The only reason why I'd keep another burner on in addition to the rotisserie rear burner, would be to heat up some wood chips in a smoker box for a little touch of smoke flavor. The rotisserie itself does a great job of cooking and really doesn't seem to need any assistance.

Spamdbdamn Rich,

Thanks, I wondered why. That makes sense. I might have to try that.

Ann.

Have had a Virco for about 2 weeks now. One thing I've noticed about stainless so far is it show cooking stains more, hope I get used to it. Any suggestions on cleaning: does burn off really work that well for the burner plates(protectors)? Also, tried cooking ribs and I must have cooked them a little fast (about 1:15 cook time), because they weren't fall off the bone ribs. Had both outside burners on low and hood temp was 275. Any suggestions from Virco owners on rib cooking? I left the tough part on the ribs.. is that a no..no?

The "tough" part you are referring to, is that the membrane? If it is, you definetly want to remove that. Also you might try to cook with only one burner and go quite a bit longer. One problem you might have is an inaccurate hood guage. Mine reads as much as one hundred degrees difference. You need to get a nice oven thermometer and place it inside up on the warming racks for accuracy. Another thing you could try that I do with success, is to cook the ribs in a crock pot first for several hours, then finish them up on the grill with the sauce. I can promise you they WILL fall off the bones this way. Good luck.

Cooker,

I grill on a DCS rather than a Virco but I don't think that will make much difference in cooking baby back ribs.

I rub mine with fresh garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, fresh squeezed lemon and some olive oil. I let them sit for about an hour. I heat both sides of my grill and brown the ribs on both sides. I then move the ribs over to one side and turn that burner off and allow the ribs to cook with indirect heat from the other burner. The main difference between our grills is that the DCS can reach higher temperatures so I need to turn the burner that is on down to medium high for a temperature of around 600°F. You might have to leave your burner turned up to high. I find that my ribs will be cooked in under 45 minutes. They are very tender with out parboiling or marinating for a long time.

Ann.

Does anyone have any issues with the center part of the burner being a bit of a hot spot? Mine seems to be excessively hot. Could be just that it is nature of the center burner given it's position, but I am finding that it cooks faster then the right or left sides.

Have you tried turning down the central burner?

bsbbq,
Yes it was the membrane and after talking to my brother-in-law I think I have found out what I was doing wrong. He cooks awesome ribs. His recipe that I did not follow is similar to what you said 1. Low heat(indirect) after browning 2. Instead of crock pot then cooking, he browns them then cooks them on the grill in throw away pans with his favorite sauce + vinegar base sauce in pan about an 1" deep. He also covers it with tinfoil(what I did not do) and I cooked to fast. I guess it steams them in the juices better. He leaves the membrane on and it still cooks up perfect. I will get an oven temp like you suggested also.

Ann T
Thanks for the rub recipe, I will try that next time..I tried a rub but it did not have oil in it and after I started browning the ribs, it seemed they were not browning as nicely as they should have. I quickly applied sauce and probably cooked a little fast.

You are welcome. The flavour on these ribs is Greek influence and doesn't really need any sauces. I never add bbq sauces to my ribs. I have never been a fan of sweet, ketchupy sauces. I do occasionally use a dipping sauce from a restaurant in Windsor, Ontario that I get shipped. They have been in business for over 50 years and they have a dipping sauce that is the best I have had and the only one that I eat. It is a tad spicy but not sweet.

Ann.

iam with ann rubs are the way to go i start at the small end
of rack with a knife on the membrane once you get enough to get a handfull you can rip the rest off trim up the big end with the knife apply rub and let stand for a bit.

{{gwi:1389768}}

BsBbq,
I'm not from Texas, but Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where we believe we have the best ribs available. The next time ABC sports carries an Alabama Football Game, watch closely and I am sure they will mention eating at "Dreamland BBQ" Great sauce. I have corrected my picture link so it should work now. As for the question why I use a burner in addition to the infrared burner, simply to cook faster. I got the heat up to about 350 degrees and with the infrared on low, the second chicken turned out great in about 45 minutes. No burning of the chicken like the first one and cooked in half the time. It is also easier for me to control the heat this way. I admit, this is my first experience with an infrared burner, but the first chicken I tried to cook took forever and got burned on the skin, not brown and crispy, but black and crunchy. Second chicken with help of the left burner on medium low looked like a picture and was cooked completely but very juicy and tender, not dry.

