Bullseye Bullseye…or, something else?

[Jim6820]

We just bought a new home and it does NOT have natural gas for my Napoleon 450RB, so I need a grill alternative. I do have a RT-340 that I use for smoking, but it is not ideal for “hot cooks.” I’m thinking about buying a Bullseye or similar for the hot stuff. I’ve seen a few issues posted regarding the Bullseye, but in general, it seems like it is pretty well regarded. Are there any other similar “hot cook” grills in the marketplace that I should consider before making a decision?

 

[hput2]

Convert it to propane?

 

[Jim6820]

Convert it to propane?

I considered that, but it seems that the parts to do so don’t exist—officially, at least—and they would have to be manufactured.

Natural gas and propane are different beasts and, apparently, it takes more natural gas to achieve the same temperature. That requires a larger size orifice for natural gas.

The orifice size is critical and I have been unable to find any information with details. Going the other way—propane to natural gas—is apparently just a matter of drilling out the orifices to a calculated larger diameter. Even though I have a fair amount of mechanical experience, I have never mastered the art of drilling existing holes smaller however.

 

[hput2]

They make different size jets for natural gas and propane that you just screw in and out. If you have a good local hardware store go there and talk with them or even contact the Napoleon manufacturer.

 

[mikeporter616]

Bullseye is, IMHO somewhat quirky. Initial burn-in is not enough to train it. Once trained, however it works well. Burgers and sears are fine, especially with grillgrates.

 

[Jim6820]

They make different size jets for natural gas and propane that you just screw in and out. If you have a good local hardware store go there and talk with them or even contact the Napoleon manufacturer.

I have talked to Napoleon and they say they don’t have the smaller orifices I would need. My grill is about 9 years old, so that may be part of the problem. It is still in great shape and I’d like to keep it so I’ll look around a bit more for orifices.

 

[Mannydog]

It is still in great shape and I’d like to keep it so I’ll look around a bit more for orifices.

Yep. Pretty much how I spent all my time in my 20's...

(p.s. Go for the Bullseye! It really is a great grill/smoker)

 

[SmokeOCD]

...I’ll look around a bit more for orifices.

Have you taken one out yet? You may need to do a trial and error thing where you end up ordering a couple of kits and test fit them. So start with searching how they look, and as good of a measurement as you can get. Your solution very likely will not say Napoleon on the box or the instructions.

-edit-
I did a search, just for giggles - This is going to be an interesting project
"We do not manufacture conversion kits. Our Napoleon grills are gas specific, are certified and tested for their specific gas type and should not be modified or adjusted in any way."

 

[Wslayer]

Talk to your local propane company. May need to take original orifice in so they can size it up but they will gladly take your gas business. Btu of burner info may be handy also for them

 

[Roaniecowpony]

I considered that, but it seems that the parts to do so don’t exist—officially, at least—and they would have to be manufactured.

Natural gas and propane are different beasts and, apparently, it takes more natural gas to achieve the same temperature. That requires a larger size orifice for natural gas.

The orifice size is critical and I have been unable to find any information with details. Going the other way—propane to natural gas—is apparently just a matter of drilling out the orifices to a calculated larger diameter. Even though I have a fair amount of mechanical experience, I have never mastered the art of drilling existing holes smaller however.

Jim, if you want to convert it, your old drill will work great to make a smaller hole. Flux it up and solder the hole shut and re-drill it to your desired size.

But if you don't want to do that, google "propane jets for napolean grill" and see what you can find. I saw a lot of jets, but don't know what you need.

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Here's a video on converting a Blaze grill. The basics will be the same

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Found a Napolean jet, but don't know whether it's propane or NG.
https://www.appliancefactoryparts.c...MvbRVNmEj3ZOh-1qihbT8hk6Qj2boCPhoCYAcQAvD_BwE

 

[Roaniecowpony]

Pricey, but maybe the simple approach...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/1837736928...jYljuVbwW0MbeutEy8qZSsfw==|tkp:Bk9SR4Crv7f0YA

 

[Jim6820]

Have you taken one out yet? You may need to do a trial and error thing where you end up ordering a couple of kits and test fit them. So start with searching how they look, and as good of a measurement as you can get. Your solution very likely will not say Napoleon on the box or the instructions.

