Glow in the Dark Dancers

I like this one the most:

http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/4729/grillmuell9ij.jpg

Somebody should enter these grills in that “Pimp My Grill” Contest and win the 10 grand.

http://www.biggerthanthebun.com/contest.aspx

I'll try :)

I would just be happy if someone else cooked for me! This list is very timely, since I've got a post about barbecue for tomorrow.

I am a little biased but I think this is the coolest BBQ out there (or a least top ten). Great Job with the list.

Vic that BBQ looks pretty cool until you actually think about it. If you were actually BBQing smoke would be in the way of the tv and the solar panel that powers it and the radio. Plus all the greese and smoke and good stuff would play hell on all those electronics.

I am a little suprised however that the worlds Largest BBQ was not included here

http://www.adventurealliance.com/smoker.htm

The pics kinda suck but you get the point

http://www.frozenfountain.nl/data/nb2/eek.jpg

Dutch Designer Piet Hein Eek

Cool! The Kamado is awesome. I might have gotten one if I was aware of 'em before getting a Big Green Egg.

Whichever one, cooking in a round ceramic vessel is just amazing. No kettle grill can compare.

Link

The huge x-thousand BTU "outdoor kitchens" are, frankly, kinda silly. Why bother? Might as well cook in a regular oven.

Now the list is perfect

The Keg-a-que is my favorite. It looks cool and it grills great. It only lets a little air in to avoid greese flair-ups.

http://www.kegaque.com/

Here's a hi-res view (wallpaper-size) of a Brazilian government export tag for natural charcoal - it's beautiful & assuaged my concern over it beung from a south American source:

http://www.glyphjockey.com/2006/01/im-grilling-pork-loin.html

Very cool... BTW: The Jaguar grill should be labeled the Austin-Healey Grill. (As in Austin-Healey Sprite) Found at the Classic Jag site, but not a Jag. Thanks!

Lex10, thanks for the image! I didn't know charcoal is exported?

Rollmops, is there a background story to that grill? I'd very much like to update the post with it...

Bobby, thanks for the correction!

Ha! Thanks for linking to my Flickr set! (For the "handgun" grill.)

But The Spook wrote me to let me know that he only desgined the grill (being a fabrication engineer), and a friend of his named J.W. Holtman actually built the rig, and has since added on to it.

Just wanted to state that for the record ...

OK. This is bordering on unhealthy. You have to give up this obsession with BBQ grills. I'm serious. Your mental health is nearing a tipping point.

Up to you. Don't say I didn't warn you. Of course, once you lose your mind completely, you won't remember I told you so.

Thanks brykMantra! I've added J.W. Holtman to the entry.

To spiiderweb: what? me? obsessed? never!

I built Alton Brown's smoker from the Good Eat's BBQ special, "Q". It's a great episode and has plenty of good science on what makes a good smoker.

http://www.rollerfeet.com/backporchbeer/archives/000884.html

You missed out on my Belson Mobile-SLPX. This trailer barbeque grill definately gets me bragging rights at the football tailgates. It's awsome...! They also have a pretty impressive mobile pig roaster on their website...Why grill parts when you can grill the whole animal :-)

http://www.belson.com/grills.htm

Dear neatorama for the past year i have been addicted to your site, until now. I have to say, despite my love this was the stupidest, longest,most pointelss post ever. Really disappointing.

Sorry to hear that, Katrina - this is actually one of our most popular post ever! :)

Sign me up for that Texas shooter one...

Great blog/site. Great grills!
I will say as a Big Green Egg owner I may be biased but the BGE may be the most versatile grill on the list.

Oh and Katrina??? You must not like meat...but what about the bone?

I find it hard to believe that this one has been left out...

This grill has been around since 1995!

Big taste from a small town.

THE most popular, best selling smoker-grill in the U.S. is the Brinkmann. I am on my 7th electric smoker. I buy them, use them, then for some reason, since my cooking is so good, my friends, neighbors or relatives want to buy it from me after I've broken the thing in. I take the body off and use as a regular grill year-round with hickory bark and hickory chips with the dome top on to confine the smoke, preventing flare-ups. YUMM

http://www.bigbadwolf.se/pics/smide/index.htm
Here's another nice 'homebrand' bbq

Just to clarify...
The Ultimate Smoker AND Grill built by Trace Arnold is a remodeled version of Texas Lil's Worlds Largest Transportible Smoker which was NOT orginally built by Klose.
Adventure Alliance DOES NOT own the Worlds Largest BBQ, it is the USG and they make it available for their clients. They should have a link to www.theultimatesmokerandgrill.com (which is being updated.) The USG really doesn't make the competition circuit unless a sponsor wants to bring it in. The Ultimate Smoker and Grill is normally on tour.
All the grills in this blog are awesome,everyone has their 'Niche' in this nifty world of "Q"!

