Blue Ember by Fiesta
Monday February 5, 2007
The Blue Ember by Fiesta has generated a good deal of interest (at least in my inbox) as it has trickled out into stores lately. It has been available in Canada for some time now, but finds itself on Home Depot floors now. This $450USD gas grill is loaded with virtually every feature you can think of. Yes, it even has a bottle opener mounted on the front. You plug this grill in to power its internal LED light and you gain a pair of electic sockets to power you radio while you grill. Anyway you can read my review but I am very interested in hearing from owners about what their experiences. So if you have one, hit the "comment" link below and let everyone know about this new gas grill.
Comments
With a grill like that, who needs a stove and an oven? Way cool!
Please review the new Weber line.
Thanks
jack
I’m working on them. I have one of the Genesis’ reviewed at: http://bbq.about.com/od/gasgrillreviews/gr/aapr020307a.htm
This is a very nice grill. I had a Weber and loved it but comparing the two, this had more options and appears to be crafted very well. I’ve grilled on it 3 times so far and i love it. I’m learning the rotisserie and how to optimize it. so if anyone has rotisserie tips, let me know. I was very leary purchasing a brand i wasn’t familar with but this is one great bbq and i’m glad i took the chance.
Hi Derrick glad to find this site.What a week, bought a Charmglow all stainless 3burner 36000 btu looked like a beautiful bbq and @ 400.00cad thought it was a good deal til ,i read your review after the fact.Took it back to The Home Depot.Pondered all week .My wife and i looked at the napoleans really nice.In the end split the difference and went for the Fiesta Blue Ember.Even comes with a cover and Utensil set.We were very close to settling on the napolean.Hopefully we won’t be disappointed by our decision.Once we get it hooked up and try it will definatley let you know.
Just got the Blue Ember at Home Depot. It has all of the bells and whistles someone could ask for. After cooking on it a couple of times so far, the results are great. The light under the cover is a great idea. Other compagnies should do the same.
Just bought our Blue Ember and we love it! The rotisserie is great and the darn thing cooks so evenly, it’s a joy.
The feature set is nice too. Not only is it nice-looking, but it’s got a built in smoke box, extra burner and a “useful pot to put things in” built into the left counter. It’s very sturdy.
Our only problem has been locating a cover for it. It’s .5 inches longer than most grills. But we’ll deal.
Just got ours on Sunday, primed it, and fired up the rotisserie. A 6.5 lb chicken was done in 2.5 hours and was excellent! Has anyone tried the smoker box yet? I’ve used a smoker and kind of think I know how to use this one – but ours didn’t come with any suggestions. Glad I picked this one!
The question I have is, why did Walt get the cover and utensil set included and Maya is still looking for a cover that will fit? I’m very interested in this grill does anyone else have any comments?
Just put the grill together, very well designed. I purchased the cover that Home Depot recommended. It fits but is 7 inches short. Going to return and try again. I did not get the utensil set with mine but I did get a $50.00 credit (purchases over $299) I believe this is a store wide promotion. The one minor quibble is with the electic sockets. You do get two, however they will be taken up if you use the light and rotisserie.
I can’t find the grill cover either. The Blue Ember web site is still under construction, so I wasn’t able to find the cover there. I bought the biggest one the Home Depot had and it’s too short. Has anyone found one that fit?
I’m debating on purchasing this. The Fiesta site doesn’t mention the Blue Ember line and as mentioned the Blue Ember site is ‘under construction’ (and looks like it may never be real). So I’m a bit worried about that…
The Blue Ember grill is truly a powerhouse grill. At 15k BTU’s per burner it blows the competition away. The front-to-back burners are widely spaced, but do allow for smaller batches to be cooked without wasting gas.
The porcinalized(?) cast iron grates are superb- they conduct heat and cook perfectly, without the seasonng (or rust) that is required with standard cast iron grates. The side burner- it has one, and is higher in BTU’s that most. If you use ‘em, you’ll love it. The infra-red burner for the rotisserie ain’t bad either, again, if you use it.
The lid assembly is a composit, stainless front & top, but in no way is it a cheap cover. It has heft and virtualy no torque (when you open the lid from one side, the lid does not twist) like so many others do, and even has hi-temp bumpers on the bottom to keep you from slamming the lid down accidentaly and making your wife spill her drink. Great idea, that.
This unit has replaced a Weber Genesis that lasted a decade of use and abuse every day (yeah, I BBQ that much- no clean-up) and finally died a dgnified death.
The only missing features that I feel should be incrporated into the design are an ancillary tool hooks (there are 3 under the left shelf, but are hard to find, let alone use) and some sort of fuel level indicator- a gravity/spring unit like Weber’s is simple and cheap and could be built in without compromising anything. A separate mount for the rotisserie skewer and warming rack would be neat when not in use, but most people leave the rack inside and the rotisserie spit gets lost when the kids play Zorro.
The light is a 20 watt halogen lamp, and will eventually be dulled out by soot that will build up on the face of the lamp, but overall a stroke of genius. These guys rocked the industry with a grill that is well made, easily assembled, packed with features and easily out performs others at a fraction of the price.
Weber, Charmglow, Ducane and all the rest would be well served if they were to get one of these and copy the platform- otherwise, they will lose marketshare and fall well behind.
Bottom line- if you are in need of a gas grill, look at this one, and use it to measure all others.
Main issue that exists is availability of parts – mainly burner replacements. The response I got from Fiesta’s customer service regarding the Blue Ember website and replacement parts was…shall we say…less than convincing regarding the availability of parts, etc.
i bought my blue ember recently and it seems to be cooking well but i can’t get the temp over 350 no matter how long i leave it on high with the lid closed. i called them and they said to adjust the air vents. they seem to be unadjustable? anyone suggestions anyone?
I just bought the Fiesta Blue Ember grill, and I can say I made the right purchase. The construction was fairly easy. My only complaint is the too many of the screws are tightened in recessed areas or corners, so in many cases a wratchet can’t be used. Lots of elbow grease used tuning screws about 1/2 inch because that’s all the room you have.
Other than that, assembley was very easy considering what you are putting together. Once together, I greased the entire inside and fired it up. Temp gauge read 700 degrees after about 20-25 minutes. I could not believe my eyes!! This thing gets hot!! I let it cool down, then decided to grill some chicken thighs. I rubbed them with a Jamican/Caribbean rub abd started a two zone fire – the right two burners were on low and the left burner was on high to use the smoker box. I wish they would have put a hinge on it because removing the top/lid to put in fresh wood is dangerous. Suggestion – just leave the smoker box lid off. I did. You do not want to mess around with a piece of cast iron that is red hot. I used apple wood and replenished the supply twice after the initial filling. I say filling, but each time I only put in a handfull of chips. The temp guage read 425 with the three burners set to high, low and low. I still couldn’t believ how hot this puppy was, but on the low side it was obviously much cooler than 425. The thighs were done in about 35 – 40 minutes. Smoke flavor was nice and not everpowering and the meat was chargrilled to perfection.
When I brought the thighs inside, I set the all three burners to high to self clean. 15 minutes later the guage was buried behind the logo – at least 750 degrees. I am not kidding. I can’t wait to do some steaks next weekend. BTW – I bought a Vermont Castings cover that covers grills up to 72 inches. Bottle opener is neat but hardly necessary. The bucket/condiment shelf is nice and very useful. The smoker box is a great idea and also very useful. Have not yet used the rotisserie, but fired it up to make sure that it works properly. The outlets are cool, but not entirely necessary. Without constant cleaning the light will be worthless. You can buy gooseneck lights that will clamp on to one of the side arms. The only complaint I have about the finished product is a lack of useful storage for anything. The three hooks inside the door are of marginal value. The shelf with the railing where you would store some spices and PAM is very nice, but why not make the storage a few inches deeper and put one on the other side too? Bottom line – a very good grill for the money if all it did was get as hot as it does. Add the nice extras and you have a special grill well worth every penny.
only problem with the grill is that it is NOT available in natural gas in the US. Homedepot in canada has it in natural gas, but will not ship to the US. My local homedepot told me that they are unable to special order it. US home depot 1-800 customer support told me the same. I spoke to the people at Fiesta gas grills and they told me it was not available in natural gas in the US. They did say they expect to have it available in the US next season though…
I just bought the Blue ember, and am having it assembled, does it use lava rocks?
Very good looking bbq, but still the same problem of “Made in China”. It will be hard to get parts for this bbq in a few years. These bbqs are made to be disposed of in a short time frame. Best bet is to buy a bbq made in the USA or Canada. You will pay a couple of dollars more but have the bbq 10-15 years or longer.
I feel that I am a very normal consumer when it comes to grills. My wife and I entertain a couple time a month with our grill and we usually grill 2 – 3 time a week during the summer months. I just purchased this grill last month and we have cooked on it at least 6 time already. I believe it is a great grill for the money. I have used all the features so far including the smoker box and rotisserie wit success. I have noticed that this grill gets much hotter than others I have owned in the past. My brother-in-law owns a Viking drop in with four burners and all the bells and wistles. With the exceptions of the additional cooking area on his grill I would rather cook on the Blue Ember. The only thing negative I can say about this grill is that when it was assembled at the factory the put features stickers on the grill in numerous places for display purposes. It took a lot of WD-40 and elbow grease to completely remove these stickers. We contacted customer service about this and they were very apologetic, and sent us a grill utensil set for our troubles.
