I keep mine covered when not in use. Too much bird (and raccoon) shit eating away at it otherwise. I’m in Queen’s, NY, and I’m a fair weather griller. Has to be over 50 for me, but once it gets warm enough, I’m cooking about 90% outdoors. I’ve a Weber kettle, which gets the most use, a Weber Smokey Mountain, and an old Char-broil gas grill that has seen better years.
I am pro-cover. I have a Weber gas grill, kettle and Smokey Mountain. No garage or easy indoor storage so they sit outside year round in Western NY. I pull the cover off and toss it in the deck box I store all my outdoor cooking shit in, use the grill/smoker and cover it again when I get around to it later that day/night or the next.
As mentioned, covers keep bird shit off, keep the finish looking better and are pretty inexpensive relative to the cost of the hardware they protect. Hell, the Smokey Mountain even included one. I don’t fret if it doesn’t go on immediately after the grill has cooled down. I don’t think they’re a pain in the ass to deal with at all. Overall, a net positive in my opinion.
Isn’t this the $100 mini fold-up George Foreman on wheels grill? A cover? Why bother?
My Coleman Road Trip weighs about 60 lbs., stands on legs, has two little side tables and two heavy black grills that can be removed (they weigh about 10 pounds each). Yesterday I opened the lid and there was a little water inside.
There’s a temperature gauge set into the cover that shows, of course, how hot it gets inside, but there is condensation inside the crystal and I can’t read it now! Will that condensation go away once I start using the grill next time? (this is all new stuff to me, I just don’t know)
Yep. About the only problem with moisture (up to puddles) is that it might interfere with the spark igniters.
But really, grills should be designed to be rainproof. If falling rain, even slightly blowing rain can get inside them… something is wrong.
I’m actually surprised at the number of people who are anti grill cover. I’m with Jake Jones.
I pull the cover off and toss it in on some deck shelves where I keep a lot of my outdoor cooking shit then cover it again when I get around to it later that day/night or the next.
As mentioned, covers keep bird shit off, keep the finish looking better and are pretty inexpensive relative to the cost of the hardware they protect.
Mother Nature is a harsh bitch. I’m sure my grill would hold up just fine without one, but covers definitely slow down the aging process. It literally takes less than 1 minute to remove it or to cover it.