Purchasing a grill or a barbecue is something which every homeowner will do eventually, either to have it for travel or to just be a part of the backyard BBQ grill crew. Grills are generally inexpensive items whose purpose is to provide a stable, predictable method for natural cooking of meat and vegetables.
Buying a grill every other season is not a viable choice for anyone because that’s more expensive compared to spending a bit more on a quality grill.
The aim of the text is to provide some key bullet points and requirements which the average buyer would find quite helpful for finding that special, once in a lifetime grill.
Table of Contents
1. Think of the Size of the Grill Grates – Family, Travel or Professional
The first thing one must consider when choosing a grill is to think about its size. How much do you usually cook? How many people do you have to feed regularly or on an occasion?
For couples or tailgaters one of the best options are portable grills like the Smart Flip Flop Grill from GrillerDude.com. It’s an Argentinian Style Grill which allows the consumer to rotate the grill grates, basically flipping the grilled products without the use of utensils or the risk of the meat sticking to the grill itself.
Those types are generally considered to be medium to premium quality grills with high airflow control options and heat retention capabilities.
There are medium sized grills – those are suitable for large families – (6-8 people) as they have larger grates and can cook more meat at once. Then there are the professional style grills whose grates start from 36 inches and above.
2. Picking the Type of Fuel
Selecting your grill based on the fuel it can use is generally also quite a good starting point. Some states don’t allow for open fire grills, which is a bummer because those get the hottest and produce the tastiest meat.
Gas grills are a good option however, the high-end ones generally consume quite a lot of propane and are very expensive to maintain, purchase and use. Your best option is to got for a pellet powered charcoal grill which can use all natural fuel sources which you already have laying around at home.
3. Considering Insulation
The insulation of a charcoal grill can be as simple as the manufacturer producing a ticker grill which retains the heat of the coals better. Then there are ceramic grills which have supreme heat retention and overall heat predictability.
Those are quite expensive and rare and can actually break if tipped over – this is why they are most often found installed into an outdoors kitchen island where they can be safe from breakage.
Low-end grills are made from thin sheet metal and loose heat quite quickly, costing you more fuel to keep heated and generally being harder to maintain heat-wise.
4. Construction Matters for Longevity
The construction of your charcoal grill matters and is directly related to its longevity and your general experience. The better the construction and materials the manufacturer chooses, the more expensive the end product will be, but also it will be a lot longer lasting and enjoyable.
This means that you should greatly consider getting a grill from a higher end manufacturer like GrillerDude – simply because it provides all of the aforementioned benefits, and a great value.
5. Portable or Built-in Grill
You should also consider whether or not to get a portable grill (trip pod or wheeled) or invest in a built-in version. Built-in versions have way more gadgets and are obviously more expensive – they have supreme quality and have way more space for cooking than portable grills.
However, they can’t be transported and are quite heavy and expensive to maintain – portable grills can be high quality with quite a lot of gadgetry on them, and they are portable which makes them great for traveling and camping.