What a great grill! This is the first grill my wife and I have used that hasn’t been a “hand-me-down”. I bought it on a Saturday afternoon and was using it for a dinner party that night. Easy to put together. Lots of heat. Sturdy construction.
As far as customer service, we were well pleased. The side burner screw broke off when we were initially putting the grill together. One brief call to customer service and a new part was on it’s way. A week later, the new side burner works great!
Only down part is the lack of cooking tips when using the rotisserie and smoke box. But that’s what the internet is for, right?!
I bought this deal from Home Depot, Pre-assembled for no charge. I too have trouble with their recommended cover being a tad short. It’s deeper (23+) than most grills (21″) so this is probably why.
I’ve cooked on the grill one time and it was great. This is the first non-basic sub-200 grill I’ve ever had and this thing is great. Cooks evenly and quickly. I had trouble deciding between this and a Weber Genesis E320 and I finally decided that the quality (seemed to be more solid than anything but a Weber) and warranty (2 years full and 5 year pro-rated) were good enough that I couldn’t justify the $150 dollar difference between the grills. Plus with this one, I get a rotisserie and a side-burner and even a bottle opener!
The grill is well-made though thin compared with a Weber, still it’s quite sturdy and should last for years properly taken care of and covered.
I have one complaint–the rotisserie motor has to be removed to use the side-burner (if it’s on the right) or the ice bucket (on the left). It’s easy to do, but you’d think they could have managed an extra 1/2″ of clearance.
I’ve no experience with customer service. Hopefully I never have to.
Does anyone had a problem getting the grill temp to 500 and above?
I love all of the comments, but we’re trying to modify the grill from liquid propane to natural gas (since this grill is only available in natural gas in Canada). Anyone have any ideas? Is there a generic “lp to ng conversion kit that I can pick up somewhere? Thanks.
I bought this BBQ from Homedepot.ca…very well built, easy to assemble, cooks nice and evenly, great features. I’ve been using it 3-4 times per week since I bought it and I love it. I would certainly recommend this to anyone. Great value for the money.
I bought the Blue Ember after reviewing Derricks BEST UNDER $500 LIST. I initially went after the Weber Genesis E-310, but was stopped at the cash register due to a recall on the side burner apparatus. The Blue Ember was a worthy alternate. I purchased from Home Depot assembled, along with a recommended cover by a another brand. This is my first full featured gas grill, though I have years of experience with charcoal models by Brinkman and currently Primo.
The Blue Ember performs beautifully! It gets up to 700 degrees lickety split and cooks every thing effectively from corn ears to beef tenderloin. I wish I had more time to cook on it. I have not used the rotisserie yet, but plan to this weekend. The light and power outlets is a great idea, but I’m not sure mine works correctly. The side burner inition really does not light as well as I would like, but I have plenty of gas lighters around. The 10K BTU on the side is only good for warming, particularly if there is any wind.
The wood chip box take a long time time to get smoking, but when it does it burns all the chips quite quickly, so I recommend leaving the cover off and left grate out, when smoking. The large side counters with the towel racks are convenient. The under grill storage is small given the size of the grill, so a wider base would have been nice.
All in all a great grill… not as nicely constructed as the Weber Genesis, but not the least bit shabby and full of features. I have not regrets.
I am looking for a new gas grill but I need one for natural gas. I know some can be converted but I think I would use my plumber since I am leary of doing anything where gas is used. If anyone has any helpful info I would appreciate it. Thank you.
I purchased the Feista Blue Ember just last night! The cover that fits IS sold at Home Depot. it’s the generic one that says it fits a 68in. grill. We were unsure, it says it only fits a grill 21in deep, so we opened one and tried it! Sure enough, it fits! I will let you know how the grill itself works after we use a couple of times, Thanks for all the comments! They gave me the idea to check this grill out in the first place!! Enjoy the summer!
Looking into a new grill & really like everything I’m reading about this one…wondering if Walt is still on where he got the deal with the cover included. Is this only sold at Home Depot, or has anyone found it elsewhere? thank you
Sears also sells a less expensive version of this under the Kenmore brand. It only has one side burner and no rotisseire. On sale this week for $529 Canadian versus the $650 HD Fiesta version.
We just purchased the Fiesta Blue Ember grill for $399 at HD. The features were the best for the price, assembly was free and delivery was only $49. I’ve been looking at grills for several weeks both at stores and on the Internet, there was nothing really close in features or versatility in this price range. I took the hubby down to get a nod of approval and he was very pleased with the grill. Who knows, maybe he’ll even learn to use it…
tom, i can’t get mine over 400. is yours natural gas as well?
Had to replace my beloved Weber which was over 10 years old. Agonized over the Blue Ember and the new Weber Genesis for a couple of months. Home Depot dropped the price to $399 on the BE and I went ahead and got it. Also got a promotion which included a free bottle of propane (w/empty exchange).
So far, I like this one as well as my Weber! Cooked for a large party and the basic burgers and chicken came out good. Had a few more flare ups than I was used to with the Weber (of course, I never had flare-ups with the Weber), but nothing I would say was bad.
Cooked some steaks and this is where this grill shines! I used one of the grates on the high level, and left the other 2 grates low. Seared the steaks down low, then moved the thicker ones up for slower cooking on the high grates. Did a superb job!
I really like the extras – the rotisserie is included (although the Weber had a basket design which is better IMO), as well as the rotisserie burner. The light is GREAT! and the large tables on each end are terrific. And, I know its silly, but the bottle opener is a nice touch. Used it throughout the party to open everyones favorite brew.
My nitpicks would be that the utensil hooks are hard to find/use. They should add them to the outside. I also wish there was a gas gauge of some kind. As is, there is no way to monitor the gas level without guesstimating the bottle weight.
At $400 compared to $600 (and more if you add a rotisserie, light, etc) for the Genesis, this grill is a way better deal and cooks on par with my old Weber! I highly recommend.
I am very interested in this grill, but have some space/storage limiations. Do they side shelves drop down?
Yes the sides will drop down.
I just bought this grill at HD for 399 also. On sale thru 5/30/07. This is my first full feature grill. I haven’t used it yet but am commenting to inform HD is selling out of these quick. I had to call 6 HD before I found one that had any in stock and had to travel 100 miles to pick it up.
This grill is getting good reviews and was listed by Consumer Reports as “Best Buy”.
I did just what Greg did..purchased the Blue Ember from HD by phone last night. Read lots of great reviews on-line and it is Consumer Reports best buy.
HD is assembling the grill for us today and we will pick it up later this afternoon. We bought the recommended cover seperate from HD so will try it in the store to see it is the right size.
We will use the grill this weekend and will let you know how we liked it ~
It seems these are no longer listed on homedepot.com – anyone know if they have dropped the product line, or is Fiesta discontinuing them?
I tried to buy one a Home Depot this afternoon, but the local store was sold out. The sales associate said that the good reviews have sparked so many sales that they ran out. If I want one, I may have to drive 80 mile each way to get to the store that still has some in stock. It’s a good grill, but is it worth driving 160 miles for?
In the same boat as Bob. Is it worth the drive? Also, I was able to fold down the side-shelves on the floor model (if the wing-nuts were not installed) which can help for storing. Are there any other grills with folding sides?
Wife and son just called me at work from Home Depot, Lewisville, TX. They really wanted to buy me this grill for Father’s day. I had her email me the make and model and I ended up here. Wow.. wrote her back and said “go for it!”. HD is building it today, we will pick it up tomorrow. I’ll let ya know how it goes. A store associate told her this was one of only two consumer best buys and the other was a weber charcoal grill. he went on and on about it. I can’t wait!!!
Bought this last Sunday at Academy Sports (Lewisville TX) for $399 after seeing Consumer Reports rating. Free assembly. Instruction manual seems clear enough, but a few tips on how to use the rotisserie and smoker box would have been helpful.
Cleans up very easy. We let the grates cool and clean in the sink with soap/water. The temp control is awesome–got it up to 700 in about 10-15 minutes, and once you choose a temp and get it there, it stays very steady.
We bought at 68 inch cover (Outdoor Gourmet) from Academy but thinking the 70 inch might have been better; it ends about 4 inches from the bottom and rain can get into the bottom storage area.
We liked that it wasn’t ALL stainless as we’ve heard it’s hard to keep looking nice. Don’t know if we’ll use the side burner much, or if we’ll keep electricity connected just to use the light. But the bottle opener has already come in handy and all the little bells and whistles are just cool to have for only $400! Enjoy…
Bought this grill after eyeing it at Home Depot and being impressed with it. Checked the reviews and pulled the trigger.
