Barbecue Gas Grill Review: Buying A Huntington Forge Gas Grill
By Anesidora
American Made Gas Grill By A 100 Year Old Company
The first thing I noticed was how good looking the Huntington Forge Gas Grill was. Black and stainless steel, well appointed and sleek, this was one stylish looking grill, and a very nice change from the dome topped or block-shaped grills we had been looking at.
The first thing my husband noticed was all the great features and the low price. "The price is way too low," he said. "Gotta be something wrong with it."
Well we did some research on the different grill manufacturers and models, and it turns out that this beautiful new 2010 Huntington Forge grill is made in the U.S.A., and this grill was the only gas grill among the many we researched which is made in America.
Not only that but the parent company -Onward Manufacturing Company- is a family owned Canadian business which has been around for over a hundred years, since 1906. They've been making or distributing barbecue grills for over 50 years for names like Weber, Broil King and Arkla, as well as being the makers of the Barbecue Genius accessories.
Just last year a new plant was opened up in Huntington, Illinois, prompting the new Huntington Forge name. The plant is expected to be employing 300 workers in 2011, and their debut grill is the new Huntington Forge Gas Grill. It's a beauty.
- 50,000 BTU Dual-Tube Burner System
- 15,000 BTU Rear Rotisserie Burner
- 10,000 BTU Side Burner
- Linear-Flow Valves
- 180 degree Sensi-Touch Controls
- Accu-Temp Thermometer
- Sure-Lite Electronic Ignition System
- 500 Square Inches Primary Cooking Space
- 200 Square Inches Secondary Cooking 'Warming Rack'
- Porcelain Dura-Bilt Cookbox
- Porcelain Coated Cast Iron Cooking Grids
- Porcelain Enamel Hood Panel
- Durable Cast Aluminum & Stainless Steel Construction on Chrome Base
- Five Year Manufacturer's Warranty on Stainless Steel Components and Burner Systems
- Limited Lifetime Warranty on Cast Aluminum Components
 | Amazon Price: $28.92 List Price: $34.99 |
 | Amazon Price: $17.99 |
All the Best Gas Grill Features
Onward Manufacturing has owned or aquired the rights to many of the industry's techological and design advances, and it all comes together nicely here. We see in the new Huntington Forge model the dual tube stainless steel burners, which provide even heating with no hot spots. There's a full featured, complete rotiserie system which is a fantastic alternative for those happy grillers among us who like to cook outdoors all season long.
The Linear Flow gas flow control system combined with the Sensitouch controls and Accutemp thermometer provide every advancement in temperature control. With the Huntington Forge Gas Grill you won't have to waste time guessing and hoping and fiddling with unreliable equipment, or using kitchen thermometers to double check.
Personally I love the porcelain coated cast iron cooking racks which make clean up a breeze. It's a good, heavy grid, too, so you know it's going to last for a good while. There's also a porcelain coating warming rack, and the overall cooking space is pretty good for a grill this size. You get 500 square cooking inches, with 700 including the warming rack. The built in condiment racks are also a wonderful, grill-master pleasing feature.
The side burner’s a little light on power, with only 10,000 BTUs beneath it, or so my husband pointed out after we compared it to other models. After having cooked on it several times now, I can only tell you that it functions fine for me as a side burner. I have both steamed vegetables on it and sautéed onions several times. I do suspect that you’d have a bit of a wait trying to boil a large pot of water for pasta or rice.
There is definitely quality construction in this grill, or as my husband says, “It’s solid.” It’s made of the best, most durable barbecue materials: cast aluminum, chrome, porcelain-enamel and stainless steel make for a long-lasting, rust resistant outdoor kitchen. The wheels are strong, lockable of course, and function smoothly.
Very Satisfied Customer!
Lured by its low introductory price and plethora of useful features, we did buy the Huntington Forge Gas Grill in the end, but we were a little worried about whether or not we’d made the right choice. It sounded good in the reviews we read, and we were excited to get all the features in a quality barbecue grill at such a low price, but until we received it and could see it for ourselves –and more importantly immediately and repeatedly try it for ourselves- we just couldn’t be sure.
Now I know I’ll be cooking on it frequently all summer long, and for years to come. My family loves being outdoors. In fact, we have one child who won’t hardly come back in until next winter. And the evening-times, it has always seemed to me, is maybe the very best part of the day. Who wants to go inside and slave over a hot stove in a sweaty kitchen just as the weather outside is beginning to cool off?
