I was recently gifted a reasonably nice gas grill. I’d say it’s extremely nice but I’ve never shopped for one.

Grilling has a learning curve and I’m posting to try to find a way to speed it up.

I’ve tried a whole chicken and a couple of steaks. Both times I’ve tried to go slow and steady with a seer at the end. I use a temp probe to verify internal temp. The directions I read said high heat, meat on cool side of grill. That does nothing. After that I put the meat on a medium burner and it cooked verrrry quickly. So it seems like the food needs to be directly over an active burner to cook. Next time I might try food over a low burner and next to high burner.

How hot should the grill get? All three burners on max gets it to 350 degrees.

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I have a Weber Genesis that works quite well. I've never done a whole chicken. I have done many legs and
thighs with just salt and pepper when I put them on. I run mine on low, about 275-300 degrees
and turn each piece every 6-7 minute and it takes about 45 minutes to get them nice and golden brown
and the internal temp of about 175-180 degrees.

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Grateful11

I think you'd need a rotisserie attachment to successfully do a whole chicken. Start easy with burgers, brats & hot dogs. Then move on to steaks (or other solid meats). Professional chefs can tell doneness by feel. They press on the meat and, by the "give" know how far along it is. This is a skill you can learn. I understand that meat should only be flipped once so, it needs to cook half way through before turning. As for heat levels, I've always cranked it to high. The thick steaks I prefer do well at about 7 minutes per side.

All 3 on max it only hits 350? That ain't right. I have a 3 burner house brand from Lowes that will hit close to 700 all out and left closed.

Thick steak needs to be seared 3-5 minutes per side on high heat then left on the side with burners off and lid closed to cook the meat internally for another 5 - 8 minutes. I hate cooking chicken on the grill unless it's already prepared from the meat market. Then I have my wife tenderize it before I cook it. I cook it the same as thick steak.

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Racer X
All 3 on max it only hits 350? That ain't right. I have a 3 burner house brand from Lowes that will hit close to 700 all out and left closed.

Propane or natural gas? Natural gas will cut heat output some. Yeah, with the vents properly set, every grill should hit at least 550 F closed with all the burners on high.

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In tha 360. MRF User Map

350F does seem low (unless you use C scale). if this is propane, some tank regulators have something that restricts the flow in case of leaks. this can get activated if you open the tank valve too fast. I had to reset mine once in a while by closing the tank, removing the pressure regulator, and reconnecting the hose, then open the tank slowly. In those cases the grill was burning very low. But 350 doesn't seem that low, hmmm, something is not right with the grill or the temperature probe.

Without a rotisserie setup, I would either do a "beer can" chicken or cut the chicken in half to lay flat on the grill.

Light all 3 burners and close the lid. Come back in 20 minutes and see what the temperature is. If it's not higher than 350 then I don't think I can help you. I have no experience at that temp.

perhaps a link to the grill somewhere online would help us more?

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Bill
Flagler Beach, FL 32136

Carpe Vino!

Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire.
— David Rains Wallace



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2017 07:24AM by WHiiP.

350ºF is way too cold as noted by others here so that needs looking at. Also, you need a smoker box for wood chips.

Get a book; I'd recommend How To Grill by Steven Raichlen. It's good for a noob.

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Resident Cardinal...








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You don't so much grill chicken as roast it, so you are using the grill as an outdoor oven. I start my chicken at very high and then lower to medium. If cut pieces, then it's very different.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2017 07:57AM by mrbigstuff.

There's no *good* quick way to really speed up your learning curve. All grills are different, and even the best grillmasters may need a meal or two to perfectly hone in on a new gas grill*. Book readin' can help a smidge, but there's no substitute for doin' the real deed. Borrow someone that that knows what they're doing, and stay coupled to their hip pocket; paying very close attention. *A good griller might miss on one or two of the first event's steaks/fowls to get it dialed in. The second time around a slight miss on one protein might happen, but as long as there are guests that prefer different donenesses, it might not even get noticed. Plus, a good griller will be able to tell you if your grill is OK... basically, you just gotta spring for an extra piece of meat, and invite your lesson-giver.
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mattkime
All three burners on max gets it to 350 degrees.

