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Jeremy’s Grillz

OUR 2nd HOUSE

Would you like your burger medium well with a side of rust?  because that’s what this grill is serving.

Delicious, huh?

Here’s the story.  Jeremy kept telling me that we needed a new grill.  I figured that he was just saying that because our current one was big pimpin’ with its goldish lid.  Yes…our stainless steel grill accidentally caught on fire once after we had cooked 70 pounds of chicken for a church function and we failed to clean the drip pan.  Doh.  Forehead smack.  It turned the lid gold and the house siding right behind it had a wonderfully classy grease smoke mark. (see photographic evidence here)   Thankfully the house is still standing.

His reasons were actually far from just cosmetic.  I didn’t understand.  And then I found flakes of rust embedded in my grilled seafood kabobs.  I don’t care what kinda pimp you are, don’t be messing with my skrimps, mmkay?!

So Jer did this for a while he researched grills.  Yes.  That is our very technical “rust blocker”…aka…aluminum foil.  with rust on it.

Well, it was high time that a new shiny jewel found it’s way into our life…and deck. 

The new grill is the Brinkmann Elite Dual Sear 4 Burner Propane Gas Grill from Home Depot.  It was highly ranked on Consumer Reports and for the price, it was a great choice.  So far, we love it.  We also loved our Kenmore grill…right until the grates and burners rusted up and the door fell off.  We only paid $169 for the Kenmore grill and for that price, lasting five years was more than we could have expected…especially since we are grill-people.  that’s like swamp-people but way more tasty.   

Jeremy was literally pumped.   And my grilled chicken was completely rust-free.

As for what we are gonna do with the old grill, I think after a couple conversations and a bit of research…we are planning to donate it.  I thought Jer would want to Craigslist it for twenty bucks or something but after we looked at the cost of new grates and new burners and fixing the door…well, it just seemed like we couldn’t even charge for this piece of poo.  We considered scrapping it…we have a local metal recycling center but we don’t have a truck to haul it…so we would probably break even in renting a truck with the money we would get for it. Plus it does still works great.  When we found out that we could deduct between $25 and $75 on our taxes if we gave it to a non-profit, well, that seemed like the best bet….especially since a local thrift store does free pick up!   

So that is our grill situation…and let’s all lift up a prayer so that we don’t burn the house down with this one 🙂

p.s. Some folks were concerned that we would be doing something unethical with donating…let me reassure you that our local thrift store does have the right to refuse any donation and they determine the deduction value (they give us a little slip of paper when you donate)…so it’s not like us just saying “oh yes, definitely, this sucker is worth $75 off our taxes.” Do we anticipate them refusing this working grill?! No. We live in the land of rednecks…they probably have spare grates in the back of their truck…right under the shotgun.

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Comments

  1. What a great upgrade. Just in time for July 4th too!

    I encourage you to reconsider donating, though. Donations are for gently used goods that you are passing on because they don’t fit your life anymore for some reason. Donating something that you’ve decided isn’t fit for use anymore just passes the headache of disposing the item on to a not for profit. There are some not for profits that accept donations for their scrap metal potential. That might be the right outlet for this puppy.

  2. Nice! Are you a member of your local Freecycle(yahoo group)? I posted my rusted-out grill on freecycle last year, not thinking anyone would take it. I had 15 takers within 2 minutes of posting it! They picked it up and I didn’t have to worry about taking it anywhere for donation or disposal!

  3. Can I ask why you would donate a grill this rusted and generally unsafe (rust flakes get on the food you cook on it)? My understanding is that you should only donate items in good, workable condition…this sounds like gaming the system. :-/

  4. Um, it would be unethical (illegal) to deduct more than you know your donated grill to be worth. Please don’t do that.

