# Why do people get rid of barbecues



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

It's garbage day in our neighbourhood, and as I drove out to pick up some groceries, I noticed a number of propane barbecues out by the curb for disposal. Never having owned such a unit, I have no idea about their lifespan or inherent weaknesses that might shorten their lifespan. So I'm asking a completely naive question: what are the typical reasons leading a person to roll one of these out to the curb?


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## numb41 (Jul 13, 2009)

What? Do you cook outdoors?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

numb41 said:


> What? Do you cook outdoors?


No.


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

I have found people buy the most inexpensive BBQ's they can find. That means inferior parts with short life spans. They rust and fall apart.

Also, I think their needs change as their families grow. They need more grilling space, so out with the old, and in with the new.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Often the burners will rot out long before the body and the cost of a new burner on cheaper and mid level BBQs can be almost enough (or apparently enough) to make it more worthwhile to get another.

For someone like me who BBQs maybe five times a season, that's more than enough.

Around here. the scrap pickers grab those almost as soon as they hit the curb. It's like they're hiding behind the tree on our boulevard.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Last BBQ i disposed of was a 12 year old Weber. The shell and everything was good but the burners and the grills were toast. Probably would want to do the hoses while you’re at it. $400 in parts. Makes more sense to invest that in a new BBQ.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Even the cheapest BBQ will last a long time if you clean it regularly. If you let the drippings and charred bits sit on the burners they'll corrode through in no time.


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

I have a large body Cuisinart stainless steel unit that is 8 years old. The burners and propane delivery system are shot, they do, as noted above, rot and rust and etc. This was finally the year it was _done_ without full rehab.

All the parts are in shipping containers stuck somewhere around the world. Can't get them anywhere. Cuisinart lists the rehab kit for my unit at about $350, which I would pay. Can't get it. Not going through the summer without a BBQ, so I've bought another one, and the Cuisinart is heading for the dump/Eco station next time I take a load, I don't think garbage around here would take it.

I was told I might get anything from $0-50 on kijiji, but I haven't put it up there yet to try.


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

I had a top of the line Vermont Castings bbq quite a few years ago. After about 5 years it was rusted pretty badly. Except for the brass and cast iron parts. Trying to take it apart to swap the ignitor was a nightmare. Rusted/broken/stripped screws. I got it all apart but had nothing to put it back together with. The hardware was all toast. So I bought a Napolean....


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## tomee2 (Feb 27, 2017)

In the US you can buy almost any part needed to repair the major brand BBQs, especially the burners, for very reasonable cost.
The same parts in Canada are 2 to 10 times more expensive, if you can find them. You'd think shipping the parts from the US to Canada would be possible, but the biggest/cheapest parts seller in the US won't ship to Canada. 

I ended up buying parts on Amazon, after searching for hours and then I'm still not sure the part shown is even correct, and it cost about $300. The parts still needed a hole drilled to fit, and I'm not sure they're really stainless steel as advertised. 

My father in law has a gas bbq attached to their house that was installed in the 1960s by the gas company. He can still get parts for it, all cheap cast iron bits, and it's still in use.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

tomee2 said:


> In the US you can buy almost any part needed to repair the major brand BBQs, especially the burners, for very reasonable cost.
> The same parts in Canada are 2 to 10 times more expensive, if you can find them. You'd think shipping the parts from the US to Canada would be possible, but the biggest/cheapest parts seller in the US won't ship to Canada.
> 
> I ended up buying parts on Amazon, after searching for hours and them I'm still not sure the part shown is even correct, and it cost about $300. The parts still needed a hole drilled to fit, and I'm not sure they're really stainless steel as advertised.
> ...


A few friends of mine have done that and are quite happy, although any BBQ equipped for natural gas tends to cost a fair bit more than their propane counterparts.

If I was more into BBQing I'd consider that. I'm less and less of a foodie. Type 2 diabetes may factor into that.


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

Bought a Weber Kettle charcoal BBQ for just under $200 about 15 years ago. It was that much because I sprung for the deluxe one. Some winters, I remember to put it in the shed. Otherwise, it spends the winter buried in snow.

If I went outside now and wiped the pollen off of it, you wouldn’t guess it was more than a year old.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

Bought a pretty good quality Broil King about 8 years ago. 10 year warranty on the burners. Use it all year and keep it covered when not in use. Still going strong. I figure it's at "End-of-life" at the 10 year point and I'll replace it with the same again when the time comes. The store will deliver the new one and take away the old one too.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Its sad, isnt it?
Stainless steel is expensive. And in BBQ's which people apparently throw out after 10 years anyways, is purely cosmetic.
I hate seeing BBQ carcasses out for recycling.

