One thing that’s hard about moving around the world is changing grills so often. Unless, you get a grill spotless, customs has issues with moving it across continents. We’re nearing retirement now, so I just invested in a STOK Quattro Grill…more on it in a moment.
My first grill was a cheapy, but lasted a few good stateside moves. I remember my first meal on that grill; I had no idea how to BBQ. I slathered up some chicken parts in BBQ sauce, cranked the grill to high and threw them on the grates. They caught on fire and were burnt to a crisp. I tried to serve them to my newlywed husband, and when he took his first bite, they were raw inside. My how times have changed. (“Thank God!” my husband interjects.)
I later invested in both an expensive grill that had a hard line connection to the gas line at our house and an extra large smoker, but I couldn’t take them with me to Europe. So in Belgium, I bought another crappy grill and a tiny smoker. We left both there and gave them to our Belgian neighbors.
When we moved to Texas, at first we settled with another cheap grill. A good grill really can make all the difference. We may have only spent $100 on the grill, but we easily ruined $100 in meat because the grill didn’t cook evenly. The steaks were far from restaurant quality.
So finally I talked my husband into an upgrade. After a lot of research, we decided on the STOK Quattro Grill. STOK stands for “Special Technology in Outdoor Kitchens.” This grill is only available at Home Depot and sells for $299, but Home Depot always offers a 10% military discount. The grill is created by Ryobi, the company who has made quality tools for years.
What do tools have to do with grills? Well, according to the STOK facebook page, “STOK is part of the TTI family (responsible for RYOBI, RIDIGD Power Tools, and Milwaukee). We are always looking for new challenges, so we decided to bring the innovation we are known for in Power Tools over to grills.”
Like many high-quality grills, the STOK Quattro has 4 individually controlled burners and 450 square inches of cooking space. It has an attractive sturdy stainless steel exterior and lots of cabinet space inside with spice racks and shelves.
What makes this grill stand above the rest though are all of its unique gadgets. It came with three interchangeable inserts: a vegetable tray, a pizza stone and a griddle.
Since it was Memorial Day, we quickly assembled the grill, which was quite easy with two people, one being my handy husband. We cranked this baby right up and grilled some rib-eyes. They were the best steaks we’ve had in years.
I’ve always wanted an outdoor pizza oven, so the stone was the first insert I tried. Using my recipe for Italian Pizza Dough, I made breakfast pizza.
I rolled the dough out, formed an edge and topped it with seasoned eggs, cheese and chorizo.
Then, I slid it onto the preheated, cornmeal dusted pizza stone and grilled it until the crust was crispy on the edges and the eggs were cooked through.
It was so good.
We had some leftover steak from the night before, so next I used the vegetable tray to make fajitas, and at the same time, I used the griddle to make quesadillas. This grill is so versatile.
I was having so much fun, that I went back to Home Depot and bought two other inserts: the chicken roaster and the kabob and rib rack.
The center of the chicken roaster fits a soda or beer can, but I wanted wine chicken, so I emptied out a can of enchilada sauce and it fit perfectly.
I rubbed the chicken down with Herbes de Provence and filled the can with white wine, butter and more herbs.
Another success.
Next, it was time to test the kabob and rib rack. I seasoned two slabs of ribs and a whole brisket with Zestuous Rub and slid them right in the racks. After a few hours on indirect heat, they were the best ribs I’ve ever made.
Today, I put the grill to its final test. My STOK is a grill, a pizza oven, a griddle, a wok…but can it replace my smoker? That’s what I aimed to find out.
I soaked some mesquite chips in water. Then, I poured them into the vegetable tray and inserted it into the grill. I topped the chips with the bottom of the rib rack turned upside down.
My extra large smoker was awesome because it had a side box where the wood burned and the smoke moved through the barrel, cooking the meat indirectly at a temperature between 250-275 degrees.
By placing the wood chips in one side and the meat on the other, I was able to create the same effect with my STOK. And with four burners, I could monitor the heat to keep the temperature where I needed it. I turned the left two burners on low. The temperature reached about 325, but if I just used one burner, the temperature dropped to 225, so I went with the two burners. When I closed the lid, smoke filled the inside, but easily escaped out the sides and back.
After a 2-3 hours, my smoked skirt steak, tasted just like it does on my big smoker. But the icing on the cake…or should I say, the sauce on the BBQ…is that because of how I prepare my skirt steak, this grill was even better than my smoker.
I always smoke my skirt steak first, and then I grill it on high, to sear in that buttery flavor from the natural skirt steak fat. I could smoke it and grill it on all my STOK. Awesome!
My only complaint about this grill is that when it catches a wind gust, it starts to make a whooshing sound. The only way to stop this is to turn the burner off and then back on. However, within minutes, it starts doing it again. It doesn’t seem to affect the cooking, it’s just kind of loud and annoying.
The other thing the grill is lacking is hooks to hang utensils. We adapted and added our own, so all is good. And STOK thought of everything else when it comes to storage.
You can slide the kabob skewers into the side holes.
The insert removal tool also hangs on the holes.
And as I mentioned, the inside has shelves for the inserts and a spice rack.
Other pros: the grill has four wheels, so you can move it around your patio on windy days. Then, you can lock down the wheels, so it doesn’t get away from you. And clean up is a breeze. Because all of the inserts are removable, they can be easily rinsed off under the faucet or with a hose. And the container that catches drippings is very easy to access and clean.
If you can’t tell by now, I love this grill. If it wasn’t so darn hot this time of year in Texas, I would probably cook every meal on my STOK Quattro.
Hello, I love your blog and although I am happy with my current grill I did have a question about the breakfast pizza, what type of cheese did you use? Was it Mozzerella?
Thanks!
