Few things can transform your home’s outdoor space more than a quality grill. The potential to make a virtual kitchen on a patio or deck could create a fun space for family and friends. It also helps to make food preparation more fun and more of a family affair than a traditional kitchen ever could.
The grill is the centerpiece of any quality outdoor kitchen. Outdoor grills are available in many sizes, configurations, and cost points. The variety is so great that it could overwhelm many prospective buyers. If you are considering adding a grill to your cooking creativity, the following information could help you to pick the ideal setup.
Considerations for Your Outdoor Grill
Before buying a new grill, you need to assess your needs. That starts with how often you anticipate grilling.
A regular weekend grilling schedule helps to make a bigger investment in your grill more advantageous. The more often you intend to cook on the grill, the more likely a larger investment will prove fruitful.
You might just intend to do some grilling on holidays and once in a while in between. If so, then something more portable and affordable likely would suit your needs very well. But if you have a large family, a bigger grill would make more sense than a smaller and more portable model.
How much space you have and where you intend to keep your grill when in use matter a great deal. If you have a dedicated outdoor space in need of a grill, the amount of available space will place strict size limits on the kind of grill that you purchase.
The local climate also makes a big difference in how you approach your grilling needs. A locale that is warm and invigorating during the spring and summer is great for enabling frequent BBQ feasts.
But if it is hot and humid or rains a lot, you would need a covered location and might prefer cooking indoors where air conditioning could keep you cool. The local weather could enhance your ability to grill outdoors or make it harder to do.
Charcoal vs. Gas Grill
Another big factor in your decision is how you like to grill your food. There are generally two choices: charcoal or gas. The charcoal vs. gas debate is ongoing in grilling circles.
Both do a great job of grilling meats and vegetables and giving them more flavor. But they do so in very different ways. A gas grill generally reaches a maximum of about 600 degrees. But a charcoal grill can reach double that temperature and cook even faster.
If you have a gas line running outdoors, that might convince you to buy a gas grill. So might access to propane tank refills that are affordable. But if you like using charcoal to infuse flavors into your grilled meats and vegetables, then charcoal is the ideal choice. Charcoal is sold in more places than propane and stores well when not in use.
Advantages of Charcoal vs Gas Grilling
A charcoal grill is fun and generally easy to use. And it gives you the option of moving the hot coals so that you can situate them as you like beneath the grill. A variety of Weber charcoal grills is a good example of the many high-quality charcoal grills that you could buy and use for many years.
Charcoal enables you to cook your food directly with hot coals placed directly beneath the meat or vegetables. You also can use vents to increase airflow and control the cooking.
A charcoal grill is a very handy and generally portable form of outdoor grilling. About the only restrictions are weather conditions and when there are bans on outdoor grilling due to fire hazards at parks and other locations.
Gas gives you much more control over the cooking area. Gas grilling places the heat directly beneath the items that you are cooking and enables you to precisely control the burners. And your grill might enable you to turn off some of the burners to enable indirect cooking as needed.
Gas burns relatively cleanly and does not leave ash like charcoal. That makes it a lot easier to clean up after a day of grilling. The relatively clean nature of gas grilling combined with the ease of cleaning when done with the cooking makes gas grills very popular for home grilling. And propane tanks make them reasonably portable.
Advantages of Outdoor Grilling
Grilling your foods can help to make them more healthful as well as very tasty. The grilling process enables fat to cook and drip off of the meat while infusing it with more flavor. You also can add flavor enhancers that improve the flavor while tenderizing the meat.
The grilling experience also enables you to enjoy the great outdoors while preparing a feast for family and friends. You just need the right grill to get the job done.