We have an old Broil king, probably toward their higher end model at the time that I bought it used 10 years ago, a few years later changed the burners, and its been working fine other than I have to use a match to start it (whats with BBQ starters? never had one last). Its Natural gas, which I love for the convenience as Im not a regular BBQ'er....now, dont get me started on my woodfired pizza oven though 

I think BBQ-ing is romanticized a little, which causes every man to want to the latest beast of a machine even though you can sear a steak and overcook chicken on probably any of them.

Our consumerist culture has us wanting the latest shiny thing. Now they put LED lights on BBQ knobs to make them even shinier 

My neighbour told me the AC on her car broke last week, and costs $500 to repair but has been otherwise reliable. she has been working from home throughout the pandemic.
On Monday I saw a brand new Ioniq in her driveway. I would think a single monthly lease payment would be as much as $500.
Its the world we live in.


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## blueshores_guy (Apr 8, 2007)

I agree totally with the folks here who say the lifespan of a cheap unit is usually fairly short, and replacement parts are ridiculously expensive. I've thrown out a couple of cheapies in the past for just those reasons. 
14 years ago I splurged and bought a Napoleon natural gas BBQ for about $900. It gets used all year round, is always covered when not in use, cleaned thoroughly every couple of years, and the parts I've had to replace in all that time (one igniter and a stainless steel tray that fits under the burners) have cost me about $50. Today, the thing is in basically perfect shape, and has a number of years left in it. That was a real 'you get what you pay for' lesson for me.


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## Sketchy Jeff (Jan 12, 2019)

the guts rust out of them 

i have a quite nice looking stainless steel propane grill in my back shed. the outer shell appears brand new but it's basically an exterior case only with a couple of nice cast iron cook grates. the entire innards of it rusted to powder within 2 years. i was intending to replace the burner kit but there's really nothing to fasten to i'd need to fabricate a whole new inner assembly

lesson learned for Canadian Tire products on a really great sale i guess

j


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

blueshores_guy said:


> I agree totally with the folks here who say the lifespan of a cheap unit is usually fairly short, and replacement parts are ridiculously expensive. I've thrown out a couple of cheapies in the past for just those reasons.
> 14 years ago I splurged and bought a Napoleon natural gas BBQ for about $900. It gets used all year round, is always covered when not in use, cleaned thoroughly every couple of years, and the parts I've had to replace in all that time (one igniter and a stainless steel tray that fits under the burners) have cost me about $50. Today, the thing is in basically perfect shape, and has a number of years left in it. That was a real 'you get what you pay for' lesson for me.


This.
I think I paid about $30 per replacement burner for mine (has 3) without really even trying to find a better deal.
$100 to keep my bbq running for another 9-10 years and out of the landfill/recycler? yes please.
esp. since Im not convinced a new shiny one will perform or last any better than my old one. And unlike cars/furnaces etc its not like new ones are more energy efficient either.
So it really comes down to vanity.

Maybe someday, an environmentalist-welder will start a business refurbing the trash ones to as new spec.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

People come to their senses and get charcoal grills so the propane ones are no longer of any use. That's why they go to the side of the road.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Thanks for the very informative replies, folks. Sounds to me like BBQs present yet another case for the right-to-repair movement. Any company that decides to make a line of BBQs where the most critical and frail components could be swapped with available and easily-installed parts would have a guaranteed market.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

mhammer said:


> the most critical and frail components


I just bought a charcoal one. Bent sheet metal and thin grates. I don't expect it to last long. Hard to find a good cast one, or even more robust steel, at a decent price any more.


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## wraub (May 21, 2021)

I had a gas grill a while back that, after the innards failed, I converted to charcoal and used that for a few years.

I have another gas grill now, but if/when it dies I may do the above again.


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## marcos (Jan 13, 2009)

Having bought my share of crappy BBQ's, i learned a few years ago that best to buy a good Weber, Napoleon etc.. and replace parts that wear out. Its that simple.


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## jfk911 (May 23, 2008)

I had a higher end broil king, replaced the bottom bucket, burners, igniter and then the grills were on their way out so i tossed it. I now have a Weber kettle and have not looked back once, no parts just a metal bowl that holds charcoal. With the kettle there is not much you cant do on it, controlling temp is a bit of an art but well worth it when you eat that brisket, ribs or pork butt.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

Gas BBQs have tons of use. Who the hell wants to sit and wait 40 minutes for coals to get ready, cook a few burgers or dogs for 10 minutes and then waste another 2 1/2 hours of cooking energy while you’re eating/digesting.