First tell us about the grill and fuel situation. This doesn't sound right.

testcase mentioned testing (see what I did there?) for doneness by feel. A friend of mine who was a chef in a high-end restaurant taught me this:

barely touch the tip of your index finger to your thumb with no pressure. With your other hand, feel the firmness of the muscle between your big thumb knuckle and your wrist. That's rare.

middle finger to thumb, that's medium rare

ring finger to thumb, that's medium well

little finger to thumb, that's well done.

Works for beef, chicken and pork. Haven't tried it for fish.

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My niece has a fancy propane grill that isn't worth crap because it doesn't get hot enough. Mine is an older Sears propane model. Steaks and thick burgers on mine are five minutes on a side in the summer, six in the winter. I grill out of the wind. I use the timer on my iPhone.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

I’m running propane. I could verify the grill’s thermometer but going by cooking time something is definitely wrong.

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Charcoal. Grill. I have small pieces of apple tree wood I add.

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mattkime
I’m running propane. I could verify the grill’s thermometer but going by cooking time something is definitely wrong.

Like I said earlier, I suspect the pressure regulator is stuck and you don't get enough fuel flow. Open the hose from the can, then hook it up again and open the valve slow. That should increase the flow.

I thought you're supposed to sear at beginning, then turn heat down to finish? Since I got those chimney charcoal lighter thingamajig, grilling with REAL wood is so easy! Just grilled some meat and vegetables yesterday using that thing to start charcoal. Put a bit of paper in bottom, charcoal on top, light, wait about 15 minutes, dump charcoal on grill, cook. Love it!

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Now I wouldn't want to be within 400 - 500 yards of one of them nuclear bombs when it goes off! WW1 Vet Old Man
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space-time
some tank regulators have something that restricts the flow in case of leaks. this can get activated if you open the tank valve too fast. I had to reset mine once in a while by closing the tank, removing the pressure regulator, and reconnecting the hose, then open the tank slowly.

Space is on to something here. Regulators will slow the flow (though I agree it should be lower than the 350 you found.)

Close all the valves. Disconnect and reconnect the hose to the propane tank. Open the tank valve fully. Then start the grill.

The should reset the regulator. If this does not work the regulator may be faulty.

Oh an be careful with a whole chicken. It can be done without a rotis, but very low and slow and off the flame. Otherwise it will be a cremation.

I don't know how to fix your cold BBQ, but this is the website I use for most grilling questions, recipes and ideas: [amazingribs.com]

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"In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion." (1987) -- Carl Sagan

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GuyGene
... Since I got those chimney charcoal lighter thingamajig, grilling with REAL wood is so easy! Just grilled some meat and vegetables yesterday using that thing to start charcoal. Put a bit of paper in bottom, charcoal on top, light, wait about 15 minutes, dump charcoal on grill, cook. Love it!

Real Men use Charcoal. Gas Grills are for Girls.

Also play with the vents. Gas without O2 is useless. too much opening and heat escapes.

Any chance you can post a picture of the grill? or say the model?

You need to check the orifices. If it was new there should be 2 sets of orifices that came with it.
One set is for natural gas and the other is for Propane
Is the flame color blue? if it is yellow the air to fuel ratio is not correct.

I have a Thermos 461246804

Its hard to find much info online but I do have the manual. I should probably take a closer look at it.

This is a good image of the grill - [bid.hostetterauctioneers.com]

Perhaps I do need to be particularly careful in opening the gas at the tank.

>>Also play with the vents.

I'll have to look for those. That might be the problem as well.