Interesting list. However, before you publish lists like these, you might want to do a little research into the items you post and the companies that make them. The cookers from www.Kamado.com are notorious for cracking problems and having the tiles fall off. Also, the company's post-sales service is appalling. Unless you are a close friend of the owner, you are likely to be ignored if you have any problems. Heck, many prospective customers can't even get responses to phone calls and emails.

I won't even go into the history of the owner, but you can find out more details of how he abandoned his factory and workers and creditors in Indonesia here: http://www.komodokamado.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=102

Jasmine

WRT post #40 above, this is just not true. The service record is very good and almost eveyone that deals with the Kamado company is very satisfied. Yes there are a few disgrutled customers and the like but if you go the the Kamado forums you will see that most people are very very happy.

About your #4 Kamado Ceramic BBQ Grill, The Kamado is 3000 years old and from Japan, it was not invented by Richard Johnson. [comment deleted - please, no ad hominem attack. This is not the forum to air your grievances for this grill].

I own a Kamado. It *IS* cracked, and I still think its a great cooker. The Kamado company DOES have deplorable service (its a family business), and also has rabid supporters on their forum. Understand this, do your homework, and make an informed decision when considering ceramics.

Whatever you decide, a kamado-style cooker will undoubtably knock your socks off when you taste the difference.

I have a Big Green Egg. Ceramics are the only way to go. There are many companies doing the ceramic thing now. If I buy another (and I will eventually) I may spend a few extra dollars on the KomodoKamado. It's a new company that's following the mold (literally it seems) of Kamado, but seems to be making some great improvements on the original and is on the cutting edge. I went there to investigate and from there I was pointed to every other company that makes ceramic cookers...for comparison. I felt like I was at that insurance company that gives you quotes on 3 or 4 other companies along with their own. How's that for not being afraid of the competition! Do the research, there's a ceramic grill for every income...ceramics rule!!!!!

i can't speak for the biggreenegg or the kamodo but i do have an older ceramic grill that i got at yardsell many moon ago and love it. it is smaller and i am looking for another larger one and it wood also ne good to have a slow cook and grill going at once. the komodokamado website has been great as it lists all other places to get them. i am cuban and love tile work, my veranda is highly decorated by my late father. i will have to get one with tile...can't believe they make them tiled. que linda!

Awesome post!!!

La Caja China grills are also popular and pretty unique. Apparently a lot of big name chefs use them.

http://www.lacajachina.com/

I think no list would be complete without the famous "Cajun Microwave". Available commercially from a number of makers and easy to DIY, it is a simple, ingenious cooker. Using any fuel source and not requiring any form of power, it can produce excellent eats with a minimum of tending.
Not as bulletproof as the ceramics for cooking results; it is a whole lot cheaper and easier to move around and far less fragile.

Nice to see some bbq models that make sense :)

Great blog and excellent job compiling all the greatest BBQ gear!!!

I'm a big Traeger fan and highly recommend them.

Ceramic cookers are expensive, fragile & have limited cooking space.

give me, give me, give me, i want one of those :)

Ron's comment that ceramic cookers are expensive, fragile and have limited cooking space is rather humorous and somewhat ignorant.

Expensive? You get what you pay for. Ceramic cookers are the most versatile outdoor cookers around. You can make jerkey at 150 degrees, barbecue at 225, roast lamb and turkey at 325, roast chickens at 400, bake pizzas at 650 and sear steaks at 800. And of course, you can do anything at any temperature in between. They also are very efficient with fuel, cooking for 30 hours on a single load of charcoal. They can cook in sub-zero weather, when metal cookers cannot without rigging up insulation of some sort.

Fragile? Say what? Hardly. There are numerous competition barbecue teams taking their supposedly fragile ceramic cookers on the road with them. And, oh by the way, several of them are winning and winning big.

Limited cooking space? Again, hardly. Limited grilling space maybe, but you can cook loads of food in a ceramic cooker. You can do pulled pork for 60 people in a large Big Green Egg for example.

Consider the fact that many many ceramic owners own multiple ceramic cookers. No, ceramic cookers are superb cooking units. They may not be for everyone, but to label them as fragile, expensive and limited is just not a very informed opinion.

LOL

$869.00 for a cooker with a 18" grid at Amazon.com.

And how's your firebox? Cracked, I'll bet. Did your grate crack? How many gaskets have you fried? Does the lid on your cooker stay open?