Charcoal is completely impractical, overly expensive and hugely wasteful for short bbq sessions.

If you’re cooking for a large group or for a long period of time then I’m totally on board. For myself, 90% of my bbq ing is done in less than 30 minutes.


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

mhammer said:


> Thanks for the very informative replies, folks. Sounds to me like BBQs present yet another case for the right-to-repair movement. Any company that decides to make a line of BBQs where the most critical and frail components could be swapped with available and easily-installed parts *would have a guaranteed market.*


For one sale, anyway


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

We dont cover ours, natural gas that came with the house. I fully planned to buy a brand new one, but this one works so we'll use it til it doesnt.

Should probably cover when not in use lol


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## Always12AM (Sep 2, 2018)

I inherited my BBQ from a family friend.
It’s starting to rust out the back. (Holes in the hull).

Winter is my favourite time to BBQ. There’s no bugs getting in the house or earwigs sneaking their way into the BBQ.

Bought a Traeger from Costco, within 30 days it was on fire. Complete piece of shit. The guy selling it said that it’s energy efficient and that the wood pellets last forever. I had to refill the pellets about 3 times per 1/2 hour cooking session. Defeats the purpose of its own existence.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

2manyGuitars said:


> Bought a Weber Kettle charcoal BBQ for just under $200 about 15 years ago. It was that much because I sprung for the deluxe one. Some winters, I remember to put it in the shed. Otherwise, it spends the winter buried in snow.
> 
> If I went outside now and wiped the pollen off of it, you wouldn’t guess it was more than a year old.


Do you use it or is it a pretty lawn ornament? My Coleman is still going strong. It's a natural gas one.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

We got a Napoleon after we got married, and NOT one of the Chinese made "Napoleon" BBQs sold at Canadian Tire. Nine years in, still works great, though a couple of the control knobs are a little stiff and -- you guessed it -- the ignitor failed. It was pricey, but there is little chance I will have to buy another for years to come.

I used to be a hardcore Broil Mate/Broil King guy, and....well, I still am. Their ovens are way better for convection cooking. But always get stainless steel inside pieces -- grates, burners, etc. -- if you can. I had a Broil Mate with ceramic coated cast iron grates, and while it worked great, the coating on the grates didn't last.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

I have had cheap, expensive, and everything in between. As noted previously, it can last longer if you take care of it. My wife & I have been together for 15yrs. We bought an end of season no name from Wal*Mart. I really take care of BBQ's... like strip them down, season, and re-season the grills, clean out the burner holes. Full works. Mostly cause I f*cking hate cooking on a grill with hot spots!! That thing lasted almost 10yrs. When it finally gave up, I got a Napoleon. A Canadian one. What a piece of crap! I like cast iron grills, always have. You don't see stainless steel grills at the Keg! I know how to prep and maintain. I had to replace after the first summer cause the rusted and flaked. Napoleon agreed that was too soon, and discounted a new set. Again, one season, and they rusted and flaked. I ordered some porcelain coated after market ones, and they have been OK. I don't think I will ever buy a Napoleon again. 
My buddy had a Vermont Castings for close to 20yrs! The body was still good, but the burners, diffusers, controls and igniter all went this Spring. Not sure what he replaced it with... But he's the type to buy big, keep forever. I'm sure it wasn't a crappola brand.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

The burners on mine are damned near shot, but I keep using it. I just ran out of propane though, so figure I might as well buy a whole new BBQ. Now that stores are (sort of) open again I can start shopping. 

Crappy Tire here I come!


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## John123 (Jul 22, 2020)

knight_yyz said:


> I had a top of the line Vermont Castings bbq quite a few years ago. After about 5 years it was rusted pretty badly. Except for the brass and cast iron parts. Trying to take it apart to swap the ignitor was a nightmare. Rusted/broken/stripped screws. I got it all apart but had nothing to put it back together with. The hardware was all toast. So I bought a Napolean....


VC was bought out and production was moved to China and quality went down hill. The originals, from Vermont, were indestructible; I still have one, which I converted to a smoker...Using a Weber for all other BBQ chores and I use the Q all year long. Definitely cover it up after every use, which is almost daily!!


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

John123 said:


> VC was bought out and production was moved to China and quality went down hill. The originals, from Vermont, were indestructible; I still have one, which I converted to a smoker...Using a Weber for all other BBQ chores and I use the Q all year long. Definitely cover it up after every use, which is almost daily!!


