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(More customer reviews)My wife and I wanted a new grill for tailgating at Miami Dolphins games this year. I am somewhat of a home gourmet and I am extremely particular of my cooking accouterments. After reading countless reviews on many different sites we narrowed it down to the Weber Q and the Coleman Roadtrip LXE. We went to Outdoor World here in Fort Lauderdale and actually looked at both as they had floor models available. We chose the Roadtrip based on it's modular ease of set-up and take down (I've never seen anything easier), the high 20,000 BTU output and the dual burner set-up, none of which the Weber Q had unless you purchased the top of the line Weber which was more than double the price in order to get dual burners and the higher BTU's. The Weber Q stand seemed much flimsier also.
After deciding on this grill we ordered it from Amazon for $159.00 and we chose the free shipping as we were not in any hurry since football season pre-games don' start until August. Amazon had the lowest price we could find. We were surprised to see this grill show up on our door step just 4 days later when the free shipping option told us it would take almost 2 weeks.
I opened the box and set it up immediately and I was pleasantly surprised that it came out of the box nearly complete. Just put the wheels on, attach the handle and the regulator and you're good to go. About 15 minutes in all as compared to hours I have spent assemblying other new grills.
Next came the cook test and the clean up test. After reading other reviewers saying that they lined the inside with foil for easier cleanup, I thought this was a good idea and did the same. I laid foil across the entire insides and with a steak knife cut around the 2 burners and a hole so any drippings could fall into the drip pan. I have read that the instructions for some of these roadtrip grills say to place water in the bottom for easier clean-up. NOT this model. The instructions say nothing of the sort. From reading many reviews, I summize that is on the standard Roadtrip model Model No. 9941-768 not this LXE model so the foil is a good idea.
I chose a beautiful 28 day aged NY Stip steak and my wife a 2 1/2" barrel cut filet. I preheated the grill for 5 minutes with the lid open on medium, wiped one side of the grill with vegetable oil and the other side with Pam for grilling(handles higher heats). I wanted to see right from the beginning which worked better on these porcelain coated cast iron grills. I can tell you I saw absoultely no difference between the two and will continue to use the Pam.
This grill gets HOT! I have to say that I was concerned about the fact that these grill surfaces do have the center area as solid cast iron(no open grill) so no flame gets through over the top of the burners. My concern was no flame hitting the meat = less flavor. The purpose for this is so that grease does not fall directly onto the 2 burners themselves. Let me clarify, there is open grill area...just not directly over the burners. I can report that this concern turned out to be competely unfounded. I rubbed the steaks with olive oil and salt & peppered them and placed each one directly over each burner on the unopened flame area. From the very first second I knew that the searing was going to be awesome and it was. It sizzled like nothing I have ever heard before except on commercial kitchen grills. The grill marks were perfect, the taste and flavor was perfect. I can't say enough about this grill. So far I love it but what about clean up.
The grills cooled down very quickly. I soaked the two porcelain coated cast iron grills in soapy hot water in my kitchen sink over night, as they fit no problem. I honestly don't think I needed to because I ran my finger accoss to see how "baked" on the residue was. It semed to come off pretty easily but I was full on a 16 oz NY strip and several glasses of Cabernet so they could wait until morning. The next morning the grills cleaned up so easily with a soapy wet sponge and I removed the foil lining and wiped the whole inside down with a soapy wet sponge and wiped it out with a dry towel. There was no difference in ease of clean up between the vegetable oil side or the Pam side. Both were easy. The porcelain coated cast iron grills do not need "seasoning" as un-coated cast iron grills do and if something does get baked on you can use a brass grill brush to clean them. Just make sure the brush is brass. It's softer and won't damage the procelain coating.
Folks, forget about any of the horror stories you hear about this grill...it's awesome. It gets so hot you don't need to close the lid so don't let that be a deterrent unlesss you smoke your food. The only reason I give this grill a 4 and not a 5 is because of the fact you can't cook with the lid closed. Although I said don't let it be a deterrent, it would be nice to smoke food. Also worth noting is that this new version comes with two grill surfaces. The older version came with one grill and one griddle and you were forced to buy an additional grill surface. Also with this new version the grill does NOT come off of the stand to be placed on a table top and the lid does not come off. I have read the opposite from other reviewers. Perhaps those things were true with older models. I know this was a long review, but these were all things I was concerned about and that I read conflicting stories on. I hope my review is helpful to you!
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Coleman 9949-750 Road Trip Grill LXE, RedIt's even easier to transport, and quicker and easier to set up at a tailgate party, campsite or any other location where fun, food and friends get together. Like the original RoadTrip Grill, the LXE features authentic open flame grilling, two powerful burners that are fully adjustable, electronic ignition and uncommon cooking versatility thanks to mix-and-match cooking surface options. However, a cleverly designed new stand distinguishes the LXE model from its predecessor. The X-shaped chassis is wheeled for easy maneuvering in both the upright and collapsed-for-transport positions. It sets up quickly and provides excellent stability for cooking, thanks to the simplicity of the scissor-like leg and frame design. Two side tables integrated into the unit slide out for grilling and cooking duties, then retract under the unit in a moment's motion for travel and storage. Because the grill is affixed to the stand and the lid features a locking mechanism, the unit is secure and steady while towing it to and from a vehicle using a convenient pull handle. The Coleman Roadtrip Grill LXE is designed to be used completely assembled. If table top use is desired - simply hand remove the 4 plastic cap screws and start cooking! The Roadtrip Grill LXE is easy to assemble - Push on wheels and insert plastic handle and it is ready to use! New tool holders and stainless steel carry handles added for convenience. The LXE fits into most auto trunks/SUV's.
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