After drooling over the Member's Mark gas grill at Sam's for over a year, I finally bit the bullet and bought one last week. I had to do some creative selling of this expense to the wife but after showing her how many times I had rebuilt the other gas grill we had she agreed that this was what WE needed. After reading every posting on this and past sites, I had a real easy time assembling the grill. I do agree that the instructions were the easiest I've ever seen. All parts were in great shape and well packaged and labeled. Actually the hardest part was unloading the boxes from my truck and getting them to my patio. Removing the grill lid was VERY good advice because it made the installation of the main grill much more manageable. I did forget to leave the screws a little loose on the legs in step 2 so the grill wouldn't drop in. I loosened them a little, dropped the grill in and retightened the legs. This was a minor disruption in this 2 hour process. Everything worked perfectly right off the bat. I have temps above 500 degrees and no whistle. I bought stainless steel cleaner and the brush from Home Depot and everything looks great.I have used this grill everday since I assembled it and what a pleasure it is. I want to thank everyone for your postings.

Well, I finally installed the Members Mark grill I purchased six months ago. You see, I was gonna brick it in and convert it to natural gas. Well I ran the gas line to the patio some 110 ft of 1/2"OD copper tubing with a 3/8" valve at the end. I drilled the main burners with a 5/64" drill and the sideburners/rotisserie with 1/16". I wasn't barely getting a flame on high with the main burners. I suspected that the quick connect hose after the valve to the burner was the problem. I was barely getting gas flow. I removed it and rigged up a 3ft long 3/8" copper run between the valve and the inlet of the grill. Now the main burners were working and good flames were coming out. So I timed it, and to my dismay, it took 16mins and the temp maxed out at 380 deg f with all three burners on high. What can I do to get more heat from the natural gas line? thanks.

Waypoint....I am not sure about where you live but in Northern California using Copper tubing for gas line is against building code. You should not use galvanized either as the coating can sometimes flake off and plug small orifices. You should use black iron pipe and use an approved thread sealent rated for Natural Gas. The gas company in my area uses SPECIAL plastic pipe up to the meter but after that point it is against code to use plastic.

Even if copper is legal in your area, 1/2 inch is way too small for a grill of this size with a pipe run that long. 3/4 inch would be a much better choice. If you have other large gas appliances you may even need 1 inch.

If you install your own black pipe, you should pressure test it for 24 hours. You will need a pressue guage with a tirevalve fitting. You can buy these at Home Depot or make one out of parts. You use a compressor to pump up the sealed (on both ends) gas line to 24 psi and make sure it holds pressure for 24 hours.

Good Luck.

StoneTower

Starting my third year as a B&C owner. I could propably write for a week on the satisfaction, things cooked, and admiring comments I've received. I don't grill in the winter (it's just a cold weather (Northern NY), eating inside, mind thing), but when the weather gets nice, the pool gets opened, it's a 5-6 night a week deal. Like I said, I could go on forever with the menu's every kind of fish, shellfish, veggies, meat, roasts, game, fruit, pizza, eggs, french toast, on and on and on...OH yeah..I even did hot dogs and hamburgers...

BILL in CT: Pizza is the BEST. I can't make enough. Two ways. One - I let the dough raise, then cut off little pieces and shape into flat irregular shapes (about the size of my opened hand) I set them aside on a oiled cookie sheet. Prepare my toppings (no limits) usually I just go with fresh tomato and basil some mozzarella. Fire up the grill and coat the grates with olive oil. I use the 'misto' sprayer. Set the burners to low, when they got hot, toss the flat dough pieces right on the grates. Close lid and check every few minutes. they'll brown on the bottom, spray tops with olive oil, turn over. Once you turn over, place your toppings on. Close lid and again check for the 'new' bottom to brown. Take off and serve.
The other way - Purchase the Cast iron pan with lid. (I use this for sausage w/peppers and onions, morning home fries, cakes, and PIZZA)
Coat the bottom with olive oil, press out one to two pounds of dough to fit in the pan let raise slightly, top with your pizza sauce (sorry, special family recipe). Remove one of the cooking grates from the grill. The pan fits right in the space. Cook covered for about 15 minutes - keep checking - It will grow and get good and light, and grated mozzarella cheese, cook uncovered till melts.

