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What you need to know about the “Hardware”

Grilling isn’t only about building a fire and cooking the food. There are a few things that you need to know about equipment before you head outside.

Number 1: Choosing your Grill

Gas vs. Charcoal vs. Pellet

The first decision you need to make is what kind of grill to use. All the grills produce great food, so choosing is basically a lifestyle choice—although some of us who are grill obsessed avoid making a choice, and use all three!

If the grill fits…cook on it!

Ask yourself if you like to do the following to figure out which grill fits your lifestyle…

Charcoal Grill

  • Building, starting and maintaining the fire

    1. Disposing of ashes, cleaning the grill

    2. Portable, easy to move

    3. Costs less initially but charcoal has to be purchased for each cookout

    4. Look for the new Spark grill which eliminates a lot of the work of a traditional charcoal grill

Gas Grill

  • Preheats and is ready to cook in 10 minutes

    1. Low fire maintenance

    2. Easy to light and to control cooking temperature

    3. Easy to operate and cleanup

    4. Inexpensive to maintain

    5. Available for use with LP gas tanks or a natural gas hookup

Pellet Grill

  • Preheats and is ready to cook in 10-15 minutes

    • Uses compressed wood pellets for fuel and a fan to control the heat

    • You can set a temperature similar to how you set your oven

    • Easy to operate and cleanup

    • Inexpensive to maintain, but you have to purchase bags of pellets

 Number 2: Shopping for a Grill

So, you’ve decided to buy a new grill or perhaps your first grill. You should approach this purchase just like buying any other major appliance. First, determine your needs and your budget. Then do the research. You want to make sure that you get the maximum grill for the money.  

Once you decide what type of grill you want, I tell everyone to buy the best and the biggest grill that they can afford.  The reason is the more you use it, the better you get at grilling, and the more you will want to use it all year long—especially to make your Thanksgiving turkey.  And, truth be told, once you discover how much fun outdoor cooking is, and how great all your food tastes, you will probably end up owning at least two if not all three types of grills.

If you still need some guidance, consider the following points but remember my rule of thumb:buy the best and the biggest grill that you can afford

  1. How much will you use the grill? Are you are an every-night griller, weekly, monthly or a special occasion griller? For more frequent use, look for grills with heavy-duty enameled, stainless-steel or cast-iron cooking surfaces and a larger cooking surface.

  2. How many burners are there? If you are going to cook foods by indirect heat (and once you start grilling, you will definitely want to!) you need to make sure that your grill can be set for indirect heat. This means you need a minimum of two burners that go around the circumference of the cooking box. Three or four or more burners are even better. If in doubt, call the manufacturer before purchasing your grill.

  3. How sturdy is the grill? Will it roll or topple over in a strong wind? What if the neighbor’s dog comes sniffing? Feel free to kick the tires a bit before purchasing.

  4. Remember, if you buy the right grill, it will serve you well for years and you won’t have to replace it every year. If you are looking at gas grills, make sure the propane tank is a safe distance from the igniter and burners.

  5. What is the warranty? How long is the grill covered? When does the manufacturer recommend replacing the grill? What parts are covered, not covered? You should expect that any parts that a manufacturer doesn’t cover will need to be replaced. A well-made grill should last years, even decades before it needs to be replaced.

  6. Does the grill come with accessories that you will use? A side burner looks great on the showroom floor, but if you don’t already have a need for it, chances are you’ll end up wishing you had an extra work surface instead of a side burner. Also beware of too many shelves on a gas grill, some shelves can not be removed and thus all the food has to be under 4" thick, meaning no grilled turkey, whole chicken, squash, roasts and other large foods. A glass window will blacken very quickly with use and runs the risk of breaking. If the accessory looks nifty, ask yourself the simple question: will I use it or is it just a gimmick?

  7. How large a grill do you need? For almost everyone, a standard size grill (3 or 4 burners) will suffice. But make sure that you don’t the answer to the question as your excuse to buy a grill that won’t go the distance. No-one has ever been heard saying, I wish my grill was smaller!

Remember, the better grill you buy, the more you will use your grill and the louder the applause you’ll get for your grilled meals! The grill always looks bigger in the store before you fill it with food to cook.

Now that you’ve thought about your grill needs, if you are like most of Americans today, you’re leaning towards the easy to light, easy to clean, grills. Lucky for you, today there are great convenient and reliable choices in all categories. The new charcoal, gas and pellet grills are innovative, easy to light and easy to use and easy to clean.

And, many of them are becoming “smart” grills with apps that help you through the set up and cooking process. Traeger has a particularly smart app that lets you control your cooks from your smartphone and smartwatch.