This was first written in 2013, when credit cards were a major concern. In 2025, the same flawed logic pops up with Buy Now Pay Later apps and subscription debt. People think moving payments around is a fix. It isn’t. Steak-only thinking still rules.
This past week we purchased yet another replacement Bar B Q at the Big Cajun Chateau. We get a new one every 4 years or so (if anyone can give me a method to make them last longer, feel free to leave a comment). This new one is working quite nicely. However, there is a problem that I have had with every propane Bar B Q that I have owned. I never can figure out when my tank is empty and needs to be refilled. I find out when the barbecue goes out. What could be the solution to the problem of empty tanks?
I have noticed that the tank seems to always run out about 10 minutes into cooking either chicken or pork. I am not sure how this happens. It just does seem to happen that way. Sometimes, it runs out 2 minutes into cooking hamburgers. In these situations, we struggle to finish cooking things that really need to be cooked well.
I have come up with a fantastic solution to this problem, that should resolve this confounding problem. If I only cook steak on the Bar B Q, I will never run out of propane. I have yet to have a tank “give out” in the middle of cooking steaks.
Logic?
I have noticed that my Amex card rarely has a very high balance. This observation is unrelated to other matters. However, my Mastercard seems to have high balances every month. I am considering using my Amex card more frequently, which would help me maintain lower balances.
Anyone see the flaw in this logic?
No Really This is Flawed Logic
Flawed logic is comforting because it feels like we’re “doing something” without actually solving the problem. The propane BBQ analogy is perfect: switching to steak cooking doesn’t address the empty tank. Likewise, switching from Mastercard to Amex doesn’t address overspending.
The key is to get honest about the root problem. With propane, that means a tank gauge or a backup tank. With credit cards, it means cutting unnecessary spending, budgeting, or paying balances down consistently. Anything else is just steak-logic.
🚩 Red Flags
- Thinking a different credit card = solution. No, that's just another debt-laden tool.
- Blaming the tool (BBQ, Amex) instead of the behavior.
- Solutions that conveniently let you avoid the hard fix. There are rarely easy solutions in finance.
3️⃣ Common Mistakes
- Thinking changing credit cards = solving debt.
- Avoiding root problems with humour or “clever fixes.”
- Ignoring simple preventative tools (like propane gauges, or budgets).
We find the tankS always run out only when we have company. Good thing the broiler still works. (My brother who still does charcoal only has no trouble telling if he has enough fuel….and his food tastes way better. Maybe you should just fill the bottom of your gas one with hickory briquets!)
Our bbq is about 14 years old now. We do have an extremely thick vinyl cover for it that we’ve used every day as soon as it cools. Not sure why yours are wearing out: innards or shell?
I hooked my bbq up to a house gas line. No more worries about running out mid-cooking. It’s a different size orifice in the manifold but my Kirkland bbq came with fittings for both LP and natural gas so it was an easy swap. You can also drill out the holes in the manifold to the correct size for house gas.
I order new replacement burners every year (free lifetime replacement warranty – gotta love Kirkland) and after 8 or 9 years it’s still going strong.
Well, in Canada that kind of work MUST be done by a licensed gas fitter (i.e fiddling with the meter and adding connections and such), but my father in law has this and does swear by them as well.
Living in southern California may be different for how long a barbeque lasts. My current one is 14 years old. I have replaced certain parts over the years, but it is still going. Original cost was a couple hundred dollars. I run out of propane too. I bought an extra tank and that is my safety.
Interesting theory, but I am sure you will find that it is flawed. I have a gauge for my beer cooking stove that runs on gas. It was about $10 and it works every time. Can you not just buy a gauge?
Yeh, that might be a better bet 😉
Buy a second tank of gas and have it ready. When your first one runs out, just hook up the other tank, then go get the first one filled.
FYI, don’t d0 propane exchanges. Find a place that will fill your tank. The exchanges will only fill 15 pounds, where a place that fills it should give you the full 20 pounds that your tank holds, for the same price.
Didn’t know that one, good to know, thanks!
You’re buying cheap non-brand barbeques. It does make a difference.Go buy yourself a weber barbeque :). We’ve had our weber for, I dunno, 6-8 years?
And after a half a dozen years when something gives out, just replace the part. You don’t need to throw away the entire barbeque over the burner, burners are $50 at home hardware.
Agree, we’ve had our Weber Genesis (middle of the Weber range) and are going on 5 years. It’s lived outside for the winters (here in Ontario) – the only thing I forget and kick myself is not taking out the battery for the ignitor in the fall – it’s corroded in the spring and I need to clean it up. As soon as I get that cleaned it still fires up perfectly.