I had originally planned on buying a Weber when I bought my Broil King. IIRC the lower and middle-grade Webers were being made offshore - 8 years or so ago.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

Part of the problem is there are few, if any, reusable component parts in a gas bbq. Every part is proprietary, nothing is universal. Besides the fuel, I’ve never been able to salvage anything except maybe the slip cover. I’ve spent my life scabbing things together but never a bbq.


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## bw66 (Dec 17, 2009)

My last barbeque went through three burners before the frame became unusable after about 20 years. The one I have now is a much better unit, so hopefully it will last until someone else is cooking for me.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I know some guys really take pride in their grilling skills. It's like a territorial macho thing.

I've got news for you. If you come to my back yard and express an interest, I'll be in the Muskoka chair so fast it'll make your head spin.

I'm fine to have grilling as a spectator sport.


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## Gimli8 (Dec 20, 2019)

I usually buy mid range barbecues from Canadian tire. Have owned 3(late 40’s) the one before my current one stayed with my old house since it was natural gas and don’t have the option where I live now. I probably get 12-15 years out of one


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## 2manyGuitars (Jul 6, 2009)

1SweetRide said:


> Do you use it or is it a pretty lawn ornament? My Coleman is still going strong. It's a natural gas one.





JBFairthorne said:


> Gas BBQs have tons of use. Who the hell wants to sit and wait 40 minutes for coals to get ready, cook a few burgers or dogs for 10 minutes and then waste another 2 1/2 hours of cooking energy while you’re eating/digesting.
> 
> Charcoal is completely impractical, overly expensive and hugely wasteful for short bbq sessions.
> 
> If you’re cooking for a large group or for a long period of time then I’m totally on board. For myself, 90% of my bbq ing is done in less than 30 minutes.


15 minutes to get coals going and grill up to temp. 9 times out of 10, I’m using it as a smoker. Chicken, ribs, pulled pork, pork tenderloin, wings, etc., etc. Hell, I even prefer my burgers smoked.

The Weber has tight enough tolerances that when I do actually use it for straight up grilling, I close the vents when I’m done and the coals go out. I can use them next time I’m smoking.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

So it seems that typical propane barbecue that folks here have experience with would last 5-8 years. A quick browse through the Canadian Tire site tells me that a mid-level Napoleon/Weber/Vermont Castings/Paderno unit would set one back about $750 after taxes. If you barbecued 50 times a year for 8 years, purchase/ownership of a mid-level unit would add $1.87 to the cost of each meal. If one is a less prolific barbecuer, and only uses it 30 times over the course of a summer (= one use every 5 days over the period from May 1 to Sept. 30), that works out to around $3.12 per meal, That does not include the cost of propane, or maintenance/tools, and assumes you'll get 8 good years of service.

Let's have a more dismal scenario of 6 years' service out of a higher level unit that will cost around $1500 after taxes. At 30 uses per year, that adds an estimated $8.33 to the cost of each meal, excluding propane/maintenance/tools costs.

Interesting. That's no reason NOT to get one, but the experience of many here would suggest that buying and using one of these things is a commitment. That's neither good nor bad, but I guess it means that there are incentives for good maintenance and prolonging the working life of one as much as possible.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I use my BBQ most often for cooking bacon. Too messy to cook that stuff in the house and the BBQ lets the fat drip away.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

1SweetRide said:


> I use my BBQ most often for cooking bacon. Too messy to cook that stuff in the house and the BBQ lets the fat drip away.


My wife does it in the oven for that reason now. No mess, just a tray of drippings. surprisingly the oven doesnt get splattered.

I tried doing it on the bbq once...temp control was too difficult. burnt it all in about 10mins. I just dont have the bbq knack.
theres so few things I can do better on a bbq than inside....mind you, we arent big carnivores....never made a brisket or anything like that.

but I do like to use the bbq when the weather is in the high -20's- 30's, just to not heat up the inside of our house and make our AC work harder.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Man, my BBQ should have been given honorable discharge at least 5 years ago....

It gets a lot of use, 11 months a year. Despite it's deterioration and associated Jethro repairs, nobody complains when the food hits the plate. 

Seriously, I need to replace it, but you know, hard to justify when it does it's job...


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## Stephenlouis (Jun 24, 2019)

I get 10 years out of a good smoker and 7 years max out of a good BBQ.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Milkman said:


> Often the burners will rot out long before the body and the cost of a new burner on cheaper and mid level BBQs can be almost enough (or apparently enough) to make it more worthwhile to get another.



I swear I have replaced the burners on an old cheap BBQ at my Dad's house and the parts cost like 20-50 bucks. Generic part, not specific. Got it at Home Despot or Crappy Tire.

