Almost every man likes to grill. But not every man LOVES to grill. What delineates the two, is that all men don’t understand the importance of a GOOD grill. I was guilty of this fault for a very long time, actually for my whole life up until last summer.
You see, I grew up a vegetarian. Therefore, I grew up without a barbecue grill most of my life too. Of course, you can grill vegetables, but it isn’t as fun as grilling meats. It wasn’t until late middle school and into high school that I convinced my parent’s to get a grill, even before I became an omnivore. But since my parents knew that there isn’t as much to grill when you’re vegetarian, we bought an inexpensive Ch*rbroil grill from the Wally Word down the road. It was great, for a few summers. Back when I didn’t understand why my food burned on one side and didn’t cook on the other. Why the back of the grill was always searing hot while the middle was hardly warm. I also didn’t understand that how come it grew rust every year even after spending an extra $40 on a grill cover. I never made the connection that a cheap grill equals lower quality. Now, this is no knock on the brand at all, since they do make some decent grills for the price.
But I always figured that “Dude, it’s grill. It’s meant to spit out flames and heat up some metal.” I guess this alludes to the primitive nature of grilling. The throwback to cooking over a tribal fire, the searing of raw meats, and the smokey goodness of charred food. And in a way, it truly is. Studies have shown that the cooking of meats by grilling actually creates new molecules by the breakdown of amino acids and sugars (like that charred crust on your steak). Neanderthal and Cro Magnon man evolved for thousands of years, long before the invention of the backyard grill, by cooking food over an open flame. So don’t ignore that craving you always get for some grilled food, it’s in your blood! Or genes, I should say.
But back to the matter at hand of purchasing a quality grill. The first thing you must do is decide whether you want to go propane or charcoal (or both, in certain cases).
Propane
Most certainly the easiest to use by far. Easy to light, easy to control, and easy to clean up. However, you have to monitor your tanks, get them refilled, and worry about leaving them on by accident (yes, a slow leak can drain your tank in days, and no, shutting off the burner control knobs isn’t sufficient – you need to turn off the main valve on your tank). Some argue that they may not burn as hot or as intensely as charcoal. Which I can agree with unless you purchase a higher end grill, with a good heavy cast-iron grates. Which i will explain more later.
Charcoal
The opposite of propane, in terms of ease of use, until you master the skill. Lighting and maintaining an even burn of charcoal (briquettes or true charcoal) is much more “active”. You need to keep a constant watch over them and replenish them as needed. Heat is controlled in most charcoal grills by raising or lowering the grates, higher if you want it on low heat, closer if you want a hot, searing heat. Disposal of the spent ashes is also something to consider, as well as ensuring they are completely out before you toss them out!
Choosing between the two types is up to you. If this is your first “big boy” grill, I would suggest going with propane to start. Not having to worry about the heat source will let you focus more on refining your actual cooking skills when using a grill. You’ll begin loving to grill sooner, rather than worrying about the coals and cleaning up after.
What to Look For When Buying a Propane Grill
When choosing a propane grill, you must next decide on your budget. I suggest buying quality, even if you have to save for a bit longer to afford it. If you’re reading this now, you’re in luck, since you have awhile until the grills roll out at your local stores. Start saving now.
Cooking Area – Do you plan to cook mainly for just yourself or a family? Is your house the hang-out house and you see yourself cooking up a whole pack of hot dogs and hamburgers? It’s not always best to have more space than you use, remember, the burners are still heating up these areas and using up fuel, even if you’re not using them to cook on.
Burners – Burner size and amount should increase with cooking area. Be especially wary of any grill with only one burner. This will result in uneven cooking heat across the entire cooking area. You also won’t be able to control heating areas you won’t be using – which is possible with multiple burners and a large cooking area. (Although this is contradicting a previous point I made, most grills require all burners to be going full blast if you want to increase the internal temperature to a high searing heat. Most people agree that at least 600F is needed for searing, better to be between 650-700F. Maintaining a steady heat anywhere below that is necessary too and will allow you a wide array of cooking options, like slow cooking ribs.