  5. I’ve always heard that ALL grill grates and burners rust out eventually…so it’s not something that is unusual or readily able to be replaced. We still have the warranty on the burners (which would hopefully transfer to any new owner) but the grates would cost anywhere between $50-$100…so for us, we would rather put that money toward a grill that has a larger surface area. The old grill still works…and we’ve seen a lot A LOT worse at our local thrift stores. Not trying to game the system or cause any harm!
    xo – kb

  6. Oh yes…the local thrift store has the right to refuse any donation. Since our town has a couple recycling centers, I’m sure they would drive it over there (we just don’t have a truck to do it ourselves!).
    xo – kb

  7. If the grill is acceptable to our local thrift store, they give us a little slip of paper that gives us the ‘fair deduction value’ so we fully intend to just deduct that amount and not determine it ourselves.
    xo – kb

  9. So I take it you won’t be continuing with “Golden on the 4th” with the grill? lol

  10. Way to go Katie for the donation–that’s exactly what I would do! While so many people would just sit it by the curb and let it go to the local dump and slowly but surely erode into our beautiful Mother Earth, I totally agree to take it to your local thrift shop. Not every person that shops at said thrift shops is unable to afford to upgrade it…many of them just like getting a deal!!!
    Enjoy your chops, chicken and burgers for a long, long time…I hope you have a very happy life together! 😉

  13. I agree with your donation. Just like you DIY so many things, there are lots of folks out there who like have spare parts for bikes, grills and so many other things. You are doing nothing illegal by taking the donation. Enjoy your new grill!! (This is the first time I’ve ever commented after a year of following…just thought you were getting a bad rap).

  14. Love the new grill Katie! Honestly, they have underwear at the thrift stores. It’s just a grill people.

  16. I agree with the last commenter — how nice to give someone else the opportunity to fix it up for way cheaper than they could get a brand new grill! But there are a lot of people concerned that you are trying to pull a fast one by donating!!! Hilarious! You can’t win sometimes, huh?!

  17. Yikes! Why would you DONATE a grill that was getting rust flakes, etc. on food?! If you wanted to get the “free ride” to the donation center offered by Goodwill, why not just give it away on Craigslist?!

  18. By law, nonprofit orgs are not allowed to provide donors with a dollar value of a gift. The donor is responsible for declaring their own value (you can refer to IRS pub. #561 to help you determine value). The thrift store/organization should provide you a receipt that gives a description of the item only and not a dollar value.

    I work in nonprofit fundraising so I am familiar with IRS regulations for charitable donations… I hate to see nonprofits that don’t understand charitable donation laws.

    As for donating such as used grill… you are right if they thought it was too old they wouldn’t take it. There are plenty of people that like to fix up old things and might like your old grill.

  21. people are so funny! Donate that bad boy…. where I am from you put a gem like that at the end of the driveway and it doesn’t last long 😉

    Grill on Bowers, Grill on.

  22. yay for recycling! we did something similar with a piano and bicylces. took a little digging, but we found a non-profit that restores and provides pianos for kids and a local bike shop that teaches kids to restore old bikes and then the kids get to keep them. just goes to show that one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!

  23. The deduction you can take is a deduction in your taxable income, not a deduction off the amount of taxes you owe. For example, if you are in the 25% tax bracket, a $75 deduction is worth 25% of $75, or $18.25.

  26. Man, people that are jumping all over you for something as silly as donating a fully functional grill that just needs a little DIY love, they’ve got them selves up on a pretty high horse! ha! I would gladly buy that at a thrift shop and just replace the grills. As you said, that’s a heck of a lot cheaper than buying a new one. 🙂 Love your blog, keep doin’ what you’re doin’.

  27. Oh Katie! I’m seriously amazed at the assumptions people make about your nature AND your ability to fend off those sometimes rude comments with humor and grace. Seriously, I know DIY is your thing but have you considered writing a survival book for navigating social graces? I would buy it. Then I would but extras and “gift” them to repeat offenders.

  28. Katie, we have that Brinkmann and we LOVE it! I think you and Jeremy will be very happy with your purchase.

    Folks don’t understand that our town has folks that would set up an old piece of chain link fence over an open fire to grill – the old grill will be a great upgrade for them.