Sorry if I went to far here, by the way yes my burners are rusted, but no sign of damage after 2 years, took it out this weekend for the Annual Mothers Day 1st BBQ of the Year Event. Fired right up.

Thanks to Ladd and everyone for your unbelievable time and effort put into keeping this going.

I was surprised when I read he used copper also.
Black pipe in Michigan.

Actually, in Texas, using copper tubing is perfectly fine. I ran 1/2" copper tubing. the problem was the quick disconnect hose. It was causing a major restriction. I nixed the quick disconnect hose and ran the flex gas dryer line and everything now works great. I ran all three burner and maxed out at 525 deg F in 10-12 mins. Is this normal?

Well I finally got my Sam's Grill Y0101xc going and it works great. I have owned 5 or 6 gas grills in the past and none have even come close to the grill. When I turned it on it easily went to 500 degrees plus within 10 minutes and seared my steaks with on problems at all. There customer support is also first class, my grill was missing the cabinet door bracket and the wind guard was scratch. One phone call and the parts were shipped to me and receive in about 6 days. Thats the best phone support of any kind that I have seen. I have been running for about a week now and have done ribs, chicken, Hambuger, hotdogs and am looking forward to trying the rotiserie. Also the cover was damaged out of the box, but I called there customer support and one arrived in 3 days. Now for the only complaint that I have so far, the grill cover supplied is very cheap and rips very easy as well as leaving white lint all over the grill. I went to home depot and bought a new cover that is all vinyl the same as the one I had for my old grill that has lasted for 3 years. It is heavier much better made and only cost $20.00. Get the 68" one it gives a little more room. well goota go and marinate a flank steak for dinner tomorro. later and happy grilling

Lou

Waypoint...if copper meets code and 1/2 inch works thats good. You may want to install a gas shut off valve at the end of your copper line before your flex gas dryer line. Those flex lines are designed to be bent once. They will crack if you keep moving them and if you get a leak it could make the NG conversion very expensive. Even a small leak over time can use lots of gas. Remember we are not talking about 20 pounds of LP anymore.

I am glad it worked out for you.

StoneTower

Hi from Bill in CT. to all my MM grilling friends.
Thank you The Grill Man for the Pizza recipes. I haven't bought the center insert pan yet. We have been trying to find one in our travels around the stores, but always forget to take the dimentions where it needs to fit. Probably should 'bit the bullet' and get the cast one. Do you order that direct from MM or does Sam's stock them?
Till next time, happy grilling. We grill at least 5 days a week.

Bill M,

I've not seen any of the accessories available for the Member's Mark grills for sale at Sam's. I think you will need to order then directly from the manufacture, Grand Hall (1-800-770-9769, M-F between 8am - 4:30pm CST), that is what I did. Had my order in less that a week too.

Just bought a Member's Mark Stainless Gas Grill yesterday at Sam's club and assembled last night. Had a couple of questions and did a search on "Member's Mark" hoping to find the company web-site and came across this forum. What a great site. Hopefully someone here can help!

First though I must say that I've owned and assembled numerous gas grills over the years and have so far been very impressed with the quality of workmanship on this one. Hopefully I'll be equally impressed with the results after have a chance to use it for a while.

Question number 1.... I've never owned a grille a back burner ("infra-red burner"). Logic would dictate that it's use is primarily for rotisserie cooking but there is nothing in the instructions on that. Instructions on the grille state that it is not to be used when regular burners are in use but in an earlier note on this site one member shared that he cooked a turkey using both this burner and one regular burner. Could someone elaborate?

