Questions: why a gas grill? Natural gas or propane tanks?

I have a gas grill on my wooden deck. The advantage of that is that cinders won't fall out of the grill and burn my house down.

I keep my smokers and charcoal grills downstairs in a bed of lava rocks.

I use the gas grill a fair amount because the deck is right off of the kitchen and I am often too lazy to run up and down the stairs to grill burgers.

i agree with mriguy, convinence is the primary reason to have a gas grill. we use it like an oven in the summer to avoid heating up the kitchen. it's perfect for when you come home from work and don't have the time/energy to fire up the charcoal grill as easy as that might be. my wife won't get charcoal going on her own, but she has no problem lighting and cooking on the gas grill. it's a no brainer if you can run a gas line. i think propane burns hotter than natural gas, but never having an empty tank or having to get a tank filled is pretty much a dream come true.

Gas/propane will cook the same. The grills just have to have a different fuel port to convert between Ngas and propane, I believe. At least that's how it works for Ngas vs propane indoor ranges/ovens.

There is the convenience thing, to be sure. I gave up on my gasser long ago and have never replaced it. Only RARELY do I wish for the "cooking within 5 minutes" that you get from a gas grill. Usually when it's farkin' HOT and I'm staring at the charcoal chimney, waiting for the coals to get lit so I can cook the steaks for about 5 minutes and then shut it all down. But.......not that often really.

The benefit of piping your Ngas out to the grill is that you'll not have to purchase propane tanks anymore. It's always a direct feed from the gas meter.

Up to you and depends on how you cook more often.

I would go natural gas for sure if it's an option, propane tanks are a pain and most likely end up costing more.

I love my gasser, the convenience can't be beat and we use it about 4 nights a week.

Yeah the only reason I had natural gas piped outside was so that I don't have worry about propane running out in the middle of a cook. Although I use charcoal 90% of the time, it's nice to have the slight convenience of the gasser.

Johnny_Crunch said:

I would go natural gas for sure if it's an option, propane tanks are a pain and most likely end up costing more.

I love my gasser, the convenience can't be beat and we use it about 4 nights a week.

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+1

Never having to fill a propane tank would be great

My gas grill is what I use most weeknights. My old one was up to temp in 3-4 minutes, my new one takes about 10-15 (lined with firebrick). I can come home, pull out meat, let the dogs out (who did that? :tape then fire up the gas grill on my way back in.

I love my gas grill and I'd never go without one - but I'm also from CA so I grew up with gas grills and most people only have gas grills.

I have a natural gasser on the deck outside the kitchen and the Webers downstairs on the patio. I use the gasser when I dont feel like messing with fire (rarely), or it is really cold. My wife doesnt like when I roll the snow blower through the kitchen to clear snow off the deck, but she does like what comes off the grill which always tastes great in the dead of winter. You dont have to worry about cold weather with natural, but I hear it may affect the way liquid propane works.

Last house where I lived, I remodeled the kitchen, having NG run to it for a cooktop, and while I was at it, I had them run the NG to the outside since it was just a few feet. My thinking was that if I ever want to convert an LP cooking appliance to NG or run an NG outdoor fireplace, I can because it's there, and the cost difference was very minimal. Truth be told, I never used that pipe in the two years I lived there after completion, but I don't regret it.

When I bought my current house (new construction) and was specking it out, I once again said to run NG to the deck so that I can use it to fuel cooking or heating stuff. I've only been there a month and haven't used it yet, but I'm glad I had it run because it's future proofing. My only complaint is that they put it on one side of the deck, and right after I moved in I decided to pour a concrete patio on the other side, so I'll still probably have to have a plumber come out and put in a second nipple by the patio. No big deal.

If you have the option, it shouldn't cost much more, and I'd recommend doing it now so that you don't have to worry about later. It's an investment. As for why NG over LP? Cost, convenience, and surety. NG is much, much cheaper, you never have to run NG tanks to be refilled or exchanged, and you never have to worry about NG running out in the middle of a cold night or long cook. I think LP purns hotter. I'm not sure if that's because there are more BTUs in LP, because LP runs at a higher pressure, or a combination of the two, but that's the fact as I understand it. I wouldn't worry about it too much for a grill though.

dmp

I think everyone has pretty much summed it up. With gas, you lose some flavor and a lot of the fun of building the fire, but on the weekends, its kind of nice to walk outside and start cooking immedietly. Its also a lot less cleanup.

the natural gas is a lot cheaper than LP. if you already have a LP grill, it is a simple procedure of drilling out the gas orifices just a little. i forget the size but you can google it and get all the info you need. the reason for the larger orifices is that nat gas has a lot less pressure than LP. of course if you got to purchase a grill, just by the nat gas model. be sure to get one with a side burner, because it is great for lighting your charcoal chimney!! good luck.:thumb:

There is a time and place for everything and you need one of everything to be ready. :wink:

I don't mind charcoals stacked in my garage, ash pans that need dumping, or black stuff all over my hands before I cook... but it can be a lot of work when the sun starts setting before 5:00 pm and it is cold and drizzling this winter and you only need to cook a half dozen chicken breasts or something quick. Chop up the chicken with onions and peppers and throw in a cast iron skillet on the side burner and make some sizzling fajitas. It is better than pan frying and keeps mess outside. Call me lazy, but I tend to grill much more when grill has gas (propane bottles seem to stay empty :mad2 than just charcoal option. I am resorting to pan searing lots of stuff lately... everyone is always in a hurry and hungry NOW.

Get natural gas and no more empty bottles!! Get good gas grill (Weber Genesis or better) and be ready quick.

P.S. I recently thought my grill was broken and it was stupid propane tank safety shutoff malfunctioning (almost new tank)... I am over it... getting natural gas soon!! Several gas burning devices including burners caution people about the shutoff valve that has to be "reset" by waiting several minutes.

most certainly run a line out to your deck for future cooking options (I did when we built the house 5 years ago). You will definitely need a propane to NG conversion for your grill..they take different parts and one will not work with the other, but most grills can go either way

here is a pretty good page showing how to convert one.
http://www.terrylove.com/wwwboard/messages/9929.html

Just do it even if you don't have a grill yet. When I had one it made my soooo easy. Me lazy? Maybe?

Ditto with Chef Jim. If your running gas lines anyway, plumb one for a grill. 20 lb bottles suck. As far as the gas grill goes, for me it's just the quick fix. Last night we were late to eat, threw a couple of burgers on the gas----eatin'.

jlondon said:

Thansk again everyone for the guidance. Agreed. As long as I'm runing the gas lines anyway, I might as well put one out on the patio.

Which leads directly to my next question...what gas grill do I buy?

I've never really used one before. What are the relatative merits of the differents brands and features? Also, a quick persual on the web suggests these can be terribly expensive. Any suggestions for budget/value for money gas grills?

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i should just post links to my salute to weber posts. a number of folks here have had weber gassers last for 10 + years. with them you get what you pay for. in the sub $750 there are others that are cheaper, but look at the quality of the build and then make your decision. value should not always mean cheap if you want something that will last more than a season or two. if you are looking for a grill in the $2,000+ range that would be another story.

maybe you will get lucky in the raffle http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90581

I use my gas grill to cook marinated fish fillets, to grill vegetables, and (rarely) to grill burgers or chicken for the teenagers. I would certainly run the gas line - the tiny additional incremental cost will easily be recouped when you sell the house, even if you never use it.