    Enjoy your 4th!

  29. I spoke too soon – we have a Brinkmann, but it also has an integrated smoker! I showed the above picture to my husband and said, “that’s our grill, isn’t it?” And he said, “yes, but ours has the smoker.” I shouldn’t talk about our outdoor cooking apparatus without consulting with the grill master!

  30. Jeremy considered that one with the smoker…I talked him down. I think he was eager to try it because our friends have one that is their ‘baby’ and they spend HOURS and HOURS smoking meats, fish and chicken. Jeremy gets frustrated with the time it takes to microwave stuff so I convinced him that a smoker was not gonna be his friend 🙂
    xo – kb

  32. I know its a little late on the old one, but if the same thing happens to the new grill here’s how to clean it up to look (and function) new again:

    All stainless steel will take on a golden hue when exposed to high temperatures; it’s the same reason a stainless steel pan will look a little golden after a while. This discoloration is on the surface only, and can be cleaned off using some “Barkeeper’s Friend.” The powder form of Barkeepers’ Friend looks like a tin of Comet or Ajax and can be found at Wal-Mart, Home Depot etc in the cleaning aisle (usually bottom shelf). You can also use it to clean stainless steel cookware or the outside of anodized nonstick cookware. The cleaner is slightly abrasive, so make a paste with a little water and wipe in the direction that the stainless was brushed. The lid will look new in no time!

    For the grates, use some steel wool (and more Barkeeper’s if you need it) with a little water to clean off the surface rust. Next, season the grates with vegetable oil or lard like you would for a cast iron pan. You may need to repeat the seasoning process, but it should come out looking new.

  33. OH MY GOSH you are donating a grill to a thrift store AND you are screwing the IRS!!! JUST KIDDING! Had to chime in with the other commenters.

    We gave our old grill away to Goodwill. They took it. I forgot to get the donation paper so I just didn’t care, it was out of my backyard and out of my life. The parts for the new grill would have cost about $200 so I just bought a new one.

    I love grilling…my new favorite thing to grill right now is pork and pineapple kabobs. The sauce is SO GOOD!!

    http://www.kraftrecipes.com/recipes/pork-pineapple-kabobs-118234.aspx

  34. We still have it! I will show Jer and see if maybe we could clean it up and just give it to our church instead! Thanks Jason!
    xo – kb

  35. We haven’t used the smoker portion – Dwight thinks it won’t maintain enough consistent heat because of the way it is vented. SO, we also bought a much less expensive smoker. We start our smoker early morning and monitor the temp, adding briquettes and water as needed. It can be a pain, for sure, but pork shoulder is soooo yummy off that smoker!

    Anyway, HAPPY GRILLING!!

  36. Donate Donate Donate!!! There are PLENTY of people who would LOVE to find a working grill that needed just a little repair to be in tip-top shape!!! Too many people dump and dispose working items creating full landfills and wasting the MANY resources that go into building items!!! Pass the goods on to appreciative people 🙂

  37. Yes to what Sarah mentioned regarding your charitable deduction value – this is correct!!! I’m a consultant to nonprofit orgs. Just wanted to be sure everyone is clear – organizations do not (should not by law) provide you with a value for your donated items.

  38. Am I an idiot for selling things via Craig’s List from my home? I don’t expect you to call me an idiot but now I am wondering if I am naive…

  39. Nice! My hubby and I will be buying a new grill when we (finally) sell our house and move so we will probably be doing the same thing with our old grill. Girl, we know you wouldn’t do anything unethical with your old grill. Some people just like to try and find the negative in anything, don’t they?! 🙂

  40. I think donating is great idea, in whatever way you decide is best. More power to you.

  41. I am curious why you would donate the grill? You don’t like rust in your food so why would someone else? Too me that just seems dishonest and disrespectful. Not that I am one, but I’m not feeling the redneck comment.