Question number 2...The model number on the one I bought ($599 at Sam's Club) is Y0101XC yet none of the accessories listed in the insert with the grille list this model number. Not sure if it's an update of an earlier model and plan on calling the customer service number sometime next week but thought someone here might know.

Any thoughts or assistance would be appreciated.

Rick

Thank you all, and especially dannos, for the conversion information.. I have an older Bakers and Chefs grill I bought two years ago..floor model that cost me $399.. (which, by the way, still works perfectly). The only problem I have had is to replace the LP regulator since they now make us use "safety" LP tank hardware in California. The one that came with the unit wouldn't work with the new tank hardware..
I'm planning on buying a numbered drill set today and attempting a ng conversion. I only have to run the ng line three feet, and if I can get the nozzles out, I have a drill press.
I cook out almost every day. I have three other charcoal grills and an outdoor two burner stove...I guess I'm a grill collector. I'd like to get one of those new hot models from Costco I've been reading about, if I can make a good deal..can't have too many grills..
My burners are rusty, but from my past experiences, they will last many more years if I keep cleaning them and season them. I just finished doing this for the second time on my B&C.
I believe the seasoning process helps protect cast iron from rusting. I use alot of cast iron cookware, and noticed that the seasoned surfaces seem to resist rust better than the unseasoned surfaces.

John

In part due to encouragement from this discussion group, my husband and I bought the $599 Member's Mark grill from Sam's last week. I had intended to wait for Father's Day, but I started to worry that they might not be available by then. Plus, I wanted to enjoy it as long as possible this summer, and here in Little Rock, May is prime cookout time. By June, it will still be 90 degrees at dinnertime! My husband and I are both mechanical idiots and this is our first gas grill, but we followed the instructions carefully and didn't have any trouble getting the grill together. We did have some trouble getting the burners to fire at first (even though the sparks were obvious in all three gas collection boxes), but maybe it just took some time to get the gas going, because after we got them burning, it heated up to about 500 degrees pretty quickly. We had friends and family over last night for burgers and bratwurst -- started with something simple, you know -- and greatly enjoyed being able to boil corn on the cob on the side burner instead of running back into the kitchen. I hope to try the rotisserie this week.

I do have some questions, if anyone has some insight for us: First, what is the lighting stick for? Second, does it make more sense to mount the rotisserie motor on the left or right? I know the instructions say left, but the floor model I saw in Sam's had it on the right. Third, what (specifically) is meant by the term "seasoning" the cast iron burners?

Thanks for any assistance you can offer, and happy grilling to us all!

HarleyRdr & GwenAR,

I'll try and answer some of your questions.

HarleyRdr, The rear infrared burner is used when using the rotisserie. It will provide an even direct heat to whatever you are cooking. This way you don't have to worry about any open flames under what you're cooking to prevent any possible flare-ups. The infrared burner control is an on/off control only; you can't adjust the temp like the other burners. Mine will hold the temp at about 300 degrees. If you do want more heat for whatever reason, you could use one or more of the bottom burners too.

As for the model number. When you contact the manufacture (Grand Hall) to order the accessories, they will ask you for the model number of your grill so you will get the correct accessories that fit it. The brochure you have is probably just left over from last years model. If you have one of the old brochures, same as me, the accessories listed for model number Y0005XC-2 should work for your grill. What are you looking to get?

By the way, going by your sign in name "HarleyRdr" I take it you ride a Harley. What's your ride like?

GwenAR, the lighting stick is used only as a backup for the main ignition. This allows you to attach a match to it so you can reach a burner to light it manually. I tried my once just to try it out, but never needed to actually need it yet.

As for mounting the rotisserie motor on the left or right, Im not sure it really makes a difference. I have mine mounted on the left.

The term seasoning is used with cast iron cookware. Its the process of preparing cast iron cookware to preventing rust and providing the cookware with a natural, permanent non-stick surface. It can be used for these burners too, but it is not really possible to fully season the inside of the burners.

