Don't know if you have already made your decision, but I would actually describe the burners opposite of idrive65. Front to back to me describes the direction the burners run front to back with them left right and perhaps several in the center. That means that for indirect heat (slow cooking for ribs, brisket, whole poultry and large meats) you can use one or two burners on one end and cook on the opposite end, one on either end and cook in the center, use the center burner(s) and cook on wither side -- gives you options and full use of the front to back grill space. With side to side (not side by side) are burners going across from one side to the other where you have one front back and center. For indirect heat, your options are to use the back only or the front and back and cook in the center. You have the full width of the grill to cook, but less room front to back and the heat may be less indirect for whatever you are cooking. Webber has 3 different types of grates and different stores may carry one or two. Cast iron sears (may give a bit more char flavor) and retains heat well but rusts most easily (they suggest not cleaning after cooking so that the oils from cooking protect the grates until you preheat and burn them off when you cook the next time). Porcelain coated have protection from rusting, but some may feel they don't retain heat and sear as well as cast iron. We've used both and never had any complaint with the porcelain-- the rust factor probably makes it a better choice in our climate). Stainless is an option that comes standard on the higher end Summit grills or as an option or additional purchase for the Genesis. I've cooked on the other ones so long I wasn't sure about the stainless even though the rust proof definitely appealed in our humid climate. We were thinking about it when I realized the charcoal grills I've used all have stainless grates and the Summit ones were heavier and should do even better. So far, they've been working very well. I can cook happily with any of the grates, but the use of space -- having enough, being able to use it efficiently for large of small cooking needs and having it arranged well for what you want to cook would be what I would focus on. The burner direction matters most if you pile charcoal to one side and cook on the other. If you usually place evenly across the bottom, it may not matter to you at all. Have fun looking and hope you find one you enjoy.

I have cooked on all three and the TEK IR is the only gas grill that cooks as well as charcoal. It's advantages over charcoal are that it is quick to set up, easy to clean up and does an excellent job of creating the charcoal taste. As many here know, the flavor is created by the smoke from the fat striking the hot surface be it charcoal or something else. The higher the IR energy (from gas or charcoal) and the less the flame, the more smoke generated rather than being turned into additional flame. The TEK creates a great deal of smoke because the IR glass sits between the flame and the dripping grease. On older style IR burners there is still an open flame to ignite the grease drippings reducing the amount of smoke to add flavor. With charcoal, once the embers are glowing red, it is emitting a lot of IR and much less to no flame and hence produces a lot of smoke and flavor. I have owned the FireMagic and I would not purchase another. The burners are cast SS but they still do rust over time and the flavor grills wear out too. They are very hard to clean and the heat was not anywhere near as good as the advertisements. If you are the type that never clean a grill and don't mind a gritty looking grill it may not matter. I am the type that wants it to look clean and inviting each time and the self cleaning feature along with the dishwasher removal panels makes the TEK a breeze to clean and keep looking nice. For me that was worth a lot. The more conventional grills like the Firemagic, even with their ceramic infrared burner are not even a close match.

We went to a couple of barbeque places today and ending up buying the extra large Big Green Egg, and I think we will be very happy with it. Kevin thinks it will be great for parties, and now it will be even easier for us to cook for a crowd. Since we now have three charcoal grills, we can use separate grills for separate dishes which will make it easier for us to make multiple dishes at once, even if they require different temperatures. We also have the electric smoker, and I have to say that we get a more intense smoke flavor from that than we do from the charcoal - or at least it permeates the meat more. For smoking chilies, only the charcoal will do the job the way I want it. The BGE that we bought also has a pizza stone and can be used for grilling pizza - something that I've been wanting to do since first visiting the pizza making forum. We bought some outdoor lights for our pergola, and I think they will provide way more light than we required, but at least we can lower the wattage when we want to. I haven't bought anything for lighting the fountain yet because I want to have that installed by an electrician on an exterior wall of the house. I'm hoping to light much of the back yard that way and have it on a dimmer. I don't really want underwater lights in my fountain at this point but will talk with the electrician about that. I'm thinking that I will get my yard lit in stages and start off with getting some outdoor outlets installed at strategic points so that lights could be hooked up later. We went out for dinner this evening because I wanted sushi! We haven't assembled the Big Green Egg yet. Lars

Thanks, everyone. The price at Amazon and Walmart = $109.?? i spent a lot of time reading reviews for the Akorn Kamado Jr..Lots of reviews and most buyers were happy with it. I was thinking, since I already have a propane grill, that I might enjoy using the small Kamado-like (not ceramic, but enameled steel) grill for two things: 1. Baking artisan pizzas outside, especially in hot weather when we need to run the AC inside. 2. Smoking small things like Salmon fillets, turkey breast, fish, vegetables or chicken. We try not to eat fatty red meats like beef, brisket, steak, ribs ;-( However: I looked at reviews. Lots of people love it, and it is very affordable, BUT 1. It is not well-machined or assembled. 2. It does conserve charcoal and can get very hot - good for pizzas and searing. 3. Supposed to be a "smoker" too but you have to buy a $40 ceramic stone and even then, many argue that the heat source is too close to what you want to (slow) smoke. 4. Customer support doesn't look so good. *** Meanwhile, there is someone On CL giving away a free nice offset smoker. I don't want to/cannot eat a lot of smoked beef, pork and fatty chicken. But I do enjoy some amount of turkey, chicken and fish. older ad, so may be gone. Supposedly ONLINE there are How-Tos on how to tinker with and improve one of those Brinkmann like (red one in cellar) cold water smokers. (We have an unused one, see below.) We could keep the $110 red ceramic like cooker I just got for pizzas outdoors, especially on hot days. -- I already have a Char-Griller mini barrel charcoal grill. I mostly use this as a small fire pit, but sometimes cook over the coals. -- I also have a Webber Baby Q gas grill. Easy to use. -- In the garage I have an unused, Brinkmann style water smoker. Never used. Was going to sell or give away, but it's heavy gauge steel and I've heard that there are ways to tinker with them. Otherwise, the are leaky and run through fuel and in cold (New England) weather, you cannot really count on them to smoke anything for very long. They just cannot get and stay hot. -- Currently we make an artisan pizza ~ every 10 days and bake it in a kitchen oven for 7-8 minutes at 550 deg. F which gives good results. -- Someone gave me a couple of 20" long Jenn-air electric rotisserie units, but we don't yet have any stove or grill that the can work with. Maybe we can jury rig some way to sop port them and keep them covered? Anyone here use the Weber 18" or 22" kettle grill with either the smokerette set up or the rotisserie unfit? I'm wondering what rotisserie baking offers? Guess that's pretty much got to be fatty/critter skin as well? I love cooking, love eating, like cooking outside, and love good gadgets. Problem I sleeping these gadgets clean, storing them. I appreciate your ideas and feedback. Here is some info on the Akorn Kamado Jr. https://www.amazon.com/Char-Griller-Akorn-Kamado-Kooker-Charcoal/dp/B00EBWBFQQ/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8