Grates – The purpose of the grates, besides keeping your food suspended over the burners, is to provide a sear upon contact with food. To do this, the grates need to heat up and maintain that heat efficiently. Hands down, the best material for the cooking grates is cast-iron. Not stainless, not any other kind of metal. Cast-iron takes a bit longer to heat, but retains it’s heat exceptionally well. This is crucial to creating a good sear. When colder food hits a +650F grate, the grate itself will drop in heat. If it drops too low too quickly, you get a sear at first but then must wait to regain that heat to continue searing. This recovery period is when sticking happens, or when the grates haven’t heated up to a high enough temperature to begin with. A cast-iron grate will not drop in temperature as greatly as stainless will, and will therefore maintain that searing after contact. The downside to cast-iron is in maintenance, which is where stainless excels. Cast-iron must be kept coated in a light layer of protective oil or else rusting will occur.Moreover, cast-iron, just like a cast-iron skillet, needs to maintain a “patina” to stay non-stick. This “patina” is merely a buildup of carbon and oil from cooking, which fills in the valleys in the cast-iron micro surface. However, PORCELAIN-coated cast-iron removes this entire worry. A thin layer of porcelain is applied to the cast-iron surface, giving it a permanent non-stick patina. The only consideration is to be a little more careful with cooking utensils on the surface to prevent chipping. As long as your not going at it with a pick-axe, you don’t have to worry about chipping it. It’s also a good idea to just treat it as cast-iron and scrub with a brass bristle brush (won’t score the surface) and coat with a light layer of oil. If you can’t afford porcelain coated cast-iron or don’t want to worry about maintaining it, then go with stainless. However, make sure it is a thick gauge (diameter) grate, thin wire will not do. Thermodynamics will hold sway over thinner gauges and they won’t maintain heat effectively at all. You also won’t get those quintessential thick sear marks on your food that looks oh-so-lovely. A nice thick-gauged stainless will provide you the benefits of easy cleaning, and but maintain as much heat as effectively possible.
Real Estate – No, not the land you’re putting the grill on. I mean the work area around the cooking area itself. You’ll want at least 1 work area attached to the grill, 2 is even better. This should be made of a durable material such as stainless or hard plastic. Some grills also come with storage underneath the burners, very handy for storing the propane tank, or extras like brushes and cleaning materials (be cautious of storing any chemicals near the burner area as the underside can reach high temps)
Attachments – When it comes down to it, the only attachments you truly “need” on a propane grill is possibly a warming rack suspended up the main grates, and the option (usually just holes in the sides of the lid) to attach a rotisserie unit. Stuff like a side-burner and built-in searing unit are all crap, in my opinion. I’ve never used a side-burner unit to heat up anything! And most, as reviews have shown, don’t even heat up enough to boil water. Besides, how often are you boiling water while cooking on the grill? Anything that you need to heat up while grilling, can be done so on the grill itself. Just get yourself a small cast-iron pot/skillet and you’re done. Much better than spending an extra $50 (on average) for a side burner. They also take up usable real-estate around the grill, which is crucial for prepping and pulling food off the grill too. As far as searing units go, some people like them, I don’t. They are near impossible to clean, and if they ever go, guess what, you’re not cooking your steaks anymore. The grill itself should be able to sear meat, not some special part of it.
Construction and Exterior – Ensure the grill’s exterior is properly weather coated and the lid closes securely. Some grill companies, like Weber and Big Green Egg, specifically coat their grills with a weatherproof finish. A good gauge stainless steel will also be effective. Note, I said GOOD gauge, not all stainless steel is the same. Anodized aluminum is another viable option, but can be problematic if the finish wears or is chipped. Look for quality in this respect as well. As far as the lid closing securely, make sure the lid feels solid and the hinges are well-made. Open the grill and close it a few times. Is it light and flimsy? Does it wobble side to side on the hinges? A lid should be thick and heavy, its what retains all that heat your burners are spitting out. A thinly walled lid will transfer that heat very quick and won’t allow you to maintain an even temperature in the event you are slow cooking or baking something (yes you can bake in the grill)
Several Brands worth checking out:
Weber Grill Company <– Considered by many to be the best propane and charcoal grills
Char-Broil <– Provides a wide lineup of grills for any budget
Big Green Egg <– Excellent charcoal grills with a cult-like following
Last summer, my girlfriend and I spent quite some time deciding on a grill. I went through all of the newbie buyer’s confusion and didn’t understand the complexities of buying a grill. We eventually decided on a Weber Genesis E-310, with a $650 price tag. Yes, it was more expensive than the stove in the kitchen. One shining thing I realized though was that this grill, if taken care of properly, is going to last 10+ years. If and when we decide to move, this investment will come with us. So in that sense, it can help justify the price tag. It also came in a gorgeous copper color that we both could agree on.
Good luck!