My first time after curing the grill, everything stuck to the burners. I have had previous grills with porcelin covered burners and did not have this problem. Oiled them and it has been great since.
Also had trouble finding an extension cord that plugged into the back. Many have the extra little plastic nub opposite the ground plug and that kept it from plugging in. Got the patio extension cord from Home Depot in the sand color.
Love the four coasters on the bottom, it is so much easier to move than my other grills were with the two big stationary wheels on them.
Keith S. :{)>
This seems to be one great grill. I went to Home Depo and they were constantly out of these, AND ALSO would not put one on hold or raincheck for me,but I was able to find one at a local FARM + FLEET store. The grill does get up there in the 700 plus degrees according to the tempature guage with all the burners on full bore. I”m still getting used to the power of this grill but so far i have not had a bad meal come off it yet.It is a very stylish grill also. Lots of gadjets to still try on it yet.
Bought a 50045 model – I think this is pretty much the same except very little stainless steel, no rotisserie burner, no side burner, and no smoker box. $369 CDN at McDiarmid Lumber.
Like the grill. Assembly was easy, seems to perform well. Price was good for what you get.
Noticed one thing – in the rain, water seems to get in to the bbq and fill up the grease tray – fast! Has anyone else encountered this problem?
Cannot find one that uses natural gas and was told at Home Depot that Fiesta does not advise converting. I have converted grills in the past by adjusting the orifice and valve. Anyone know if it can be done effectively?
The review prompted me to seek out this grill. It was impossible to find here in Portland, OR but then Home Depot suddenly came out with an ad that had it buried on an inside page. I had to go to a Home Depot 20 miles away to find it, as it was not being stocked in any closer ones.
It took a while to assemble and clean off the stickers. At first we had a hard time figuring out how to get the grill hot enough — the temperature gauge said 500 degrees plus, but our steaks did not get seared or cooked inside. I think we’re getting the hang of it now — leave on all the burners, invert the grids to the low position and it seems to work fine. Today we’ll try the rotisserie — which now comes with one of those infrared elements (not mentioned in the review).
Seems to be a fine grill and great buy, although the relatively low heat transmitted to what we put on the grill is surprising. We were using a cheapo, almost dead Kenmore and it got things hotter.
Also, it would be nice if the grease cup were more secure. It is easily knocked off, creating a mess.
But for over a hundred bucks less than the cheapest Weber, it’s a deal!
Well it’s been quite an experience. I guess the popularity of the grill has caused the company to really crank them out, because I’ve had two in 24 hours.
The first grill had a lighting “issue”. In other words, the light didn’t work. After a trip to the store (Home Depot) and trying another transformer and another light, we determined it was in the wiring harness. Home Depot offered to replace the entire grill, to which I accepted.
Wow! I didn’t know about the other problem I had until I received my new one. Following hte break-in procedure, again. I noticed that the second grill heated up much faster than the first one. The 1st one hit 600 degrees after 20 minutes on High. The new one took less than 6 minutes. But while everything is functioning on the 2nd one, the quality of the ‘finish’ is worse. Streaks in the Stainless, and ‘bubbles’ in the painted surface. Minor, but for $450 you expect more. Overall, I think I’ll be happy with the grill.
Home Depot made it easier to be happy, by delivering the new one, and picking up the old. Thanks HD!
It’s a good grill, but, good luck on the one you get.
Ok, call me an idiot, but I’ve got a slight assembly problem with this grill. I purchased it in the box and put it together myself. Fairly easy to build and the directions are very well done. The one problem I have is with the front doors. They have a small, square magnet in the upper middle of each door. When I close the doors the magnet attaches to the metal front, but when I go to open the doors, the magnet STAYS ATTACHED to the front of the grill oand pops out of the little square holes in the door. What am I missing here?
I’m afraid to say our has been nothing but trouble. We are very dissapointed in this bbq. We have gotten a new tank, we have checked for leaks, we have cleaned the ventura tubes and still it is not working properly. One time it fires up nicely and the next time it doesn’t and has a very low heat output. Got it for my husband for fathers day and when we had everyone out we couldn’t bbq. I am calling customer service to-day and sending it back!
We just got this grill assembled from Home Depot and it replaced a 10 year old Weber Genesis that had actually peeled the paint and coatings from the inside out. (This made us kind of wary of the Weber line. Our neighbor’s Weber did the same thing.
This grill is heads and shoulders above the mid grade Weber Genesis grill we owned.
The light feature is wonderful, you can really see everything if you cook at night.
Also, we used the rotisserie the first day and for those of you who have never used it, try it! It was just fantastic.
We bought a Morton Tri Tip at COSTCO and it was so good on this grill! I could not believe it. The flavor and heat of the food we prepare was just great.
Our family really endorses this grill.
I bought my Blue Ember a couple of weeks ago at the Brick. I had to settle for the floor model at a discounted price, but hey, it was already assembled. I live in Vancouver, Canada and it was sold out every where I looked. I’ve used it several times and have been impressed with each and every result. I have owned Kenmore grills in the past and they leave a lot to be desired. I’m very pleased with this grill.
We bought one today at Home Depot as a replacement for our ailing older grill. I actually hadn’t heard of these grills but we liked the looks, features and price. The salesman also highly recommended it as he’s had no complaints from previous buyers thus far. We used it for a bbq party of 12 people, no problem preparing enough food on time with this baby. PLENTY of heat and space, with all 3 burners on low, mine hovers just over 500 degrees. Love it, can’t wait to try out the rotisserie!! Mine did come with some damage to the warming rack but HD is replacing it for me.
I just picked one of these up at Farm and Fleet for $319.99 in the box. Sale is through 8/31. I have put it together and run it through the break in. This thing was up to 700+ degrees on the gauge in less than 15 minutes and all the flame guards were glowing red. I bought it because of the options and cann’t wait to grill on it. This is a great value for the money.
I too had issues with the residue from the stickers, but I had some Revere Ware Stainless cleaner in the cabinet for our pots and pans. The stainless cleaner worked great and made short work of cleaning the grill up. Plus it shines so bright my neighbor says I’m going to blind any pilots that fly over.
ZERO CUSTOMER SERVICE!
DO NOT BUY A BLUE EMBER BBQ.
I purchased a FG 50045, and the first time I used it in the rain the drip tray overflowed spilling grease all over the inside of the cabinet.
I emailed their customer service, and after 2 weeks and a follow up email I finally got a response. I was told they were looking into the problem, and that I was the first customer to bring it to their attention. They advised me the only way to correct the problem was to cover the bbq – pretty tough to do if you use it in the rain!
I received a reply to the second email I sent to check if the issue had been resolved. This time they acknowledged there was a problem with their design, and again they told me I should buy a cover – they were not even willing to send me one. Below is a cut & paste of the email I received from their customer service (I think their rep should probably have reworded this instead of forwarding it to me!):
Please thank the customer for bringing this to our attention, and advise him that we have actually implemented the design changes to the lid to prevent water from entering the bbq.
You can also advise him that the manual suggests that consumers keep their barbeques covered when not in use. (please make sure this is accurate before telling him that).
- explain that not only will his bbq be protected from rain, but also from dirt and dust.
You can then tell him that we sell covers if he is interested in purchasing one for his grill.
If he still has a concern after this, let me know.
Shellie Robinson
Human Resources Manager
Fiesta Barbeques, A Division of Wolfedale Engineering Limited
Just bought it and LOVE it. For those unable to find a cover, $35 bought me a size XL high quality beige universal grill from a very well known large internet retailer that ends in “..azon”. The cover fits perfectly, and its higher quality and cheaper than most of the covers with the grill’s brand printed on.
As mentioned above, customer service leaves something to be desired.
I am relatively happy with the grill and the gadgets. It cooks well and reaches temperatures that are high enough to properly sear burgers and steaks. The rotisserie works well although it interferes with raising the lid on that side. Trying to keep drinks and ice in the bowl doesn’t work very well because ice and heat from a grill don’t play well together and the ice melts rapidly. It’s much better to put a cooler with beverages next to the grill.
I had a problem with the igniter needing several pushes to get it to click and ignite the grill. I sent e-mails to the address on the site but was never answered. Guess I’ll have to find a better igniter on my own.
My grill also had a grill that wouldn’t fit properly due to a bend in one of the grill arms. I went back to Home Depot and they exchanged the grill for another. They had a box of replacement grills and when I asked the purpose of the whole box of replacements, the manager I talked with said that many of the grills had this same defect and I wasn’t the first to ask for a replacement grill.
To recap, the grill is generally easy to use and has many nice features. However, build quality and customer service could be better.
I just purchased the grill but can’t find a cover. Any suggestions?
We bought this grill to replace our very old, very tired gas grill. I waited til end of the season for a “deal”. I did some online research for help as there are so many good grills out there. After comparing prices/features and reading comments from other users, I set out to actually kick some grill tires. I liked the Blue Ember from the start and as a few others have stated before me, You get the most bang for the buck in the Blue Ember. It is definitely well made and WOW does it get hot!! I wish I had bought this much earlier, but I am very happy to have found this one!! I love it. I did have trouble finding a grill cover and actually opened three in the store until I found one large enough to cover it. It was a generic cover and was only $19.99. Removing all of the stickers was a bit of a chore, but nothing a little Goo Gone couldn’t handle in about 10 minutes. I can’t complain about anything so far, but I do agree that the hooks are in an odd, almost hidden place.
