We had our deck rebuilt and expanded over the winter. Now that spring is just around the corner, I’m ready to ditch the old Weber kettle grill and get me a fancy new propane grill. Any suggestions? Any particular brands I should look at, or avoid?
I’ll probably want to go with something small, either a 2 or 3 burner grill. A 2 burner would be more than enough for grilling for just the two of us, but a third one might come in handy for when we have family or friends over.
You are sure to get post after post recommending Weber propane grills. I won’t argue that they are not good, but they are expensive. If you want to spend the money, go ahead. They are good grills.
But I can tell you that after doing a fairly extensive amount of research and shopping, I ended up buying a Broil King grill at Lowe’s. Most of the grills currently out there are complete junk, mostly made in China. Even some of Weber’s lower-end grills are Chinese. Higher-end Webers are made in the US, and Broil King grills are made in Canada.
My take is that if you buy a Broil King, you get about 80% of the quality of a USA-made Weber for about 50% of the price. Or you get 150% of the quality of a Chinese Weber for less money. FWIW, I bought the Signet 320 3-burner grill three years ago, and it still looks and works very well.
We got a new deck last Summer.
I bought a Char-Broil 500 5-Burner Cabinet Gas Grill, even though there are only two of us, to replace the 22-inch Weber ‘kettle’ charcoal grill. There were times when the Weber just wasn’t big enough. A 5-burner gas grill has plenty of room, especially on the off-chance we have guests. (Hey, anything’s possible!) Of course, you don’t have to use all of the burners. I like the flexibility. I’ve only used the side-burner once. I wish I could remember what I was making. But it was handy to have something cooking in a pot while I was grilling other stuff on the grill.
I opted for the 5-burner instead of the 4-burner. They also make a 3-burner with a side burner. Fred Meyer had grills on sale last June, and the prices were very good. But Amazon was just a little cheaper, and they shipped the grill to my house.
Don’t give up on Weber, just because you’re ready to move on from the traditional Kettle grill. They also make some of the best gas grills on the market at well.
The Genesis line of Weber comes in 2, 3, 4, up to 6 burners: http://www.weber.com/grills/series/genesis-ii
Start here for advice on what to look for in gas grills. Next view the Top 10 Best Value Gas Grills. Finally, if you are looking to spend a lot of money or just want to see how the other half lives, peruse the Top 10 Luxury Grills and Smokers.
When all that is done, keep the Weber kettle. As the owner of a Weber kettle, a Weber smoker, and a Char-Broil 4 burner gas grill, my kettle is the most used, followed by the smoker, and with the gas grill a distant third (pulled out for summer parties where all the cooking is outdoors and the more cook-space, the better).
My two pieces of advice - don’t go less than 3 burners, and make sure the burners go front to back, not the length of the grill. Front-to-back burners make indirect cooking much, much easier, and you’ll even be able to smoke foods that way.
Screw propane, get a offset firebox BBQ smoker.
I’m glad to see a Char-Broil on the list, since that’s the brand I bought. 
I put the Weber out for grabs, and a neighbour took it. needscoffee gave it to me several years ago, and it got a lot of use. I replaced the grate and grill soon after she gave it to me, and eventually zip-tied the triangular ‘shelf’ to the front leg to keep everything together. Now someone else will have years of use out of it. I have a Weber Smokey Joe if I want to cook something with charcoal.
I got a Char-Broil Tru Infrared 2-burner grill last summer and I love it.
I know that you said propane but, as a guy that bought a new grill last summer I would be remiss if I didn’t chime in.
We had a Char-Broil propane grill for about 8 years and I did like it. A lot of steaks and burgers were done on that grill. I had been eyeing a Big Green Egg for a while but it is just too pricey for me. I found an Akorn Kamado grill on sale and picked it up.
I love this thing. The charcoal is ready to cook within 10 to 15 minutes of lighting it and I’ve cooked ribs low and slow, steaks at 800F to a perfect medium rare, smoked chicken, and pizza to die for. I had the best BBQ summer of my life!
We had a big, green, kamado when I was a kid in the late-'60s. My dad seemed to like it a lot, though I don’t remember any specific thing he cooked in it. I’ve wanted one too, and have done for over a dozen years. But they’re too expensive for me to justify. I love to cook, and Mrs. L.A. loves my cooking. But she would think me silly if I got another outdoor cooker.
People usually recommend grills without explaining why and what makes one grill better than another. Here is a video on the differences between a quality grill and a cheap grill.
