Gas Grill Recommendation. New vs the Older One I have?

[GFSII]

Hi All,
I wanted to ask the opinion of the Grilling Intelligentsia. I am currently a "newbie" griller, having recently trying my hand at grilling/cooking. I got a BBQ Galore Turbo, 3 burner, Stainless Steel propane grill many years ago and have just recently started using it, discovering the wonderful taste it has on burgers and fish (my wife especially likes grilled swordfish). The grill uses a 3 "briquettes" tray flame spreader system and I recently replaced the 3 trays with new ones as the old ones were very deteriorated.

Which leads me to my question. The old grill is in very good shape but is their any advantage in upgrading/buying a new grill? The grill is over 10 years old and I would assume that newer grills may have better technology for a better grilling experience. But the old one is totally stainless steel and parts still exist to fix it, so many people obviously like the grill enough to drive the needs for replacement parts. BTW, one reason I am asking is that the wife is totally supportive of buying a new grill if it is worthwhile.

Thank You for your time and (hopefully) responses,

Gordon

 

[Garyclaw]

I think I would quietly do both, Gordon. Also, build a UDS.

 

[Dweverett]

If you don't need to do any major repairs right now and aren't having space issues etc, I'd just keep using the one you have for now. That doesn't mean you shouldn't get a new grill though, just that I'd suggest getting something different to supplement the gas grill. Grilling on charcoal will bring even more flavor so something like a Weber Kettle is a good affordable option. You can smoke on it as well, or buy something like the Weber Smokey Mountain for a more dedicated smoker.

That way you have something to play with on weekends and the gas grill for convenience.

Welcome to the site btw. Couple other things I probably should mention...

1) While lots of folks here have gas grills, there is a general bias towards grilling on charcoal (and smoking) so you'll see more posts on that
2) You're pretty much never going to hear "I don't see any reason for you to buy a new grill/smoker -- you should be fine". The folks here are extremely knowledgeable and helpful but reeaally bad influences when it comes to making purchase decisions :wink:

 

[Dweverett]

I didn't have a chance to look up the grill earlier and it wasn't a brand I was familiar with. That's a nice grill. Assuming it's running well I don't think you'd see a meaningful improvement getting a new one -- ultimately the technology just hasn't changed that much. (with maybe the exception of infrared burners)

Based on it's quality and looks, let me give you another option to think about. A ceramic kamado is a very good compliment to a gas grill. You can use the gas grill for quicker cooks and things like Swordfish where I don't know that I find any smoke flavor that helpful and the kamado for others. The kamado will do high heat grilling similar to the gas but also is a very easy to use low temperature smoker and can also do very high heat pizzas.

Big Green Egg is the best known brand but Kamado Joe and Primo both offer some improvements at similar price points and Vision a solid option at quite a bit less.

Good luck! Let's see some pictures of the swordfish

 

[EdF]

DWEverett is making a great suggestion here. I currently have a BGE (since 2002), a small infrared gasser, and a stick burner (most recent addition). I didn't even get the gasser until 2014 during a kitchen remodel for quick cooks. Each does a different set of things, but the kamado is especially versatile.