$650 is what normal people pay for a Large BGE. Yep, the firebox is cracked and gee, ya know, it works just fine that way. I can get free replacments for life if I ever feel like it. Grate never cracked. Yep, I've replaced the gasket a couple of times, so what? And of course the lid stays open. What a bizarre question, lol! Or should I say, ignorant question?

Free firebox replacements? Really? It costs you nothing? They pay shipping too?

$650? For a cooker with approx 100 square inches less grill area than a $85 Weber. LOL!

What accessories does that include? Does it come with a nest? Oh, and careful, those wheels on the nest are tiny...hit a seam or crack on your patio and your egg will pull a Humpty Dumpty...

"All the king's horses and all the king's men
Couldn't put Humpty together again."

Yep, I've never paid shipping for a replacement firebox. My dealer gets them free.

Well, Ron, it seems like you have learned well all the ignorant stereotypes about ceramic cookers. Enjoy your cooker and all the ceramic owners will enjoy theirs.

"I’ve never paid shipping for a replacement firebox."

Has more than one broke on ya?

It must be convenient to keep running back to your dealer for replacement gaskets and fireboxes.

"And of course the lid stays open. What a bizarre question, lol! Or should I say, ignorant question?"

LOL

Listen to you! I know there were problems with the Extra Large Egg. I know that you know there were problems with the Extra Large Egg.

With four Eggs, yes, I've replaced 3 fireboxes in 5 years. All of them free. Sorry, but no I don't know about problems with the XL. The one at my dealer and the one at Ace Hardware work fine. I vaguely recall a post on the Big Green Egg Forum about it, but that's the only report I've heard. All the other owners on the BGE forum haven't mentioned it. I'll give you another chance to exit gracefully before you run out of ignorant stereotypes. You enjoy your cooker and all the ceramic owners will enjoy theirs. Peace, bro....

"Sorry, but no I don’t know about problems with the XL. The one at my dealer and the one at Ace Hardware work fine. I vaguely recall a post on the Big Green Egg Forum about it, but that’s the only report I’ve heard. All the other owners on the BGE forum haven’t mentioned it. I’ll give you another chance to exit gracefully before you run out of ignorant stereotypes. You enjoy your cooker and all the ceramic owners will enjoy theirs. Peace, bro…."

From the Naked Whiz Web site;

# The lid on my cooker won't stay open. What should I do?
Well, when the rear hatch on our mother's Plymouth mini-van wouldn't stay open, she used a broomstick to prop it open. However, this isn't such a good idea on the Egg, so we have two suggestions. First, if you own an Extra Large Egg, you may have one of the older hinges which had this problem. Call the Big Green Egg headquarters in Atlanta to see about a replacement. However, if you own a Large Egg, you may have installed the hinge upside down. Yes, this is possible and it happens. Rather than show you how to install your hinge here, we suggest you get the assembly instructions and check them carefully to insure you have installed the hinge correctly. If your dealer assembled the Egg for you, then of course, contact your dealer if necesssary. And if all else fails, contact BGE headquarters in Atlanta for help.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OWNED!!!!!!!!!!!

Ron, If the ceramic cookers have so many problems and not worth the money, why does everyone fall in love the instant they cook on one? If they are so terrible why would we ever buy a second? I have had an egg for 5 years and yes the fire box cracked soon after I got it and now is cracked in 7 pieces. I cook on it several times a week and I have never replaced anything other than a few thermometers. I am sorry you can't afford one or two, so keep using your chemically enhanced matchlight and happy smokin. Oh I forgot you can't do that with your $89.00 Weber.

Ah, Ron, you got me on that one, lol! Thanks for refreshing my memory. I had forgotten about that problem. I try to add new information to my FAQ as I see posts in the BGE forum asking for help. However, when a supposed problem like cookers not staying open arises, and it turns out to be a non-issue like this one, I forget about it and move on. One or two users assembling their cookers wrong, and old problems that were quickly resolved by the manufacturer just fade off the radar. I'll bet you can find a lot more information on my web page that I've totally forgotten.

So, if you are done posting all the helpful information in my Ceramic FAQ about solving problems that owners might have with a Big Green Egg, I think I'll go back to enjoying my four ceramic cookers and the comradery of my fellow owners. The real message here is that most owners of ceramic charcoal cookers are very happy with their purchase. I'd invite any prospective purchasers of ceramic charcoal cookers to visit any of the online manufacturer's forums and get informed about the cookers and the owner satisfaction levels. Links can be found at www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramiclinks.htm.