I shopped for a new gas grill about 3 years ago and Weber Genesis was the most recommended. I did buy one, I use it 2-3x per week and it still looks brand new. The stainless steel grates are just about indestructible. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat, but I doubt I’ll ever need another grill.
Before the Genesis, I had a Char-Broil 5 burner, cast brass burners with the lifetime warranty. The grates rusted really quick even when coating them in oil after each use and the grill had severe hot spots. Otherwise, it held up ok. It had a real thin sheet metal bottom that became brittle over time, so I was cleaning it one day and it cracked, which is really no big deal but shows the quality of the grill. They have to make compromises somewhere to keep the price low so it’s expected.
That video is reviewing a Spirit which from everything I’ve read is a really good deal.
I had a char-broil tru-infrared grill that cooked the best hamburgers ever (way better than my genesis), but overtime the “stainless-steel” grates rusted and was just an overall pain to clean out the little holes in the grates before each use.
Here’s a list of the first five hits when searching for ‘highest rated charcoal grills’
Can it be a coincidence that Weber appears at or near the top of every list? I wouldn’t necessarily be in a hurry to ditch the old Weber charcoal grill. True, gas has the advantage of speed, but with the use of a chimney that’s saving maybe only 10 minutes. Life is short, enjoy charcoal grilled foods while you can.
Seconded - I love my Akorn.
Thanks all, good information!
Just to be clear, I have no problems with my old Weber kettle grill, it’s just seen better days and is due for a replacement. And actually, I’ve been holding off on getting a new grill for the last couple years, because the deck was also badly in need of replacement but we just kept putting it off. So I finally told myself “you’re not getting a new grill until you get a new deck.” Last year we refinanced the house with a little extra money for the deck rebuild and some back yard landscaping, and that work was all done this winter.
That Weber Spirit 310 is actually one of the ones I’ve been considering. As the guy in nate’s video says, its a question of you get what you pay for. But I didn’t want to get burned spending good money on something and discover I’m just paying for the name, but the quality is crap. (cough Maytag cough) From what I can tell though, the Weber looks like it actually lives up to its name. The Genesis also looks like a nice grill, but it’s a little over my budget.
I have the Weber Spirit natural gas version (since I have an outlet on the deck). It’s your basic workhorse grill. Had mine for 3 years and going strong. lite it a lot with zero complaints.
I grew up with the Weber reputation so I’ll go weber unless there is something orders of magnitude better. My starter had a problem and shipped me a replacement unit the next day.
For the big green egg/kamodo style guys. I bought my brother one and used it some (not a lot). While I like the BGE (and we got one on the bigger size), it is an event. Takes some time to heat the thermal mass. Complete opposite of press the light button on a natural gas grill. No right answer, but for the BGE you have to be prepared for the time. Unfortunately, since my brother doesn’t live near me, I haven’t gone full mental and figured out how to do 900 degree pizza’s and other things I would love to do. I did do 18 pound turkey that came out really nicely. Again, I think the ceramic cookers could be freaking awesome once you figure it out, but for me there is a big learning curve and it takes time to do anything vs the ease of turning on the gas. Personal preference
I really overthought the topic title — “Got a new deck, need a new grill” —got a new skateboard, need gold caps on my teeth?
I may have missed it, and apologies if someone else already suggested it, but get a Weber with the best of both worlds. IMHO, if you’re not grilling over charcoal, don’t bother. Just cook it in the oven or in a pan.
Weber makes a charcoal grill that starts with propane. You get the ease of propane with the flavor of charcoal – no lighter fluid taste involved: Weber Performance Grill
I do everything on mine, from perfect steaks to roasted chickens to smoked turkeys. I admit I don’t smoke fish on it, have a Little Chief smoker for that. But the Performer is a workhorse with wonderful flavor for anything else. Bonus: Favors the lazy. 
I’ve had mine for more than a decade and it still looks good, still going strong. I don’t think you would regret this choice.
Weber is worth the extra dollars. I Thank myself for stepping up every time I use mine.
mmm
I got a 2 burner Weber something something for like $300 a few years ago. It’s great, but I wish I had ponied up another hundred bucks for the 3 burner version in the same box size. With two burners, I can’t really get it hot enough to black and blue the steaks.
If you’re going with a ceramic grill, skip the BGE and get a Primo Oval. Perfect for setting up two different temperature zones and can hold a steady 225 for 24 hours for your low and slow pork or get a blazing 700 with the vents wide open for a brick oven pizza flavor.