Tec G-Sport Infra-Red Gas Grill

[Panthur]

Actually I sold a Weber Genesis S330 and replaced it with the Mak. So I likely won’t go back to a large gas grill although it was an awesome grill I just got the bug for a good pellet grill a couple years back is all. { I do have the Weber Q2200 but that’s no comparison of course }. I may go for a Weber Master touch Kettle the more I read about it. I will have some learning to do with charcoal tho. Maybe the start up time isn’t as long as I was thinking with charcoal.

[rwalters]

Actually I sold a Weber Genesis S330 and replaced it with the Mak. So I likely won’t go back to a large gas grill although it was an awesome grill I just got the bug for a good pellet grill a couple years back is all. { I do have the Weber Q2200 but that’s no comparison of course }. I may go for a Weber Master touch Kettle the more I read about it. I will have some learning to do with charcoal tho. Maybe the start up time isn’t as long as I was thinking with charcoal.

You’ll be in fantastic company with a kettle... tons of users/resources!!!! As mentioned, I absolutely love my kettle. And if you already have a Q2200, wouldn’t that work in a pinch when you are REALLY short on time?

[Panthur]

Yup, I am thinking you are absolutely right. And as an added bonus, the wife wont kill me if she ever found out what that Tec Infra-red grill would have cost me.  How long does it take for a chimney of coals to be ready for grilling ?  I do a 30 minute walk EVERY night after work and i do it before supper cause it sucks doing it on a full stomach lol. Could a person light the charcoal and then go for the 30 min walk and return to white hot coals possibly ?  Assuming it would be safe to leave that unattended for 1/2 hour ( the wife could check it for me too i guess ).  I am getting kinda interested in exploring charcoal cooking now. The Mak still cant be beat for stuff like butts, brisket etc due to the ease of use and precise temp control I am thinking though. Thanks for all your help.  I do have grill grates modified to fit the little Weber Q2200, they are nice but the little grill struggles to get them up to temp sometimes - the stupid little holes in the burner always plug and it needs constant attention - part of the reason I am getting fed up with it a bit .

[Pappymn]

30 minutes is plenty for coals ready to go


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[rwalters]

Yup, I am thinking you are absolutely right. And as an added bonus, the wife wont kill me if she ever found out what that Tec Infra-red grill would have cost me.  How long does it take for a chimney of coals to be ready for grilling ?  I do a 30 minute walk EVERY night after work and i do it before supper cause it sucks doing it on a full stomach lol. Could a person light the charcoal and then go for the 30 min walk and return to white hot coals possibly ?  Assuming it would be safe to leave that unattended for 1/2 hour ( the wife could check it for me too i guess ).  I am getting kinda interested in exploring charcoal cooking now. The Mak still cant be beat for stuff like butts, brisket etc due to the ease of use and precise temp control I am thinking though. Thanks for all your help.  I do have grill grates modified to fit the little Weber Q2200, they are nice but the little grill struggles to get them up to temp sometimes - the stupid little holes in the burner always plug and it needs constant attention - part of the reason I am getting fed up with it a bit .

Just my opinion...based on my experiences.  If you have 30 minutes to preheat a grill while going for a walk, I’d suggest using your MAK until you have at least a handful of cooks on your Weber. Charcoal is not “flip a switch, walk away for 30 mins and ‘guaranteed’ to have a perfect amount of properly burning charcoal in your chimney” process. There are to many variables. Is there a breeze outside (that’ll often times speed up the lighting process)? Did the charcoal properly light within the first 5 or so minutes (best to take a peek and verify)?  Will you be using lump charcoal or briquettes (lump charcoal lights considerably faster).  Another thing you need to be aware of is that you don’t wanna “over-light” your charcoal, letting it sit in the chimney for to long. You really want to pour it into the kettle a min or two after the flames start to really appear at the top of the charcoal chimney. If you wait much longer, you will quickly find yourself on the downside of the charcoal burn cycle (you won’t have the best/peak BTU output).   There’s more I could say, but I hope you get my point...

Bottom line, if this is your first exposure to charcoal cooking, the last thing any of us want is for you to get frustrated and not find joy in it. Cooking with charcoal is a blast and the results can be fantastic!  I am just suggesting that you start your adventure as time permits so that you can figure it out and get things dialed in while being present from start to finish for the first handful of cooks. Once you really know what to expect and how things work, perhaps you’ll be in a place to go the that 30 min walk while the charcoal is coming up to temp...