This grill works beautifully, cleans up beautifully, and carries itself beautifully. I'm even more excited about this grill now than I was before I had received it and tried it out. It's an exceptional grill, and at this price point I don't believe you'll find any other gas grill that is comparable in features and quality. We didn't!
Comments
You're gonna love it! I hope you got the free shipping deal from Cabella's.
I didn't get free shipping but did get $5 shipping - not too shabby! I can't wait to get the grill - unfortunately it is backordered.
No I would have been quite happy to pay $5 for shipping. I do hope it gets to you in time for Father's Day.
I just got an E-mail that it is being sent out today - woo hoo!!! I cannot wait.
Thanks again for your review.
I just bought the grill. I have to return it do to a manufacturing flaw (the hood will not open smoothly). BUT...I am impressed with this grill! It will heat up fast and got over 600 degrees. It started the first try! After putting it together, I could tell it is a well made grill. Minor flaws do happen. Cabelas will exchange it so I will give it another go. Assuming my HF grill replacement has no manufacturing hang ups, I have no doubt this is the best bang for the buck grill on the market. I even called the OMC serice line and explained the problem. They were great and offered to send a new hood...if that didnt work they would have sent me the grill portion. Since Cabelas said they will replace the grill I took that option. VERY NICE GRILL!
Can someone tell me how hot this grill gets? I was hoping it would exceed 650. Thanks for your help. I would like to order one as well.
This grill reached 650 degrees. I stopped there! Please note: I live in Salt Lake City area and the weather has been cool/cold. Outdoor temp does matter/help. If you are in 85 degree or higher weather, I am confident this will have no problem reaching 700. The temperature guage does not go higher than 700. It may not have the Weber name, but in my opinion this matches up very well and at a much more reasonable price.
The assembly instructions are NOT GOOD. The only saving grace is that it is partially built inside the box. Not hard to assemble but pay attention...make sure you take some scissors and cut the tie that holds the propane and sideburner hose before assembling. Other than that you should have no issues.
Can you tell me what kind of stainless steel the burners and flavorizer bars are made of? Is it the thin 400 level stainless steel that will last a couple years, or a thicker more durable 300 level stainless stell that will last longer? Also, how did the grill box hold up to the 650 degree heat? (if you saw the consumer reports video on the Broil King, which is made by the same parent company - OMC, heat box at high temp, you might be a little concerned).
Tyler-
According to Derrick's review at about.com it has Dual-Tube 304 stainless steel tubular burners for even heat. I can't answer your other questions since ours is still in the box (hubby hasn't found the surprise yet in the garage). But Derrick's review might help some answer some questions:
Well, here is what I found out from calling OMC customer service. Burners are made of 400 level stainless. I am not sure about the flavorizer bars, as the are coated in enamel(the service rep was not sure). I did the magnet test and the magnet stuck to grill box and side counters. A magnet will not hold onto high end stainless. I forgot to ask but I believe the burner and flavorizer bars have a 5 year warranty.
The service rep stated that the grill box issues have been corrected and come with a lifetime warranty. With the warranty, I have no worries of the box melting. I have had the grill at 600+ degrees several times and no issues were found.
This grill has a solid design, porcelain coated cast iron grates, electronic ignition, side burner, rotisserie burner/with motor, and the burners have added technology. These are all things you will find on a high end grill. This is not a grill made with the best stainless steel....that is why you pay over $1500 or more for grills of that quality. I am not positive but I believe Weber has even downgraded their stainless steel in recent summit models. For what this grill provides and at only $500, I doubt there is a whole lot of competition. As long as you clean the grill box bottom, burners and flavorizer bars a couple times a year, it should perform well.
Everyone wants to be proud of their purchase and objectiveness sometimes gets lost. This may not be a dream grill but bang for the buck...it is a solid buy. Hope this helps those who are looking at this grill. I have a friend who purchased this grill and is equally happy with his purchase.
Todd thank you. I was trying to find those specs but not having any luck. I put in an email to OMC myself -info@omcbbq.com. Will let you all know what answers I get.
I did find out that the incident referred to was on one broil king model, and was not something that was ever reported actually happening in personal usage. For what it's worth, OMC seemed to address the issue responsibly.