I got the following from Lodge Cast Irons web site http://www.lodgemfg.com/useandcare.asp they are makers of cast iron cookware.

What is seasoning?

Seasoning is preparing the cast iron cookware for use. There are two objectives in this process:

1. Coat the cookware to prevent rust; and
2. To create a natural, permanent non-stick cooking surface.

How do I season my Lodge cookware?

1. Wash utensil in hot, soapy water. Use soap this time only. Rinse utensil and dry completely. Discoloration on towel is normal.
2. Apply a thin, even coating of melted shortening (Crisco, Wesson, etc.; do not use butter or butter flavored shortening) to the utensil with a soft cloth or paper towel. Apply inside and outside (NOTE: If your utensil has a lid, make sure you season it as well.)
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place utensil on top shelf of oven, upside down. Place aluminum foil on a baking sheet and put on bottom shelf of oven to catch any drippings. Bake in oven for one hour, then turn oven off and let utensil remain in the oven until cool.
4. To clean utensil after use, use boiling water and a plastic scrub bun or brush. Do not use soap, unless you are going to repeat the seasoning process. Do not put in dishwasher.

Hope some of this helps.

Tim

Bill M - the pan is through the 800 number. The catalog was in the carton. I was also looking elsewhere for awhile and would aways forgot the dimensions. I finally, 'bit-the-bullet' and it already paid for itself. I also purchased the griddle. And not much beats a cool summer morning, dew on the grass, standing in front of my grill cooking pancakes, eggs and home fries for my overnight guests.

Tim,

Thanks so much for the info. My wife and I went to the movies yesterday afternoon (had to see Episode II, you know) and chowed down on too much popcorn so I didn't break in the grille last night. Will be using it tonight for the first time though.

The accessories I'm thinking about getting?...Not sure yet but certainly a warming grid. Perhaps the griddle and roasting pan. As for the temperature with the back burner, I live in Phoenix so I would guess I'll get a bit higher temp from that than you do given the starting temp is higher than most places around the country.

My Screen name?...good guess. Yes, I ride a Harley. Rode motorcycles as a kid some. Had my first at 14. But hadn't ridden in many years. A few years ago a buddy bought a Harley and I got the bug again. On my fourth now. Started with a 1200 Sportster (smaller one) then a Softail Custom, a Fatboy and have a Wide Glide now. Mostly stock except for the usual (pipes, free-flow air-cleaner, and of course a bunch of add-ons to make it look unique). The local Harley dealer warms up his cash register when he sees me walk in!

Thanks again for the information.

Rick

I just got my "big boy" (Y0101XC) and want to start off on the right path. With the recommendation to "season" the burners, are you suggesting to remove the burners and place them in an oven or do you just heat them on in the grill after oiling them? Appreciate all this great advice in this thread.

Greetings fellow grillers from the colder than normal northland (Minneapolis to be exact). I need help with a temperature question for my new $599 MM grill. While it has been colder than usual this spring, I think I have a problem and would appreciate some advice. With all the main burners on high and an outside temp in the 55 degree range my grill doesn't get much past 400 degrees after twenty minutes. In testing the three cooking zones it seems like the culprit is the left hand burner. I emailed B&C a couple weeks ago on how hot it should get but got no reply. Any thoughts on how to solve my problem? Thanks. bboe