One suggestion I have is to use a professional Stainless Steel Cleaner on it. The one I have is called Deep Gloss by Johnson. I use it on my stainless steel appliances. It works GREAT removing grease and leaving the stainless steel clean and conditioned. As for Rotisiere Cooking Suggestions, I went to http://bbq.about.com/cs/cookingtips/a/aa090499a.htm and found quite a bit of information there including links to all sorts of recipe indexes. This site did have some basic How To’s for beginning Rotissiere cooks like me!
We cook on our grill nearly year round here in Northern Illinois, so we will put this baby to the test. I will try to come back in a few months with anything that I think may be helpful.
After reading all of the glowing reviews regarding this Blue Ember, I am really glad I found one and I hope it continues to be a great grill.
Enjoy Everyone!
Val
I did a little research and found my choice was narrowed to Weber,Ducane,Vidalia and the Blue Ember . I like the features and the build quality is consistent except the burners.(lightweight)
I grilled tonight and it seemed slow to my worn out 7 year old 4 burner Uniflame .I cut the grill off and had to go back and do some hotdogs and the far right burner would make a loud noise .Cut the burner off ;tried to fire the grill back up ,would not light up .I discoed and reconnected the tank and the grill fired right back up but the right burner still acts weird .Tried tech support but no answer ..Starting reading the warranty which is full for 2 years but prorates in increments of 60% credit ,50%,40%,30%.20% for year seven .A part of the exclusion is anything they deem as wear and tear .I do not see this with a Weber .Their site states for warranty
Aluminum castings-2 year on paint excludes fading 25-years
Stainless steel Shroud 25-years
Porcelain-enameled shroud 25-years
Stainless steel burner tubes 10-years
Stainless steel cooking grates 5-years no rust through or burn through
Stainless steel Flavorizer bars 5-years no rust through or burn through
Porcelain-enameled cast-iron cooking grates 5-years no rust through or burn through
Porcelain-enameled cooking grates 3-years no rust through or burn through
Porcelain-enameled Flavorizer bars 2-years no rust through or burn through
Infrared Rotisserie Burner 2-years
All remaining parts 2-years
I am calling HD tommorrow to see what they can do for me .
I look at this grill like an isp . You can have great speeds like the great grill features this has but, if the support or warranty is lacking then it’s not such a great buy afterall .I paid 479.32 ..
With respect to the questions about the smoker – I found the following at the web site for the “Barbecue U” (great website BTW):
To smoke on a gas grill, check first to see if your grill has a smoker box (a long, slender drawer or box into which you can put wood chips for smoking). If it does, fill it with wood chips and light the burner under or next to it on high until you see smoke, then lower the heat of the grill to the desired temperature.
They talk about soaking the wood chips first – go to the web site and get the real story
Up in smoke…with less than 1 tank of gas in under 4 months with very little use! My Fiesta grill burned to the ground and destroyed 8 foot of wooden fence. Thank goodness it was far enough away from my house.
The Fire Department suspected a gas leak in the unit which I purchased pre-assembled from a national chain store.
I have used gas grills for over 30 years and have never had this experience with any other grill.
Am I the only one that has experienced this or a similar problem with this grill?
I did a lot of research before buying the Blue Ember and was satisfied with the features and price due to all of the good reviews. The HD guy tried to talk me into a pre-assembled one, but I didn’t like the way they were assembled and it wouln’t fit in my vehicle so I insisted on one in the box. (Ihave been told the guys that work there get extra money to assemble them)
I got it home and the assembly was quite easy it only took me about an leasurly hour. I couldn’t find the rotisserie in the box. Called HD the next day and they called me back in about an hour and told me that these grills do not come with a rotisserie! I told them that I had a picture on my phone that they had said that it came with the rotisserie kit as it was marked on the floor. The manager said they would give me a rotisserie. I went and picked it up, took it home and it wouldn’t fit! It was Charmglows universal rotisserie! I called Blue Ember and they told me that Home Depot ordered them without the rotisseries this year and I could purchase one for $38 plus shipping and handeling.
The cart isn’t made of stainless and there is a lot of plastic on this grill! This is going back tommorrow.
I am planning to buy the Blue Ember as well. BUT I have found that the Home Depot version does not include the Rotisserie in the 449.00 price, but for the same money, at Academy, it INCLUDES the rostisserie. Am I missing something?
Bought my Blue Ember from a used appliance store for about half of new cost though it was missing the rotisserie and a few random screws. Work amazing especially at the price I paid. My only gripe is that the large catch pan in the bottom is a much lower quality metal than the rest of the grill and is a pain to clean as well as rusting despite taking efforts to protect the grill and keep it clean. Probably wouldn’t be quite as irritating if the small grease drip that hangs in the center wasn’t made from a relatively high-quality stainless steel. The large catch tray will definitely be the first replacement part. From what I’ve seen so far the rest of the grill cost last quite awhile.
I have had the blue ember grill for a matter of a couple of months and am really happy.The customer service was very responsive with the replacement parts that had damage when taken out of the box dings and such bbq is like new now thanks feista.And the cover I bought for it is made by charmglow and its the biggest one you could get and heavy canvas.
I just bought and assembled the Blue Ember but have yet to use it. The rotisserie set also did not come with mine, but I went back to Home depot and they gave me one from another Blue Ember grill(out of the box). I had to buy a 70 inch grill cover from Charmglow to fit my grill. The one Home Depot sells for the grill doesn’t fit. Don’t buy it. Also, make sure your grill does not have the sticker on the lid because it is a pain to get off.
Had my blue ember for less than 2 years, the entire large drip pan is rusted out making it unusable, also blows out with the slightest breeze.
Not very happy.
Just bought the FG50069 in Woodies, its a DIY store in Ireland. A few differences it seems between the Irish version and the US version, however, I am looking forward to firing it up this weekend!
I bought my Blue Ember last year. the grease trap as they call it it worthless. I agree with Clinton on the poor quality metal compared to the cup. I will E-mail them to seek a replacement and report back.
We bought this grill almost a year ago and love it. I first wanted a Weber, but after carefully evaluating reviews, we decided to purchase this one with no regrets We have not had a single problem with it. For the money, the extras are definitely nice. The rotissere works well. However, we haven’t used the smoker feature yet. The grill itself goes over 600 degrees in a few minutes. Grills evenly. Very happy overall.
The newest “IQue” will be picked up by Lowes this summer. I have to laugh a bit at all the comments, and wonder if this site is powered by home depot?
Quartz lights and heavy porcelain covered iron grates have been on the JennAirs and “Perfect Flames” at Lowes for two years. Everyone keeps comparing it to the mid-grade depot stuff like their ducanes and charmglows? Funny that the stuff is made by Charbroil and Nexgrill, the same folks who make Jennair and Perfect flame for Lowes!! It makes sence for Lowes to pick up the “high tech” blue ember over the previous ones…
Lowes left Fiesta 5 or 6 years back to pick up the complete charbroil line, the Blue Ember series being so popular in Canada its nice to see Lowes ( Finally) make a good decision and give this grill a shot. ( as opposed to their suicidal decision to drop MTD’s Cub Cadet line )
anyhow, we’ll see how this newest grill, priced at nearly 900$, will fare.
The 2008 version of this grill uses 430 stainless steel, does not include a rotisserie kit or a grill cover (unless Home Depot still has one or two in stock), and is made in China. Just wanted to let people know these things.
That is interesting about the Blue Ember not coming with a rotisserie. I will have to go back and look but I could swear the floor model at my local store had one. Unfortunately, I had to buy mine from HomeDepot.com as I wanted the NG model and they only sell those online. The online site didn’t mention a rotisserie, but it had so many other errors, I thought that it was another error.
We will see what it has when it gets here next weekend.
I bought a Blue Ember grill at Home Depot here in Iowa 2 weeks ago. I cannot seem to find a rotisserie that will fit the holes drilled in the grill – i.e. a universal rotisserie does not seem to match up. I also cannot locate any retailer that carries a rotisserie to fit this grill. Any ideas? Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks! So far, I really like it, but have only used it once.
Mike Prindle
The universal rotisserie kit sold by Fiesta fits every grill they make except the Blue Ember. You need to order the Blue Ember rotisserie kit. Your best bet is to call them (1-800-396-3838) and find out the best way to get them.
I just arranged for my delivery on Wednesday. Aside form the rotisserie what else will I need to purchase before I can start using it? I have the normal grill utensils but need to know if I will need ceramic briquettes or anything else after I put it together.
2007 model Blue Ember from Home Depot came with the Rotisseri Kit and all the Stainless Steel parts were true 304 quality stainless. The 2008 model is now 400 type stainless (rusts) and does not include the rotisseri. Try to find a 2007 display model at your local HD. If a magnet sticks to the stainless parts, its a 2008. I was able to find a 2007, recently (June 2008) in a very busy metro area, so they are still available if you look.
