Gas grill question
 

This is a serious matter gents...

I love to grill. I use my gas grill 3-4 times a week, day or night.
It is a lava rock gas grill, sold under various brand names:

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...06d1f921e0.jpg


The problem is, these things just rust and rot away in humid Istanbul weather. The magic is gone in a couple years...

So, in my infinite wisdom, I have cooked up an idea that should stand the test of time:

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...9aaab610a1.jpg

A concrete grill!

I will convert, modify and otherwise bastardize this beast to work with gas.

I was planning on using lava rocks, but everything I am reading these days says lava rocks are out now. Stone age.
Grill manufacturers are using 4-5 or even 6 burner setups with "flavor tents", or "Flav-R-Wave" deals which are essentially just metal shields that cover the flame.

Like this:

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.mia...fc15425b7c.jpg

Since I have never used this design personally, I have no idea about how a steak or lamb chops or fish or chicken or eggplants or whatever would turn out on this setup.

So, should I stick with lava rocks, or try my hand on the "flavor tent" design?
Am I way back in the stone age for still using a lava rock grill in 2024?

Please help!

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ycQgH-HOE5Q/maxresdefault.jpg
Easy fix

Having had both, I'd say the new design works as well as the lava rocks. The only downside is that because there are no rocks to absorb the grease, it just runs off onto the bottom, where it collects in a little tray. You have to remove it and clean it out before it gets rancid. You're going to need a removable tray, or the bottom of your oven will become a greasy mess.

Every spring I remove the burners, scrape everything down with a plastic putty knife and then reassemble and heat it up to burn off the rest.

Just make sure that your concrete grill uses Pizza Bricks or other concrete bricks that are good for high temps. Otherwise the concrete bricks will start to crack after a while. I built a small DIY pizza oven with just bricks from the local Lowes and got some cracking after about a summer of use.

The concrete is formulated for high heat and hi-temp adhesive is used for assembly as opposed to run of the mill mortar.

I was planning on a stainless drip tray anyway, so that should take care of the grease problem..

Then it sounds like this grill would work great for you.

I sort of want to get a gas grill, I am to lazy to use charcoal most of the time time. Well unless I am running my offset smoker. I picked up a Sous Vide a few years ago, that along with my cast iron pan can do anything I really want to do on a grill, but much easier overall.

Do you not have grills available there with cast iron tubs?

I bought what I thought were two good gas grills ("Stainless steel" panels), they each lasted about 3 years before visible deterioration and 5 years before needing to be replaced because the bottom rusted out.

Then I paid ~3x as much for a quality outdoor gas grill, and after ~10 years of sitting outside, I believe it could easily go another 10. No deterioration, no enamel peeling, no hardware rust, etc.

While there is certainly more to it, a cast iron tub is a good starting point for looking for a grill that will last more than a couple years.