Yet another grill recommendation thread...

[Scoobiebug]

I'll just spit it out... I'm seriously thinking about buying a Hasty-Bake Hastings 290C (grill and cart).

Need the cart and need it all stainless, as it is parked under a covered patio open on all sides and will be exposed to the elements.

Love to grill, although most of the time it's just a couple of ribeyes on my PK 360. We buy a lot of CAB 60 day ages loins and cook steaks pretty much weekly. I also grill ribs and/or pork chops, and other stuff pretty much weekly (1-3 nights per week grilling). However, I don't like how the PK functions overall, or the cleaning process. I also don't like it for cooking wings, ribs, chicken, sausage, etc. I can't control the fire height and I just don't like it, other than for steaks and chops. I don't smoke that much, but I have a real wood brick firepit for that, and a Pit Barrel Smoker that does a fine job if I do want to smoke anything... but I don't do that much of it.

I want something that has a good travel distance for the firebox up and down to the grill grates. I like the fire really close for cooking the steaks and chops, but farther away for other meats. About once a month I cook several slabs of ribs, a bunch of sausage, and half butts for my mom, sister, and for me and the wife. So I need something larger and something that has more control. I don't mind that it might be a little larger than I need... if it does what I need.

I want something that loads and cleans from the front, not the sides because I have things in the way on the sides. I also like the storage box at the bottom of the cart for my charcoal. Right now I keep it in a plastic tub and I'd like to get rid of it.

I looked at the Blaze 32, which has cart storage and is all stainless, but the firebox doesn't look like it travels more than about 6 inches, and I don't like the venting system it uses. Also not crazy about the firebox design. I like the depth of the firebox on the Hastings much better.

The Hasty-Bake Fiesta would be okay, probably more the right size, but I don't see that it comes with a cart. I think I might like the idea of having the two fireboxes on the Hastings, but if the Fiesta had a cart, I'd probably opt to save a few bucks and get it. I can see maybe using the same cart as is used for the Hastings, although I'd have 12 inches to spare, which I suppose could be used to sit stuff occasionally. That might actually be a worthwhile consideration.

The Hastings just seems like it has about everything I could ask for and then some.

The Hastings is expensive no doubt. I'm trying to justify it. I don't know why, but I am... maybe my conscience.

Am I missing anything else I should be considering?

Thanks!

 

[Moose]

I would suggest taking a close look at the MGrills B2 and M1:


https://mgrills.com/collections/our-grills/products/b2


https://mgrills.com/collections/our-grills/products/2019-m1

 

[rwalters]

Agree, having cooked on both HB and M Grills, I’d hands down choose the M Grills. Way better build quality. Way better air flow/control. Much tighter temp control.

Having said that, I’d still choose the 26.75” Weber kettle or Weber Summit Charcoal Grill over both the above. I have had a good number of charcoal grills and smokers go through my backyard over the years, and to date the 26.75 has been my favorite. Doesn’t have the adjustable grate, but has amazing 2 zone cooking. Sucker is simple, versatile, easy, bullet proof and just flat out cooks.

Just my 2 cents

 

[Cookb4]

I have a PK360 and love it, but I agree the grill is not perfect. You have clearly thought out want you want and the Hasty Bake checks all the boxes. I say go for it and don’t look back. You can go crazy looking at different grills and trying to make a decision.

 

[Moose]

I have a PK360 and love it, but I agree the grill is not perfect. You have clearly thought out want you want and the Hasty Bake checks all the boxes. I say go for it and don’t look back. You can go crazy looking at different grills and trying to make a decision.

I don't think the OP has gone crazy(at least not yet :becky, he's just asking if there's other options that he might not be aware of. I've solicited feedback here on various topics over the years, and getting additional perspectives opened up opportunities and choices I wasn't even aware of, which were invaluable. One of the many great things about this community!

 

[Scoobiebug]

I did look fairly close at the M Grills. One fellow was not happy about the paint peeling in less than a year he had owned his. The all stainless jumps to $8,000... might be a bit much for me to justify.

I'd lose the storage but gain a smoker which I don't need.

I'd lose the ability to front-load the charcoal and have to lift grates to add it, on top of it being a very shallow firebox/pan vs the Hastings.

I'd lose the dual firebox control, which may or may not be useful. Perhaps from time to time when I'm cooking different meats and need fire closer/farther on one more than the other.

It has no drip tray, although I'm not sure how well the Hasty-Bake drip system works. I can see that drip container filling up often. I had a drop bucket for one of the Holland grills I had years ago and that thing got full quick.