I received it yesterday and put it together in less than 2 hours today (with no help). I’m breaking it in and after 20 minutes on high with the lid closed it is nearly to 500 degrees.
Michael is correct. It is 400 series stainless steel and doesn’t have a rotisserie.
I’m no pro griller, but I was totally frustrated with the lack of rotisserie after I got home with a free-range chicken picked up along the way. When I called in to tell them they forgot my rotisserie unit, the Home Depot manager told me that Fiesta doesn’t make them anymore for this grill, which is dead wrong. Very annoying conversation as his store model showed one (but he insisted a customer put it there and the grill isn’t designed for rotisserie). Give me a break, it has a back burner… He told me they’ve already tried to talk to Fiesta about after-market products that fit and nothing does. Totally wrong. If you call Fiesta they will send you one as noted above for another $38 + $10 shippping to CA. But it would have been better to know that upfront.
The features are cool, they sold me, but they are kinda gimmicky – the LIGHT, for example, glares straight into your eyes and cannot be used if anyone is sitting near the grill as it’s blinding and obnoxious. Clearly not designed by someone who grills. It should be angled downward to illuminate the grill surface. A little shade device would be a nice touch but it would have to be crafted of soemething that can take high heat…
It’s plasticky and very rattly on an upstairs deck as mine is on a hillside home. Like most people, now that I’ve dragged it home and onto the deck, and dealt with the missing parts (Home Depot pre-assembled one did not include the grease pan, only the “trap” that directs all the grease into my cabinet area), I’ll keep it because it’s too much hassle to take it back. But I sort of regret not paying another $100 to get something really well designed.
One nice feature which partly made my decision are the folding wings, but they don’t hang nicely (the flimsy stainless covers flop around) and are very rattly, so I ended up leaving them up, makes the whole unit a bit big for my deck.
When I went to Home Depot to get a cover (the 68-inch Charmglow fits perfectly) I looked at their floor model and found that they had stuck a rotisserie bar from a universal rotisserie on the Blue Ember with no motor. The employee I asked about it had no idea that there is no universal rotisserie that will fit (he tried to sell me one that wouldn’t even attach).
I put together the grill myself and I don’t believe the side wings are meant to fold down as they are held up with wing nuts.
The 2007 model came with a rotisserie included, but the 2008 model did not include it. I can tell you that if you call the Fiesta customer service number located on the front cover of your manual, they will send any missing parts (including the grease trap tray) right away, no questions asked. They also can sell you a rotisserie (2007 part) that still fits the 2008 model. In fact, my 2007 display model was missing its rotisserie, and they confirmed my serial and model number and sent one right out, free of charge.I’m pleasantly surprised by the quality of their customer care/warranty so far.
Bought the Blue Ember grill at the Home Depot about a month ago. I must say I absolutely loved it until yesterday, when the entire grill went down in flames. I have been searching to see if anyone else had this problem and I do see that one other person appeared to have this happen. Anyone else?? I am very thankful that no one was next to it when it happened and that the only thing that burned was the grill, but the entire thing was destroyed in a matter of minutes. Had to have the fire department come and extinguish the fire. We too bough the grill pre-assembled by a national chain store.
What caused it to spontaneously combust?
I wish I knew!!!!!
Bought our Blue Ember at Home Depot. They didn’t have the rotisserie or bracket. Blue Ember said Home Depot didn’t order the kit, so you have to order direct. I just wanted to buy the bracket, but Blue Ember would not sell just the bracket to me. I had to buy the whole kit for $35 plus $30 shipping!
That’s odd. I live in California and only paid $10 for shipping.
After researching several grills we chose to buy the Blue Ember. It worked great the first few times and then the flame would not stay lit. We bled the lines which was recommended and still did not work. We returned and tried another one. This had the same problem. It would not heat above 250 and the did not have a high/low flame, just low. We finally returned and went with another brand and have much better luch so far.
There was another man returning his grill same day with the same problem. This was through Home Depot.
I do not recommend this grill my Charbroil was better.
Just an add on to Rick’s question about grill covers at Home depot. You’re right! The largest one on the floor at Home Depot is the 68-inch, however, when I gave them the SKU # 525-223, this is for a 70-inch cover. The Home depot looked it up an d guess what, they had 20 in stock!! The catch is that they keep saying its on back order and not in stock!!!!???? Weird. I’m still on the search for a 70-inch cover for my Charmglow 5-burner grill, which has been working excellent. Good luck with cover seeking.
try target for a grill cover, thats were i got mine from and is more than big enough- even have some room left over. this is a great grill only problem i have is the grease trap does not last long at all and seems to be trouble finding one. anyone with any suggestions?
I have read two other peoples comments on this site who had Blue Embers grills burn up. Ours was purchased fathers day, used 3-4 times and went up in flames on July 9th. Thank god no one was hurt,and it was not close to the house. 911 was called, it destoyed 2 eight foot sections of fence and all landscaping nearby!
Did you clean the drop pan? I wonder how often I should clean mine (I’m lazy and don’t want to do it every time.
Just got the 35k BTU version without the IR rotisserie. The assembly went went until I got the drip tray/metal deflector part of the setup. It SUCKED!! I tore out the shiny metal deflector and sheet metal screwed the existing drip tray/pan onto the black metal chassis of the Blue Ember BBQ thus voiding my warranty. Who cares!! Will be “cooking with gas” on our new Blue Ember tomorrow night.
I, like the rest of you searched the Weber’s (CharBroil is still my preference), Broil King’s, amongst the others available up here in Canada. My CharBroil Grille has given me over 8 wonderful years of service. Its had 2 H burner replacements (each 4 yrs. apart – its a cast iron one now) and I’ve installed 2 “made foir CharBroil” cast iron grilles 4 yrs. ago. Just cooked and awesome steak on it the other day.
My wife is scared that the frame may go on it one day and bought the Blue Ember grille at Home Depot on the weekend (free propane tank/filled).
My plans are to renovate/reinforce the frame. Add some TLC and paint and proudly continue using it alongside my new Blue Ember model.
Just bought the blue ember today from Sears in Saskatchewan Canada for $208 CDN total all sales tax in. Natural Gas version. Nothing else even came close. 2007 model with rotissiery. Took an hour to set up while drinking a beer. Real easy. Steaks will be on soon!
I bought the FG50069 at Home Depot for Father’s Day 2007. I have used this grill continually and love it. However, the grease catch is terrible. Last night the grease catch fell off and I noticed that it appeared warped. When I went to bend in one of the sides in order to slide it back in, the side snapped off. Any ideas where I can get a replacement grease catch. I haven’t called Blue Ember (Fiesta) yet but I just wanted to order one online ASAP. Thanks!
This grill is great for cooking. But wait until you need a replacement part. After about 8 months of use, my greese pan rotted out. Cannot find one anywhere. Part # SP244-9
The grill is nice but the grease pan is horrible.. Used it the first time yesterday and some how grease pan overflows and caused a grease fire. The design is so bad that grease spilled to the propane tank and the fire follows – if I didnt react quick enough… there could be an explosion. now the bbq is not useable need a replacement fuel hose because it melted during the fire
I have used mine for over one year now and would not trade it for any other grill. My son in law used mine and tossed his Weber to buy the same one I have. He grills and barbecues daily and the Blue Ember is up to that challenge.
The grease trap has been mentioned as an issue but I clean it regularly (as I do every part of the unit each and every time) and do not think it will ever be a problem.
The main thing for me though is how well it works. The temperature comes up quickly and is steady across the burners with no hot or cold spots. This makes cooking a full grill for a crowd really easy. For indirect grilling, this unit is a dream. Pork and poultry is juicy and people just clean up every bit. Lamb chops are charred on the outside and medium rare on the inside. I was never much good with the Weber but am suddenly a master chef with the Blue Ember. Go figure.
After reading all the horror stories in the comments about the Blue Embers Gas Grill by Fiesta, I feel compelled to put in my two cents and relate the problems and the triumphs I have had since I purchased my grill a couple of months ago.
I researched a number of grills and settled on the Blue Embers grill primarily from what I had read in Consumers Report. I ordered the natural gas model from HomeDepot.com. When it arrived, I was very eager to get it out of the box and assemble it. When I took it out of the box, I noticed two of the cast iron end caps were cracked. I called customer service at Fiesta and informed them of the problem. After being on hold waiting for the first available agent for about 45 minutes, I told the lady about the cracked pieces and she sent two replacement end caps (which took a week and a half to get here). In the meantime I found that another one for the end caps was also cracked. I called Fiesta again. This time I got in a lot quicker and talked to the same customer rep. She sent out another end cap (waited another week and a half) and this time it was the wrong part. When I called back to report this, I got through quickly and talked to another rep who seemed to be more knowledgeable about the grill than the first person. He sent me the correct part (which took another week and a half to receive).
