately they don't list the specs of the steel at stores.

The drippings are apparently the end to the burners... (or so I was told at the BBQ store when I was researching my last bbq).

Apparently the metal heat shields (look like little roofs) - Flav-r wave / Flavourizer bars, help to shield the burner from the drippings and add to burner life.

p

PS. What do you folks use to clean the grills? The Porcelain coating on my cooking grills is more or less shot, I've used this pumice stone type thing, and the brass brushes and scrapers... Problem is the pumice stone leaves little sandings on the grill, and the brass brush leaves little brass bristles....

If you're thinking new and have the $$$ check out an Infra Red unit like the Tec. If I were goin' gas that's the direction I would take without a second thought........1800 degrees in a couple of seconds from turn on!!!!

How is it for searing steaks?

Looking at the specs, it only puts out 36,000BTU's from the main burners for 400+sq in cooking surface vs 44,000 BTU's from the mains on a Broil King Crown 20.....(375"^2)

P

No problem at all searing meat. This thing heats up FAST and creates perfect grill marks on steaks - something my Broil King had a difficult time doing. A neighbour recently bought a Vermont Castings and was boasting about the higher BTU's but quickly changed his tune when he saw how nicely the Weber cooked.

I guess there is more to a BBQ than BTU's and cooking area. Weber must have figured out that 36000 was plenty for the Genesis line as it's the same across the line - even in the Platinum that 57 has.

The thing I find with the Weber is that its 36000 BTU's are all used effeciently. I have had higer BTU BBQ's that werre no where near as good as this for searing meat, or just plain getting hot.

Remember that natural gas has fewer BTUs/cu. ft., so cooking style may change a bit - every time you get a new BBQ, the burner settings will be different, however, I've never found a BBQ that didn't get hot enough, however a setting of 11 o'clock on one BBQ may equal 1 o'clock on another.

Remember that a setting of 11 may be louder, but it's not hotter. ;)

Clean the porcelain? I usually just scrape off the excess with my flipping tool (no, not that flippin' tool). Don't use anything abrasive.

No experience with cast brass burners - I just buy single H replacement burners and heat plates at CT when I need them.

I leave it outdoors all year long under the overhang of our roof (I move it out on the patio to use it). It's 11 years old and the original igniters still work :o

It's 11 years old and the original igniters still work :oWow, mine never last that long. I stopped replacing the "originals" a long time ago and bought a refillable one of these.

http://www.azproducts.com/gasmatchbbqlighter.htm

Just an update. I purchased a cast brass burner at Rona after all. It was marked as clearance so I got it for $50. A new double-H stainless burner was selling for the same price. It fit perfectly my BBQ but the supplied venturi tubes snapped when I was routing them (thin stainless junk). In a flash of brilliance I remove the old venture tubes from the old burner, drilled new screw holes in the venturi tube plate and secured it to the burner. Dropped it in place, secured the burner with some heavy gauge aluminum wire (amazing the junk I keep and find a use for later on) and fired her up. Normally, I would say the burner is held in place by gravity since this thing weighs about 15 lbs. The wiring was just a little extra engineering on my part.

I don't know if this burner has more BTUs or if the fuel/air ratio is better but this puppy is a volcano now! The flames are a nice blue with yellow tips so I am pretty sure the air mixture is optimum. With my old burner the venturi tubes were fixed and didn't have shutters. Total fluke. Can't wait to sear my first steak. Grilled chicken was great, the burgers wonderful and the sausages lovely. :p

Only thing left is to tweak the placement of the sparker. I have experimented with a few positions but nothing seems to work 100% of the time.

Well I am about to try a new marinade but was wondering if anyone has a favorite trick or marinade for their cedar plank salmon. Do you do use direct or indirect heat? I've tried both.

You probably already know this, but some of my basic ideas are:

1. Soak the planks for a while before using. Usually water, but you can also combine with wine, marinade or other cooking liquids on the cooking side of the plank.

2. I use direct heat for planks. What I always find tricky is getting the right amount of heat. Not too low or you end up just baking the fish. Not too high or else the cedar will burn too much and the fish won't cook nicely through.

3. If you do not marinade the fish, season both sides

4. Regardless of what meat you are grilling/cooking, cook it a little under done and then tent it under foil for a few minutes off the heat to let it rest. Less so with fish, but definitely with beef, pork or chicken. Can make the difference between tender and juicy or dry and flakey.

My understanding is that with planks, what you are trying to do is boil off the moisture in the wood, so that the moisture ends up steaming the fish and hopefully infuses the flavour of the wood into the fish. This is as an alternative to smoking.

I was not familiar with the cooking process (steaming) so thanks for the insight. Also, I usually have some water nearby to put out flames.

My favourite marinade for salmon (not plank style) is:

maple syrup
soy sauce
oil
lots garlic
pepper
a bit of hot water

Usually use it on sockeye or coho fillets plopper right onto the grill so the sugar carmelizes.

I also cook whole salmon right on the grill using this method.

Just plunk it on there and peal the skin off once it sticks to the grill. Then when the fish is cooked start peeling off the meat from the bones. Then paint on the marinade/sauce.

It is a bit messy, but you do end up with very few bones in the meat and fairly evenly cooked salmon as you take off the thin pieces as they are cooked and set aside. You also get to coat both sides of the fillets with sauce.

Note, don't overcook it. When the white stuff (I think it is protein) starts to sweat out of the meat, it is way done.

Soak your plank in water first for apx 25 mins..

if your bbq has 3 burners , place the plank and salmon over middle and only heat the left and right burners,

as for preping the fish, I use:

chopped lemon basil , extra virgin olive oil cracked black pepper and sea salt... smear it on the salmon, then let it cook

never over cook your salmon!... that is the key to fantastic fish

Sigh....

As barbecue season gets underway, a new study suggests a class of toxic chemicals released by grilling, broiling and frying meat may increase the risk for life-threatening diseases. (http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2007/04/24/bbq-ages.html)

Just about everything we eat seems to have some sort of detrimental affect on us.

I'm not going to let this stop me from BBQing.

Excessive intake of fried, broiled, and grilled foods can overload the body's natural capacity to remove AGEs...All things in moderation. What a concept...

I have a better one.

AGE levels tended to be higher in older people.

It is clear that AGEs are another factor in the aging process.

:D