I have read everything I can possibly find on this grill (Y0101XC) as well as the new Virco from Costco. It seems to be obvious to me, at least from what I have read, that the Member's Mark may not be quite as much grill as the new Virco, but feature for feature, dollar for dollar, it seems to be the best "value". I have just made up my mind after reading another forum here on Garden Web about the Virco from Virco owners. Many of them are asking "Where can I buy accesories?" "Where do I call for service?" "Does the company have a website?". Now I am not a rocket scientist, but, it seems to me that these people can't be idiots or they would not be able to buy an $800.00 grill to begin with. So I have to assume that they are intelligent enough to be able to find the answer to these types of questions in the literature that would have come with the Virco. Which leads me to believe that the company and/or customer service doesn't seem to be the equal of Grand Hall's. That alone has made my decision for me at least. The Virco does "look" more solid than the MM and the side burner does seem more rigid, but if the company does not provide an excellent level of customer service, and unless one needs to cook 50 pounds of ?? on the side burner, I can't see spending the extra $200.00 for the Virco, especially when Grand Hall provides the excellent customer service that I have been reading about here in this great forum. So, thanks again to all who have contributed to this forum and help me make my "educated" decision.

Regards,

bsbbq

PS: Am going Friday to get MM. Will keep everyone posted.

> I think I have a problem and would appreciate some advice. With all the main burners on high
> and an outside temp in the 55 degree range my grill doesn't get much past 400 degrees after twenty minutes

FWIW, I just tested my grill Saturday evening

With the propane tank almost empty and running all three main burners on high, the hood thermometor hit 550 degrees after about 18 minutes. I don't have a thermometer that measures the cooking grate temperature.

I opened the lid, oiled the middle grate, slapped a couple of tuna steaks on the grill, shut the lid and turned off the left and right burner. The hood thermometer had dropped to 450 degrees in the 60 seconds I had the lid opened. Temps remained at 450 degrees for the few minutes it took to cook the tuna steaks.

Regards,
Ladd

Saw Episode II. Would rather grill. I'm eager to use the rotisserie but (shhh! don't tell anyone!) I have no idea where to start. Anyone have good recipes to share, along with some idea of how long rotisserie cooking takes?

Also, I second the question about whether seasoning should be done in a regular oven or whether we can season the burners in place. Thanks for all the help and good advice.

I recently found water in the ignitor switch/battery holder. Has anyone sealed this thing or determined how the water is getting into it. It appears that the button cover is pretty tight.

Bill

Hello all, I have yet to actually grill anything on this grill yet, but I am very excited about it. I did light all the burners to ensure I was getting enough natural gas. Yes, I did the NG conversion straight out of the box. I actually bought the grill 9 months back with the explicit intentions of making an built in brick gas grill with it. I am currently halfway done with bricking and should be complete pretty soon. I'm very excited about how this will turn out, because Its starting to look very good. We are gonna tile the top. I will post picture very soon.

Somebody help me with the deflectors under the grill grid.
MM has ceramic and Virco has Stainless. Which better and why?

Also--body of MM is steel and Virco appears to be stainless. How much difference in the long run?

Virgo burners are stainless tubes--MM are cast iron. What's the long term difference.

Thanks to all you guys for providing this great resource

Great forum! I've read all the posts on the MM and I'm planning to get it today, but I ran across a post on a different forum about having trouble achieving a high enough temperature for steaks.

The writer said that even after following all the tips on this forum (replacing regulator, opening tank slowly, lighting farthest burners first), the grill would not go much over 400 (actual temp, not just from hood thermometer).

I don't cook steaks much, but when I do I'd like to actually grill them rather than bake them. Have any of you had this problem? What temperature can I expect on my new MM?

Thanks!

Sprinter,

F.Y.I....what I have done over the years with all types of grilles to ensure steaks are not "baked" as you say, is to grille them on high, or close to it, with the hood up through most of the cooking process (I usually close the hood for the first few munites to get the inside good and hot). That way the outside sears well before the inside gets too well done. We like ours medium. Cooked filets out the other night and they were great. Good luck.

