Best grill under $600
- Thread starter mjpwooo
- Start date
I bought this last January and have really liked it due to versatility. It’s got a gas grill, a charcoal grill, a side burner for pan frying smoky stuff like blackened redfish and a smoke box. I’ve used everything but the smoke box (early I was still moving into the new house and didn’t want to waste the time and now it’s been too hot until recently to WANT to mess with the smoker) and been quite happy with it. Only $429 for a good multitasker.
https://m.lowes.com/pd/Oklahoma-Joe-s-Longhorn-Black-Triple-Function-Combo-Grill/50329705
Spend that money on a smoker and get a cheaper grill for a couple hundred later. You can get a good smoker for that.
I have the smaller Weber Spirit. Have grilled for up to 12 people and haven’t needed anything larger.
Can someone explain to me why a Weber is so much better than everything else? Is it a durability issue? I have used them at family/friends house and they are definitely nice, but I buy a $189 Char-broil and throw it out when the time comes to buy another. Bad approach?
I do the same. Although this time I splurged and spent $249 on one. Usually get ~5 years out of a grill, give or take. That's good enough for me.
Weber is just made better. You can get years out of them. If you want a disposable grill get a Chargrill. If you want excellent quality, temperature control and durability get the Weber.
I want the other (in this case) $350-$400 in my pocket...or even better, spent on hookers and blow
Good summary. The parts just last a lot longer. You probably end up saving money in the long run.
I have found that the temperature control is better than others and the heat is more evenly distributed on the cooking surface.
Well at least I hope you spend your cash on quality hookers and blow.
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My Weber grill is still going strong after 16 years. I don't treat it that great, either (sometimes it will go months without being covered). I've had to replace the cooking grate 2 or 3 times and the flavor bars (or whatever they're called) twice. It's just a good product. I never would have thought that the grill would outlive the HVAC system.
I have a Traeger and it gets used all the time. They're great multi-purpose setups and you can grill or smoke on them. Honestly, we use it more than our Weber Genesis and our Masterbuilt smoker.
I finally bit the bullet and bought a weber a few years ago. It has endured my grilling regimen 5 times better than any other grill I have owned. When I did need parts (one time, rusted grates) I called and no questions asked parts were sent for zero dollars and zero hassle.
I got the cheapest gas one they had too... 2 burner Spirit from home depot with the center piece that is changeable. I use the pizza stone, the cast iron skillet, and the regular grates all the time.
I got the cheapest gas one they had too... 2 burner Spirit from home depot with the center piece that is changeable. I use the pizza stone, the cast iron skillet, and the regular grates all the time.
That's me as well, at least so far. I get 5-6, then when stuff starts breaking or getting really dirty, I just dump it. I think you can buy 3-4 charbroil for the cost of one Weber. I guess the only way it makes sense is if the cooking is hat much better
I bought my Weber Silver Genesis in 2001 and it is still going strong. Replaced the grates and flavorizer bars with stainless steel back in '07 and they are still in grate 
shape. The 3 burner Spirit is probably the equivalent now.
shape. The 3 burner Spirit is probably the equivalent now.
They don't make my gas grill any more so can't offer a make model, but Weber seems to get top marks across the board. Next time I buy, I will prolly go with a Weber. I have a Chargrill for smoking and waiting for it to die so I can get something different. My main complaint on it is heat loss as we don't have the same rusting issue. This is for smoking tho, not a gas grill.
Similarly I have a Green Mountain Grill smoker. I use it way more than my grill and almost rendered my grill useless. Pellet smokers are great for the average backyard smoker.
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I made the switch about 3-4 years back and am a convert. I haven't used my stick burner since and only use my weber kettle on rare occasions.
Rec Tec have a decent reputation for a US build grill, but I'd suggest either the GMG or Yoder. GMG are a good value and their customer support is great. Yoders are built like tanks and will last forever.
https://www.bbqdryrubs.com/best-smoker-grill-combo/
“The Best Smoker Grill Combo for the Money
In my opinion the best barbecue pit out of the three choices is the Oklahoma Joe Longhorn Combo. I put my hands on one of these the other day and was really impressed.
The side burner appears to be put on solidly enough and you will be using it on a regular basis to light your charcoal. A combination grill like this is the only type of grill where a side burner ever actually made sense to me. On most grills the side burner never gets used while on a combo grill it serves as the perfect lighter for a charcoal chimney.
The grates are solidly built out of cast iron that has been coated with a clear porcelain enamel. I like the thinness of these grates better than the thick grates you get on a Weber Spirit II . On the Oklahoma Joe the grates are thin enough to let you put down some serious grill marks. The cast iron will last a LONG time.
The one thing that I didn’t like about this grill is the lack of drainage on the charcoal side of the grill. There is a nice grease tray on the gas side of the grill but there isn’t anything equivalent on the charcoal side. This makes me thing that cleaning out the charcoal side might be a bit of a pain.
And lastly…did I mention that I like the way this grill looks. Check out the wheels on this thing. SOLID!
You are definitely going to want to get a cover for this grill. Although it is solidly built it is also prone to rusting if left exposed. I also suggest that you get some high temperature silicone to seal up the leaks on the smoker side of this guy. Using the silicone is super easy.”
“The Best Smoker Grill Combo for the Money
In my opinion the best barbecue pit out of the three choices is the Oklahoma Joe Longhorn Combo. I put my hands on one of these the other day and was really impressed.
The side burner appears to be put on solidly enough and you will be using it on a regular basis to light your charcoal. A combination grill like this is the only type of grill where a side burner ever actually made sense to me. On most grills the side burner never gets used while on a combo grill it serves as the perfect lighter for a charcoal chimney.
The grates are solidly built out of cast iron that has been coated with a clear porcelain enamel. I like the thinness of these grates better than the thick grates you get on a Weber Spirit II . On the Oklahoma Joe the grates are thin enough to let you put down some serious grill marks. The cast iron will last a LONG time.
The one thing that I didn’t like about this grill is the lack of drainage on the charcoal side of the grill. There is a nice grease tray on the gas side of the grill but there isn’t anything equivalent on the charcoal side. This makes me thing that cleaning out the charcoal side might be a bit of a pain.
And lastly…did I mention that I like the way this grill looks. Check out the wheels on this thing. SOLID!
You are definitely going to want to get a cover for this grill. Although it is solidly built it is also prone to rusting if left exposed. I also suggest that you get some high temperature silicone to seal up the leaks on the smoker side of this guy. Using the silicone is super easy.”
I am a charcoal guy only, and I was about to say if I had a $600 budget, I'd go with the PK360, but I just looked and it's up to $799.
I really like my original PK grill I got off craigslist, but at the end of the day, it's just too small a cooking area. I added a classic Weber kettle to the deck next to it, and use the kettle 90% of the time. I've used a lot of charcoal grills in 20 years, and eventually circled back to the Weber kettle I started with, and it really is a fine piece of work.
They got one wing each?
I'm about to pull the trigger on the rectec 700, I hope the reviews are accurate.
No, I’ve just been looking and it’s what I’ll upgrade to next. I like the heavy 10 gauge steel, the easy direct grill option with their variable displacement damper, the cleaning system is slick too.
My GMG is nice, but the steel isn’t as heavy and it won’t hold up more than 10 or so years the way I treat it. I will miss the pizza insert though.
But if I’m spending more than a grand I want it to weight as much as an old vw beetle.
I've been torn between the two, I think they're both very high quality but have two friends with the Rectec so have been around them and like them.
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