Different Types of Grills

Summer is here, which means that it is time to begin grilling and preparing awesome barbeque parties. The only problem is, you have not bought your barbeque grill yet. When purchasing your first grill, you will find that you have a large array of options available to you. It may seem overwhelming at first due to the almost endless amount of possibilities and options available. The best way to decide on what type of grill is right for you is by educating yourself about them.

Cost

Barbeque grills can range from extremely cheap to very expensive depending on the type and features available on it.

If you are looking for a cheaper grill, then you should probably consider a charcoal grill. While larger charcoal grills are available, smaller grills can be purchased for as little as $10 to $15 at your local department store. Fancier, large charcoal grills can be purchased for about $60 to $75. Charcoal requires purchasing charcoal and lighter fluid each time you, so you must remember this when considering the cost.

Propane grills are slightly more expensive, starting around $100 dollars.

A smoker grill is slightly more expensive then a propane grill at about $130 each.

Natural gas grills on the higher end of cost. The mechanical part of this grill make it larger and more complex. The Natural gas grills are meant to be hooked up to your home line. Typically these types of grills start at about $300.

Multiple fuel grills are the most expensive at about $450 and up. Multiple fuel grills allow you to grill using one or a combination of fuels.

Ease of Use

The easiest grill to use is by far the natural gas grill. Natural gas grills are designed to hook directly into your home’s natural gas line, eliminating the need to provide the fuel source. Natural gas grills are also one of the easiest grills to clean since you do not have to worry about cleaning out the charcoal or wood.

The next in line would be the propane grills, as they have similar features of the natural gas grills. The only issue keeping Propane grills from being equal to natural gas grills is the fact that you must provide the propane somehow. This usually means hauling and handling propane tanks.

The hardest grills to use are charcoal and smoker grills. Both types of grills require additional purchases of supplies, and then requires extra cleaning once grilling is complete.

Remember that bigger grills require more space to store and more time to clean. Bigger is not always better when it comes to grills. If you want a grill that is easy to clean, you will want to think about a smaller grill.

Flavor

If you are concerned with flavor, you first choice should be a charcoal or smoker grill. Both of these grills allow you to replicate a true “smoked” flavor. Smokers are especially nice because you can also control the flavor by changing the type of wood or wood chips you use. This is good if you are wanting to slow cook your meat.

If you are wanting to cook something a little quicker, you may want to stick with the charcoal grill. A Charcoal grill will cook quickly if you want it too, and it will still provide a good “smoked” taste.

Space

Finally, the space you have available should be a consideration. When you grill is not in use, you must have a proper place to store it. Charcoal and Propane grills are ideal for smaller areas such as apartments and city homes. If you have a large amount of space available, then you may want to consider the larger options.

Stainless Steel Gas Grills

Once you decide that you are more then just your average griller, you may want to consider investing in a gas grills. Gas grills give an array of features and options that other types of grills simply do not have. If you are looking for a grill that will be beautiful, reliable, and will last for many years to come, you may want to consider looking into stainless steel gas grills.

Gas grills, unlike some of the other grills types, have the ability to come with many different types of cooking surfaces. These different cooking surfaces include a BBQ surface, a flat grill, and a ribbed grill. Some grills even offer these types of surfaces as none stick, which allow you to cook a whole array of foods that you would not be able to cook on a grill otherwise. You will be able to cook your whole meal, including side dishes if you plan correctly. Some gas grills even contain a Wok type surface for cooking pasta and rise dishes, or a full rotisserie set that allows you to cook rotisserie chicken.

A feature that comes with different cooking surfaces is the ability to cook different foods, at different temperatures, at the same time. This feature is available if your gas grill have separate burners. This allows you to cook your meals much more quickly. Some gas grills even come with a warming feature, which will keep your food warm while the rest of it finishes cooking.

Gas grills usually contain a built in thermometer, which will aide you in cooking. You will know the exact temperature you are cooking at. Charcoal and Smoker grills do not typically contain this feature, which either leaves you guessing what temperatures you are cooking at, or requires you to buy extra equipment in order to find out what temperature your food is.

Gas grills have safely concerns all of its own, but they are unmatched by other types of grills. Propane gas is extremely flammable if not used correctly. Other grills however, present higher opportunities for fire as they cook with an open flame. Gas grills are typical built much sturdier then their more simpler counterparts.

Popular Stainless Steel Gas Grills

Broilmaster- One of the most popular brands of natural gas grills is the Broilmasters. This company has been around for a long time and prides itself by creating great grills, even in its companies early years. If you are looking for a reliable name, Broilmaster would be the way to go. One of the most popular Broilmaster grills is the Super Premium Series, which puts out 40,000 BTU’s of cooking power, and has a cooking surface area of over 695 square inches.

Brinkman- These simple natural gas grills put out a lot of power, and can be purchased for much less then it’s competition. The Brinkmans, like the Broilmasters, are built of solid construction and meant to last a long time. Typical power output is around 45,000 BTU’s. Smaller units can range from 12,000 to 15,00 BTU’s.

Lynx- Lynx natural gas grills were specially designed for cooking higher end meats such as steaks and ribs. This grill have a patent design that is suppose to lock in flavor and juices. The Lynx run on the higher end of the price range, anywhere from $500 to $3000. The typical cooking power is about 50,000 BTU and has a cooking surface area of 840 square inches.

