ᐅ Need a New Grill – But Which One to Choose?

As mentioned earlier in the house pictures thread, sooner or later we will probably need a new grill (more likely sooner), because our no-name gas grill is slowly giving up (Proficook).

Our grill has three burners, and shortly after buying it, we upgraded it with an enameled cast iron grill grate (and please, never anything else again!). We use it a lot, and it has served us well so far. We chose a relatively inexpensive gas grill back then because, as convinced charcoal grillers, we weren’t quite sure if gas really was for us.

Nowadays, our charcoal kettle grill basically just sits unused; we only use gas now. And that’s all year round.

The grill stays outside all year, of course covered with a hood, but in the future, it will probably continue to live outdoors, possibly under a roof, but otherwise exposed to the weather under the cover.
And that’s probably the problem, at least for our Proficook, because after about 4 years, it is already heavily rusting.

From our experience over these 4 years, the following features are essential for us:

- enameled cast iron grate
- a grease drip system, not a grease tray. Right now we have a large catch-all pan under the entire burner area. It’s a nightmare to clean and if not done thoroughly, it’s the cause of sudden flare-ups. However, we have seen on Weber grills and Napoleon grills that the grease drains into a conical chute leading to a small container. We want that too, please.
- a warming area would be great. Whether that’s a side plate or a warming zone above the grate doesn’t matter. However, with our grill, the warming zone above the grate didn’t work well. First, it was too narrow for, for example, larger pieces of meat, and second, everything kept sliding off somehow. What do the grilling experts here say? What is the best solution?
- it should get really hot. Ours has a double-walled lid, but it struggles to exceed 200°C (392°F), or the temperature immediately drops when the lid is opened even briefly.
- I’m also interested in a rotisserie, and since I don’t want to stand next to the grill turning it manually for hours, what’s the best option? Does that even make sense? (But when I think of crispy pork knuckles or a suckling pig, yes, then it makes sense!)

Braising or low-temperature cooking on the grill doesn’t need to work for me — I have other options for that, including soon an outdoor bread oven.

Does it have to be a Weber grill? We’ve looked at Napoleon grills, and I almost liked them better. What should you really pay attention to regarding build quality, and what must a good grill be able to do? How do these high-end grills handle weather? We have always kept our grill covered, but still outside. That won’t change with a new grill either. But I’d go crazy if such an expensive grill started to rust heavily after 4 years at the “South Pole” where I live. Then I’d rather buy a low-budget unit again and replace it after 4 to 5 years.
Something else I’ve noticed: I can barely get our grill properly clean anymore. The stainless steel hood looks dull, the black parts have stains that won’t come off with anything. What are your experiences with high-quality grills? How do you clean them? I admit, that could be a reason to spend more money, as this really annoys me. I don’t like a dirty grill, but cleaning our Proficook is truly a challenge.
And what exactly is a sizzle zone and what do you use it for?
What other features exist that I might not know about but could be useful?

Dear grill masters — please share your experiences with me and give me your tips!