# What backyard grill should I get?



## mdbannister (Dec 6, 2021)

Hey everyone, we just got a house (finally out of that apartment life!!), and I'm looking at grills (of course!). I would like something that will serve our family well, but I also entertain fairly large groups regularly from our church (maybe around 30 people). So I'm trying to get something with a good size to it, but that will also work well for our family too. 

I'm looking to steer clear of propane. I'm just not a fan. However, I am torn between pellet and charcoal grills. I have traditionally grilled over mesquite wood chunks, and I enjoy it.  However, I'm also looking at the Traeger and Pit Boss pellet grills and love the amount of control they offer (haven't used either, so I'm relying on reviews).

What are your thoughts? If you were buying a new grill right now, what would you be looking at?


----------



## mdbannister (Dec 6, 2021)

In my own dream world, someone would create a combo grill that allowed me to use either charcoal/wood chunks or pellets (similar to how they do with charcoal/propane combo grills). ...but no such marvel exists from what I can find.


----------



## smokerjim (Dec 6, 2021)

I have a pitboss pellet grill/smoker, not thrilled with it, I dont get that grilled flavor from mine unless I start at low temp with bbq pellets then raise heat even then the flavor isnt the best, yes its convenient but I suggest ya look at charcoal if you want the bbq flavor. Just my opinion.


----------



## thirdeye (Dec 6, 2021)

I'm a charcoal guy myself, and use a few different flavor woods, both in chunks and by adding pellets into the charcoal. Why don't you define grilling for your family verses entertaining 30 people, meaning what kind of foods for each, and how much?


----------



## SmokinVOLfan (Dec 6, 2021)

I dont own one so you can take this with a grain of salt but I would check out the masterbuilt gravity fed series. You can grill and smoke on them and still get the charcoal flavor you are looking for. From what I understand you get a lot of the controls a pellet grill would offer.


----------



## SecondHandSmoker (Dec 6, 2021)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> I dont own one so you can take this with a grain of salt but I would check out the masterbuilt gravity fed series. You can grill and smoke on them and still get the charcoal flavor you are looking for. From what I understand you get a lot of the controls a pellet grill would offer.



You beat me to it!


----------



## Sowsage (Dec 6, 2021)

With deals going on around christmas time you might be able to swing doing two different cookers. If you like cooking over charcoal you cant go wrong with a weber kettle... As far as regularly cooking for 30 people at your church....dont rule out propane completely....id take a look at some flat top grills like the blackstones or campchef...you can do just about anything you want on a flat top and sure makes it easy feeding 30 people.


----------



## sawhorseray (Dec 6, 2021)

Aside from the other advise, what kind of money are you looking to spend? RAY


----------



## 912smoker (Dec 6, 2021)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> I dont own one so you can take this with a grain of salt but I would check out the masterbuilt gravity fed series. You can grill and smoke on them and still get the charcoal flavor you are looking for. From what I understand you get a lot of the controls a pellet grill would offer.


I agree ! I have the MBGF 1050 and love it. Charcoal and wood chunk flavor, low and slow, sears to 700* and lots of space to feed a crowd. But she does love to eat lol


----------



## civilsmoker (Dec 6, 2021)

If you are cooking for that many people and want consistency in the cook, I would suggest the RecTec-1250.....you can put wood chucks or coals on top of the CI diverter plate a the start of the cook if you want the wood or coal flavor.......


----------



## noboundaries (Dec 6, 2021)

A 26.5" Weber grill will do everything you mentioned. It will grill, smoke, bake, roast, you name it. No electronics to fail from heat or rain. There are lots of accessories, and it uses a fuel you are familiar with using. Finally, it will last for decades. 

Convenient? It's not like as quick a starter as a propane or pellet grill,  but what's another half hour between friends?


----------



## BigW. (Dec 6, 2021)

SecondHandSmoker said:


> You beat me to it!


Ha, I was going to toss out the Char-griller 980 for discussion also


----------



## BigGebben (Dec 6, 2021)

What sort of neat are you trying to cook? If you just want to do hamburger and hot dogs most anything mentioned would do the trick. if you are wanting to do briskets and large meats you could even look into an offset smoker if that is available for you.


----------



## normanaj (Dec 6, 2021)

Besides the Weber kettle I would also look at the Weber Smoky Mountain(WSM).The WSM is a great charcoal smoker right out of the box and it can be accessorized and turned into a fantastic smoker.And you can grill on it too.