BengalboyBBQ,
I will keep that in mind next time I see an Alabama game on ABC. I don't know if they get much air time up here in Utah, but I will keep my eyes open for that. I knew you had to be from somewhere in the south, I grew up in Texas, lived there for 23 years. It wasn't any big deal to hear "ya'll" all the time, don't hear it much up here in Utah, but when I saw you actually type it, I knew it was the mark of a thouroghbred southerner, LOL. I thought it was great and it reminded me of home a bit. I guess that seems kinda silly but what the hell. Keep up the cookin'!!

Ann_T,
I am with you on the "Sweet Ketchupy" sauces. I prefer a brand called "Stubbs". It is much like you described, a spicey, less sweet sauce. The company is from Austin, TX and they make a moppin' sauce, barbecue sauce, wing sauce and marinades for pork, chicken and beef as well as dry rubs. They are not of the sweet variety at all but more of the spicey, flavorful variety. VERY good stuff. Check it out.

Here is a link that might be useful: Stubbs

I have a Virco grill that I want to switch to Natural Gas. I bought the converter kit from Virco but does any one kknow if I need to install a gas regulator in the line beofre hooking up the NG?

BobGr,
As long as you have a steady flow of at least 6" - 7" of water column pressure, you should not need a regulator. You can get a 12' flexible gas line from Home Depot with a quick disconnect coupler on the end made by Charbroil. This line has a 3/8" flair fitting on the other end that will screw directly onto the grill where the LP hose is currently connected.

I, of course, marinate my hamburger meat in soy sauce, ginger, garlic, ketchup(aka catsup)pickle juice, orange soda,vodka and crushed potato chips. I then add bread crumbs, chili sauce, one beaten egg,a pinch of tuna and salt pork. I then mix everything together and make the patties. I cook them well done. They are excellent!!!

Roasted a couple of cornish game hens on the rotisserie last night. Rubbed them with Pappy's beforehand, and they were done to perfection in about 50 minutes.

Virco has sent a replacement thermometer. I put it to the electric oven calibration test - it failed. It reads about 25 degrees low up to 350, and then the error increases and it is basically worthless to measure temps above 350. I'm probably going to try to fit a New Braunfels thermometer to the thing.

Spamdamn,
I noticed the same issue with my thermometer. I use a glass oven thermometer inside on the warming rack to know for sure. I found the same results as you, fairly reliable up to about 300 or so then it begins to read low above that. On one particular test I got the hood thermometer up to 450 and my thermometer inside said 550, I would bet it was 600 at the grates! I also thought about changing mine out to a New Braunfels style. Let me know how that works out for you and the reliability of it.

Bbbsq,

I already have a New Braunfels thermometer,and it calibrates perfectly to the glass oven thermometer with I test it in my electric oven inside the house. The one catch is that I will have to drill out a larger hole in the Virco to accept the accurate thermometer, which is tricky once a hole is already there. I think I will wind up bridging the current small hole with a piece of sheet metal fastened to the existing bolt holes, and using that to drill the guide hole. There's no big hurry, since I am primarily using the rotisserie for roasting, but I would like to fix this defect eventually.

Last time I was in Lowes or Home Depot I noticed that they are carrying a different brand high end bbq thermometer, for only $20 vs the $30 the New Braunfels cost me a couple of years ago. But the new one seems to be of similar construction and quality.

anyone purchase a thermometer to replace the stock on that works accurately? (with out drilling the hole out). If so, what thermometer and where did you get it?

thanks,

philippe

I got a small $7 replacment that fit the hole, from Home Depot, but it's even moe innaccurate than the stock one.