  42. Good for you Katie! You’re always trying to do your best and always trying to do the right thing! Just as a reader I can tell you and your husband are good people! These people ^^ AMAZE me with their comments. Assuming way too much. Just trust the girl is doing the right thing. Continue to do what you’re doing 🙂 I look forward to your blog every day!

  45. You are an idiot.
    Just kidding 🙂
    We just don’t like the idea of trusting people.
    Also kidding.
    Sort of 🙂
    xo kb

  46. Thanks Sarah and Mandy…I know the lady who runs the shop so I’ll need to take a second look at the paper they hand out & let her know what you said!
    xo kb

  47. I would never think of it like that. I would think thatif I were selling something as-is…its donating as-is. It should be noted that grates are readily replaced on grills.
    Of course to each his own!
    xo kb

  48. Gahhh-LEEE!!! Simmer down y’all! How do you have the time and energy to care what someone you’ve (more than likely) never met does with their grill and taxes? Go weed your flower bed, or scrub your bathroom grout, or search your dog for fleas if you need something to do. Gracious!

  50. Hey Katie! I’m a fellow Southern DIY girl, and I’ve had the pleasure of reading your blog (nearly) since you began writing it. I keep coming back for the humor, great taste in decorating, and down home cheer! Unfortunately it seems the trolls have taken over from the nastiness on sponsored posts to the moans about your choice to donate YOUR stuff? I’d like to set out some Troll Bait here at your blog to rid you of the haters. 🙂 We regulars love you and what you do, try not to let the Jealous Trolls get you down! xoxo

  51. Wow, people are silly. If they (meaning the thrift store shoppers) don’t want the grill with the rusty grates, then they won’t buy it. Sheesh people. Why would she chunk the whole thing when it’s an issue that can be fixed by the next owner? And maybe some people don’t mind rust in their food. 😉

    Nice new grill Katie! I am crossing my fingers to win the grill giveawy on YHL. Slim chance I know.

    P.S. Like a previous commenter, I too am AMAZED at your grace in handling some of the crazy opinonated comments you get. I would suck as a blogger. You are awesome.

  52. I can’t speak for his method with cleaning the grill but I will say I’ve used the Barkeeper’s Friend that comes in the gel form and it works WONDERS. I had tried everything to get a bunch of rust spots out of my bathtub and nothing worked until this! But it is super potent stuff so definitely wear gloves for sure (I was stupid and it ate my hands up!) .

  53. Right there with you on the Craigslist thing. Super paranoid about letting people have my address. We did it one time with a broken ride on and I was a wreck over it lol.We had a similar thing happen with our bbq. We ended up putting it at the end of our driveway saying free and gross and it was gone in 30 mins!

  54. Your redneck comments make me laugh out loud. And I am one. It’s kinda like what I teach my girls, you have to learn to sit back and laugh or you will spend your life pouting and crying. Happy grilling

  55. Dishonest and disrespectful? Disrespectful to whom? You shop at thrift stores, I shop at thrift stores, Macklemore shops at thrift stores. I don’t think any of us feels disrespected by the thousands of things there that we would never buy in a million years. I think a falling apart, scratched up particle board dresser is more ridiculous to donate than a gas grill that could easily be scrubbed up and used for years and years and we’ve all seen those in charity shops. Chill out, people. Nobody is being forced to take, buy, or give money for the thing. And you know Katie and Jeremy, always looking for a way to put one over on somebody. Jeeeeeez.

  56. Same here! Anyone around here with a used grill or lawn mower can put it curbside and it will be GONE before you can say skrimps! People sell them for scrap or rework them and sell them at flea markets.

  58. 1. The people shopping at thrift stores are not blindfolded in order to shop – they’ll be able to SEE the condition an item is in…
    D. It’s not a “shotgun-shopping” experience where people are FORCED to buy something they don’t want they get to decide for themselves…
    furthermore, people can use items for all kinds of purposes that we wouldn’t because we either don’t have the vision, the patience, know-how, need, etc…
    VIII. Someone may need it for parts…

    Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle and RELAX people!!

