Wolf Outdoor Grill BBQ with Cart – OG36

The long awaited Wolf Outdoor BBQ Grill finally arrived in 2010 and it’s safe to say it was more than a minor upgrade. As far as we can tell, they tossed out the old design and have released a brand new unit in almost every way. And this is a very good thing. Our main complaints on the old Wolf BBQ was its plain and ordinary design, with zero frills, dated engineering, and a mountain high price tag.

Luckily (or maybe not so luckily), the only thing that carried over to the new design was price. But it’s hard to argue against the price once you lay your hands on this man toy. And to celebrate the summer of 2011, they have added a new 54” grill to their stable. All models start with the letters OG now (can you guess what that stands for?) and they come in four different sizes: 30”, 36”, 42”, and the monster 54” wide.

This new, updated design has a beautiful sculptured look that is now distinct to all Wolf Professional products. It sports a thick, tubular handle from their Dual Fuel Range and the exclusive Red knobs now incorporate LED  Illumination, making it easier to read the controls at night. They also did not forget the inside of the grill which features two well placed 10 watt halogen lamps, illuminating the grill interior well.

Another very welcome change is that all grills get a 25,000 BTU infrared searing zone (except for the 30” model) standard. Wolf’s sear burner is a bit ahead of the rest in my opinion, due to its use of ceramic brick design which I find outlasts the more commonly used mesh design. The normal grill area also sports ceramic discs which retain the heat from the burners while eliminating hot spots that are common on gas grills. The grilling grates are made from polished stainless steel and the smoker box is a deep design, allowing to be used as either a direct or indirect smoker.

Ignition system also gets state-of-the-art upgrades, utilizing a glowbar instead of the usual spark ignitor. Unfortunately, this means you will need to have a power source nearby, as it only runs on 110 V. The grill comes with a rotisserie system and a three position warming rack inside. A couple of things to note here if you’ve not bought a Wolf gas grill before: sides burners can only be had separately, and come for use either on the cart or built-in. Grill tops and carts are also sold separately, and not as one unit. With price tags starting just north of $5,000 (w/ a cart), these are easily some of the most expensive outdoor grills on the market – but once you lay your hands on them it truly is easy to see why.

Pros: Built like a rock. Feels AND looks expensive. Ignition system works flawlessly everytime. Made in USA.

Cons:  Price is almost as heavy as the grill, Side burners must be had separately, 54” Grill has no mobile cart?