... yep, stil 25-80 bucks: https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/search-results.html?q=bbq burner

That's easily still way cheaper than even a new cheapo BBQ. It's just the specific part(s) for higher end BBQs that are costly and hard to get maybe.


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## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

mhammer said:


> No.


Ok so I read this post and read the thread until the end of the thread.

What do mean you don't cook outside, do you live in an institution? All my best meals have been cooked outside!


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## LanceT (Mar 7, 2014)

I just want to know why some of the neighbours leave their old shitty bbq at the end of the driveway with a 'free' sign.


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## YaReMi (Mar 9, 2006)

Why do people get rid of barbecues? ...
Because they don't like them anymore ..
just like guitars .. amps .. pedals .. partners (?) ..


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## WinnipegTechGuy (Sep 22, 2020)

Cleaning them is too much work, so they chuck them and get a new one.

This is why I switched to small form BBQ's, easier to clean, more even cooking surface. $100 full size BBQs are trash, which is often what's thrown away.


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## tonewoody (Mar 29, 2017)

Why do people get rid of BBQ's? Usually because they bought the cheapest one. The low end BBQ's are complete crap. Designed to fail and nothing more.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Milkman said:


> I know some guys really take pride in their grilling skills. It's like a territorial macho thing.
> 
> I've got news for you. If you come to my back yard and express an interest, I'll be in the Muskoka chair so fast it'll make your head spin.
> 
> I'm fine to have grilling as a spectator sport.


We're opposite there. When I go to someone else's I avoid their BBQ as much as possible, cause I will get wrangled in to cook. 

"Hey, you were a grill cook at a steakhouse.. can you hold my tongs while I go get another beer". 1/2hr later I'm still at the grill, he's on a Muskoka chair... heeeeey... wait a minute. Maybe we have met!


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Diablo said:


> My wife does it in the oven for that reason now. No mess, just a tray of drippings. surprisingly the oven doesnt get splattered.
> 
> I tried doing it on the bbq once...temp control was too difficult. burnt it all in about 10mins. I just dont have the bbq knack.
> theres so few things I can do better on a bbq than inside....mind you, we arent big carnivores....never made a brisket or anything like that.
> ...


Lowest heat setting, turn regularly. Helps that my BBQ has anti-flare up grills. What temp for the oven method?


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

Why would you want to take the smell of frying bacon out of your kitchen?

Hell, that's one of the small pleasures of life, LOL


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

nd l


MarkM said:


> Ok so I read this post and read the thread until the end of the thread.
> 
> What do mean you don't cook outside, do you live in an institution? All my best meals have been cooked outside!


It's certainly not on principle. We just don't own anything that could be used for that purpose, unless I wanted to run the Instant Pot or toaster oven outside via an extension cord. I did have a little $15 Hibachi in 2000 or so, but it rusted out from neglect. Haven't had a proper broiler in years either, and my last steak was in 2006 or so. Just not big meat eaters, so no great demand for the equipment. Stove-top cast-iron skillet is good enough.

It's a bit like Hygrade hot dogs, whose ad jingle would say "More people eat 'em because they're fresher. They're fresher because more people eat 'em.". In our case, we don't consume things that need barbecuing because we don't have the equipment. We don't have the equipment because we tend not to eat the things requiring it.

That doesn't mean we don't *eat* outside, although those occasions are rarer and rarer, since it always seems to be too hot, too cold, or too windy. Later this year we will be losing the deck, since my wife contracted to have a sun room built on the same spot. So the Hammers will be dining under glass from then on.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Milkman said:


> Why would you want to take the smell of frying bacon out of your kitchen?
> 
> Hell, that's one of the small pleasures of life, LOL


Because I get more enjoyment from driving the neighborhood crazy 😜


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## butterknucket (Feb 5, 2006)

Diablo said:


> but I do like to use the bbq when the weather is in the high -20's- 30's, just to not heat up the inside of our house and make our AC work harder.


Since they both retired, my parents cook pretty much everything on the bbq in the summer (baking aside) for that exact reason. They even cook trays of vegetables on the bbq. It doesn't make the house hotter and make the air conditioning work harder, and Costco propane is cheap.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

1SweetRide said:


> Because I get more enjoyment from driving the neighborhood crazy 😜


Aromas like bread baking (or cinnamon rolls) bacon frying, a nice roast in the oven....I'm content keeping those comforts in the house.

But yes, I also enjoy the smells emanating from my neighbor's smoker.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

I like to grill because of the flavour. I can cook a steak or a burger in a cast iron grill pan, sure, but it tastes way better cooked on a grill.