Oh yeah, you probably are well aware, but... YouTube will be a huge help in learning the ins/outs of charcoal cooking. Of course there are lots of very experienced charcoal junkies here to help as well... point being, you’ve got a HUGE amount of support should you decide to wander into the wonderful world of “live fire” charcoal cooking.

Keep us posted buddy!

[Michigan0626]

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

[Pappymn]

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

I bought my Cook-Air at Cabela's for 50 bucks. Had one issue and the guy at Cook-Air set me straight. Great service


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[rwalters]

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

I bought my Cook-Air at Cabela's for 50 bucks. Had one issue and the guy at Cook-Air set me straight. Great service


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Just curious. Having never cooked on a Cook-Air, can you do regular grilling, like hold a nice stable grilling temp of 400ish° over an extended grilling session of 30+ minutes?

[Pappymn]

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

I bought my Cook-Air at Cabela's for 50 bucks. Had one issue and the guy at Cook-Air set me straight. Great service


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Just curious. Having never cooked on a Cook-Air, can you do regular grilling, like hold a nice stable grilling temp of 400ish° over an extended grilling session of 30+ minutes?

Sure can. Just use a lower fan setting. And you use wood chunks, so you get some flavor too.


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[rwalters]

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

I bought my Cook-Air at Cabela's for 50 bucks. Had one issue and the guy at Cook-Air set me straight. Great service


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just curious. Having never cooked on a Cook-Air, can you do regular grilling, like hold a nice stable grilling temp of 400ish° over an extended grilling session of 30+ minutes?

Sure can. Just use a lower fan setting. And you use wood chunks, so you get some flavor too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Looking on Amazon, I see reviewers mentioning soot issues when running the fan at lower speeds. Have you experienced that?

[Pappymn]

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

TEC says 850 degree in 10 minutes.  Cook-Air can hit 1100 degrees in 5 minutes. Plus it gives a very slight, like a very subtle background flavor smoke note. You can electronically control the temp with 5 air speeds. The surface area is big enough to cook a meal besides just searing.  Kettles aren't bad. They are ubiquitous and bomb proof. A chimney can hit really high temps. I have been know to angle a box fan towards the bottom to get it hotter and faster, but it takes a while. But if it is simply for searing, ditch the kettle and simply use the chimney and sear directly over the coals. The meat will be closer to the heat source.  For the money if you find the deal (under $100) I would choose a Cook-Air, or spend just 20-25 for a Weber chimney (has to be Weber, largest diameter means more coals).

I bought my Cook-Air at Cabela's for 50 bucks. Had one issue and the guy at Cook-Air set me straight. Great service


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Just curious. Having never cooked on a Cook-Air, can you do regular grilling, like hold a nice stable grilling temp of 400ish° over an extended grilling session of 30+ minutes?

Sure can. Just use a lower fan setting. And you use wood chunks, so you get some flavor too.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Looking on Amazon, I see reviewers mentioning soot issues when running the fan at lower speeds. Have you experienced that?

Not really. But I think it shines at high speed. Perhaps they started with a pot that wasn't empty. I remember a YouTube guy reviewed it and had a couple of negative comments. And I'm like dude, it is a $100 grill.


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[Michigan0626]

It will probably create more ash at lower temps, but that is because when you burn stuff as hot as it will go, it is more efficient in consuming the fuel source. You run it full open and there is hardly any ash. I simply brush the inside of the pot and turn it upside down when done.

[Panthur]

Think I'm gonna order the Weber Master Touch 22" Kettle ( in slate blue color ). It will definately be by far the least expensive grill I have purchased in some time. Looks like lots to learn going with a charcoal cooker but should be fun. I have a 14' x 24' cedar deck with a roof and partial wall with lattice so most of the time wind is not a factor and rain certainly isn"t BUT is a charcoal grill safe on a wooden deck I wonder ?  ( supervised of course ).  That would be a deal breaker if I couldn"t put it on the deck obviously. 

[rwalters]

Think I'm gonna order the Weber Master Touch 22" Kettle ( in slate blue color ). It will definately be by far the least expensive grill I have purchased in some time. Looks like lots to learn going with a charcoal cooker but should be fun. I have a 14' x 24' cedar deck with a roof and partial wall with lattice so most of the time wind is not a factor and rain certainly isn"t BUT is a charcoal grill safe on a wooden deck I wonder ?  ( supervised of course ).  That would be a deal breaker if I couldn"t put it on the deck obviously. 

With supervision, a fire proof grill mat underneath your kettle (can never be to safe), and a safe place to start your charcoal (I simply remove my cooking grate and place the chimney on the charcoal grate when firing it up...never an issue)... then I think you’ll be absolutely fine

[Panthur]

Sounds good , thanks.