-edit-
I did a search, just for giggles - This is going to be an interesting project
"We do not manufacture conversion kits. Our Napoleon grills are gas specific, are certified and tested for their specific gas type and should not be modified or adjusted in any way."

Yep, that’s the line I got when I talked to the folks at Napoleon. They claim it is not just orifice size, but regulator and other stuff. It may be ”an interesting project” all right. I still haven’t given up; just proceeding with due diligence.

 

[Jim6820]

Pricey, but maybe the simple approach...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/183773692862?hash=item2ac9c403be:g:buoAAOSwZC1Z8rrK&amdata=enc:AQAHAAAAwKXSs6ucBR1xAJ6Dy0Rq5JgNvCl4nntHQrelk0XEJn9RA/fXwclvBjtBqbvHZrpqlOQj+wcaRs5QsjRsi6nlWG5Jgv/uOToStM1Ic3wjEZ10+N+PUJlT68Pn0rj5YhqxxVqdQUePVSyyQ3UdPvGa0dPiulkIqlyCf5Mj5Ezkb4AJiGHzlufznhnldmuwb0u7oYlWhLtFQgZve49yYJwcy4VAf1jGAgShes7FTt0L2RjYljuVbwW0MbeutEy8qZSsfw==|tkp:Bk9SR4Crv7f0YA

Interesting that those are blanks. I have all the tools to properly drill them, but at that price I’d want to be sure they were the right units. I’ll do some checking. Thanks for the lead, @Roaniecowpony.

 

[kstone113]

I LOVE my bullseye and it a great grill for the price. However, if I had a Napolean like you, I think I would exhaust all options until going another direction. But I can't recommend the Bullseye enough. It can be quiky but gets up to temp fast and sears great. I have the cast iron grates from Aura and that's pretty much what I keep on it all the time. It does take more care making sure it is clean and oiled up but been using over a year and grates are still good. And the sear on them is great also even though I do have grill grates also which would be fine with the stock grates from RecTeq. The stock grates are really better for smoking and not searing.

 

[RipJones]

I say go for the Bulls-Eye. Other than the one pellet jam, I really like mine. At the April Academy, all of the RT guys were pushing the Bells-Eye as your "Daily Grill", to get quick things done. All of our rib-eyes for lunch were cooked on the of Bulls-Eye grills on the patio @ RT-HQ. .

 

[Chuckrooney]

We just bought a new home and it does NOT have natural gas for my Napoleon 450RB, so I need a grill alternative. I do have a RT-340 that I use for smoking, but it is not ideal for “hot cooks.” I’m thinking about buying a Bullseye or similar for the hot stuff. I’ve seen a few issues posted regarding the Bullseye, but in general, it seems like it is pretty well regarded. Are there any other similar “hot cook” grills in the marketplace that I should consider before making a decision?

The bullseye is perfect. No issues 2 years and still just cooks everything. Need to monitor temps. Runs hot I believe because of the smaller dome lid. But it rocks

 

[Hogman3]

We just bought a new home and it does NOT have natural gas for my Napoleon 450RB, so I need a grill alternative. I do have a RT-340 that I use for smoking, but it is not ideal for “hot cooks.” I’m thinking about buying a Bullseye or similar for the hot stuff. I’ve seen a few issues posted regarding the Bullseye, but in general, it seems like it is pretty well regarded. Are there any other similar “hot cook” grills in the marketplace that I should consider before making a decision?

Save yourself some money and buy a 22” kettle grill. I bought a Bullseye but much prefer the flavor I get cooking over charcoal. Just my two cents worth.

 

[charlesrshell]

Save yourself some money and buy a 22” kettle grill. I bought a Bullseye but much prefer the flavor I get cooking over charcoal. Just my two cents worth.

Same here. I hadn't tried smoked meat before. Got a Bullseye and have tried numerous flavored pellets. Haven't liked any of my cooks. I wish lava rock gassers would make a comeback.