Meat + fire = good, ugh, ugh, ugh

I miss how the old Broil Mate cooked ribs -- direct heat for the initial sear, then indirect for the rest of the way, turning things up right near the end to get a little caramelization of the sauce. The Napoleon can't seem to make this happen, though it could be user error.


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

I realize many, probably most people would prefer a steak cooked on a grill.

Recently, even on the rare occasions we've picked up a few T-bones, my wife has cooked them on the range (well, combination of oven and range).

It's just not in me to stand outside when I can relax and the steak is delicious anyway. She has that dialed in.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

Last year I had my hand-me-down mid-80's Weber Genesis (previously owned by Bobby Baker, that's another story) posted for free. Somone tipped me off that parts for that bbq were _still available _though so I decided to give it a complete overhaul instead (burners, grills, flavourizer bars, hoses, and igniter). Total cost was ~$200 and a few hours of my time. 

It's a crazy good grill again and I'm pleased that I ultimately decided to restore it. Had it been one of those Chinadian Tire specials though, it would not have been worth the $ or time to fix IMO.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

StevieMac said:


> Last year I had my hand-me-down mid-80's Weber Genesis (previously owned by Bobby Baker, that's another story) posted for free. Somone tipped me off that parts for that bbq were _still available _though so I decided to give it a complete overhaul instead (burners, grills, flavourizer bars, hoses, and igniter). Total cost was ~$200 and a few hours of my time.
> 
> It's a crazy good grill again and I'm pleased that I ultimately decided to restore it. Had it been one of those Chinadian Tire specials though, it would not have been worth the $ or time to fix IMO.


And now the rest of the Baker story please... no need to fear derailing the thread, this is on the topic of a) BBQ's, and b) throwing them out. 

... go on


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## Milkman (Feb 2, 2006)

__





Bobby Baker - Wikipedia







en.wikipedia.org


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Rollin Hand said:


> I like to grill because of the flavour. I can cook a steak or a burger in a cast iron grill pan, sure, but it tastes way better cooked on a grill.
> 
> Meat + fire = good, ugh, ugh, ugh
> 
> I miss how the old Broil Mate cooked ribs -- direct heat for the initial sear, then indirect for the rest of the way, turning things up right near the end to get a little caramelization of the sauce. The Napoleon can't seem to make this happen, though it could be user error.


for ribs: try doing it the opposite way. Low and slow first, and then blast it at the end to get the char. works for me.

re: steak, I kind of prefer the way a steak on cast iron gets a char all over, not just on grill marks. YMMV


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

1SweetRide said:


> Lowest heat setting, turn regularly. Helps that my BBQ has anti-flare up grills. What temp for the oven method?


for thicker bacon (we like this stuff: Cherry Pink Premium Bacon - Grocery Gateway ), 400dg for 20 min on a cookie tray. Dont even have to turn/flip it.
For thinner bacon, adjust as necessary.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

Milkman said:


> __
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Funny, but I think he means this guy: 










Right??


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

SWLABR said:


> Funny, but I think he means this guy:
> 
> View attachment 370450
> 
> ...


On this site, you never know!


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## Doug Gifford (Jun 8, 2019)

I ditched ours years ago. It was starting to degenerate but more important, my daughter and wife became vegetarians while my son and I continue to eat at least some meat. Vegetables stuff is mostly meh on the bbq and making two meals like that and doing one on the BBQ is too much of a nuisance. So we passed it to a neighbour who collected steel to fund a community service. Really haven't missed it.


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## StevieMac (Mar 4, 2006)

SWLABR said:


> And now the rest of the Baker story please... no need to fear derailing the thread, this is on the topic of a) BBQ's, and b) throwing them out.
> 
> ... go on


Ok but, I didn't say it was an _interesting_ story. My brother in law Ray lives in Kingston and works for an upscale appliance business doing repairs and installations. 20 yrs ago Bobby purchased a new NG grill, Ray did the install, and Bobby offered him his (then) 15 yr old Weber for free if he wanted it. Since it still worked, Ray took it home and happily grilled with it for another 10 years. When Ray decided to build an ambitious "outdoor living area" 5 years ago, he went with a new NG grill and asked me if I wanted "Bobby Baker's barbecue". Being a Kingston native, and having followed the Hip since back in the day, it was an offer I couldn't ignore so I ended up putting $50 into it and used it with out incident for another 5 yrs. As mentioned previously, when it quit working last year, I offered up "Bobby Baker's BBQ" for free on kijiji.