Rick

Well, the Member's Mark grill brick built in project has just been kicked into high gear. My wife has just mandated that I complete the island by Monday (Memorial day) so that the family can have a BBQ get together. I am 70% done with the bricking and it is turning out much better than I could have hoped for. I will post pics this weekend. Last night, we grilled our first ever rib-eye steaks on the grill and they were GREAT. Athough I am not a grilling expert. I done think that I fully understand when the steak is seared. I let the grill heat up on high for about 10mins to 540degF, then opened the lid brush oil on the grates and slapped the steak on the grill. I did close the lid to try to keep the temp up because it seem to drop lot with the lid open. How long should you cook one side to know its seared before you flip it over. I found that I must have flipped the steaks 4 or 5 times. In the end, it turned out still good, but I felt I didn't do it right.

Waypoint,
I have used the method HarleyRdr describes above for years. For a true grilling of anything high heat is needed. Also, in my humble opinion, if you are grilling something as opposed to baking or roasting you do not need to warm up the grill for an extended amount of time. This wastes propane or NG. And us propane users know how valuable it is to reserve excessive use with these grills. Just turn burners on high and in 2 minutes start grilling. To get a good sear on meat cook one side for a few minutes and flip to other side for a few minutes. I have tried various methods for testing doneness but have yet to stick with a scientific method other than experience. One of these days I may purchase a thermometer fork to help with this. Also don't feel bad about flipping meat 4-5 times during process. I always do this to prevent burning because of high heat used to cook. Some will say this is not correct, but poooh. Good luck with brick job. Will look forward to pictures.
TA

Thanks for the info Tin Man. I took some pics tonight of my progress regarding the grill built in. Although its not finished. I think you can get a good idea of what it will look like. Notice that I built an opening in the rear so that I could pull our the drip trap. Also the original side panels are now built into the brick. You can also see the NG line and connection. I should finish bricking tomorrow and begin tiling the counter.

All,

Heat Output on Members Mark Grill:
I am on my second tank of LP this season (after 4 weeks). As the tank started depleting the heat output started dropping. When I went to have the tank refilled it was still a quarter full and I mentioned that the heat output was low (around 300 F) even with all burners on high. The propane guy (who appeared quite knowledgable) told me that if there is too much air in the LP tank that the ratio of propane to air in the tank would be low and heat output would be reduced. He then purged the tank of air as he was filling it up and noted that there was quite a bit of air in it.
When I got home I hooked it up and measured the temps. Sure enough after about 10 minutes I got temps of 500 (on the built in temp gauge) and using an oven thermometer on the grates it showed 550+.

If anyone is experiencing low heat output I suggest having the tank purged of air at your next fill-up. It made a huge difference in the heat.

Well guy's, I have had a reak busy grilling week this week. so far this week I have grilled eggplant for eggplant Parm, 2 whole chickens one greek style ( lemon oregno garlic and olive oil) the other injected with Emeril roasted Veggy marinade, rib steaks, pork chops and beef kebobs brushed with Jack Daniels smokehouse grilling sauce ( this stuff is great, rottiseried a leg of lamb ( first time using it best lamb I ever had) and some plain ole hambergers and hotdogs. This is by far the best grill I have ever had it works great!!!! I do notice that it sucks down some serious LP though. The only proble I have is getting the SS grates clean. I have tried all the suggestions in these post and even tried putting them in the Dishwasher with the Pot Scrubber cycle and they just wont come clean. I was thinking about using oven cleaner to get them clean and then ruuning them in the dishwasher again before using, anyone have any thoughts about this.

Ps also looking for several good ways to fix chuck roast that will make them tender

Happy grilling

LOU

Hello everyone,

Due to the comments from owners on this board, I too bought the Member's Mark grill from Sam's Club.

When we fired up the grill, I noticed one of the burner controls had been broken. I've been trying to call Customer Service for the last three days and all I get is a busy signal.

Any suggestions on when the best time to call might be? Do they have a website or email address which I could use to contact them?

I look forward to participating on the board. Having access to a forum with such informed consumers has really been a great help!

Thanks.