Just bought a Virco thank's to all of you and your advice with special thanks to bsbbq and meagain. What a great value! I went right down to my local Costco and they looked it up for me. 4 due in about a week, but there were 2 in Lancaster, CA, (30 in Bakersfield, CA) so I zoomed up to Lancaster and bought the last boxed one. It fit perfectly in my wife's Chrysler Town and Country with 3rd seat removed. Any suggestions on building one in? Anyone done it? Appreciate your help.

I'm making 2 slabs of ribs at a time. I put them on both end burners, with the center one on about mid way or lower. I also use the rot burner on mid way to get more of an oven heat going. Been working great.

My grill is brand new. I fired it up with all 3 burners on high for about 10 minutes. The outside thermometer reads a little over 450 degrees. I put a cheap oven thermometer inside on the warming rack. It registers off the scale (top is 600, interpolation - about 650-700). So - how hot is my grill really getting, is the inside thermometer right?

thanks,

philippe

Both may be inaccurate, but I would trust the one inside the oven more than the one tacked onto the lid. Get a better quality oven thermometer and retest. I think glass ones are the best, but they may be more difficult to find as I think the government has banned mercury filled thermometers recently.

I have found that most of my BBQ guest are fairly impressed with my Virco.

My guests of course are extremely well educated folks, not the clock punching types that seem to be the prevalent owners of the Virco's as reflected on this forum.

I think I have a decent grill for the $800, although the burners seem flimsy and the knobs cracked the first time I used the grill. Customer support was very poor, but I have to say they pulled through in the end and finally sent me new knobs. Overall, for the look and the price, I'm disappointed.

I can tell my guests unequivocally that the Virco is a grill of medicore quality with the look and feel of a grill 3Xs it's price. It fools the average Joe Sixpack type and it basically gets the job done.

I figure if it lasts me 2-3 years, it beats buying the Charbroils and Thermadors of the world but not by much!!!

Well Peakmaster,

If I understand you correctly what you are saying is that there doesn't seem to be much difference between the "Extremely Well Educated Folk" and the "Clock Punching types" since your well educated friends were also suitably impressed by your Virco. I guess I can assume from your comments and by the fact that you own a Virco that you must be one of the "clock punchers". Not that there is anything wrong with that.

I am still trying to figure out why you are judging yourself and others by the Grill that you own.

Ann.

I've had my Virco grill for one week now and attempted to use it for the third time tonight to grill some fresh salmon. For the life of me I couldn't get the grill to warm up (thermometer only reached 220). All three burners were on HI, but seemed to be only luke warm, nothing like the previous two times I used the grill. I verified the tank was full and that the valve was open.

I was beginning to question my decision to purchase the grill until I used the Google search engine to do a little troubleshooting. I came across the following information which solved my problem. Since I have read about at least one other user with similar sounding problems I am hoping this may be useful.

http://grillparts.com/howto/lpgas.asp

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Noted problems with new style tanks.

Symptoms - Low or weak flame, long heat-up time, grill doesn't burn as it should. Possible cause - The new style QCC Tanks have a safety feature built into the tank valve which restricts the flow of gas to a low level if the valve senses release above a certain level. This feature appears to be causing some malfunctions. Opening the propane tank valve full open may cause the safety device to activate. Open the valve on top of the tank 1/4 to 1/2 turn only. Do not open all the way. To reset the internal valve turn the tank off. Disconnect the hose and regulator. Wait 5 minutes. Hook the grill back up and slowly open the tank valve one quarter of a turn.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Now I can go back to trying out new grilling recipes on my new Virco. Last weekend was steaks and a 12.75 pound rotisserie turkey. Who know's what could be next.

Here is a link that might be useful: Low flow from new style LP tank

Wilson,

Do not trust the built-in thermometer on the grill. These seem to read chronically low, and they seem to read lower as they age. Get a good quality oven thermomter and put it inside the grill to get a more accurate reading. Also, if you see reasonably sized flames on the burners, chances are you are getting temps far in excess of 220F.

Ann,

The person who insists on equating grill ownership with socioeconomic status is most likely the forum troll we know as "sage". It's best to just ignore his rantings, even if occasional they appear to be rational.