Thanks Tim. I’m not sure what cheese I used on the pizza pictured. I mix it up all the time depending on my toppings on what I have on hand. You can use mozzarella, pepper jack, Swiss, cheddar, even goat cheese. When I was in college, I used to put Kraft Singles on it. With chorizo, you won’t go wrong with a mild cheddar, mozzarella or pepper jack.
Tim I just remembered the cheese I used for the pizza pictured: Manchego.
Why did you put another piece over the wood chips?
I just bought this grill and am so excited to use it. But I’ve been too busy to put it together!
Thanks for the great write up.
So the smoke flavor wouldn’t be too overwhelming, and to limit the oxygen flow so they didn’t catch fire. Enjoy your grill. I just grilled a turkey on it today. So moist and juicy!
Thanks for an awesome review zestuous , I’m picking one up today on the way home!!!
I just got my quattro this weekend and i already love it. Could you elaborate on how you cooked the ribs (temp, prep, seasoning, etc). I like your posts, especially about smoking, and i hope to see more soon.
thanks.
Awesome Chris.
First thing you need to do is remove the silver skin from the back of the ribs. It’s a lining close to the bone that covers the backside of the ribs. Slide a knife under it to separate it just enough so you can grab it. Then, using a paper towel, grab hold of it and pull it off.
Next, generously rub the ribs with Zestuous Rub: https://www.zestuous.com/2011/09/zestuous-rub/. Let the ribs rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Place the STOK rib rack with inserts in the grill. Then, turn all burners of the grill to high to heat to clean off any leftovers from the last time you grilled.
Next, turn off the two burners under the rib rack and turn the other two knobs down the second dot.
Slide the ribs into the rib rack inserts and grill them for about 3 hours or until the meat starts to shrink from the rib tips.
Happy grilling!
I like the grill and it’s potential. I’ve owned mine over a month and found similar issues such as breeze causing the whistling/bubbling water noise with the flame -very sensitive.
If anyone can help, I can’t get my grill over 350 degrees. I read in the manual that the U.S. had a new regulator laws in place that limit the gas (how unAmerican …can’t get my grill over a cool oven) I tried their solutions to no avail.
HOW DID YOU GET YOUR GRILL TO GET TO BE HOT? WHAT IS THE TRICK? NEED HELP ASAP!
Bob, it could be that your regulator has gone bad. My grill was working great for about 2 months, and then all of a sudden I ran into the same problem you’re having. I thought my tank was running low, so I bought another tank…but same issue. I found if I only used 2 burners, I could get it hotter, but still not as hot as I wanted.
Then, I noticed when I turned on the tank that it was making a hissing sound, releasing gas. I called STOK and they are sending me a new regulator at no charge. As soon as it arrives, I’ll let you know if the problem is fixed.
If you’re in a hurry to BBQ, you could pick up a new regulator at Home Depot for under $20 and see if that helps. Good luck!
Bob. I have an update on my grill. My regulator broke in July. I called the warranty office in early August. They said they were going to ship me out a new one at no cost. I just had to leave the old one in a box on the porch for FedEx. After 3 weeks…I never received a new regulator.
I called them last week to see what was up. The lady said the regulators are on back order and they have no idea when they will be in. I’m on a waiting list to receive one…but I’ve already gone 6 weeks without a grill…missing most of the summer grilling season.
I went to Home Depot today. They gave me a regulator off the shelf for free. I installed it, but it didn’t work properly either. The grill got up to 600 degrees, but it was making an awful noise and the regulator was vibrating. The clerk at Home Depot told me if the regulator didn’t work properly, they would replace the entire grill.
So we brought the grill back and got a brand new one. Great customer service! I’ll be assembling it tomorrow and picking up some nice ribeyes. I can’t wait to grill on a STOK again.
I also have an email into the product designer about this issue. If I hear anything, I’ll let you know.
I also have a problem with my gs regulator. It worked great for the first 10 uses then began hissing out gas. I hope STOK or Home Depot will help me, it’s a 2 hour drive to the nearest Home Depot where I bought this. Otherwise, I love the grill. Grilling pizzas on the stone that comes with it, it great.
I just bought this STOK today at Home Depot and had only read a few reviews on my phone while I was in the store. I got home and read your review and I feel alot better about my decision. It did make the top 10 at About.com placing #9 for grills between $250 and $500. But I read alot of bad reviews too. But with your review I feel much better. Your Smoker tip with the Veg pan, PERFECT I did not even think of that. I think I will be very happy with this grill. You have great ideas for this grill and I look forward to see what you come up with next!
implulse buyer!
Thanks. Glad I could help. Happy grilling!
Great read. Thanks. I just bought a STOK last week. We haven’t made pizza on it yet but it has done well so far with our burgers, sausages and veggies.
Question: As you know the STOK has a few openings when the lid is in the closed position (across the back and at the sides where the rotisserie would be). In your smoker experiment, did you have any issues or problems with these openings letting out too much of your precious smoke?
No. They actually worked to the food’s advantage. A little smoke needs to circulate out, so the food is not overwhelmed with smokiness. The back and side openings worked like the stove pipe in my big smoker.
sweet write up.
thnx for the pics & commentary
Can you tell me the maximum temperature I should expect my stok quattro to reach? I recently purchased mine and have grilled twice. With all four burners going at full tilt and the lid closed, it was able to reach 350*. I would expect it to reach at least 450*. just curious. Thanks,
Todd
I’ve seen mine reach 600 degrees. I usually have mine on a covered patio against a brick wall, so I don’t have any issues with wind. I have heard other people mention temperature issues though on the STOK facebook page.
This is soooo cool and inspiring! Thanks for such a great and fun article!!! WOW!
Very much appreciated! Mike