----------



## Buttah Butts (Dec 6, 2021)

I’m more than happy with my Rec Teq and my wolf gas grille with infrared sear


----------



## 912smoker (Dec 6, 2021)

But as  RAY ask, what is your budget? I love spending other people's money lol


----------



## schlotz (Dec 6, 2021)

Big difference between cooking/smoking for a family vs 30 people. If the 30 people does occur throughout the year then you're going to need a rather robust unit. The size of unit does depend somewhat, on the protein you are cooking for 30 people.  Regardless of size, I personally suggest you start by looking at the offerings from Yoder & Req-Tec.


----------



## JLeonard (Dec 6, 2021)

I have a 22 in kettle and love it. It will do everything. like 

 noboundaries
 said the 26 inch would do what ya want from family to groups.
Jim


----------



## JeffShoaf (Dec 6, 2021)

Have you looked at Santa Maria sir grills? Wood, charcoal, or both and lots of fun playing with fire. Smoking is a bit inconvenient unless you get one with a lid but you didn't mention smoking. You can outfit some of them with a rotisserie too.


----------



## yankee2bbq (Dec 6, 2021)

My Vote: The Weber Kettle 26.5 
Its a beast. Regular 22 inch kettle on left, big   brother 26 on the right.


----------



## jcam222 (Dec 6, 2021)

As Ray said the first question is your budget. When you feed 30 people what type of meats and other items are you going to grill / smoke? Serving up 30 steaks could call for something completely different than 30 people’s worth of pulled pork.


----------



## bigfurmn (Dec 6, 2021)

mdbannister said:


> In my own dream world, someone would create a combo grill that allowed me to use either charcoal/wood chunks or pellets (similar to how they do with charcoal/propane combo grills). ...but no such marvel exists from what I can find.


So...has your BBQ brain exploded yet???


----------



## mike243 (Dec 7, 2021)

never have been happy with only 1 cooker,  a large cheap gasser along with a Weber Performer can handle a lot of food, a 36" griddle will round out all your needs. A pellet smoker/grill can make some great food no matter what some folks say, been running 1 over 3.5 years and love it, not for every cook but a lot when I need to do other things.


----------



## mdbannister (Dec 7, 2021)

bigfurmn said:


> So...has your BBQ brain exploded yet???


Haha! Yep! I'm kind of at overload.

However, I had never seen that gravity fed Masterbuilt. Somehow I missed it when looking at other grills. I think that may be the one I've been looking for!

A few of you asked about my budget. I'm looking at staying under $1k.

I also should've mentioned that I do already have a 40" Masterbuilt Electric Smoker which I really like and plan to keep using regularly (although I'm open to having my mind changed), so this is about adding a grill to my arsenal.

Man, I just watched the video on that Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050. I think I love that thing!


----------



## 912smoker (Dec 7, 2021)

Yep I love mine and use it 4-5 times a week for a yr now.  And the MES makes an excellent warmer oven to keep foods on hold at 140°. ( learned that trick here at SMF. Sorry can't remember who to give credit to  )


----------



## phathead69 (Dec 7, 2021)

you mention two different types of cooking so I see two different tools. I'm thinking a santa maria style for grilling. lots of surface area pending size of course and its wood or charcoal capable. then a smoker for smoking. two butts or briskets doesnt need a lot of room for smoking.


----------



## timberjet (Dec 7, 2021)

I have a 22 weber kettle and have modified it extensively with a Thermoworks control system and Cajun bandit smoker attachment.. for big parties I can do a lot of meat in that sucker. that said, i also have a 48 inch Blackstone flat top  and it is very awesome. best of all worlds if you ask me. edit, 36 inch blackstone. thanks hammer for setting me straight.


----------



## hammer77 (Dec 7, 2021)

Did Blackstone make a 48 inch flat top?


----------



## timberjet (Dec 7, 2021)

hammer77 said:


> Did Blackstone make a 48 inch flat top?


I think it's 48. it's the 4 burner with the multiple air fryers built in. had it a few years. maybe I'm thinking of my old camp chef that went down river in the flood that took my house a few years ago.


----------



## timberjet (Dec 7, 2021)

hammer77 said:


> Did Blackstone make a 48 inch flat top?


just measured and yep, it's 36 inches. the camp chef was a 48 with 6 burners now that I think about it.


----------



## hammer77 (Dec 7, 2021)

timberjet said:


> I think it's 48. it's the 4 burner with the multiple air fryers built in. had it a few years. maybe I'm thinking of my old camp chef that went down river in the flood that took my house a few years ago.


 
No worries, damn man sorry to hear about the flood. When I saw your post I thought I missed out on something, lol.


----------



## SmokinVOLfan (Dec 7, 2021)

jcam222
 noted a couple months ago Walmart was running clearance specials on the MB 1050 gravity's. He might be able to give you the SKU # so you can check locally and find a great deal on one.