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I agree with everyone saying 350 is too low. You can cook chicken and burgers at that temp and simply count on a longer cook time but steak is usually cooked at 500. If your bbq is old it is likely the burners need replacement. When I used propane (I'm not on wood pellets) I remember having to replace them. If your burners look anything like the image below they need replacing. It's also possible the regulator is bad. Either way you should be able to replace them fairly inexpensively.

I took a quick peek and it seems burners run anywhere from $20-60 depending on model.
[www.lowes.com]



Here is a picture of a regulator. They cost about $15

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Ukulele music I couldn't find anywhere else.
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It has at least one new burner, if not more.

oh, and yes, i did spatchcock the chicken. i do that for roasting as well.

my working theory at this point is that i've either been opening the gas too quickly or there's a faulty regulator.

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Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/29/2017 01:00PM by mattkime.

A bit more from The Cave of Wonders about regulators:

"Gas grills are extremely reliable, but there is one safety feature they all share that’s easy to trip. Fortunately the fix is easy as well. Since 1995 gas grill regulators have a flow restrictor that trips upon sensing a gas leak. This regulator is a part of the fuel hose that attaches to the tank as shown below:

snip

How does this regulator sense a gas leak? Every time you shut down your grill, the regulator goes into a “bypass” mode which only allows a small amount of gas to flow. The next time you fire up the grill the tank valve is opened and the safety device looks for gas pressure to equalize on both the tank side and the grill side of the regulator. This can only happen if there is no leak in the system, the grill burner valves are closed, and enough time is given to the regulator to determine that all is well. Once that pressure is established, the safety device resets and allows a full flow of fuel to the grill. Knowing this, why do we have problems with a grill not heating up?

Leaving one or more burner valves open before you open the tank valve is the most common cause for the safety switch to remain in “bypass” mode. Some fuel flows and often you can light the grill, but there is not enough fuel to heat up the grill normally. The fix is easy. Close the tank and all burner valves. Open the hood. Slowly open the tank valve fully and WAIT for 15 seconds. By now the safety has reset, and you can start your grill up normally. All should be well."

Replace the regulator first and go from there. They run 15 - 25 locally and online. Mine went out on my 5 year old patio heater. The big box stores sell brushes for cleaning out the aerator and gas orifices.

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space-time

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GuyGene
... Since I got those chimney charcoal lighter thingamajig, grilling with REAL wood is so easy! Just grilled some meat and vegetables yesterday using that thing to start charcoal. Put a bit of paper in bottom, charcoal on top, light, wait about 15 minutes, dump charcoal on grill, cook. Love it!

Real Men use Charcoal. Gas Grills are for Girls.

Heeheheheheee, space. And I came here this time to apologize to matt for mentioning charcoal instead of trying to help about gas. Okay matt, just keep eating enough meat, and eventually, you'll qualify to get a WOOD grill.

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That old man - he don't think like no old man...
Now I wouldn't want to be within 400 - 500 yards of one of them nuclear bombs when it goes off! WW1 Vet Old Man
"He's pinned under an outcropping of rock. Lucky for him, the rock kept the dirt from burying him alive."
If idiots could fly, this place would be an airport. And I'd be a TSA agent.
A bonified member of The Mystic Knights of The Sea, George P. Stevens, President. Andy Brown, Treasurer, Algonquin J. Calhoun, Legal Consultant.

... and? it's Friday night, you got home, you fired up the grill to check, and didn't bother to update us? did it reach 500F after getting the proper propane flow and adjusting the vents?

[www.youtube.com]

space-time, I've never had a regulator need resetting. Ever..... I've replace broken regulators that leak when turned on (twice) on two separate on a grill and patio heater, years apart. I've replaced parts and adjusted the flame properly, but never had to reset a regulator. News to me.

The only thing I hate about propane and gas grills is the grease fires. Doesn't happen much with a charcoal grill. I once had the inside of a grill completely in flames because of the amount of grease in the meat and from previous improper cleaning. It was a sight.