Oops, the link didn't work because of the trailing period. Here's the correct link:

www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramiclinks.htm

Wow my father posts here too! Err wait.... Ron's Dad...I get it! You're my daddy!!LOLOLOL You're so clever you should be a comedian!!!!

Who said I have a Weber? Who said I can't afford an egg? Who said I use Matchlight?

I never said any of that.

I have a FEC100 & a Grillworks by Grillery.

Go on keep cooking with your fragile cookers. We both know they're prone to breaking, the difference between me and you is that I wouldn't tolerate a cooker with fundamentally flawed design elements.

ummmm sure....the firebox is SUPPOSED to be broken!!!

LOLOLOL

And LOL@ you for thinking you're better than someone because you can afford a more expensive cooker.

You're a lot like your naked buddy....OWNED!

Loved the list of cookers! I've owned various cookers - gas, wood, charcoal, smokers, etc. and *nothing* comes close to the quality of cooking that I get from my Big Green Egg. I own a small Egg (13-inch grate), but I am able to cook for more with one batch of charcoal (about 3 pounds) than I ever got out one of my 2000-square inch two-box, 200-pound cast iron wood hog which required hourly infusions of 20 to 30 pounds of charcoal.

The ceramic walls provide superior insulation, making it possible to maintain pinpoint control over temrperatures and to maintain those temperatures for hours on end.

Someone posted a comment about ceramic cookers being fragile, but I've yet to hear anyone talk about owning a non-ceramic cooker for more than 5 years, whereas it's quite common for owners of ceramic cookers to talk about owning one for 20, 30, even 40 years. Yes, ceramic will break if dropped on a hard surface, but how often does that happen? What one does hear far more frequently are stories of children suffering serious burns from getting too close to metal grills, smokers, etc.

where do they find parts for these things

I believe the Undisputable Cuz is the largest at 78 feet in length.

http://new.cbbqa.com/obbqfot/OBBQFOT-Sept20.html

*drool* As much as I love some of the wacky and gorgeous ones (the shack, the Kamado), I'd go minimalist with one of the simple designs. If I had the space and money. *wistful sigh*

You didn't mention Woodflame's Delecto. I have one, and to be honest, despite some quirks, it's the best grill I can think of for urban living, or even to take lot-camping/tail-gaiting.

It's not great for really long smoking as you have to refill the burning chamber every 10 or 20 minutes, and it's hard to keep the temp down.

The grill really infuses wood flavor, and even better there is so little ash to throw out. I'll never use charcoal again!

The Grand Hall’s Monster BBQ Grill is a photoshop farce. Nice work but still fake.

I believe that the Johnsonville Big Taste grill is even larger. Having seen it, I can attest that it is big. According to their web site, it is 65' long and 6' diameter.

Link: http://www3.johnsonville.com/bigtastegrill/

Yes, Johnsonville Big Taste may have the "Largest Grill" in the World but the key word there is Grill. The Texas Lil' built by Klose is (or was before it became "The Ultimate Smoker AND Grill") a Smoker. There is a specific distinction between a grill and a smoker. Therefore allowing there to be more than one Largest in the World.

Thank you for this great information, I have been smoking meat for over 35 years and the various Bar B Q's were
fantastic. I formerly owned a restaurant in Huntington Beach,Ca. by the name of Heeneys Weeney's which specialized in fresh sausages and weiners, Beef Brisket,Smoked Chichen and Pork Ribs with all sided served being home made. I miss the business but not the long hours, again thank you.

i wanta buy a smoker i would like a catalog i called left u a message addresss is rich oland 5475 burnside rd north branch mi 48461

The lynx island looks damn fine if you ask me, I want one for fathers day as well! :) Some of the novality Grills I couldn't help but get a kick out of ideas people have, great post! :)

I just got a Ducane stainless 32" five burner model...I love it!

The naked whiz wrote;

"Ah, Ron, you got me on that one, lol! Thanks for refreshing my memory. I had forgotten about that problem. I try to add new information to my FAQ as I see posts in the BGE forum asking for help. However, when a supposed problem like cookers not staying open arises, and it turns out to be a non-issue like this one, I forget about it and move on."

From the BGE forum website

"To all XL Big Green Egg owners!!!

We are pleased to announce that we have developed an XL Spring Assist Kit which will greatly improve the opening and closing of your XL Big Green Egg."

lol

OWNED!

...and....

barbecue USB!!!!

Un altro barbecue… ma USB!!!

Y'all forgot !!!

A custom built Competition BBQ Trailer by Pitts and Spitts.
With a 1/4" thick solid stainless steel firebox, stainless steel cooking grates, and an fully adjustable Charcoal Grill on the back side. This rig has a Marine/Outdoor CD Stereo system, along with a stainless steel food preparation surface, wood storage, and burners.
Emeril Lagasse has used this same model smoker on his show.