  59. Trying to convince my husband to get rid of our loser and get a new one. We are vegetarians, it can be a small grill, I just want one that wasn’t blown down a hill by Hurricane Sandy. Is that too much to ask?

  60. Backwoods legit, don’t take no shit, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, chew tobacco, spit!!

    Watch out Katie…you might be the next Paula Deen by calling people the R word!

  64. They are hardly eco-heroes for tossing something aside because it isn’t shiny and new anymore. They would be much better off just doing the maintenance on the old, working grill.

  65. It’s probably likely that you don’t have a blog that displays everything in the house and h0w it’s laid out either. I can see being more conservative with that sort of thing when you make so much of your life public.

  66. This! is the kind of thing people should be doing more of. People are so quick to throw something out because it’s easier to just buy a new one. Our disposable culture has encouraged people to disregard maintaining what they already have.

  67. You are just pure grace. Seriously. Love your blog, and would love to hear your conversations with your husband about some of the inane things people say to you. Thanks for still being willing to share your sweet family and DIY projects with everyone, despite the negative nellies!

  68. What is it about men and grills? My hubby is grill-OBSESSED. So tell him congrats on his new “baby.” Lol. I do second the Bar Keeper’s Friend. I have stainless steel cookware and that stuff is a miracle in a can. My neighbor uses it to clean her grout!

  69. Just a quick question. We recently bought a grill, we aren’t much grill people like I’m sure Katie and her fam are but we grilled a couple of times and our problem has been that our grates keep rusting up. We have no clue what we’re doing wrong. We seasoned that sucker in the over like the instructions said to do with oil and made my entire house stink to burned oil for the longest time it was horrible but we figured it did the job. After one use it was already rusty. Apart from steel wool and Barkeepers is there any way to avoid the rust? I mean we only used it 3 times if even. Thanks in advance for an answer 🙂

  70. No! We have White Trash parties! We do redneck stuff all the time. But I live in Oklahoma. LOL!

  72. Thank you for giving someone else the chance to love that grill rather than chucking it into a landfill. I don’t understand why the people who keep questioning your decision to donate a fixer upper grill are reading your diy blog. I can’t even begin to imagine how wasteful those people must be. And to the people who are questioning your ethics in regards to a tax deduction, well they clearly have their moral compass out of whack.

    Keep on being you and doing your own thang KB!

  73. Katie’s right – Goodwill (and others) actually encourages donations of equipment that can no longer be used because they participate in recycling programs. (I called about a printer that didn’t work, but probably could for someone who wanted to work on it – they encouraged me to bring it in, because again, they would recycle it and safely. (And they get the funds!) 🙂

  74. BEST comment EVER!!! ‘Honesty, they have underwear at thrift stores.’ Oh you have no idea how you made my day. Thank you!

  75. I couldn’t agree with you more on the benefit of maintaining something older…if it’s quality. I never claim to be an eco-hero…but we do like to be budget conscience.
    xo – kb

  76. We told our issue to the guy at Home Depot (he assembles the grills) and he said that after each use, just put your grates in the dishwasher and then make sure the grill is covered and is in a dry location. Hopefully this does the trick!
    xo – kb

  77. Wow- It got very judge-y up in here. There’s nothing wrong with donating your grill. You could send it to the dump but then what kind of “eco-warrior” would you be?? lol We will be getting a new grill next summer. Ours still work but it is too big and definitely a bit rusty. It is also a hand me down from my in-laws. We are going to craigslist ours because we don’t have a truck to take it to the Habitat Restore.

    Also, be careful that you don’t unethically and illegally deduct $10 extra dollars off of your takes. That’s how they got Jimmy Hoffa.

  79. We literally just bought the same exact grill! Pretty good so far, but yesterday we had trouble keeping the pilot lit, so keep an eye out for that.

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