Gas vs pellet grill in a very windy area

[Quattro Pete]

We have a fairly wide open deck and live in a freaking wind tunnel. Somehow chatGPT initially led me to believe that a pellet grill would stand up to wind better than a gas grill, but the more I research, the less I'm convinced this is true. And I am really not keen on all the extra maintenance and cleaning that a pellet grill will require. Plus with all that wind, I might end up with lots of ash in my food and in my face.

I had a cheap Weber gas grill in the past, and loved the convenience and simplicity of it, and not having to clean it every time you grill. Plus using a propane tank was very convenient.

I know pellet grills are good for smoking and slow low temp cooking, but I really don't do much of it. It's mostly sausage, burgers, steaks, and chicken pieces.

So, am I right in thinking that gas grill would be better for me? Hoping the flames don't get blown out in the wind. Was looking at Weber Genesis E-325.

Thoughts?

 

[walterjay]

I have had the flames blow out a couple times on my Weber. Can't speak to the pellet stoves.

 

[Rand]

I'd prefer gas, but also its a grill not an oven so it has openings.. you might have to add some shielding gas or pellet.
my old grill had the vent at the top back twice as big as the one on my weber spirit
so it definitely had more wind going through it on windy days..
my backyard is abit of a wind tunnel too.. right where the grill is on deck.

I partially clogged it temporarily with some foil and a metal coat hanger.. but shorter afterwards the bottom rivets rusted out and I bought the weber..

 

[Blang]

I've been grilling/smoking with a pellet grill for 7 years now I believe. Never had an issue with wind. And never had a desire to use a gas grill since then (unless the power was out...). I have a Pit Boss (Louisiana Grills are a sister brand I think) and they have panels that can move to do direct high-heat flame. So even a simple hot dog or burger can have some wood-flame character to it. I feel like the flame itself is pretty well protected from wind (and even uses a fan to move the smoke). Either way I wish you happy grilling!

 

[mrvmax]

I’ve never had my Pitt Boss pellet grill go out on me.

 

[Vexorg]

Traeger owner and seller here.
My pellet grill stay lit in crazy windy conditions, and will relight if the wind blows out the fire. Because the firebox is way down in the machine there would have be extreme winds, and that means I probably should not be outside.

 

[Pablo]

Pellet for flavor

Build a windblock and gas

 

[BobsArmory]

Michigan guy here with wind. I used to run gas grills, got tired of burners rusting out. Looked into pellet grills but couldn't stomach the price for a quality unit. Went with a standard webber round charcoal grill. Thing will stay lit in a hurricane, good flavor, easy to clean & I can add wood chips to vary the flavor.

 

[Gyro Gearloose]

Pellet grills are immune to wind except for the additional heat loss slowing the cooking which is already the speed of baking rather than grilling. The pellet fire is unaffected by wind since the bottom of the grill is totally sealed and the combustion air flow is controlled by a fan pushing air down a plenum and into the fire through openings in the side of the fire cup.

I have never had problems with gas grills staying lit in the wind, but the large combustion air openings let all the heat blow out and there have been days it was difficult to get enough temperature to cook the food. My gas grill is a Wal Mart cheapo so your experience may vary with a better quality grill.

 

[97prizm]

We have a fairly wide open deck and live in a freaking wind tunnel. Somehow chatGPT initially led me to believe that a pellet grill would stand up to wind better than a gas grill, but the more I research, the less I'm convinced this is true. And I am really not keen on all the extra maintenance and cleaning that a pellet grill will require. Plus with all that wind, I might end up with lots of ash in my food and in my face.

I had a cheap Weber gas grill in the past, and loved the convenience and simplicity of it, and not having to clean it every time you grill. Plus using a propane tank was very convenient.

I know pellet grills are good for smoking and slow low temp cooking, but I really don't do much of it. It's mostly sausage, burgers, steaks, and chicken pieces.

So, am I right in thinking that gas grill would be better for me? Hoping the flames don't get blown out in the wind. Was looking at Weber Genesis E-325.

Thoughts?

Pellet grills well Trager will compensate with fluctuations of outside temperatures vs gas.

 

[Quattro Pete]

For pellet, I was looking at Weber Searwood 600 XL. I know it has great reviews, but looking at all the videos, having to deal with cleaning out ash frequently; having to wait for it to heat up, and 15 min shutdown just sounds like a lot of hassle for a quick grilled sausage or a burger.

