Why pay for sheet metal and cheap burners when you can learn, compare, and get a quality grill in the same price range? For Gas Grills 101 check out "How to Choose", "Major Differences", and "What to Look for" at www.picksinc.com/GasGrills/home.htm For Gas Grills 201 check out the "GrillTalk Message Board" at www.picksinc.com/Grilltalk.htm Don't spend $500 or $1000 for a grill that is poorly constructed, made of sheet metal, and has cheap burners!

Webers are everywhere, I have owned a couple through the years friends have owned them and they are fine grills for the price (the charcoal ones) But Webers you can buy everywhere, are far cheaper depending on the model, have tons more advertising so of course you are always going to have more people recommending something of which virtually everyone has or have owned. That's like saying on a post about Beer. 1 count the number of people that recommend Budweiser 2 count the number of people that recommend Deschutes Brewery, "The Abyss" Bud is one of the worst beers ever brewed, it is classic horse pee as far as beer goes. YET it sells more than any other American beer, nothing comes close because it is sold everywhere and puts out many millions in advertising. 1000s upon 1000s would recommend Budweiser as their beer of choice in this country. Now Deschutes Brewery The Abyss ale is one of the very best beers in the world, not just the USA. That would be my recommendation for the best beer. Now which one is truly "better"? Horse pee with millions in advertising that is available on every street corner in the country for cheap or truly one of the best beers in the world, only available from one place and only a couple months out of the year for $14 a 22oz bottle? If you only have say $150 for a grill then a good little Weber Kettle is by far the best choice. If you are talking about spending between $500-$1200 though? Any number of Kamado type grills be it the Big Green Egg, Primo, or the Vision are better BY FAR. Most of the Webers mentioned here I think are what, about $600-$900? The Vision I got from Costco was $570, less money, lifetime warranty, costco return policy, will BBQ, Grill, Sear, Smoker, Water Smoker, Pizza Oven, Wok, easy to start, very efficient use of charcoal, can maintain almost exact temps like you can on your indoor range from 200 up to 800+ degrees. So $570 Kamado or $600++ Weber Gas is a total no brainer as far as usability and value for the money. If Avid still prefers Gas no matter what then for the money the Solaire Infravection grills are far better than the Webers though cost a few hundred more, but what is an extra $200 when you are spending $1200 when you get a far better grill? Lower priced Weber Charcoal grills are hard to beat. If you are spending $900-$1500 then there are certainly better options for that price. and Charcoal beats the heck out of gas for absolutely everything except for ease of use.

I second on the smoked salmon. Smoked sturgeon is even better. We use Traeger pellets; for smoking we sometimes chip our own apple and cherry we've pruned and dried. But that takes a powerful chipper. The Traeger grills are different. For one thing, they run on electricity. That means you do have to have reasonable access to a power source. We have an outlet on the patio. Because of the way air circulates, you don't need a rotisserie and there are no flareups. That can be a big consideration for people who find grilling intimidating. I would compare it to learning how to use a new range. If you can figure out appliances, a Traeger is no problem. There are Traeger owners nationwide. It's a friendly group and I'm betting you could call Traeger to hook you up with someone in your area willing to show you how they work. Seeing the real thing can make a big difference. Then you can decide, "Yes, this is just what I want," or maybe you'll decide, "This isn't for me." Everyone has preferences. I've also linked below to the page on the Traeger site that explains how they work. That might help too. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: How Traegers Work

We're pretty average about smoking. B-. Sometimes A+. I took it over from DH about ten yrs ago. I actually enjoy the tending and wood collection. Using apple and plum cuttings from the old trees. We have also had mixed quality in our meat/butcher suppliers. We were talking last night that we need to fix that. 15yrs ago we had a great country butcher and a goat farm nearby with incredible cheese and an egg and chicken supplier. It is a struggle getting good results with inconsistent quality. Most of those are gone without family carrying on the farming. But others are showing up. I do brine, then braise, uncover, then cover and rest to the far less hot side of the smoker to rest. We often do a mixed grill/smoke with pork tips, ribs, and chickens. Then veg, corn, smoked tomatoes and tomatillos. It is a juggling act but fun. I agree that chicken does not need a long rest. And ribs will turn to mush. Fall off the bone is one thing but i do like some texture. Always room for improvement so i'll keep that method in mind. Our 4th of July party is an outdoor table, 4x16' at counter height. Takes the pressure off the 'feed'. Thing come off the grill in spurts with lots of sides, salads, desserts. Timing things for a sit-down is not necessary.