Grills and barbecues: What’s right for you?

Buying a barbecue can seem overwhelming when you walk into a store and see all of your choices. You can find anything from a small indoor electric grill to a medium charcoal grill to a large outdoor propane grill. Selecting the right grill for you just requires a little thought about your needs.

Indoor grills

Most barbecues that can be used indoors have two surfaces with raised grill lines that are heated with electricity. Although there is no open flame, the raised lines can simulate the grill marks that you would get on an outdoor grill and will allow for the fat to drain out of the meat into a drip pan. This is perfect for people who live in apartments or areas that do not have the outdoor space to allow for a larger grill, and can also allow you to grill during inclement weather.

Indoor Grills

Gas grills

Usually fueled by natural gas or propane, the gas grill is for use outdoors. There is a large variety of sizes available for gas grills, ranging from one that holds about four burgers to some that can cook for a large group of people. Gas grills can come with other accessories like a rotisserie or a flat griddle like surface. These grills also heat very quickly, as opposed to charcoal grills.

Gas Grills

Charcoal grills

There are many different sizes and styles of charcoal grills. Many die-hards will cook on nothing but a charcoal grill and consider it “cheating” to use any other type. You can use charcoal briquettes or all natural lump charcoal as the source of fuel, which will add a smoky flavor to whatever you are grilling. If you do a lot of camping or tailgating, a charcoal grill might be for you.

Charcoal Grills

Other barbecues are available that do not fall into either one of these categories like the hybrid gas and charcoal barbecue, or the infrared grill that uses propane to heat a ceramic plate for a more even distribution of heat.

Which one is right for you?

Think about how you will be using your barbecue and how often. If it is just the two of you and time is not an issue, you may want to get a small table top charcoal barbecue. You will have time for the coals to warm up, and it will not take up a lot of space. If you have more mouths to feed or you like to entertain, consider how many burgers and steaks you might be cooking at a time and buy a little larger.

Remember that gas barbecues will heat up faster and easier than a charcoal grill, and may even be considered safer since you are not dealing with lighter fluid and hot coals burning after you are done cooking. Infrared grills give you the ease of gas, but some people claim they a taste of charcoal because burning charcoal gives off infrared heat which is what cooks your meat.

BTU: A grill’s technical specification

How many BTU will you need? BTU is the measurement of the amount of heat generated per hour and is used to describe gas grills. You can not go by BTU alone, as you will also need to consider the size of the grill. It is suggested that you look for 100 BTU per square inch of cooking space. Buying a grill with a higher BTU might make your grill hotter, but it might be too hot for what you actually need to cook. Please also remember that the higher the BTU, the more gas you will use.

Craftsmanship, durability and extras

Cheaper models may cook as well as more expensive models, but if you buy something that is made with very cheap materials, it is not going to last as long. Sometimes you get what you pay for. Here’s a tip- when talking about steel: the smaller the gauge, the stronger the steel. For example, 12 gauge steel is much stronger and thicker than 14 gauge steel.

Figure out which extras you will really use and don’t be tempted to buy something that you won’t. An extra burner on the side is great so you don’t have to run back and forth into the kitchen for that side dish you might be cooking. But maybe a rotisserie is a little too much for you. On gas grills, separate controls for separate burners are a good thing so you are not using enough gas to light your whole barbecue when you are only cooking two hot dogs. A warming rack also comes in handy when one of you likes your red meat rare and another likes it very well done.

Assembly is also an extra you should consider: many stores will assemble your grill for you for a small fee. Putting together a grill can be a hard task and you will need to be sure of its safety. You might find that it is worth it to pay a professional to assemble it for you.

Recommended brands and reasonable prices

The Weber dome-top grill is a very popular charcoal barbeque. It has a reputation of being very durable and affordable. Many are available for under $100.

Char-broil, Weber and Coleman are all popular gas barbecue brands with grills ranging in all sizes and price ranges. You can find them for as low as $100-200, but deluxe models  may run well into the thousands.

Brinkmann and George Foreman make the most popular electric grills. They are also available from $50 and can be as high as a couple hundred dollars.

Barbecue safety tips

Once you are home and happily grilling away, you need to be aware of the dangers of your barbecue. Propane and natural gas are very flammable. Always check your hoses for blockages or cracks. Keep lighted cigarettes away from a grill, which may be leaking. Never attempt to repair a gas tank yourself. Keep your grill a safe distance from your house and NEVER use a gas grill indoors. Remember that burning charcoal gives off carbon monoxide, which is toxic in a closed area. NEVER burn charcoal in any closed area like your home, a tent, a camper, etc. For this reason, do not store your grill indoors after it was just used as the charcoal will continue to emit fumes until the coals are completely extinguished.

Now that you’ve decided what to get and how much to spend all that is left to do is stop by the store, get yourself some good food and get grilling!