From OMC -
"The stainless steel grade used is 430. That BBQ is designed to reach temperatures of 700 degrees, therefore the firebox is made to handle those types of temperatures. It is covered on a lifetime warranty. And the Flav-R-Wave is under warranty for two years."
Does anyone know if this grill can convert to natural gas? I have a hose and kit from a previous cahr-broil grill.
You'd void your warranty, but I don't see why not.
Hi All. Just bought this grill at Orchard Supply Hardware in California. It was on sale for $324, and they assemble it for free. I did have to pay for delivery, but with the sale price on the grill I was willing to pay for delivery since it meant I didn't have to assemble it on Father's Day! Maiden voyage was great.
Hello everyone, I am looking into buying a gas grill and was honestly dead set on buying a weber genesis e-320. I started looking around and came up on the review of this grill on about.com, shortly thereafter found this website.
I live in South Florida which is pretty rainy and humid, I have bought and seen several of the cheaper grills pretty much disintegrate down here. That is the reason why I had decided to buy a higher end Weber, im just not sure if im only paying for the name.
This grill will need to sit outside in the elements (hopefully with a cover). I wanted to check with those of you that have bought this grill how it is holding up.
Thanks!
The Huntington forge is built to last, its almost indestructible, we are on our second, not because anything went wrong with our first, but we are so into our outdoor grilling, we use two of them. Would never go for anything else.
My grill did not come with a owner manual? Can I get one?
I would check with Capello's, if that is who you got it through. Either that or check with Onward Manufacturing Co. Very strange. Floor model somewhere?
Thanks to this site I just bought a Huntington grill. It's fantastic! It did take a bit of time to build, but you could really tell the design was solid. I would highly recommend a Huntington model to anyone!
I work at a factory that is making these grills. I love my job and take pride in what I contribute but my question is simple. There is an onward commercial made this winter and I would love to see it. Any ideas where it can be found.
I just purchased the cast model at Lowes. Absolutely love the grill. It is being kept at our campsite, so i went for this model, which is a little cheaper in price. So far it is working flawlessly. Very happy with my purchase.
Just ordered a 656184 Huntington grill from Cabelas. I have been trying to find out if it comes with a grill cover. Does anyone know?
I just bought a Huntington grill. Put it together and then found out that they had put in cast iron graqtes when trhe instructions said porcelin coated. WRONG. Silly me I tried to call the 800 number and all I got was put on hold for an excess of 35 minutes 3 times. Then it made sense to me. The way they take care of their customer service is to put you on hold until you get tired of waiting. Grill is ok but service sucks!
Bought this grill at Lowes and had it assembled for free. I LOVE IT!!! it cooks great and is perfect for entertaining.
I bbq'd 40+ pieces of chicken in a hour. The top rack is large enough to hold a full size foil pan to put meat in after it gets browned on the outside. The pan and the heat finish the cooking process while I'm cooking other things. Some of the other grills have much smaller racks so you won't have that option which is important to me if I'm grilling for a large group. I turned down 2 burners and turned one off completely. The temp gauge stayed at 150 and kept things warm. As guests arrived, I put their keep warm food in the grill and then we served the whole meal right off the grill. SO COOL!! No more walking back and forth to the kitchen and heating up the oven.
I did not use the side burner yet and we also got the rotisserie but I expect good results from them also. On another website, it says you'll be tempted to get one of the other aluminum body grills that are the same price. This was true, I almost got the 4 burner Char-Broil which was on sale from $299 to $229. The Huntington was $249 and I am sure I got the better deal. The fact that it is made in the US was a big factor in our decision.
We also like to grill in the winter so with a little care and by keeping it covered, I am hoping the burners and racks as well as the outside will last for a few years.
Bought the Huntington Patriot Volition grill at Osh yesterday for $665 after 35% off the regular price of $949! You will need a truck if picking up yourself. Comes in a large box on a pallet that weighs 270 lbs. This grill is no joke. You wont be disappointed and all your friends will envy you. Instructions do suck. Only pictures for assembly no writing.
I bought a hunington forge grill and I am trying to find out if I can connect it to natural gas and if so where I can get the kit from
Karen 2 years ago
Thank you for posting this review, Anesidora. Based on it, and another review, I have ordered the Hutington Forge for my husband for Father's Day. It was tough to order it sight unseen, but your review really helped. I can't wait to get it!