I am an attorney with a B.S. in Accounting and my law degree from Alabama. I believe that ownership of a particular item only suggests a desire or interest to use or appreciate it for it's particular purpose and a person's socioeconomic status really has nothing to do with it. People that like to grill outdoors alot will generally spend more time researching on a grill's construction and performance than people who do not. They will then take that information and make a purchase based on value, not product price. People who spend their time on forum boards meant for the sharing of relevant information for a particular subject trying to inflame people,,,,well they just don't have any education...and I suspect, very little resources.

Ann,

Thanks for your note. I forgot to mention that I measured the temp using a digital thermometer and although the temperature was 50 degrees higher it still took me 40 minutes to barely cook a salmon filet. The bottom burner had very tiny blue spots of light showing. With just one main burner turned to 'HI' the rotisserie burner wouldn't stay lit. Every few seconds I could press the igniter button and get a tiny puff of blue flame and then it would starve itself of fuel. It was a very strange problem and I suspected the regulator.

I followed the instructions at the bottom of the link regarding problems with new style tanks and my problems went away. I can now light every burner and get a strong blue flame. The temperature inside the grill shoots up quickly (according to both the Circo thermometer and my own digital one).

http://grillparts.com/howto/lpgas.asp

I suspect that other people may encounter this problem too and suspect a problem with the grill when instead it's a safety feature of the new propane tanks. Now I am trying to figure out whether starting the burners one right after the other caused the low flow safety feature to trigger. I'll be watching it more closely now.

During my attempts to verify that the grill is working again I turned the rotisserie burner on 'HI' and severely warped my warming rack. The worst part is that I knew that would happen after reading other posts in this forum. Ugh!

Wilsonlll,

You can bend the warming rack back straight again using a hammer and laying the rack on a piece of wood. I had this happen as well, when I let someone else use the grill and they thought they would turn the roto burner on for warming some buns on the rack. Needless to say the buns caught fire and the rack on mine bent as well. But after some "manipulation" the rack is straight as new. As for the LP problem, another option might be to convert the grill to natural gas if you have it available. Once I did mine I have had zero problems with heating.

As for pewkmaster,

"I think I have a decent grill for the $800, although the burners seem flimsy and the knobs cracked the first time I used the grill. Customer support was very poor, but I have to say they pulled through in the end and finally sent me new knobs. Overall, for the look and the price, I'm disappointed."

I find it odd how allegedly "well educated" people would actually associate with someone that, in the same statement would claim to have "A decent grill for $800" AND be disappointed with the overall look and price? How can one be impressed with something they are disappointed in? What did he use to turn the knobs on with, a brick? I can assure everyone, (Virco owners know the truth) that Virco's customer service is excellent!

All this from a person who obviously feels something inferior or inadequate in their life and must judge themselves and others by certain purchases and possessions. One who obviously does not really know grills that well, demonstrated by the equation of "Charbroil" to "Thermador", two brands that are literally on opposite ends of the grilling spectrum. But that's ok, I expect as much from a person who has both a Members Mark, a built in Virco, a beach house in need of the larger Members Mark, and as many "forum names" as a committed patient has medications, but simply forgets to take them! One who obviously hasn't the education or the capital to obtain a grill of this or any magnitude, but who feels it necessary to live a fictitious and wishful existence by portraying someone they obviously are not, with possessions they obviously don't have, but wish they did.

Hey Peakmaster, since you seem to like to put "sage" "expert" or "Master" in your title everytime you get booted off this board and since you enjoying trolling or bating this audience so much, might I recommend "Master_bater" for your next incarnation? I think you are only playing yourself at this point.

PS. Any knobs are prone to breakage if you play with them as much as you do.

Oh, and yes I've heard about that flimsy burner problem. I think they have a pill for that now.

Delray is my hero!

I am not this person you mention, dipsate or whatever. I am relatively new to this forum. Perhaps I am being misunderstood. I love the Virco that I bought. It is a great grill. But I am realistic, it is not a $2000 grill. You get what you pay for and you pay for what you get.

I had my initial issues with the knobs and such, but overall I am mostly pleased.

I cannot for the life of me understand why I am being attacked on this forum. Who the hell do you folks really think you are?