I'm not sure I need that much more control over the temps, unless I was smoking, which is not what I'm looking for. My Pit Barrel smoker is extremely simple for smoking.

On the positive side, it is built like a tank, it has a deeper ash pan for less often emptying, although heavier each time also. Probably take longer to clean due to the drippings caking up the ash in the ash pan.

The biggest advantage would be price... somewhere between $2,000 and $2,500 less depending on where I might get the best deal on the Hasty-Bake. The lowest I remember seeing it was around $5,200. It doesn't appear the M1 is discounted anywhere.

I guess I'd have to decide if it's worth $2,000+ to get those few features I really want.

 

[70monte]

While I don't have a Hastings, I do have a Hasty Bake 357 Pro and Legacy 131. I also own a painted M1.

I'm not sure what the charcoal grate travel is on the Hastings but on both of my HB's it's about 14". The M1 only has about 7" of travel.

The Hasty bake drip system works pretty well since it has angled cooking grates. You do have to keep the V channel clean for it to work correctly. I rarely use it on either of mine. I keep my ash pans on both HB's lined with foil so if I get too many drippings, after the grill cools down, I just roll up the foil and throw it away.

The M1 as well as all of their bigger grills are made heavy duty with 10 gauge steel vs the 18 gauge of the HB. The painted finish on my M1 has not held up well and I have had to re-paint part of it but it's a 2019 version and supposedly the finish is more durable now. I wish I would have bought the stainless steel version back when it was $3,800 but I got mine used but never cooked on for a good price so I went with the painted version. The SS M1 is now listed for $8,000 and not even available for purchase right now.

For smoking which you said is not that important, the M1 is way easier to control temps on compared to most of HB's lineup though my 357 is pretty much on par with it since it has slider vents and gaskets on the door and lid. From what I've read on the HB Facebook group, the Hastings leaks a lot of air so it doesn't take very many lit coals to get it hot and it's not as easy to control temps.

If you are on Facebook, I would join the Hasty Bake Grill community group as several of those guys own the Hastings and Nick Parsons who works for HB has done a lot of cooks on the Hastings which he has posted on Youtube on the Hasty Bake channel. I believe he also owns one.

Hasty Bake just had a price increase April 1st and the Hastings with cart is now right at $6,000. Hasty bake has great customer support and is very active in the FB group. The customer support from M Grills is also pretty good but you pretty much have to call them because it usually takes several days for them to respond to email or FB messenger.

I would also recommend looking at Lone Star Grillz's 24x48 adjustable grill and smoker. It has two adjustable charcoal grates like the Hastings does but only the lid is stainless steel. It's about $3,600 with wheels and there are some options that you can add to it.
https://lonestargrillz.com/collecti...justable-charcoal-grill?variant=8158634147944

 

[Happy Hapgood]

I don't think the OP has gone crazy(at least not yet :becky, he's just asking if there's other options that he might not be aware of. I've solicited feedback here on various topics over the years, and getting additional perspectives opened up opportunities and choices I wasn't even aware of, which were invaluable. One of the many great things about this community!

Agree 100%. IF I lived anywhere in BAMA (you know the one with the bad football teams) I'd be talking with Paul Shirley of Shirley Fab down Tuscaloosa way. OP, you asked for Best option. It's right in your own back yard! :thumb:
Good Luck!

 

[Scoobiebug]

Thanks... I'll checkout the FB page and group.

I might give Shirley Fab a call too.

Roll Tide!

 

[Fooball]

Yoder makes a 24x48 flat top grill with adjustable charcoal grate for around $2600.

https://www.yodersmokers.com/grills/

Lead time from any fabricator needs to be considered if you're in a hurry.

If you go with a fabricator and need something to hold you over until it's built, the Oklahoma Joe Judge is an adjustable grill for $529 at Lowes or Home Depot. Just sell it when you get your good one.

Maybe try a Santa Maria.....very adjustable.

 

[charcoalwilly]

Some great suggestions above. I am a Meadow Creek fan and have the BBQ42, but that is pretty large. They have smaller version here in stainless. You can get very creative on it because of the depth.

https://www.meadowcreekbbq.com/catalog/chicken-cookers/bbq26s-flipping-grate-grill/

Also, take look at Assassin grills

 

[Bigskysmoker]

Might be worth looking into Holstein manufacturing. They specialize in all SS and have charcoal options with adjustable baskets. Reasonably priced as well. I have been around the propane grills and they are a quality build.

https://www.holsteinmfg.com/

 

[Huskres]

I’ve cooked on the weber summit charcoal grill as suggested above. It’s not remotely close to a hasty bake. It sounds like an all stainless gourmet would suit you. The Hastings is huge and I doubt you would ever need to use both fireboxes. You can fit a dozen racks of ribs on a gourmet.

