I too need to buy a new grill. I am replacing my old Weber. First I thought that I would buy a Weber Genesis, but I really want a larger grilling surface--especially if I'm going to spend so much money. The grate is 25" x 19" on the Genesis and the price is about $800 to $850 depending on which options you choose. It has 3 burners. One appliance store is getting a "close out" shipment of Ducane 5400 Stainless LP Gas Grills. This has 5 burners compared with 3 on Genesis. It also has a larger grilling surface (620 sq." vs approx. 500 sq.") I don't have the exact grate dimensions, but let's estimate for now that it is about 31 sq." x 20 sq."). Is this a smart purchase or some ploy by the salesman to dump inventory? (He does have the Weber too.) Also, I liked the specs on a Charmglow (Charglow?) model #720-0578 that I saw at Home Depot this morning. It has five 10,000 BTU burners and the grate measures approx. 33 sq." x 20 sq.". The grate is porcelain-coated cast iron on this one vs. stainless on the other two. Price is $500. To get the larger grate on a weber grill the price jumps to $1,800 or so, which is out of my price range. Any wisdom/experience/opinions to share?

I hope responding on Sunday is not too late! I was cooking in the woods all weekend on cast iron and dutches. I have a Napolean 450RBI and absolutely love it. It has the infrared burner that is great for steaks and hamburgers. My is stainless steel with the cover. But the 450RBI is over $1200.00 dollars. So I'm not sure it fits your budget. You only mention your price restrictions but not your requirements for a grill. Do you want electronic ignition for lighting? Do you want stainless steel or regular metal finish? Do you want cast iron grates? How many are you cooking for? Enjoy the journey. eal51 in western CT

Hey Everybody! I know the lot of you haven't been able to sleep over this so I thought I'd fill you in. First off, as usual, I was saying one thing and meaning another. The grill was really, really, greasy. A soaking in straight simple green and a green scotchbrite pad cleaned up all the grease quite nicely. The outide of the grill looks like new (many envious manly men types at the bbq yesterday). What I meant to be saying all along is that the CARBON build-up is what I'm trying to clean off. The three day soak in simple green didn't do anything to it. I'm talking a 1/4" thick layer of hard baked on carbon on the the grates, the burners on everything inside the grill. Just like the top of a piston in an old V-8... Someone earlier suggested a grinder...well, I took your advice. I was able to acquire a cup brush with brass bristles for my 4.5" angle grinder. With the angle grinder I was able to clean off the grates, the burners, the inside of the grill pretty darn well. All the grates and burners came out looking almost like new, just a little blued from the heat. I actually wore the brush out almost completely...and I still have some more to go. The grill worked pretty well, not sold on the smoker feature. It just made a LOT of smoke for about an hour and then burned out. Love the two sear burners, they were handy for cooking the marinated chix breasts. this big grill does suck through a lot of propane and towards the end I had to switch tanks out because one was icing up and I lost pressure. All in all, $400 well spent I think. Mads

Wow! The TurboChef sounds great. Can't wait to see your photos. I don't think I can justify another budget buster but I enjoy living vicariously.