Reddit mentions of Weber 46110001 Spirit E-210 Gas Grill | Liquid Propane, 2-Burner | Black

Weber Grills are awesome. Their gas grills may not have as many features compared to a cheaper charbroil but their quality is much better. Check these two out.

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-46110001-Spirit-Liquid-Propane/dp/B0098HR0PY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398395938&sr=8-1&keywords=weber+spirit

http://www.amazon.com/Weber-Genesis-6511001-637-Square-Inch-Liquid-Propane/dp/B0045UBB36/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1398396080&sr=8-2&keywords=weber+genesis

Heart says propane, budget says charcoal.

Gas Grill It's a bit over the top of your budget, but the difference between this and what you get in the $250-300 range is significant.

Charcoal Grill This hits the sweet spot in your budget, and is one of the most versatile grills on the planet. (Definitely the best bang for your buck without building one yourself)

This has an ash cleanout system built in so it makes cleanup easier. And in regards to the instant on thing you can get similar results to the startup time of a gas grill using a charcoal chimney. To use the chimney simply add coals to the top of it, place some paper, or a fire starter cube, or both under the cylinder, light and wait 10-12 minutes, then dump the coals into the grill and spread with metal tongs/spatula/stick/etc.

I use phone book pages. They're free, and I have the internet.

You need a BBQ. I recommend a regular charcoal Weber or a gas Weber for outside. I also recommend some decent knives to start out with.

Somebody here might know more but with all the gas grills I'm familiar with, you're really not going to get anything worth having for that kind of money, outside of portable camping grills.

Most grills you see in big box stores like Lowe's are made out of crappy painted low-grade steel that will rust to all hell in a few years and not really work that well during the time it does work. You certainly could get one for cheap and just accept that even covered it won't last that long, and it'll work ok for the time it lasts, but I'd have no idea what to recommend because there's so many of those chintzy McGrills out there and they're all kinda the same.

If you're looking for just a good, solid, dependable starter grill and don't need a whole ton of cooking space, I'd recommend the Weber spirit e-210, it's way over your budget but it will last as long as you want to keep it. Growing up my dad had an MPH (similar quality and price to Webers) that was finally retired after 20 years of constant use being stored outside during the wet ass fall/winters of northern PA, and after switching out the burners it went to my brother's apartment where it still works like the day it rolled out of the factory. So think of it this way, the bigger investment now will give you a better grilling experience and last much, much longer.

Also you can poke around on Craigslist and see if you can find an older Weber in your price range

Other things you might need to know:

1.) don't use a wire brush, the bristles can break off and get in your food. Instead, wad up some aluminum foil and use your tongs to scrub down the grates with it

2.) if you get the e-210 or anything else with cast iron grates instead of aluminum, make sure you rub the grates down with cooking oil before and after each time you use it to prevent corrosion. My dad has a Weber Genesis E-330 and just keeps a rag rolled up and tied with rubber bands under the grill, grab it in your tongs, load it up with a bit of oil and wipe down the grates, it's just like seasoning a cast iron skillet.

EDIT: forgot about the Weber Q. It's small but fits your budget and is still really solid quality