I’ve had a Rectec 680, blazn, Memphis, pitts and spitts, weber gasser, kettle and summit charcoal. 3 different big green eggs and a sams club knock off. I will never get rid of the hasty bake. Most versatile grill out there.

 

[Dweverett]

The only other option I can think of that you might want to look at is AZ BBQ Outfitters. They have the Scottsdale that’s a Santa Maria style but with a lid and the Boothill that’s a little closer to the design you’re considering. I know they offer the former in all stainless. My guess is they’d do the Boothill that way too. As with everything right now, the stainless versions aren’t cheap.

https://www.azbbqgrills.com/page-13/

 

[Scoobiebug]

Yoder makes a 24x48 flat top grill with adjustable charcoal grate for around $2600.

https://www.yodersmokers.com/grills/

Lead time from any fabricator needs to be considered if you're in a hurry.

If you go with a fabricator and need something to hold you over until it's built, the Oklahoma Joe Judge is an adjustable grill for $529 at Lowes or Home Depot. Just sell it when you get your good one.

Maybe try a Santa Maria.....very adjustable.

I've looked at the Yoders, but still thinking I'd be better off with all stainless due to exposure it will have.

I’ve cooked on the weber summit charcoal grill as suggested above. It’s not remotely close to a hasty bake. It sounds like an all stainless gourmet would suit you. The Hastings is huge and I doubt you would ever need to use both fireboxes. You can fit a dozen racks of ribs on a gourmet.

I’ve had a Rectec 680, blazn, Memphis, pitts and spitts, weber gasser, kettle and summit charcoal. 3 different big green eggs and a sams club knock off. I will never get rid of the hasty bake. Most versatile grill out there.

That is quite the list indeed. LGE was the worst grill I think I've ever owned, no offense to anyone that owns it... just wasn't for me.

I see 19" deep x 42" wide on the Hastings. That is indeed very large. The only issue with the gourmet is the side loading/cleaning, etc... where I need to place it, I'd have to be rolling it out to clean it, which I prefer to sit it and forget it. I really want the front-loading capabilities... so much more convenient for my setup.

The Fiesta 271 built-in might be the better answer... smaller and less money. I'd loose the side racks and the dual firebox. I could probably buy those separately and add them. Then just buy the cart they offered for the Hastings... or have something fabricated specifically for it.

 

[Scoobiebug]

I think I have decided to go with either the built-in Hastings or built-in Fiesta. The more I think about it, the more I struggle paying $1400 for the cabinet. That's a lot for no more than what it is. Yes, I want storage, but I can build something (or have it built) that will be nicer than the cabinet. At least I think I can.

So really the decision is going to come down to which unit... and the Fiesta seems to give me everything the Hastings does except dual fireboxes and the larger area. Not sure if I like the glass on the Fiesta... something hard to keep clean.

What makes the Hastings worth $1600 more? I don't think I can see it really. I don't think I'll ever need the space for cooking.

 

[rwalters]

Nice! Look forward to seeing and hearing more!! As far as the glass panel, I don’t even see that as an option on the Fiesta. Am I missing something? I know when I had my Gourmet 256, there was an option to replace the glass panel with a solid panel… which I was glad I did. Without regular cleaning, the glass quickly becomes jet black. Never have understood why some grill manufacturers give you peek-a-boo window… lol.

 

[Scoobiebug]

Nice! Look forward to seeing and hearing more!! As far as the glass panel, I don’t even see that as an option on the Fiesta. Am I missing something? I know when I had my Gourmet 256, there was an option to replace the glass panel with a solid panel… which I was glad I did. Without regular cleaning, the glass quickly becomes jet black. Never have understood why some grill manufacturers give you peek-a-boo window… lol.

I believe you are right... the new 271 does not come with a window. That was the older 270 model the BBQ Guys was showing on their website that I saw which threw me off a bit.

 

[Scoobiebug]

Got the Fiesta 271... been cooking on it for a few weeks now... probably 7-8 cooks. Having a hard time finding someone to do the brickwork for us, but still looking.

 

[MustGoFast]

Very cool! Good looking grill.