The problem with replacing the end caps is that the grill has to be almost completely torn apart and put back together. Reassembling the grill is a lot more tedious and time consuming than just taking it out of the box and putting it together. There are several nuts and bolts that are impossible to reach or tighten. You need the fingers of a small child to be able to reach and manipulate the bolts. The grill is not very ergonomically put together.
After wasting about a month waiting for parts to arrive (much of which was during nice bbqing weather) and reassembling the grill, the time finally came to fire it up and start cooking. Everything fired up fine except the rotisserie burner. It would light and then go out. I called Fiesta again and they sent be out another burner unit.
After much delay, I can now say that my grill operates the way it should. The burners get very hot (over 700 degrees). The rotisserie burner works well and so does the side burner (I fried up a batch of bacon today so as not to smell up the inside of the house). I lined the grease pan and grease tray with foil and will change out periodically to preclude the bbq from burning up like others have previously reported.
After much frustration in getting the grill assembled, I can now say I am satisfied with the way it turned out and hope to have many grilling days ahead.
For those of you looking for a cover for this grill. I just received the perfect cover for this grill. I pd 44.00 plus free shipping today I see it’s up to $51.00 but it’s worth every penney. The cover that comes with this grill is really bad two bad rain storms and that was it. This cover has:
Click-close straps lock around bbq legs to secure the cover on windy days.
Handles for easy fitting and removal, and adjustable elastic hem cord for a tight, custom fit.
Air vents reduce condensation and lessen ballooning in wind.
Large zippered front pocket for storage
The fabric is also very heavy.
It is the perfect fit.
http://www.amazon.com/Veranda-Cart-Cover-xxlarge-pebble/dp/B000NWAO74/ref=pd_ys_wizard_6
OUTSTANDING GRILL!!!
I’ve owned one for over a year(got it early summer 2007) and every time I BBQ it’s a pleasure! The bottle opener is great and there’s even a ice bucket accessory to keep the brews cold and at hand. The only complaint I would have about it is not with the grill, but with Fiesta. I had a dog who liked to dig, chew and generally get into things like a dog would. We covered the grill, but he quickly found a way around that and chewed on the battery powered ignitor. I have contacted Fiesta’s customer service several times to order a replacement and never heard back from them. Luckily there are sources outside the company who can assist you in finding replacement parts but I wouldn’t bother contacting Fiesta. They’ll treat you in the sense that they’ve got thier money so they aren’t interested in helping further.
If you are looking for replacement parts, FORGET IT!! I am very pleased with the grill itself but after years of use, I could stand to replace a couple of the more fragile parts (drip pan, etc.
We have owned the Fiesta Blue Ember grill for a year, last time I cleaned it the grease drip pan was rotten and fell apart in my hands.
I have read a lot of reviews on this grill and yesterday I found that many people were unable to find the part. I sent an email to Fiesta Grills yesterday, got a reply this morning and called them. I was able to order the drip pan from Fiesta Grills, gave them the serial number off the grill and it was only $9.00 total, I guess covered under the warranty. I have attached the email I received:
“Yes we do carry these parts but right now we are waiting on them to come in from our vendor, which should be the end of this week. You will need to call the 800 # listed below to place your order. Have a great day.”
Thank you,
Kathy
On Behalf of
Customer Service
Fiesta Gas Grills
One Fiesta Drive
DicksonTN 37055
1-800-396-3838
Hours of Operation – 7:00 am – 4:30 pm Central
Monday – Friday
Fax 1-615-441-2941
Just purchased the BE after my Weber finally gave out. I have no compliants about the Grill, but I want to purchase a rotisserie and have called the 800# after 20 min on hold gave up does anyone know where I can purchase the rotisserie? Home Depot where I bought the grill told me to contact Blue Ember Help!!
I bought the BE over the weekend and love it. Easy to put together and seems to be much sturdier than similarly priced grills at Lowe’s. I purchased a “universal” rotisserie kit made by Perfect Flame that I was told would fit. It does not. It does fit my old grill, so it isn’t a complete waste. I have sent emails to both customer service departments at blue ember and fiesta grills to find out about a compatible kit. I’ll let you know if I get a response.
I purchased a b.e .grill here on vancouver island from home depot . It required the delivery of 3 units to finally get one that wasn’t badly
damaged right out of the box . Although it could have been damaged in transit . The first one I brought home myself , and the top stainless cover was badly dented ,hd couriered me another,the store had assembled it and arranged to pick up the first , and this one I refused to take delivery and sent it back , the control panel was pushed in and two of the burner controls would not turn . The third one was left at my neighbours as I had no idea when they were delivering . I must have a 2007 as it came with rot. I have used it many times and am very happy with rhe quality and performance . But now the fun starts as I read in my local paper Fiesta has issued what they call a voluntary recall . Something to do with the routing of the rubber supply line to the burners . See fiestagrills.com
Dave
I am considering buying this grill, there is a recall about fire hazard and grill burn up
due to improper placement of tank hose behind the heat shield, it places in front of shield
to work properly. See link by CSPC….
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09020.html
For diagram of proper hose installation to prevent fire/burnup of unit.
Suggestion: Paint drip tray with BBQ Black high heat paint whick can be bought @ HD
for $5, this will take care of potential
rust through problems.
Just remember, anything made in China Michigan
requires maintenance, today there is very little that is not.
PS: I will be looking for the better stainless 07 model if available!
Buda, Texas
I bought this grill at Home Depot today. It was a Black Friday Doorbuster for only $249. I work at HD and noticed many people buying these recently. Many came back for a cover and to purchase a cover (we carry generic ones) or for the rotisserie (which we don’t sell) and all gave great feedback. I couldn’t pass up the $200 savings. My husband was so excited that he used every feature on it today. Steaks were great and evenly cooked. Light inside is a great idea (especially since it gets dark out early in the winter) We are more than pleased with this seemingly well built masterpiece. I told my husband that it’s his Christmas present, but secretly……. Merry Christmas to me!
Where can you get stainless steel grates for this grill?
Lowes has a conversion kit (special order) for the FG50069 model, probably about $50
Lowes has a propane to natural gas conversion kit (special order) for the FG50069 model, probably about $50
I just bought the “Blue Ember” from Home Depot, on ‘black Friday’…have only used it twice…but am lovin’ it (replace an 8 yr old Weber. Am giving the Weber to my son…hopefully I don’t regret the move. As far as the drip pan goes…I found the the tin foil pan for my Weber fit this grill as well…just remember to change them when needed.
Just saw the Blue Ember grill at HD. Have to say I really like the feature set and the sturdiness. Just found the website. http://www.blueembergrills.com.
Looking to buy this for parent for xmas. These reviews help alot.
I saw the Blue Ember Grill on the sale Ad for Home Depot the day after Thanksgiving ($249 vs. $499). It had all the features I wanted and the price was great. The only draw back was I need natural gas. After talking to the store they said it could not be converted to natural gas. I wasn’t going to buy. I then went to Lowe’s and saw they had a natural conversion kit available in their 2009 BBQ guide for this grill. When I inquired about it, the part number came up in the computer, but no price????? I then went back to Home Depot and after a couple additional trips I got an Associate that agreed to make some calls to find out what was up. He found out that the natural gas conversion kit was going to be available in 2009 and that Lowe’s was going to get it first! Be aware, it is not going to be available until March 2009.
The reviews for this grill on this site convinced me that at the $249 price I could buy it and wait until March for the conversion kit. I bought it and will store until March.
I have never posted a reply on any of these sites, but I felt this information would be valuable to anyone looking for a natural gas BBQ. I hope this comment saves others the time and effort it took to finally get the right information (I hope they come through in March) on the natural gas conversion. I can make my old Weber last a few more months.
I’ve had a Weber for 6 yrs and it runs today like the first day, evrything works and nothing has been replaced….My girlfriend needed one about a year ago and after doing some research we decided on the Fiesta Blue Ember, had lots of features, good reviews and price was right….yesterday I went to use it and realized the whole bottom had fell off, it was kind of dark so didn’t get to take a good look put the pan I pulled out was all rusted out, went to Home Depot looking for replacement parts and no luck…tomorrow I’m going to call them and see where that takes me..looks like no matter what she’ll be w/o a grill for a week or so at best…..I say Weber, Weber, Weber, Weber…
I just got a Blue Ember but mine is already Natural Gas. I got a good deal on it at home depot so i picked it up. I was wondering if they have a conversion kit from natural gas to propane? I have the same model as discussed above but has a slightly different ending FG50069-U709. I am guessing they came out with this model after the propane one discussed above. Anyways, let me know if anyone knows if a natural gas to propane conversion kit is available. Thanks
I’m on here looking for the propane to natural gas conversion kit as well.. I’m so happy Al has done all the work for us! This grill is a steal at home depot, $249.. we can’t wait to go pick one up.
Jeff, I’ll trade you., you must be in Canada? From what all the comments say, the natural gas isn’t avail. in the states yet.
I bought the Blue ember on a close out from Home depot after we bought a house in October. I’ve used the rotisserie and the temperature probe they have performed great.
