How to choose a grill? My grill is pathetic.. (hamburgers, gas grill, cookers)

[gentlearts]

How do you find a gas grill that gets really hot? I do not want something huge, but I want something that will really sear a piece of meat. I think maybe those big honking stainless steel jobs put out the power, but there's only two of us most of the time, and I don't want something too big.
Do I look for BTU's, or what?
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[sgresident]

I don't know about choosing from the btu's. I have a weber gas grill, it also has the small side burner. I really love it. I was at the library yesterday looking at the consumer reports. they do have info on the ratings for gas grills. that might be of help to you. I know that when I gave it a glance, weber was at or near the top.

[LaceyEx]

We have a Weber Genesis and love it.

[findinghope]

i have eaten food from a gas grill for soooo long. so we decided to get a charcole grill cause the food just tates so much better. we got the little 22.5" webber...

[Capt. Cave Man]

Take a look at Traeger or Louisiana country cookers(or any models that Louisiana brand makes) They use wood pellets(ie hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, etc) for heat and taste. They are so much better and so much more versitile than a gas grill, and they'll last. A bit high priced but well worth it.

Benifits to each one. Traeger is easier to set temp, but not as heavy of metal and paint isn't much. They also don't get as hot as a Lou.

The Lou is just a little harder to set, but can get up to 5-600*(a bit high and could warp a door).

I have both, a Traeger Texas and a Louisiana "Whole Hog" Country Cooker. I really like the Lou. I smoke on it 90% and grill 10% so I do know more bout smoke'n. Just this winter we had steaks on a gas grill and the wife and kids said it wasn't very good. I went the next day and bought the same steaks, put the same rub on(S&P evoo) and made them my way. 350* till med-med well. No comparison.

I gotta go but real quick, I've made pizza, jerky, tortilla chips, fish, pork, beef, shrimp, b-beans, veggies.

If there is a dealer near buy get him to let you try it out. Hamburgers are fantastic, steaks are great.

To help get some nice marks I want to get a cast iron grill to put in it, but were not big on that as much as taste.

Any questions let me know, or I'll check back here when I can.

[country pride]

We have some pretty nice propane and charcoal grills on sale right now, where I work!

[teatime]

Depends on whether you want to "cook outside" or "barbecue." If you want to barbecue, get a charcoal grill (the ones that look like a barrel on legs) and use a combination of charcoal briquets and wood.

[Rcm58]

I'll have to get the make off the grill I have now and post again later but I love it, I have gotten it to hit 900 degrees with all 4 burners going max which is great for self cleaning, heavy cast iron top that sears the meat without sticking like stainless steel does, brass burners which won't rust so theres no yellow flame over time. The outside of the grill is all stainless steel with a double wall stainless steel top that holds the heat very well. I've had it 2 seasons now with no signs of deterioration with use.

[Moonlady]

There are only 2 of us too and I wanted a decent gas grill. After some research and asking friends we decided on the Weber 3 burner grill. My neighbor has one and I had seen her cook lots of different meals on it. I love it because you can cook both direct and indirect by turning off one or two burners. I sear my meat over direct heat and then turn the center burner off and let it cook indirectly. It's a really well made grill -I've had mine for 5 or 6 years and it still works great and looks good too. It's easy to clean also.

[BrianH]

I have a charbroil grill and love it. Cook everything from Steaks to Brisket on it. If I choose to smoke I just put the wood in water for a while then wrap in tinfoil, makes me want to go out and do brisket now!