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Choosing a Grill
By Cheri Sicard
With so many grilling options, choosing the right grill for your needs
can be confusing. Is more expensive really better? Which features are
most important, and where can you skimp? The following tips will help
you decide.
 Charcoal
VS. Gas or Propane Grills
Charcoal grills use charcoal briquettes, wood or a combination
of both. Charcoal cooking imparts a more intense smoked flavor than its
gas grilled counterpart. Charcoal grills burn hotter, which is handy when
searing steaks and other cuts of quickly grilled foods.
One of the biggest advantages of charcoal over gas, in my opinion, is
that they are better for smoking.
If you have a large kettle grill, there is no need for special smoking
apparatus (unless you plan on smoking really large quantities of meat).
On the downside, cooking over charcoal requires more time than a gas
grill which is ready to cook on about 10 minutes after lighting. A charcoal
grill should be ready to cook in 15-30 minutes after lighting, depending
on the size of the grill and the type of wood or number and type of briquettes.
Charcoal grills also need more tending and attention during the cooking
process, which if you are a true grilling fan, is part of the fun.
Gas grills come with built in igniters -- push-button, rotary
or an electronic lighter -- so starting the fire is fast and easy. After
about 10 minutes of preheating, you're ready to cook. A standard 20 lbs.
tank of liquid propane with the burners on high, should last about 9 hours.
Cooking at average temperatures, you should get 25 to 30 meals per tank.
The flavor produced by charcoal grilling comes from the food juices dripping
onto the hot charcoal. Gas grills use several materials accomplish this:
- Lava rock heats quickly and disperses the heat to the interior of
the grill. On the downside, lava is porous and allows grease to accumulate,
lessening its efficiency and increasing fire flare-ups. In order to
keep your lava rock gas grill working at its peak, turn the rocks over
to expose a fresh surface frequently and replace them annually.
- Pumice stone works just like lava rocks, but it collects less residue
and therefore needs less maintenance and doesn't need to be replaced
as often.
- Ceramic briquettes are more pricey than lava rocks or pumice stone
and but they last much longer. The briquettes are easy to maintain as
food residue bakes off during the cooking process and no other cleaning
is necessary.
- Metal heat plates or bars built into the grill work much the same
as ceramic briquettes -- dripping juices dissipate when they fall on
the hot metal.
Help with Choosing a Grill
Once you have decided on a charcoal or gas grill, narrow your search
further by asking yourself these questions:
What will you be cooking?
What you plan to cook effects the type of grill you need. A lot of people
only use their grill for grilling a quick entree like steaks, burgers,
chicken or fish. If that's you, then you probably don't need a very big
grill. But if you want to cook ribs, brisket, roasts, turkeys or other
large cut of meat, you will need a larger grill. While we're at it, why
limit yourself to just entrees? We have grill recipes for an entire menu.
And if that's not enough, check
out any of the grilling cookbooks at this link for tons more ideas of
how to use your grill. Get a bigger grill and expand your grilling
repertoire and your menu will never be limited by your grilling equipment.
How many people will you be serving?
If you regularly cook for large crowds, you need more cooking space. Better
get a bigger grill. Always do a visual inspection to see if the cooking
surface is big enough for your needs, as often the manufacturer's specifications
on the box include side burners or warming racks in their measurements.
How often and when will you be grilling?
Charcoal grills can take 15 minutes or longer to get ready and they
take more time and effort to light. If you use your grill often, you
may want the convenience of a gas grill. If you only grill occasionally
or when you have lots of time (like weekends and holidays), then the time
and effort of a charcoal grill is well worth the effort.
What is your budget?
The prices of grills vary from under $50.00 (and under $10.00 in the case
of simple, disposable type grills) to thousands of dollars. Buy the best
grill you can afford for your budget. In general, charcoal grills cost
less to buy, but gas grill cost less to operate (unless you have a large
supply of free cooking wood).
