BBQ's

[Roskoreef]

Ive been a chef for most of my life, and a butcher the rest... Weber for certain, quality construction and will last forever. If you bbq alot its worth it! You will find that a better bbq is like a better oven... They just cook more evenly and more predictably.

[gregzz4]

2 votes for Weber so far
Anything wrong with Broil King ? I love mine ...

[Ryanerickson]

I'm rocking the webber love it 3 years old works like new. It's been outside with no cover the whole 3 years I use 3-4 times a week.

[Slick Fork]

My soon to be ex barbeque was/is a broil mate. From what I'm reading and have experienced, the quality of the steel used in manufacturing is a big deciding factor.

Apparently the really good steel you can tell by doing a magnet test. If a magnet sticks keep looking, if it doesn't stick it's going to last.

[gregzz4]

Hmm
That's something I haven't heard
My unit is cast iron, so I'm sure it's magnetic. Yet it has a 25 year warranty on the bucket

[Slick Fork]

And no rust issues? The inside of mine is just gross with rust. The burner channels and the plates are pretty much disintegrated.

[gregzz4]

Mine ? No rust anywhere in or on the tub, so I'll keep using it.
The racks which hold the ceramics need replacing this year. They are totally rotted away, but they are original. Not bad for 15 years.
I still have the original iron grates/griddles and they are just fine.
I use olive oil before every use (once hot) so the grates will last forever.

I only get a few years out of the striker, but am thinking I won't replace it this year as I use one of those el-cheapo lighters from the dollar store. And no more WOOF when I use the lighter.
My bucket is still solid as a rock. I only clean it every year or two. Putty knife and a shopvac to remove all the encrusted grease.
Maybe it's lasted this long because I don't clean all the grease/oil out.
I learned long ago to NOT clean a BBQ too much. The leftovers protect the internals. Just keep it clear of stuff that can cause fires/flare-ups and you're good to go.

My dad mis-understood me years ago.
I told him to never clean his unit before winter. This protects it from rotting.
So he never cleaned it - ever. His unit had a stainless deflector over the burners. It caught fire one summer. The deflector melted and adhered to the burners

[gregzz4]

Originally Posted by Slick Fork

And no rust issues? The inside of mine is just gross with rust. The burner channels and the plates are pretty much disintegrated.

Do you ever use any oil to coat your racks before you cook ?
I find it helps stop the meat from sticking, and seems to protect the guts of the BBQ

My BBQ has sat on my back deck since day one, and most of the year it's under a vinyl cover, so you would expect it to rot even faster.
It's only left uncovered from about May to Sept.
It's exposed to the weather from Sept to May with the cover on, so you would think it would have gone rotten by now.
I have gotten my money's worth out of it.

Like I said in my other post, I use Olive Oil on my racks when I cook. Maybe this has a bearing on keeping the rust away.

This may not help everyone as I don't use wire racks.
I use channeled cast racks. These are best for meat, but I use them for absolutely everything and would never consider wire racks ever again

Plus I use ceramic bricks between the burners and the racks. No idea if they help or not, but they last longer than the little cubes that came with the unit.