Neeker

Neeker

I have called them 3 or 4 times in the last 3 weeks and have gotten thru within 30 minutes every time. I always have caqlled around 1 or 2 pm

Lou

We just bought a MM grill. One of the doors was warped. Instead of spending time calling customer service, we ran back to Sam's with ONLY the door. They dug into a new box, gave us a new door, and we zoomed back home to finish putting the grill together. Neeker - just run the burner control back into your local Sam's.

Has anyone bought the optional accessories? I went all out and ordered everything I could get my hands on. Everything arrived from Grand Hall in a week.
The cast iron casserole is nice. But very, very heavy.

The warming rack is interesting. It is a tray of sorts. porcelain coated with holes. It fits into the hood. Because it is narrow, I can't imagine what I would do with it. Perhaps a few ears of corn side ways.
I kind of wanted a secondary cooking rack to move food to as it was done. Something more accessible.
Does anyone know where a stainless steel rack could be purchased? Perhaps I could fit it lower like some other grills.

hey pcbach...I also purchased the casserole, griddle, and warming rack. I use the casserole for pizza, peppers and onions (then I throw the sausage in later), and its great for home fries in the morning while using the griddle for the pancakes and eggs. I use the warming rack to hold the food already cooked (ie hot dogs, veggies, etc.) once things are done just put the items up there they stay very hot, and don't have the direct heat to dry out.

Neeker,

I've called them a couple times over the past year. Called first thing in the morning and got someone right away. You can also try their non-800 number (listed below).

Grand Hall USA, Inc.
11880 Shiloh Road
Dallas, TX 75228
Tele: (214) 349-1097 or (800) 770-9769
Fax: (214) 553-0090
Office Hours: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm CST

Grand Hall does have a web site (http://www.grandhall.com) and a general email address (general@grandhall.com), but I'm not sure what online support they offer. Their web site shows their own line of high-end grills (Grand Cafe) that they market through specialty stores.

Hope this helps.

Tim

I'm on my second tank of LP for my Members Mark in a month and I notice a distinct gas smell in the general area of the grill when not in use. I put some soapy water on the tank fill, valve, regulator and the like, but don't see any bubbles.

Anyone else had this problem or have recommendations on finding/repairing it?

GardenAround

We bought our MM grill last year. I've too noticed the same thing, a distint gas smell and we've gone through two tanks in just a few weeks. We checked it with soapy water and didn't see any bubbles. I'm interested in what others say.

I just got the smaller Sam's Club grill for $259.00 (model Y0656). In 40 years of grilling I've never seen as good a deal as this! Very well built for the money. Cooks quite good also. As a professional camp chef let me weigh in on the rusting cast iron burners. They rust, get over it. Cast iron will rust and they are made to do just that, It has no effect on the cooking going on upstairs. Once cast iron develops an oxidised coating (rust) it stops there. Remember the Titanic is cast iron as well as most buildings and bridges made around the turn of the century and they are still with us. The burners will not take seasoning becouse all that is, is burned in grease. Once those burners hit 600 degrees, which isn't much for a flame thrower, the seasoning burns off. Believe me, after seasoning over 300 dutch ovens, 35 of which I keep in around for the really big round-ups, I know cast iron. Good luck, and may you be eating dessert before the bees know you're cooking!

The areas you describe checking for leaks is fitting around the valves and connections. There is another place you can get a leak. It would be a leak through the valves. You can check these by putting a small amount of soapy water across the orfice.

FYI FWIW: A manometer is a great way to see if you have
a leak. On the MM, simply plug into the side burner orifice,
and turn that on - when you turn on the LP, you'll see
about 11" of water pressure (about 7" if you have NG).

Then turn off the propane (or NG shut off) ... the water
column height should NOT move ... if it slides back down,
then you *DO* have a leak somewhere.

While this won't tell you exactly where the leak is,
it will confirm if you actually have one and take the
guess work out of "do I smell something?"

Will cost you about 2 bucks to build a manometer - see:
http://www.komar.org/bbq/convert/mano.html

alek

Well I have seen alot of good things about the MM grill on here so I'm delighted that my husband won one for us! I would like to know if anyone has any good recipes for the rotisserie Thanks!

