It’s everyone’s favorite time of year – the birds are chirping, the sun is shining, the flowers are blooming, and the grill is getting uncovered! That’s right – it’s spring and that means grilling season is upon us. Last year, we discussed everything you need to do to prepare your grill for the season (you can read that post here). We recommend you bookmark the post because it contains a lot of helpful tips that ensure you get the results you want.
Since grilling season is pretty lengthy (we know you are still grilling during tailgating season!), we are going to revisit this topic several times throughout the year. We are calling this series the GOG (Get Out that Grill), and this is where you’ll find all things GRILLING!
First up is a basic topic but one to think about – what is the right grill for you? The correct answer is: there’s no SINGLE type that’s perfect for you, because oftentimes people like to cook using different styles and methods. So you might find yourself investing in one, two, three, or more types of grills! Before you go grill-crazy, let’s take a look at some of the options to consider.
Gas Grills
- This is the grill that’s for everyone! It’s easy to use, consistent, convenient, and perfect for all skill levels. On the downside, heat tends to distribute a little unevenly, and food cooked with this method lacks the smoky flavor you get from charcoal. Which leads us to…
Charcoal Grills
- Charcoal gives your food that authentic, unique smoky flavor we mentioned above. While this type is usually cheaper than gas grills, you have to consider the time investment of heating the charcoals to your desired temperature (which can take upwards of 30 minutes). Also, lugging huge bags of charcoal around can be a bit of a nuisance.
Wood Pellet Grills
- Pellet grills are technically wood fire grills – and the results can give your food some truly delicious flavors such as hickory, maple, cherry, apple, mesquite, and pecan.
- Many are loaded with technological features that allow you to highly customize and control the way you grill. Most have temperature ranges from 200-500 degrees so you can smoke, grill, bake, or sear steak.
- On the downside, pellet smokers are high maintenance – you have to clean them frequently to keep them running in prime condition. Oh yeah, and they can be quite costly!
Electric Grills
- Maybe it’s raining or maybe you just aren’t big on cooking outside – either way, this is the plug-and-go grill for you! While these normally don’t have much cooking surface area, they are an affordable and convenient way to grill indoors.
Portable Grills
- Here is your tailgating/camping/grill-on-the-go option! These small grills can be either propane or charcoal, and they don’t take up a lot of space (which also means they don’t provide a lot of cooking space, either).
Kamado Grills
- These expensive grills are really HOT right now. A Kamado is a ceramic grill fueled by charcoal that has impressive heat retention.
- They are multi-functional and make excellent pizzas! You’ll also find them perfect for smoking, roasting, baking, searing, or grilling.
- As far as flavor goes, you won’t find cookers that make tastier food than a proper kamado grill. As mentioned above, this grill is a large investment, so it’s probably not the best idea if you’re just starting out on your grilling journey.
No matter what you plan on cooking, there is a grill out there that’s just perfect for you! We hope this guide has helped explained all of the selections a bit more. If you’re looking for more information, this site has tons of valuable information!