 

[joekingcorvette]

I have a Weber Genesis, a Yoder smoker, and a Big Green Egg. If it's really windy the pellet grills will be blown out especially before it gets really hot. The auger will continue to load pellets and if you don't remove the unburned pellets the entire firepot will go up in flames and literally destroy the paint on the smoker from getting too hot. Plus, it's a fire hazard since the are plug in and usually close to a home or shed. I would go with the Weber Genesis and if you want a smoker down the road buy one for days when it's not windy. The Green Eggs can take a tornado without blowing out however you need to be somewhat of a pit master to really dial in your cooks. A pellet smoker is just like an oven and you set the temp and set back an enjoy a couple cold refreshments. I like all 3 of mine however they to have their own strengths and weaknesses. The Weber Genesis well known to be a very wise purchase. The less expensive grills are throw away but the Weber is a top notch product and has been for years. I have a natural gas Weber Genesis and it's hooked up to the natural gas in the home. I don't mess with the propane tanks except for ice fishing and camping.

 

[grasscutter]

What I do is set the grill on the side of the house that will be blocking all the wind. And besides that, I keep the lid down anyway.

 

[wavinwayne]

I’ve never had my Pitt Boss pellet grill go out on me.

Same. I've cooked in very windy conditions with no problems on my Pit Boss. I much prefer the pellet grill to my old gas grill. I also had a gas grill once that operated nearly identical to a pellet grill except with gas instead of wood pellets. I loved that thing but it was short lived and they were only made for a brief time. I think it was a Char‑Broil Quantum Infrared circa 2013.

 

[Pablo]

My Pit Boss is a winter warrior

 

[mr_boring]

If you get a pellet - make sure you get one with a decent PID. And auto-refire. If it does go out it will start back up. It'll spike the heck out of your temps, but, it's better than tossing a hundred bucks worth of meat on and it going out an hour later while you are sleeping.

ask me how I know........ Installed a Savannah Stoker PID in my pellet because I bought one that didn't re-fire.

 

[Cropduster172]

I have both...a Weber Genesis II E-325 and a Oakford (Nexgrill) 528 pellet grill.
I like them both. The convenience of the Weber is hard to beat. I've not had an issue with wind with either. The pellet grill has Bluetooth and Wifi control...for temperature or to turn off. The Weber has nothing like that but of course you can get at least food and grill temperatures in various types of wireless thermometers.
I've never experienced a flameout with any gas grill. The pellet grill is shielded on three sides so I can't speak to wind exposure with it.
I have a second gas grill on the deck of our beach house. It's a circa 2001 Broilmaster P3. It gets extremely windy there ...in fact, I have braced/secured it with a piece of floor joist bracing so it won't blow over ...again. I find you can cook simple stuff like hotdogs, burgers, chicken...in windy conditions. Things that need more "oven" type cooking becomes more challenging...pizzas for example...or anything your cooking with indirect heat.
Pellet grills are great but have a longer warmup time and even a knucklehead can produce great tasting food. But it's hard to beat the convenience and instant gratification of a decent gasser.

 

[kenny91]

You are right. Pellet grills are not better in wind. The fan can get overpowered and the flame can blow out. Then the auger keeps feeding pellets and you get a dangerous flare up.

Gas grills can also have issues in wind but you can just turn up the flame or block the wind.

For burgers, steaks, and sausage, gas is faster and easier. Pellet grills are for low and slow smoking. More cleanup, more maintenance, longer startup.

The Weber Genesis E-325 is a solid choice. Get the gas grill.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The Weber Genesis well known to be a very wise purchase. The less expensive grills are throw away but the Weber is a top notch product and has been for years.

How old is your Genesis? I've read Weber's quality has gone downhill post COVID. But I'm not sure if other brands are any better...

I bought a Weber Spirit in 2009 and it was still running OK until I sold it last year. Probably should have kept it, but I didn't want to deal with it during the move.

 

[tcp71]

We have a napoleon natural gas BBQ and a pitboss pellet smoker. The napoleon has a built in wind block.

Seems they're available for aftermarket installation. Maybe find one for your next BBQ or buy one that has it included.