Living in a share house is always interesting. One of the crazy crew of misfits I share with is a Kiwi (New Zealander). When the Kiwi Bro and I decided to buy a house Charcoal grill, it was a mission in itself. It took a bit of trial and error to learn how to pick a charcoal grill.
Relying on the Google machine to tell us the best price and the best place to go. Funnily enough, It was Kmart that had the cheapest range available.
As being assured there were 24-hour Kmarts I could go to, and 2 store visits later, there was no such luck.
So to the local Bunnings hardware store, I went. Now for any self-respecting bloke that’s been to a Bunnings, you usually know the layout and what to expect. So it was in the outdoor section I went, and started to trawl around the BBQs that they had on display.
After looking at plenty of different makes and models, from full outdoor kitchens for $5000 to patio table cookers for $50. I settled on the Jumbuck Charcoal Grill with rotisserie and pizza attachment for $199 AUD.
Here’s the first tip!
If you are buying something at a hardware store and the box is open, put it back on the shelve. I got mine to the register paid for it, then the car. When I went to put in the back of the Ute, I noticed that written on the box was “missing support leg”
I thought great! maybe a few bricks would fix that. Then I thought to hang on why in the hell would I do that, I took it back inside and asked for an exchanged item.
Only to be told that there were none left. I got a refund then I went off to the next store on the list. So 4 stores later, I found my new pride and joy.
Now here’s the second tip
Putting flat-packed anything together is a pain in the arse, You need to make sure you have all the right tools that you need and read the instructions.
What should be a 20 min job can blow out to an hour.
What to actually look for when buying a Charcoal Grill
Quality
I am a big believer in buying quality. Don’t get me wrong money matters, but I’ve found there is three main levels of quality now
Cheap quality
Usually a cheap import, mainly Chinese-made cheap products that are imported for sale in a domestic market. Now there are actually products that are made cheaply that can be quite good.
And there are products that are imported that are crap and last 5 minutes. You can just about guarantee that there is no warranty coverage on these types of products.
Medium quality
There are usually brands that are a decent knockoffs of a High Quality leading brand. There is usually some innovation to these products so they aren’t a complete knockoff.
This is where the Jumbuck Charcoal Grill that I bought, fits in.
High quality
These are usually the leading brands usually the leading edge in technology, the latest and greatest of everything. Yes, you will pay more, but you are guaranteed quality.
Usually, the warranty is included and actually honored with a high-quality product. A Weber is a brand that fits nicely into this category.
The wash-up
Think about the money you want to spend. When you buy any high-priced item, always set your budget.
Think about the quality you really want, if you have the money, great buy top quality.
Think about the size of the grill you want. If you have a small patio, you might want to pick up a small unit, but if you’ve got room to grill, then go for the big unit.
Just plan ahead with any charcoal grilling you do, and you always have fun. Learning how to pick a charcoal grill, can give you hours of fun.