The probe is very handy as my wife likes her meat more well done that I do. I’ve also experimented with adding some charcoal into the hickor chip bin and it adds a nice flavor.
My only problem is a I can’t find a cover for it. Home depot doesn’t seem to have the right size and I can’t find it online. Has anyone found it?
Otherwise, I love the grill!! It is great buy compared to other grills.
Grill cover update: Feb 5, 2009
Just got off the phone with fiesta grills. The grill cover for the Ique will begin shipping in May 2009. The price will be around 60.00 plus shipping.
They suggest you begin emailing them in Apri 2009. The email address is
customerservice@fiestagasgrills.com
Hope this helps.
Carl Stephenson
can u switch over from natural gas to propane ???
This is a good looking and cooking CHEAP grill. It will last 1-2 years before it starts rusting and drip pan literally drops out. I had my weber for 8 years only changing rack once. Wish I still had it.
does not keep the water out of the grilling area. when it rains it fills the rusted out drip pan with water and overflows grease on the tank, messy when replacing tanks. the light cover did not last 5 minutes and broke, also the broiling element is cracked ond does not function properly. trying to get parts is difficult, it is easier to leave a complaint than get replacement parts.
I wanted to purchase a blue ember grill I went to home depot and they are not carrying it any more? is this becaus they had to many returns and it is not a good grill.
Purchased Blue Ember (Fiesta) 1 1/2 years ago at Home Depot. Drip pan has completely RUSTED and fell out. I paid full price, I’m sad. Weber for me next time.
I found out about the recall of my Blue Ember grill not long after getting it. I called the company and they were very quick to send parts and instructions. My grill before the replacement parts didn’t get extremely hot. After I took it apart I could see how it was incorrectly installed by the installers, Home Depot! Also, the hose had a couple crimps in it from being installed incorrectly, and the way they ran it, used up alot of the hose. You wouldn’t notice this just looking from the bottom, unless you really got under there, but Brother let me tell you the difference! It was an immediate improvement that now gets the grill up to the temps it specifies QUICK! Check your grill, if you have to search for enough hose to install your tank, it’s probably incorrect. If the grill doesn’t heat well, while there can be other problems, but it’s probably a crimped hose! I can see how installers can make this mistake going too quickly, but it’s a common sense thing, if you have any, you won’t make this mistake putting it together yourself, also reading the instructions help! I actually couldn’t wait for the instructions and new parts for my grill, and took it apart myself,( see the common sense note), As soon as I unbolted the 4 bolts securing the grill part to the cart, and lifted it up, I could see the problem! I also knew immediately that the grill was going to work better, even before I got the new parts! I don’t recomend this, but I took the old hose that was crimped and a pair of pliers and rounded it out again, then installed it the way it should be. I couldn’t wait for my new parts to see if I was right! I fired it up, and I was right, then imediately turned it off, and disconnected the gas, till the new parts came in!….. OK, not imediately, I turned the burners all the way up, basking in the heat and light, did a little dance around the grill, patted myself on the back,and THEN I turned off the gas and made it safe and THEN patiently waited for the new parts to come! When it concerns things that can burn or blow up, don’t trust installer’s 100%. It’s not Blue Embers fault, it’s the instalers, be it the backyard griller who was too eager to get his grill going, or the 18 year old kid putting your grill together from Home Depot, Lowes or some other retailer of the Blue Ember grills, that just wants to put it together quickly so he can get back to the MILF in aisle 12!
Hope this helps!
I forgot, I mentioned to Customer Service the lip on the grease pan holder broke off and they are sending the whole thing….grease pan and tray, along with the other parts! She said it was an updated one as they had some problems with the first ones rusting! Mine is only a few months old so didn’t have a rust problem yet!
I love my Blue Ember BBQ. However, I regret not getting natural gas. Is it possible to convert it from propane? What’s involved and whats the cost?
Thanks for the info
Bill
I’ve owned the Blue Ember FG50069 for just under 1 year. Like many others, my drip pan has completely rusted out. I called Fiesta customer service today, and they are sending out a new one. I only had to pay $8 shipping and handling. The customer service rep told me the new drip pan is made of stainless steel. So, apparently, they recognize that it’s a problem.
Hi, just recently purchase this Blue Ember Grill at Lowe’s…Beautiful grill, but, cannot get the gas tank sensor to work.. We took one back to store and exchanged it for the same model and this tank sensor doesn’t work, either..Has anyone else had this problem on any Blue Ember Grill…Thanks!
same on the rusted drip pan, getting a new stainless for just $8 shipping, they were very helpful on the phone (866) 740-7849 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday.
Got the upgraded I-que model. WASTE of money. good idea, VERY poor execution. Display unreadable in sunlight. Tank sensor broke first use. Poorly designed. Customer service only open 40h/wk. Never answered emails. Rtnd to store.Loews was great.
My BBQ blew off of my deck last winter. I need to replace the bottom part of the shell. The lid needs it to move in. The holes on the sides broke. It is a Blue Ember Natural Gas Grill. Can you email me on the cost.
Thanx
Bought it three weeks ago and have major problems with the burners. I got three different tanks from three different stores and I can’t get more than two burners going. I think there is serious issue with the regulator. Follewed all instructions to light correctly, it just doesn’t want to let the gas flow and can’t get it up past 200 degrees. Also the tank level indicator is real flacky, jumps from full to empty and sticks in reading. On all three tanks. I am very disapointed in the qaulity of this grill.
Follow-up to my previous post: Well I found the problem. When I assembled this grill I did not take notice of the gas hose route and had pinched it when I dropped the top on to the base. I fixed it, but not without ripping out one of the wires that feeds the electrical system. Upon several minutes of disceting the wire harness with an exacto knif I found where the black wire goes. Got it back up and running an it is great! However the ultra-sound / sonar for the tank just tanks! It sticks in reading all the time now. In general…two things I hate about barbeques…
1) Can’t anyone make a high qaulity barbeque? You make them like U.S. cars..Full of blngs and features, but no thought into how it all comes together and how it is maintained.
2) Can’t you ship these things pre-assmebled? Darn, I can rebuild an engine better than assembling barbeques. Directions stink, and evert manufacturer always has to have a different method in it’s assembly.
Sometimes I think I’m better off using blow torches…hmm, maybe a bench barbeque with underside blow torch attachments!
Grill covers Lowes (82″) and Sears (84″)
I purchased the natural gas version of this grill from Home Depot a couple of weeks ago. My biggest complaint is that the BBQ does not get very hot. It is a challenge to even get it to hit 400 degrees but more like 300-350 usually, and that is only if you do not even think of opening the lid. My question is if others have the same issue? I am used to my old Vermont Castings BBQ which would get so hot you had to be careful (550-600 degrees).
This is frustrating as it takes a long time to cook anything.
This is a follow-up to my earlier comment made last July (#99). I have now used my grill for about 11 months (even through the cold winter) and I cannot say enough good things about it. I have a natural gas model which I bought through Homedepot.com. After having a rocky start in replacing all the broken pieces and setting it up as I discussed in my previous comment, I have had no problems with it since. The temperature gets up to 600-700 degrees. I’m not sure what is causing #136’s problem with the grill not getting very hot. Maybe the gas line is pinched off as has been reported by others. I covered the drip pan with foil and change it out periodically. This has prevented any rust from forming, though I think I will look into getting the new stainless steel pan. I found a generic BBQ cover at Home Depot and it has done a good job in protecting the grill from the elements, though it only reaches down to about 4 inches off the deck. Speaking of which, I did remove the wheels and attached the bottom of the grill to the deck. A strong wind cannot budge it. I tried the rotisserie burner, and it works very well–even though I had to replace the one that originally came with the grill. All in all, I am very satisfied with the product.
I love this grill. It has help up really well after being abused heavily by cooking ribs for over 100 people on several different occasions. I would highly recommend this grill. One suggestion to Fiesta, put a heavy duty drip pan at the bottom of this grill made of stainless steel and this grill would be beyond top notch!
we purchased a blue ember by fiesta 3 burner at home depot the beginneing of 2008 summer. It is essintially a beautiful looking grill for the first 3 months the the so called stainless parts all rusted and the pans rotted out. This company can not still be in business. we owned a Ducane high priced grill prior for 15 years with little or no poblems. Well you get wht you pay for, the dump will be a good place for this blue ember grill.
Tom and Chris, I have a natural gas BBQ and I have trouble getting it over 450DegF with all three burners on high – even after 20 mins of runtime. I am very disappointed!
I purchased a Blue Ember grill. If the only complaints are a drip pan, in my eyes whats the big deal? The grill rocks!! FYI..I called the 1 800 number got through, and had no problem getting a drip pan sent to me UPS!
No customer service. I need a part for my grill and after emailing and leaving messages, (as instructed) no Blue Ember agent has ever returned a call or answered an email.
One of the company core value’s states how important the communication is with the customer. Just not so.