As many of you, I have been drooling over this grill for over a year. Your postings have confirmed my thoughts and I have already received financial approval. I will be getting this grill within the next 2 weeks.

The question I have, and also saw that someone else asked but have not seen a response, has anyone done a "permanent" or "semi-permanent" installation with an LP heated house?

My house is only a year old and is heated by LP. We have a 1000 gallon tank buried in the yard. All of the discussions of plumbing type and size encourage me to offer some detail as to our setup. There is a regulator on the side of the house that drops the pressure to 2 PSI. Inside there is a regulator attached to a manafold that provides individual taps for every appliance (2 furnaces, water heater, stove, dryer, and a dedicated run to the deck for a "future grill") All of this is done with a somewhat flexible 1/2" yellow (I guess vinyl) coated copper. That main regulator is supposed to be able to support all of the appliances and maintain the 14" of pressure. Outside is a stub of 1/2" black pipe to which I need to connect. My plan is a temporary connection (soft hose) upon purchase and a permanent one when I can build this unit in. I agree with the concerns of leaks and will obviously put a shut-off valve before any soft hose. I saw mention of a hose kit from HD for $35. This is listed as an NG hose but at roughly 1/2 PSI I assume it will work for LP? Any thoughts or input would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Lee

I don't think there would be a problem useing this hose as LP since it does not have a regulator on it. It should be fine. It is made by CharBroil and comes with a quick disconnect fitting on it. Good luck.
bsbbq

Since I posted my previous message yesterday morning.... I purchased, assembled and cooked on my MM grill. I already used the rotiserie. Great chicken! Anyway, as I assembled the grill following the instructions, I realized that by putting the rotiserie motor on the left you disable the side burner. When I used it I noticed that they even put a sticker on the motor stating the obvious that you can not use both. Has anyone figured out why they don't have you mount the motor on the right? I am sure it will work. I know the direction of the motor is not the issue because I learned tonight that the motor works in both directions. (I stopped it several times to tie legs better, when I restarted it, it would start in whichever direction the slightly off balance chicken was pulling!) Any thoughts?

Lee

We mounted out rotisserie on the right, but you still cannot use the side burner, as the handle is across the side burner now.

See, I knew I was missing something. Thanks. I won't wast me time switching it!

Lee

I tried to mount the rotisserie motor on the right but the bushing for the shaft that goes on the opposite side of the moter would not fit in the slot of the grill casting. If one could get it to fit, one could remove the handle.

Greetings:

I've lurked around for several months and have had my MMbbQ for about 8 months now. Wonderful.

I'm writing to share a cleaning tip. I looked at my grill the other day and decided to do a thorough cleaning. The outside on the top had lots small spots where grease particles and dust had burned onto the stainless steel. Also I had earlier found that when I scrubbed a couple of spots where tree sap had stuck, I left marks on the stainless. Solution: I happened to have a flat nylon scrubbing pad with a handle and a plastic back. The scrubbing material is pretty heavy duty. I sprayed the back of the top with WD-40 and then carefully, where no one would see it, scrubbed in the direction of the grain (across) with the pad. Voila! It came clean and looked beautiful. Then I did the entire top and it looks better than new. Even the earlier marks I had made were eliminated. I was surprised that it didn't mark the stainless and pleased with how it looked.

For the inside grills, I soaked them in water and soap and used the same pad for scrubbing them. It did not get them clean so I resorted to a stainless steel scrub pad. (I know, the advise is not to use these but it was the only thing that worked.) They came sparkling clean. I oiled them with vegetable oil and put them back on. In the meantime I cleaned the ceramic flame blockers and looked at the burners. No real rust problems at all. But then I live in a dry climate in Tucson, with a normal of 15% humidity.

Hope this helps pay back all the superb advise I've received here.