----------



## jcam222 (Dec 7, 2021)

SmokinVOLfan said:


> jcam222
> noted a couple months ago Walmart was running clearance specials on the MB 1050 gravity's. He might be able to give you the SKU # so you can check locally and find a great deal on one.


I suspect most are gone but you never know. Here’s the Brickseek link with the SKU. Need to add your zip code.


----------



## RiversideSm0ker (Dec 7, 2021)

With a $1K budget and an already existing smoker that you are not trying to replace I would certainly strongly consider the gravity fed charcoal grills from Masterbuilt or Chargriller. I hear that the 980 design has more even cooking temps across the grid but I have neither so I can't actually say for sure. I know those are the two that I would be looking at since I like both grilling and smoking. Either one can do both. I don't need to serve 30 people pretty much ever but with my current setup of a Weber Kettle 22:" and my OKJ Highland offset I can feed a lot of people a lot of food. The kettle is perfect for quick grilling burgers, dogs, chicken, or anything else. The offset can hold a couple of packer briskets with a little micromanagement and easily eight or more pork butts at once. That will definitely serve a bunch of folks. It sounds like you want to actually grill for 30 or so people so again I would look at the Masterbuilt or Chargriller simply because you use my favorite fuel for cooking on them. Plus you have an accurate temperature range. I'm looking forward to seeing what you choose and some pics of one of your upcoming feasts.

G


----------



## WeberBlackStoneYoder (Dec 7, 2021)

yankee2bbq said:


> My Vote: The Weber Kettle 26.5
> Its a beast. Regular 22 inch kettle on left, big   brother 26 on the right.
> View attachment 518341


Just wish I could get a rotisserie on my 26"


----------



## RiversideSm0ker (Dec 7, 2021)

How about this for the 26"?









						Spitfire Rotisserie - Etsy
					

This Grill Tools item by SpitfireGrilling has 145 favorites from Etsy shoppers. Ships from Canada. Listed on Nov 14, 2022




					www.etsy.com


----------



## WeberBlackStoneYoder (Dec 7, 2021)

RiversideSm0ker said:


> How about this for the 26"?
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you very much, maybe I can find someone to get this for me for Xmas?  $200 does seem a little high considering the grill itself was a little over $300.


----------



## RiversideSm0ker (Dec 7, 2021)

It's the only reason I haven't gotten one for my 22" kettle. They are pretty much all at or over $100 dollars. That person on Etsy was selling that for $90 but you would still need a universal rotisserie unit.

G


----------



## bigfurmn (Dec 7, 2021)

mdbannister said:


> Haha! Yep! I'm kind of at overload.
> 
> However, I had never seen that gravity fed Masterbuilt. Somehow I missed it when looking at other grills. I think that may be the one I've been looking for!
> 
> ...


I have a blue tooth MES 40, Pit Boss 1100sc pellet smoker, and a 22" Weber. If I didn't think my wife would kill me, I would for sure get a gravity charcoal.


----------



## mdbannister (Dec 8, 2021)

Thanks, everyone! I just pulled the trigger on a Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Grill+Griddle. Walmart did indeed have them on discount for $549, so that was easily within my budget and seems like it'll be a gem! I would've gone for the 1050, but the price was about $250 more, and it seems the 800 will be big enough (plus, I do like the griddle it comes with). I'll post up some pics when I get which should be close to Christmas.


----------



## gmc2003 (Dec 8, 2021)

Congrats on the new Masterbuilt. I realise it's way to late since you made the purchase already, but this would have been my suggestion. 

Picture credit to Zach(Misplaced Nebraskan) This is his Ranch with a Weber 26" grate on top just to show the size difference. 







Chris.


----------



## JLeonard (Dec 10, 2021)

mdbannister said:


> Thanks, everyone! I just pulled the trigger on a Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 Grill+Griddle. Walmart did indeed have them on discount for $549, so that was easily within my budget and seems like it'll be a gem! I would've gone for the 1050, but the price was about $250 more, and it seems the 800 will be big enough (plus, I do like the griddle it comes with). I'll post up some pics when I get which should be close to Christmas.


Woohoo! Congrats. Now you got $450 for fuel and accessories. Look forward to your cooks and impression.
Jim


----------



## Pappyfromthekeys (Dec 11, 2021)

Congrats on the new grill. Keep posting on your thoughts on it and how you like it


----------



## Inscrutable (Dec 21, 2021)

Hey, 

 mdbannister
 , how’s that new toy doing?
Have been eying one of those or/vs a Req-Tec for a long time. Wife doesn’t know what to get me for Christmas, and I certainly don’t NEED one … but …


----------