Bought 10 days ago, cooked with it twice. The sonar fuel gauge has never worked and one grate came with porcelain chipped away. Had a tough time getting thru to customer service; when I finally did a very nice-sounding lady promised me a replacement grate within 10 business days and that a piece of aluminum foil between the sensor and the tank would take care of business until…some sort of remedy…would PROBABLY be forthcoming, that there were many problems lately. Well, the foil DIDN’T work and after one bunch of burgers ANOTHER grate has a spot where the coating has just disappeared (I guess it ended up in one of the burgers…GULP). I’ll be calling again, and maybe returning this before long. Seems like the QA issues are all over the lot. Assembly was no big deal (except for the heat shield, which was the reason for all the recalls), and the burners get up to 550 degrees in 10 minutes, no sweat. Too bad…looks like they opted to cut corners with cheaper suppliers…. maybe a result of the Home Depot deal going south. They’re with Lowe’s now…
Like many on the board, I had a hard time getting my Blue Ember to heat up. The first day I had it, I couldn’t get it over 275. Talked to a sales rep at Lowe’s where I got it and they gave me a new regulator to swap onto the unit. Works great now. After 10 minutes it was up to 550 degrees.
I’ve owned my FG50069 Blue Ember for almost 2 and a half years. I love it. I’ve used it several times a week, year-round on my covered porch since I bought it. Yes, the grease pan rusted out. I fully expect to have to replace it, although I’m waiting to hear back from the email I sent to customer service. But pay attention: Anyone who expects a product that they use frequently to be maintenance-free, hassle-free probably should just go eat at Chili’s. In the rest of the world, high-dollar items are cared for and maintained.
The reason that the grease pan rusts through is that the heat shield guides grease drippings away from the flame, onto the pan, where they are intended to then drop into the grease cup, which should be emptied and cleaned REGULARLY. If anything (i.e. pieces of food or coagulated grease) blocks the grease from moving from the grease pan to the grease cup, you’ve got an acidic, oxidative liquid sitting on a relatively thin piece of metal. Over time, as that heats up and cools down over and over again, it’s going to eat through the pan.
I’m not lecturing to say “You should have done x, y, z.”. I’m lecturing to say, I didn’t do x, y, z and it’s my fault. I clean my grill pretty thoroughly about once or twice a year. The grease pan burning/rusting through, in my case, was caused by my frequent use of the rotisserie (which drips A LOT of fat and grease onto the pan) and the fact that I NEVER cleaned the grease pan. I would empty to grease cup every couple of months, clean the grates and heat plates thoroughly a few times a year, but I just never thought to clean the pan. Instead of blaming the company for poor workmanship, I’ll take a little bit of personal responsibility and admit that I never cleaned the pan and burning/rusting away was probably the result of my lack of good maintenance.
If, as a previous poster mentioned, the new grease pan is stainless steel, that should solve the problem, but I’ll never make the mistake of failing to clean my ENTIRE grill again.
My only true “complaint” about my grill is that I can’t really fine-tune the flame. I’d say I’ve got the following settings dialed in pretty well: HIGH, LOW, MEDIUM, MEDIUM LOW. But all things considered, it’s an excellent grill and is one of the best home purchases I’ve made.
I bought the FGF50069-U403 a little over a week ago. My (14 y/o) son and I assembled it together to try to have some “bonding time”; ended up being me assembling it mostly. LOL At first, I thought either the fuel gauge wasn’t working properly or Lowe’s duped me on a tank of propane. It would only measure a little more than 2 hours of gas in the tank. I took that tank back the next day and exchanged it for another one. Same thing. Needless to say, I was bummed.
Then I just went ahead and started grilling. Wouldn’t you know it! The fuel gauge started reading properly. I guess it only gives a proper reading when gas is flowing?
Anyway, we got a lot of rain last week and the gauge shorted out on me.
(I leave it plugged in.) Popped the GFI and everything. Silly me, I was thinking if a cover didn’t come WITH the grill, then it must be okay to leave it uncovered. Live and learn, I guess. This is my very first grill. Called customer support today, and they are shipping out another gauge. I stayed on hold for about 25 minutes. No way I was going to leave a message! As some of you found out the hard way, I KNEW they weren’t going to call back, so I waited until someone answered! 
Aside from the gauge shorting out, I still love the grill!
As others have stated, water does flow down into the drip cup and fill it up, so keep an eye on it! Also, concerning the rusting, just get a good stainless steel cleaner/polish and treat maybe once a month or so and there shouldn’t be any issue with rust. It’s called “maintenance.” You can’t expect something that is basically a mini blast furnace to be able to go through all those extreme heat cycles and weather patterns and everything just be hunky-dory forever…
OK, just got it home this afternoon from HD. Bought a nice outdoor extension cord, which I CANNOT get to plug into the unit; I even cut some of the rubber away from the cord. Any recommendations??? Thanks.
Followup: Aluminum foil in a variety of thicknesses/folds never did straighten out my fuel gauge issues and a subsequent talk with customer service indicated that it works just fine with some tanks, never will with others, and that the ubiquitous Blue Rhino tanks were worst offenders. Bought a new tank. No soap.
Same nice service rep offered to send me a complete set of replacement grates as one of mine arrived with coating damaged and another seemed to lose coating during the first grilling. The box arrived yesterday. One of three grates had chipped porcelain again…the other two were actually broken clear through and pieces of metal literally fell off when I opened the bags they were in.
Enough already. Lowes is picking this thing up tomorrow. Too bad…sounded good in principle but the manufacturing execution is just not there.
Kurt, I’m using a Blue Rhino tank now and it works fine w/ my gauge. (At least until the gauge shorted out.) Are you running the burners when you try to get a reading? Like I said in my previous post, I couldn’t get a proper reading until the burners were going. Maybe you just got a bad grill. Try another one before you throw out the baby w/ the bath water. You might end up pleased as punch with another of the same grill. Just a thought…
I have had this grill for over 2 years now. I use it all the time. My drip pan rusted, but I always forget to put the cover on. I bought a cover from Home Depot that’s too short, but it still works. The bottle opener is a beast, a few bottles have been broken upon opening. If the cover is off my grill, I make an effort to go outside and use it to open my beers. It gets over 700 degrees in just a few minutes. I’ve used the burner and the rotisserie. I put shower hooks on the side handles to hang my tools because the hooks in the door are too low. It stays outside in the snow over winter and the only thing rusty is the drip pan. All my house guests love this grill and think it’s amazing. Over all, I am in love with this grill.
Rick: I don’t know what to say other than get a different cord. I use the same outdoor cord from my Christmas lights. I don’t need the grill in the winter and I don’t need the lights the rest of the year. The cord fits just fine.
one more thing, I did have a problem with the grill not getting hot enough once. Turns out you have to follow the directions…dang! Fully open the tank, THEN put ONE burner on high and light. After this, you can start any other burners. If you have a burner on when you open the tank valve the regulator doesn’t set properly.
Well lucky me! I just opened up my grill for the season to prep for my Father’s Day BBQ for 25 people this Sunday and what do I see? NO DRIP PAN. Where is the drip pan you say? IN 1000 RUSTY PIECES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GRILL.
Anyone wanna bet that I get the part in time to have the BBQ, especially since the Dad I’ll be cooking for is the one who bought me the grill last year for my birthday?
And to those others, YES, I kept the grill covered and cleaned it at the end of the last grilling season.
I can’t find this part ANYWHERE in time for Sunday so I’m ****ed.
Fiesta Grills stink and should ashamed. What grill have you ever owned that flaked apart less than 1 year later??!?!?!
Never even got to use it…
Bought the FG50069-U709 last winter, looking forward to summer grilling. Assembled the thing over the weekend, and lo and behold, it is Natural gas; I need LP. Of course HD won’t take it back, it’s past the 90 days (yeah, that’s what I get for thinking ahead to better weather). HD’s customer service checked with a guy at the store who said that it was no problem, I could get a converstion kit from Fiesta–just call them on Monday. OK.
So I called Fiesta customer service and asked for a conversion kit so I can use my brand new grill with LP. Nope. The will only provide IDENTICAL replacement parts. WHAT??? She also kindly pointed out that any modifications would void my warranty. OK, so, hey, I have a GREAT warranty on a PRODUCT I CAN’T EVER USE !!!
So if Lowe’s is selling a Fiesta branded LP to NG onversion kit, why can’t I get a NG to LP conversion kit??
Looked like a great grill with great features; but I guess I’ll never know.
Bought the three burner version last year. Had difficulty finding a good cover. Finally found a 70″ Pure Flame (after market) at Lowes. Great quality.
One disappointment is that I have been trying since last year to find a rotessorie (sp) that works with my grill. No luck to date.
The grill works great. I understand there were some issues with fires but it was later determined that the gas hose was placed wrong. If you follow the instructions properly you should have no issues.
Although I love this grill and have gotten tons of use out of it over the past 2 years, my drip pan rusted out and crumbled to pieces as well. I called Fiesta’s 800 # multiple times without anyone picking up, but finally waited it out for 15 minutes of hold time and got a live person. A new, free drip pan is on its way!!