Interestingly, one of the members here who has a radio program out west, asked if he could mention the kijiji post on his show and when he did I suddenly got inundated with inquiries. The funny thing is, and kijiji being kijiji, I had people asking for "letters of provenance" to prove it belonged to Bobby Baker. I shit you not. Anyway, that kind of action and new info on parts availability prompted me to pull the post and simply restore the bbq. Worked out well for me in the end. 🙂


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## allthumbs56 (Jul 24, 2006)

StevieMac said:


> Ok but, I didn't say I was an _interesting_ story. My brother in law Ray lives in Kingston and works for an upscale appliance business doing repairs and installations. 20 yrs ago Bobby purchased a new NG grill, Ray did the install, and Bobby offered him his (then) 15 yr old Weber for free if he wanted it. Since it still worked, Ray took it home and happily grilled with it for another 10 years. When Ray decided to build an ambitious "outdoor living area" 5 years ago, he went with a new NG grill and asked me if I wanted "Bobby Baker's barbecue". Being a Kingston native, and having followed the Hip since back in the day, it was an offer I couldn't ignore so I ended up putting $50 into it and used it with out incident for another 5 yrs. As mentioned previously, when it quit working last year, I offered up "Bobby Baker's BBQ" for free on kijiji.
> 
> Interestingly, one of the members here who has a radio program out west, asked if he could mention the kijiji post on his show and when he did I suddenly got inundated with inquiries. The funny thing is, and kijiji being kijiji, I had people asking for affidavits and/or "letters of provenance" to prove it belonged to Bobby Baker before they'd consider taking it! I shit you not! Anyway, that kind of action and the new info on parts availability prompted me to pull the post and simply restore the bbq. Worked out well for me in the end. 🙂


"He's 48 years old - never kissed a grill" 😊


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

StevieMac said:


> Ok but, I didn't say I was an _interesting_ story. My brother in law Ray lives in Kingston and works for an upscale appliance business doing repairs and installations. 20 yrs ago Bobby purchased a new NG grill, Ray did the install, and Bobby offered him his (then) 15 yr old Weber for free if he wanted it. Since it still worked, Ray took it home and happily grilled with it for another 10 years. When Ray decided to build an ambitious "outdoor living area" 5 years ago, he went with a new NG grill and asked me if I wanted "Bobby Baker's barbecue". Being a Kingston native, and having followed the Hip since back in the day, it was an offer I couldn't ignore so I ended up putting $50 into it and used it with out incident for another 5 yrs. As mentioned previously, when it quit working last year, I offered up "Bobby Baker's BBQ" for free on kijiji.
> 
> Interestingly, one of the members here who has a radio program out west, asked if he could mention the kijiji post on his show and when he did I suddenly got inundated with inquiries. The funny thing is, and kijiji being kijiji, I had people asking for affidavits and/or "letters of provenance" to prove it belonged to Bobby Baker before they'd consider taking it! I shit you not! Anyway, that kind of action and the new info on parts availability prompted me to pull the post and simply restore the bbq. Worked out well for me in the end. 🙂


OK, this tells me a couple of things:

1) Weber made some seriously good grills back then.
2) Bobby Baker is a good guy.
3) He's also a guy who sold out arenas across Canada in minutes, yet still used a grill for 15 years. How Canadian is that?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

StevieMac said:


> Ok but, I didn't say it was an _interesting_ story. My brother in law Ray lives in Kingston and works for an upscale appliance business doing repairs and installations. 20 yrs ago Bobby purchased a new NG grill, Ray did the install, and Bobby offered him his (then) 15 yr old Weber for free if he wanted it. Since it still worked, Ray took it home and happily grilled with it for another 10 years. When Ray decided to build an ambitious "outdoor living area" 5 years ago, he went with a new NG grill and asked me if I wanted "Bobby Baker's barbecue". Being a Kingston native, and having followed the Hip since back in the day, it was an offer I couldn't ignore so I ended up putting $50 into it and used it with out incident for another 5 yrs. As mentioned previously, when it quit working last year, I offered up "Bobby Baker's BBQ" for free on kijiji.
> 
> Interestingly, one of the members here who has a radio program out west, asked if he could mention the kijiji post on his show and when he did I suddenly got inundated with inquiries. The funny thing is, and kijiji being kijiji, I had people asking for "letters of provenance" to prove it belonged to Bobby Baker. I shit you not. Anyway, that kind of action and new info on parts availability prompted me to pull the post and simply restore the bbq. Worked out well for me in the end. 🙂


Great story!


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

OK, finally tried the charcoal insert for my Napoleon. And it does work well -- my wife said that last night's steak was "perfect." I smelled like a smokehouse afterwards, but it was worth it.