Grill Grids
The cooking grid gives your food the telltale stripes associated with
grilled foods. Grids can be made of different materials, each with its
own merits and detriments:
- Cast iron grids require curing in the same way that cast iron cookware
does in order to prevent rust. This is really not difficult (click
for instructions in our cast iron cookware tutorial). Once cured,
the heavy cast iron grill grids wear well, cook well, and distribute
heat more evenly than the other types of grids.
- Stainless steel grids are rust-resistant, but food can stick to hem
if they are not well greased.
- Porcelain-coated cast iron grids are rust-resistant and are most desirable
for heat retention and ease of cleaning.
Shop
for Gas or Propane Grills at Amazon.com.
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When shopping for a CHARCOAL GRILL, keep these points in mind:
- Better quality grills have air vents on the top and bottom to
control cooking temperatures.
- Look for a grill with solid construction -- one that doesn't
wiggle or move too much when touched.
- For safety's sake, look for a grill with handles that stay cool.
- For effective indirect
heat grilling, look for a grill with a tightly fitting domed
lid.
Types of Charcoal Grills
 Hibachis
-- These small grills use a minimum of fuel to heat their small
cooking surfaces very hot. If you don't have a lot of space, a hibachi
is a good choice, even if you're limited to only a small balcony.
Hibachis are perfects grill for small meal entrées or grilled
appetizers. Click
here to shop for Hibachis at Amazon.com.
 Kettle-Style
Grills -- A kettle grill is one the most versatile, and if you
have the room for one, highly recommended. Some are round, some
oblong. They can either grill over scorchingly hot heat or be used
flow low and slow cooking and indirect heat smoking. When buying
a kettle grill, get one with the heaviest pot you can find as this
makes for better heat retention. With the lid on, the kettle grill
effectively becomes a convection oven (albeit one that imparts a
smoky flavor), as the domed lid keeps the hot air circulating around
the food. A 24-inch surface is a good, standard size that will fit
the needs of the average small family, but in grilling my motto
isalways bigger is better, as so much barbecue fare takes up a lot
of space. Click
here to shop for Kettle Grills at Amazon.com.
Shop Amazon.com's Entire Collection of Charcoal Grills
Outdoor Cooking Basics
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When shopping for a GAS GRILL, keep these points in mind:
 BTUs
matter -- sort of. A gas grill's heat output is rated in British
thermal units (or BTUs). You might think that the higher the BTU,
the hotter the grill -- but it's not that simple. Because this
measurement is related to the size of the burner, it can be difficult
to compare BTU ratings of different grills. A large grill with
a high BTU rating cooks at a similar temperature as a smaller
grill with lower BTUs. What's more important than BTUs is a grill's
ability to reach and sustain cooking temperature. Look for a grill
with the highest BTUs you can afford, but always get a grill with
burner controls that allow you to control the cooking temperature.
Generally speaking, larger grills with bigger cooking surfaces
require more BTUs to cook efficiently.- Look for a grill with solid construction -- one that doesn't
wiggle or move too much when touched.
- Most grills come with two individually controlled burners, that
let you cook foods at two different temperatures. Higher end grills
have three or more individually controlled grilling areas. Buy
the grill with as many burners as you can afford, as the greater
number of burners, the greater cooking flexibility you will enjoy.
- For rust resistance, look for grills with stainless steel or
porcelain-coated burners.
- Some grills come with side burners like the ones you have on
a gas stovetop. This may or may not be important to you, depending
on how and where you use your grill, and your cooking personality.
They can be convenient as they allow you to prepare an accompanying
dish without running back and forth to the kitchen.
- Built in gas gauges and thermometers are nice features, but
if your grill doesn't come with them you can use your own oven
thermometer to monitor temperature, and propane consumption is
relatively easy to estimate.
- A smoker box with a dedicated burner is a nice feature if you
plan on doing any smoking.
- A rotisserie attachment with a dedicated burner is another optional
feature that you will probably find yourself using a lot once
you get the hang of it.
Gas grills use liquid propane (LP) or natural gas instead
of wood of charcoal to create their fire. Gas grills have the advantages
of being cleaner burning and less expensive to operate per use than
their charcoal counterparts.
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