Properly Cleaning Your Grill

When purchasing your barbeque grill, think of it as an investment rather then just another

item for your outdoor entertainment. You should expect this item to become a large part of

your outdoor activities for many years to come. But like any other investments, proper

maintenance and care is needed to ensure that your barbeque grill will work for you for many

years to come.

Leaving your grill messy after each use will not only make it harder on you when you finally

do clean the grill, but it will also drastically decrease the lifespan of your grill. If you grill sits dirty, you increase the risk of rust.

While some maintenance and cleaning is specific to the type of barbeque grill you own (gas,

electric, charcoal or smoke barbecue grill), the majority of maintenance that should be

carried on does not change from grill to grill.

Step 1- Gathering The Necessary Items

You will need some common household items on hand when it comes time to clean your barbecue grill.

Brass wire grill brush

Steel wool pads, preferably that contains soap already.

Mild dish soap

Sponge or dishcloth

Spray cooking oil

Dry baking soda

Aluminum foil

Step 2- Brushing Your Grill Off

The first thing that should always be done to your grill is a routine brushing. Using your

brass wire grill brush (or other brush suitable to your type of grill), you should brush off

all the surfaces. By routinely brushing your barbeque grill, you will prevent any type of

buildup. If buildup from food is left to long, it can become increasingly difficult to remove, and can end up causing problems such as rust.

Step 3- Use Baking Soda and Aluminum Foil on Your Grill

Baking soda is a very nice cleaning and polishing agent. Once you have removed any extra

debris and buildup, lightly scrubbing your barbeque grill with baking soda will give it that

extra shine, similar to the day that you brought it home from the store. This can also be

used on handles and knobs to remove any extra buildup that cannot be taken off with a wire

brush. Aluminum foil can also be used to keep your grill looking nice. Gently rub the aluminum foil on your grill, and you will notice that it removes grim and buildup. This is a cheap and

inexpensive way to clean your grill.

Step 4- Clean Your Racks

The racks in your grill are especially important as this is where the food touches when it

is cooking. You will have to use the wire brush to remove as much buildup as possible. Once

you remove as much as possible, start washing the racks with dish soap. If the racks are

really dirty, you may also want to use the steel wool pads. Be sure to completely rinse off

all soap and residue before cooking on these racks again.

Step 5- Spray Cooking Oil

Once you are sure that your grill is free of all buildup and debris, and that your grill is

completely cooled off, you will want to spray it down with a light layer of cooking oil.

Spraying it down with cooking oil will prevent your barbeque grill from rusting. It is

especially important to make sure you barbeque grill is completely cold, as spraying cooking oil on a hot surface may cause the oil to heat up and ignite, which could be potentially dangerous to you and your barbeque grill.

Summer Grilling- The Do's and Don'ts

Summer time is the perfect time for barbequing. Not only is the temperatures perfect for outdoor activities, but often the children are out of school, and families are traveling for their summer vacations. Today in America, it is unheard of for a family to go a full summer without having or attending a barbeque cookout. Today, over 90% of families attend a barbeque at least once a year.

Summer is indeed the perfect time to plan a barbeque party. It is important to remember certain things when barbequing to ensure that your party goes flawless.

Grilling Do’s and Don’ts

1. Always start with a completely clean grill. The amazing fish that you cooked last week was indeed tasty, but unless you want a hint of fish with your hot dogs, you need to clean your grill before cooking. It is recommended that you clean your grill each and every time you use it. Wait until it cools down, and then clean the surfaces with baking soda and the racks with grease fighting dish soap and water.

2. Before you begin cooking, spray your cooking area with a nonstick cooking spray. This will prevent your meat from sticking when you are rotating or removing it. If your meat sticks and tears, you will lose a large amount of juice, and your meat may dry out.

3. Never place food on the grill until the temperature is correct. The fluctuation in temperatures will cause your food to dry out or burn. If you are using a charcoal grill, make sure that the coals are completely gray before putting the meat on the grill. This will allow the temperatures to level out, and the majority of the lighter fluid to burn off.

4. While marinating before you cook will add flavor, covering your meat in barbeque sauces before cooking will dry your meat out, and may even cause it to burn. This happens because most barbeques sauces contain high amounts of fat and sugar, which burn really easy. Alternatively, lightly seasoning your meat will work well, and will not have any adverse effects. If you must use barbeque sauce, only add it in the final minutes before taking your meat off the grill. Just remember that meat has a natural flavor that is only brought out by barbequing, so you do not want to ruin that.

5. Searing you meat will lock in the juices and taste, but you do not want to cook your meat at that temperature for the whole amount of time. Once you have seared both sides, reduce the heat to medium. This will ensure that your meat is full of flavor and tender.

6. Once meat is cooked, never put it back in on the same plate you had it on when it was raw. This could cause the spread of many unwanted illnesses. Do not handle cooked meat with the same utensils that you used when it was raw.

7. Never poke your meat while it is cooking. Poking holes in meat will cause the juice inside to leak out into the bottom of the grill. Not only will this make your food dry and unappealing in the end, but it also could potentially ruin your barbeque grill. At the very least, it will cause a buildup of unwanted grease and juices on your grill, which will make cleanup harder.