Ron,

Once again, you seem to be confused. The original problem we spoke of earlier affected only a few early XL BGE's and was quickly resolved by the BGE company. Specifically, the lid would not stay open.

What you refer to now is a completely different issue. After the XL had been out for some time, BGE got feedback from XL owners that the dome top was difficult to raise for the first few inches of travel, until the springs kicked in and started to assist the opening of the lid. By the same token, when you closed the lid, as the lid approached being a few inches from closed, the spring assist dropped out and the lid suddenly became heavy again. It is this behavior that this new spring assist kit is intended to address, not the fact that a few XL's had problems with the lid not staying open.

Please, if you are going to try to "own" everyone who posts about ceramics here, try to get your story straight.

Cool list of grills! Makes me want more and more grills. My kamado rules. The food I pull off is great and the smell alone makes you drool. I've had mine for 3 years and is my primary cooking tool these days.

Diamond Grills has a new kind of charcoal grill that has a charcoal accelerator to get you cooking fast. On top of that each grill is built like a sink and has a garbage disposal for easy clean up in the bottom.

I am looking for a bbq that i saw a couple of years ago
it was made of wood and it looked like a kitchen cabinet,it was about six feet long and it had a hotplate about two feet long plus a grate area about two feet long, and i think it had a side burner.
o yes it was a gas unit.
Richard L. Stephen
RSVP.

Nice BBQ stuff.

I've just got an old Weber but I love it.

Well if these ceramics are so superior then why has every world championship BBQ contest and there are 5-6 per year for the last 20 years plus or so been all won on steel cookers?actually we can expand x10 if we look at the top 10 in every contest.Seems to me the guys who are coking with propane end up trying a ceramic and think they found the holy grail.

I'm looking for a large grill burner. I have a 7 foot grill and need a burner and controls for it.

Seems to be lots of jealousy towards the ceramics; they must be pretty good.

Ron--you are a tremendous putz.

Steel--you are an old school doofus. Plenty of contests are won by users of ceramic. There's a fellow named Dr. BBQ that's done pretty well with ceramic.

Yeah old school doofus? LOL.
seems the ceramic cooker users are jealous,try getting on the Egg forum when there's a JD or the American Royal World championship contest happening or any other major contest for that matter,they all on there waiting to win in the top 10,,ain't happened yet in 3000 years,bein so supperior to all the steel cookers must be nice.Dr BBQ? ,,what's he ever won? Now P.Kirk has done well with steel,many,many,many,many,many,many,many World BBQ Championships there,i counted 7 many's!Also runs one of the most succesfull BBQ restaraunts in the world.Always when prooven how foolish these ceramic hustlers are they turn to name calling.Can't wait.

It is neither a Jaguar nor an Austin-Healey, Could be a an A-H Sprite or an MG

Dummy, BBQ != Grilling. BBQ is the result of smoking pork shoulder for 18 hours.

Interesting post there, thank you. If anyone fancies finding out a bit more about grills and BBQs, may I recommend www.grill-tips.com ?
Ceramic vs. Steel certainly seems to fire some people up...

Please, none of those come close to fuego 02: http://www.fuegoliving.com/

You guys ain't seen nuthin' .. until you've seen some old Catskinners make a Bulldozer BBQ .. complete with 'fridge .. kitchen sink .. storage cupboards .. running water .. and moveable, with a forklift ..

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/2153/bbq10to.jpg

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/289/bbq20eh.jpg

http://img75.imageshack.us/img75/1613/bbq30oj.jpg

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/801/bbq48bz.jpg

Great Design and useful information. I will be back soon!

Hi - enjoyed your home page!

lowrider BBQ Trailer

We really liked the website .. Thank you.

Very interesting site, read it all :)

best site of its kind :-)

Ich finde Ihre Homepage sehr gut und fundiert. Die Informationen helfen mir bei einer Diplomarbeit für den Bereich der Medizinischen Dokumentation vielen Dank und weiter so.

Great website, it was actually quite real helpful.

COOL !!!

great site great site great site BRAVO!

Double WOW 2 your design!

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Please let me know if there are any equally great sites like this you can recommend to me. Thanks Again

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I found your website after I have been surfing the internet to be useful

As #109 mentioned, for anything to be considered "BBQ" (or any of the variations on spelling), a pig must die! (Except in Texas where they BBQ beef, but what would you expect from folks who don't put beans in their chili?) All else is "grilling" or "cooking on the grill". The term is typically misused by those not from or living in the South(east and west) ... 8^)