GrillBlazer Su-VGun Review

The GrillBlazer Su-VGun is a hand-held flame thrower used by culinary enthusiasts, fellow foodies, and professional chefs to put a gorgeous sear on meat without using a grill.

During the winter months, we long for the outdoor kitchen, but the temps and wind lately have seen us using the Sous vide inside, and it’s time to talk about how to get that killer crust on protein without using the charcoal grill.

We’re based in Indianapolis, which sees freezing temperatures a good 5 months out of the year. That just means that we need to be creative in our outdoor cooking every now and then and adopt some non-traditional cooking methods that keep us warm and toasty inside.

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I’m a guy who loves to grill with charcoal and smoke with wood, so sous vide cooking feels like cheating. But all feelings aside, I’ve been truly impressed by how good a steak I can get using a Vacuum sealer, Sous vide, and a flamethrower.

Today I want to show you my favorite way to finish a protein once it comes out of the water at 130°. It’s called the Su-VGun, and it’s the little brother of the larger GrillGun that we use all the time to light our firepits, pizza ovens, and grills.

Su-VGun Specifications

The Su-VGun is easy to hold in the hand, and it accepts multiple types of fuel. Most of the time, I’ll use a 1 pound propane canister that screws into the bottom of the gun. They’re easy to find at most hardware stores, and they last for at least 10 cooks before they run out in my experience.

I also found this nifty 1-pound propane tank refilling nozzle, so I’m not buying a brand new 1lb tank each time I run out.

The Su-VGun can also connect to a 20-pound propane tank as well as use MAP gas canisters.

In the box, you’ll find a convenient vertical stand that helps you to keep the propane bottle upright when not in use. The stand folds up completely flat as well, so if you’re taking it on the go, it packs well.

There’s really only one way that the unit will stay on the stand, and that’s when you put the nozzle of the gun facing in the direction of the stand legs.

The Su-VGun measures 14.5 inches long by 8.5 inches high and weighs a little less than 27 ounces.

Build Quality

The unit is primarily made of plastic and metal, with most of the trigger and handle elements coming in plastic, and all metal where you’ll be igniting propane. There’s also a copper safety valve on top of it.

How Do You Use A Su-VGun?

In order to get started the Su-VGun must be attached to a liquid propane bottle or a 20-lb propane tank using the 8-foot adapter hose that is either sold separately from Grillblazer or as part of a bundle.

To get the propane gas flowing, you turn the red knob to the left and you’ll hear the gas begin to flow. Once you can hear it moving just a little bit, you pull the trigger to ignite and a small blue flame will appear.

You can adjust the intensity of the flame by turning the red knob further left for more flame, and turning it to the right to turn it off by stopping the flow of gas.

Once it’s lit though, it’s the full-throttle trigger that I love the most. The whole handle is also a trigger, and as long as you press down on the safety switch, you can set the Su-V gun to jet engine mode by pressing in the handle.

Ways To Use Your Su-VGun

Sous Vide Hamburgers

You can enjoy a juicy burger with that mouthwatering flame-broiled flavor no matter the weather. Simply sous vide your vacuum-sealed hamburger patties at about 140°. Next, use the Su-VGun searing torch to paint a nice crust on the top and bottom of the hamburgers. Your meat will have a delicious crust on the outside while maintaining the medium rare doneness on the inside.

Sous Vide Steak

Whether you’re enjoying a filet mignon or a tomahawk, searing meat with the Su-VGun is a great way to finish it off. Just set your sous-vide to the temperature of your preferred meat doneness, and when it comes out of the vacuum-sealed bag (looking pretty unappetizing and gray, to be honest), pull out your Su-VGun to paint it with the beautiful outer sear that we all know and love.

BBQ Tool

The Su-VGun can also be used for other tasks in your outdoor kitchen or patio. It can be a great charcoal starter. Whether you’re using a kamado grill, offset smoker, drum, or kettle, you can light your charcoal grill quickly without using nasty lighter fluid and will be grilling in no time.

While there are certainly other ways to light your charcoal grill, Grillblazer has probably given us the most fun tools with the Su-VGun and the longer GrillGun.

Culinary Torch Gun

Lighting Our Fire Pit

We do a lot of entertaining family and friends in the back yard and gathering around a fire pit on a cool night is definitely a favorite. Using the Su-VGun or GrillGun to light our cold night fire pits is often the fastest way to get the fire going.

Is the Su-VGun Safe To Use?

Both the Su-VGun and the GrillGun come with a bottle stand so that you can keep the liquid propane bottle upright when you need to set it down.

However, the torch gun does have a safety valve that stops propane from flowing if you do happen to lay it down or tilt it too far where you’d get liquid propane coming out of the device.

That check valve makes it so you’re safe and things are controlled while you’re using this ultra-powerful handheld blowtorch.

If you ever skip the bottle stand and lay down the Su-V gun attached to a propane canister, you’ll notice that it may not light when you pick it back up. That’s the valve doing its job.

To clear the valve, just take the propane tank off, press the handle in to release any of the leftover propane and you’re good to go.

Grillblazer Su-VGun vs. GrillGun: Which one do I need?

The Grillblazer Su-VGun basic and the GrillGun basic are very nearly the same tool.

However, the Su-VGun is only 14.5 inches long and the GrillGun is 21 inches long.

That means that the GrillGun is better for more intense fire-starting needs that will require a little more distance between you and the thing you’re lighting on fire. For example, we prefer the GrillGun for lighting our pizza ovens and fire pits.

Likewise, the Su-VGun is the best tool for the more close-up culinary torch jobs. Unlike the larger GrillGun, this unit focuses the flame to get higher temperature-focused flames right where you need it.

Our GrillBlazer Su-VGun Review

The Su-V Gun has been the searing tool and culinary torch that we use during the winter months when the wind is whipping outside and it’s well below freezing. It allows us to get that charred taste without being outside at the grill fixing bbq in a parka, and it’s the perfect complement to our SousVide cooking. We’ve been huge fans of the GrillGun for over a year now and we have found the Su-VGun to be an equally impressive product.