I'm glad to hear that one of you is an attorney. That's a respectable position in today's society! Now where is it that whale dump sits?

I have decided that most on this forum are hardworking decent folks. A few are a bit off center. You all will be pleased to know that I will settle in comfortably for the nicer folk as I have a huge amount to contribute when it comes to gas BBQ grilling. I have many recipies that are coveted.

peace!

Peakmaster/sage,

You're BUSTED!

You just slipped up and gave yourself away. Nobody in this thread has called you "dipsate" or anything else beginning with "dip"... The only way you could have known that moniker was if you were the dip yourself.

See ya!

spambdamn_rich,
Bravo!!

Sir, before issue yourself a P.I. license, I did read all of the other threads re: the Virco Classic. I have seen the reference to a "dipsage" or CGE etc...

I do not understand why you insist on pegging me as someone else. That's your problem.

Anyway, back to the grill.
Question: Has anyone tried a propane tank gauge that attaches between the tank and the regulator? How accurate are they? Are they worth the $25.00 or so that they cost?

thanks!

Your still the sage! er CGE whatever.
liar.

bsbbq and delray,

Could anyone have said it better? You guys are great! As for peakmaster, he is a want-to-be who will never quite make it.

Wilson,

I had the same temperature problem when I first purchased my grill. I now turn my propane on slowly and have not experienced the problem since.

My grill is one weekend old. I'm getting a little browning on the hood on some surfaces. Also some darker staining in a couple of places bleeding off from the grill (like outside the rotisserie slots on the side and just in front.

I would like to know people's experiences with different cleaners. I have something I picked up at Home Depot (Commercial ZEP - Stainless Steel Cleaner). Doesn't seem to do much for the browning or stains. I also just tried a little Orange Clean. Didn't do much either.

Please reply with what cleaners you have tried and how they worked. Thanks.

Well you guys and gals almost had me hooked on a Virco... That clasic is one awesome looking grill... I couldn't really afford that much, even though that is a good value for that type of grill... The Mark VIII was going to be my choice, due ot it's scaled back price... Even so... in the end I choose a Great Outdoors grill for $300, normaly priced at $400... The MV7 would have cost me $460 or so... pushing the limits of my budget... If I had been able to actuall see a Virco in person I may have stuck with the idea of buying one... I'm surprized they are not selling the Virco grills in places like Lowes, Home Depot, and Menard's yet... They'd probably sell like hot cakes...

Anyways... thanks for all you who commented on your grills, it was extreemly helpfull in my quest for finding a quality grill at a good price...

Back to your Virco talk now...

philippe,

Use Bar Keepers Friend--available at grocery stores and home centers. Clean with a sponge/scouring pad combo. Go with the grain. This will get rid of the browning. Follow-up with stainless steel polish.

TMFU,
I am not 100% on this, but am reasonably sure that the Virco model sold at Costco will always be sold only at Costco. I am fairly certain that Costco went to Virco and told them what kind of grill they wanted with what features and at what price. That seems plausable considering the high price of the former Kirkland grill they carried and the lack of features it hosted, in conjuntion with the $599 Members Mark at Sams being (in my opinion) a better grill than the Kirkland. As time goes by, I would bet that Virco will have their own web site, a few grills to choose from and will probably build some for others. I had read somewhere on another post, I think, that someone said they had seen a grill identical to the smaller Virco Mark Vll, at BBQ Galore, except with another name on it, so time will tell.

Here is part 4.

Here is a link that might be useful: Virco discussion part 4

bsbbq,
Prior to my purchase, I researched Virco. My search led me to a site that had pictures of various grill manufacturers at a convention center. Virco Assoc. had a display with about 10-15 different models. I am sure that if you searched you will be able to find the site.

zbull,
I found the same site when I was looking! I had called the phone number on that site and it was a cell phone # for the guy that reps the Virco to Costco. He was able to answer a lot of questions that I had at the time. It's funny you should write this, cause I have been trying to find that site every since and can't! Do you remember the URL? or what search you did, or where? I would like to see that photo again, but I can't reproduce that search.