DH uses the grill on the back deck year-round. He is not very good about cleaning it. I don't use it so it doesn't bother me (I'm terrified of firing the thing up myself -- I have an irrational fear that it is going to blow up on me when I try to light it). He also deep fries on a tabletop fryer set up in the garage come rain, sleet, snow, wind, hail, anything -- he loves that thing, but it's another item I don't use.

We grill year round here in SoCal several times a week. ”We” being DH who’s the grill master. He’s pretty good about keeping the cleaning part in check. We have both Weber gas and charcoal grills, and he much prefers charcoal. For that reason the gas grill stays pretty clean.

I have a couple of little red charcoal barbecues. One looks a little like a cousin of Sputnik, but is better yard art than cooking device, though it does have a battery op rotisserie. The other is about the size of a carry-on suitcase, though horizontal, and has a cover with an operable vent. It lives indoors, so it just needs dusting, but keeping it ready to use is an indoor thing, so it only goes out to do its thing. It works really well as a smoker. Little things are fine, though I got a stove-top smoking pot for my birthday which might be better, and can go in the dishwasher.

In the for reals department, I did one full sized smoking project. I think it was a duck. I remember the work better than the meal. The little barbecue did a realy good job, but it was a disgusting mess after. Not unexpected, but we finally figured out that it could be semi-pressure washed right over the exposed part of the French drain, which then could be flushed (it goes to city sewer and then to water treatment). I don't think I'm going there again. Smoking really isn't good for you and it's not good for the environment, so a few wood chips in the smoking pot (I have an overpowered vent hood) with a cheese or orange is going to be my limit. But the portable barbecue is excellent as a grill, and is otherwise pretty easy to clean.

I only cook outdoors with charcoal and try to use my grill and smoker all year long. As far as cleaning goes...the Weber grill gets cleaned every third time I use it. The Backwoods Smoker gets cleaned every time it's used.

I don't cook outside at all, other than an occasional pizza in the Ninja oven in the garage. It's 17F right now, but it'll be in the 40s next week, so maybe I should get that pork belly out of the freezer that I bought at Costco. If I cure it, Elery would probaby smoke it.

Elery is pretty good about cleaning his Z grill and smoker after he uses them, so I'm pretty sure they are ready to go, just waiting for the weather to improve.

Annie

I have a tiny bbq that is good for cooking for 2 and it all comes apart and goes in the dishwasher. We have a bigger one that gets such rare use.... I think we lend it to the neighbours more than we use it ourselves so it's probably in a bad state LOL. One neighbour made a fantastic brazero and he can cook a lot of food. We go and eat there LOL.

https://www.amazon.fr/CLOPAE-Barbecue-Portable-Domestique-Amovible/dp/B0D1K3WH61?__mk_fr_FR=%C3%85M%C3%85%C5%BD%C3%95%C3%91&crid=YD9QQDEA6W7V&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.BJdBBqK1gWkmHlIi66KqAccJ86nFTZ6V3QpwNxbqOV-RDZOXI5cjpDwZ_DYiSVmkVE4ufquQXAu99pWYgD15dugnjeNRYirIs-h5upijY9XRzKX3-SGdqvas0GbjeL26aq9PULHqfRvzs5ZMorFgRr9FFhkp59zvRysjrvGkQMiiIzHC6aXHaYr0woS2dbvir4hUs3fwTWeDxXdkyMtiotL3tWGlZ6KRISbWdm1LDuFflkBkJC2rGyBjyso79ftt7HEBwbJKsVuvkPyaKOgz2thAfOC5Vt5VIUMbW37NB5FBZgGyuZTWk1DOApURud3gFVdRPluH6hlnP_9QAeVItErD_VoMPBUNeVPTQRNwe5Df-Sde9u08wAvljrmisVrqtQkNy2hPxtTFF_fZ-De29O-iFKpToRu87QXUnZM2Fc-ybgZVOF7lGKOui-EiFafd.V3BnQi9RuXAiwdAPS3tFqWxt882rhW6Ndi2qRS_GQfw&dib_tag=se&keywords=petit+bbq&qid=1740902025&sprefix=petit+b%2Caps%2C934&sr=8-11

Got rid of a gas grill. It was ugly and rusty, and never used. Last year got a standard round charcoal grill. I haven't bonded with that either. I have a grill pan that I use on my elecric stove top that is OK. I, like some others, tend to freak out at fire. I hope to form a better relationship with my round grill this year though.

IMO charcoal tastes better. Definitely smells better, if you disagree with my taste perception. The quintessential smell of summer to me is burgers and dogs grilled over a charcoal fire...the aroma perfumes the air for blocks and brings back wonderful childhood memories.

We grill all year around. Gas - and DH does keep it clean. It lives in the garage. This house is one story with what is easily a 6' overhang so rain, snow, it doesn't matter. Open the garage door and cook out of wet. He does occasionally back his truck up close to the garage as a wind block - it can be a little hard to time the temp of meats in a cold wind outdoors. He has a crab cooker too (also gas, I've used my biggest canner on it) and his own long rectangle of an electric skillet if frying razor clams. Tomorrow night, he's having some friends over for clams. I'll make a pot of beans for them and maybe something like a berry crisp. I did buy not make rolls today,

The gas grill he uses has a receptacle to catch melted fats if doing something like brisket or rib roast. He keeps that lined with foil, easy to remove and throw away without a greasy mess. When cooled from being used, the grill come right back inside the garage. He's beginning to campaign for a Blackstone while so far I've been indifferent to one.

We grill all year, but less during the heat of the summer. Weather this winter was in the 70s and 80s for most of January and February. We still cook outdoors in July and August, however, but have to limit the amount of time we spend outdoors.

Our favorite cooker is the Big Green Egg, which uses wood and charcoal and has a pizza stone, which we bought before we bought our Ooni pizza oven, which is our favorite thing to use most of the time, since we love pizza.

We now have an outdoor gas grill that is hooked up to our gas line, and so we do not have to buy propane for it. We also have an electric smoker, but we do not use that all that much - it seems to take too long, and I have trouble getting it started early enough in the day.

Our biggest weather problem (besides the summer heat) is sand storms, and we had one of those yesterday, but it is over now. However, it did cause the closure of a major street, due to sand dunes, but those have been cleared by now.

Although people here will occasionally try, it's far too cold to grill outdoors here in the winter, whether using gas or charcoal. It's usually too cold and windy to use the smoker in summer. lol! We used to try to do a cookout on NYEve, but gave up after so many fails. My outdoor grill is currently buried under 5 feet of heavily compressed snow. Resting. :)

I will grill on my gas Weber year-round if there is no snow on my deck.

I clean the gas Weber every 6 months or so when there is some build up under the burners. I clean the charcoal weber after each use.