On the downside, I noticed that one of my stainless steel burners was cracked! I bought a new one off Amazon, and it comes with two sear plates, which is good, because a couple of them are starting to degrade, stainless or no.

Also, the whole inside needs a good cleaning. But after that, looks like another 9 years should be no problem.


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## Rollin Hand (Jul 12, 2012)

Rollin Hand said:


> OK, finally tried the charcoal insert for my Napoleon. And it does work well -- my wife said that last night's steak was "perfect." I smelled like a smokehouse afterwards, but it was worth it.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Well, it looks like I spoke to soon.

One of the burners won't shut off, and the contoller is nigh impossible to turn. That, according to Capital BBQ, means that the manifold is bad. The manifold is $140, plus the labour, which is $295 (!?!) to tear it down and have it fixed by a licensed technician (apparently this is law in Ontario) puts me at $445 plus tax for the repair. Oh, and they want $50 each way to pick it up and drop it off.

I contacted another repair shop, and we will see what he says. If it is similar, out come the tools. If I can get it apart, I can put it back together.

If not...Home Depot had a Broil Mate on their site that looked OK. And Napoleon now has a lifetime guarantee on their better grills.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Rollin Hand said:


> OK, finally tried the charcoal insert for my Napoleon. And it does work well -- my wife said that last night's steak was "perfect." I smelled like a smokehouse afterwards, but it was worth it.


There is a recent tune by the Bruno Mars/Anderson.Paak team that calls themselves Silksonic. One of the lines in this paean to their female love object is "You smell better than a barbecue". Now if THAT ain't love, I don't know what is.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

bought a cheap Canadian Tire charcoal BBQ over 10 years ago for camping, it still works fine

I upgraded to a Weber charcoal BBQ about 6 years ago, still working fine


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

My buddy has what looks like a decent BBQ at his cabin... but it's not! He's at a crossroads.. it's still too good to chuck it, but it's getting pretty difficult to actually _cook_ with it. The burners are going, so there are spots that don't get enough flame, and spots that get too much. Like, WAY too much. I'd imagine it would be similar to cooking on a volcano. He's replaced some parts, but because it's a brand I have never heard of, he can't get all the necessary parts. Neither he or his wife want to finally admit it's time. Cause that entails lugging the dead one up the stairs. (the stairs cut into the side of the typical Muskoka hillside) and then get another one down to assemble. 

"It's fine"


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Do/can things like oven cleaner - the kind you spray a foam and wait a half-hour or whatever - work to restore proper gas flow in burners? Or is this contraindicated by manufacturers for safety reasons? Alternatively is the plug-up in gas barbecues due to something that spray cleaners can't address?


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

The sure way is to completely disassemble, clean with compressed air and reassemble. If your attitude is "time is money"...replace.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

It's less about the poor performing ones being clogged, it's more to do with the bad ones have corroded and are too big. So much flame is forced out of those ones, that the "good" ones don't get enough draw. 
Again, no replacement burners for this off-brand. It would be a whole new BBQ, which seems a bit wasteful.


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## Paul Running (Apr 12, 2020)

Yeah those burners are not designed to last long, much like the low quality exhaust systems in autos. Probably something with ceramic inserts would last longer. Maybe a universal burner could be retro-fitted. Some of those BBQs have a well made structure but they install a low quality burner...difficult to understand the rationale.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

^^^ not my BBQ, and I only cook on it a few times a year. If they hold onto it, I will cook on it less and less, as it gets more difficult the regulate. I am a decent cook/grill guy, and I do not want to serve a half burnt, half raw piece of chicken. I have a reputation to uphold!!


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## WCGill (Mar 27, 2009)

It's just not a BBQ thread without Vadsy.


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## bzrkrage (Mar 20, 2011)

blueshores_guy said:


> That was a real 'you get what you pay for' lesson for me.


Too true.
But trying to replace a BBQ right now with a good one is nigh on impossible.
Limited stock at retailers, nothing coming out from manufacturers & ever being stuck at home ...? maybe next year.... all the crappy ones are still at the stores.


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## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

SWLABR said:


> ^^^ not my BBQ, and I only cook on it a few times a year. If they hold onto it, I will cook on it less and less, as it gets more difficult the regulate. I am a decent cook/grill guy, and I do not want to serve a half burnt, half raw piece of chicken. I have a reputation to uphold!!


Somewhere between those two sides is the world’s most perfectly cooked piece.


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## SWLABR (Nov 7, 2017)

1SweetRide said:


> Somewhere between those two sides is the world’s most perfectly cooked piece.


That's living on the edge. A miss-bit piece in either direction is either a carcinogenic, or Salmonella.


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