Warm weather is the perfect time to get out into the garden and have a barbeque

But what kind of grill is best? What about propane fueled or charcoal?

When summer is here and the steaks are ready to grill, the only problem is that you don’t know exactly what type of barbeque grill to buy.

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There are many questions that need to be asked when buying a grill. Things such as cost, ease of use, other uses besides grilling, flavor and portability should be considered. The most important item in this list depends on what you want.

This article looks in detail at the different categories and makes a judgment on which grills would be best in that category, charcoal, propane, natural gas or smokers.

If cost is the main factor, the grill to go for is charcoal. They start at $15.00 for a small, basic unit and only $30.00 for a standard 22″ kettle grill.

Propane grills are the next lowest in price, starting at around $100.00 for a basic unit. A small smoker starts at around $130.00.

Since natural gas grills are supposed to be hooked to a home’s gas line, they tend to be larger units, and more expensive starting around $300.00. They now have dual fuel grills as well that use natural gas most of the time but can also use propane; these are the most expensive with an asking price of $450.00 up.

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See a selection of portable and stand alone, charcoal, natural gas and propane, small and large

Ease of Use

The easiest grill to use is probably the natural gas grill. It is hooked to your homes natural gas line and therefore doesn’t require you to buy large propane tanks on a regular basis. Getting a grill that has a battery powered or electric starter makes things even easier.

Propane is probably the next easiest to use since there are no charcoal briquettes or wood chips to worry about. While it seems that a larger grill is a better grill, remember that larger also means a larger area to clean.

Additional Features

Natural gas or propane grills can offer additional cook spaces that a charcoal or smoker unit cannot. If you plan to cook full meals on your grill, gas burners and a warming tray come in handy. A rotisserie option may also be important to you depending on what you want to grill.

Flavor

If flavor is the most important item on your list, a smoker or a charcoal grill should be your first priority. Smokers are meant to slow cook over time and impart a smoky flavor to meats. You can choose the type of wood to smoke that will give you the flavor you are looking for.

The only problem with a smoker is when you want a quick pork chop or hamburger, it isn’t so quick. Consider a gas grill for quicker cook meals and a smoker when you really want to impress the neighbors. Charcoal is the next best in the flavor department with no gas undertone. Gas grills can also impart a good grilled flavor, and now many gas grills have a smoker option on them.

Portability

When portability is the most important requirement, propane is the way to go. Charcoal grills run a close second. Small propane tanks make it easy to take your grill camping or to a tailgate party and you aren’t left wondering where to put the smoldering coals. Charcoal can work and there are several small portable units available; just make sure you have a plan for what to do with the used briquettes.

Here are some related blog posts about bbq grills and cooking outdoors

BBQ Grilling Tips and Techniques – Gas Grill: How to Grill Methods

Learn grilling tips for the perfect BBQ gas grilling experience. When should indirect or direct grilling techniq fef ues be used? When should BBQ sauce be applied? 

Turn a 55-Gallon Drum into a Barbecue – Grilling

Your BBQ and grilling exploits don’t require a premium barbecue—in fact with a little scavenging you can be sporting a spacious grill for very little cash outlay. Follow this simple tutorial to turn a 55-gallon drum into a grill. … Even if you’re not as lucky, it’s not an expensive project given the size of the grill you end up with. Check out the tutorial for additional photos and tips. 

Stuffed Mushrooms on the Outdoor Barbecue: Grilling appetizers

Mushrooms are not often thought of as food for outdoor grilling; however, stuffed and grilled mushrooms make an outstanding party food.  

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Your particular tastes and preferences will have to guide you in the brand and style that you get. While a lot of people enjoy the yeast of cooking that gas grill can give others really enjoy the smoky taste that a charcoal grill can only provide.

Gas Barbecue Versus Charcoal – Let Your Taste Buds Determine – Options for Your Gas Grill

Propane is the primary fuel for the gas bbq grill and is quite easy to operate with just a touch of a button and a few temperature controls. Another great thing about using gas is that your hands don’t get dirty and it doesn’t take long to get a really tasty barbecue going, during a busy week that is a real bonus.

Just by simply making a few adjustments of the temperature controls your food cooks a lot more evenly that will over a charcoal fire.

Some built-in barbecue grills have the option of using natural gas as its heat supply, but that is only an option if your home is plumbed for using natural gas.

A really great thing about the natural gas option if it is available to you, is the fact that you don’t have to go and fill your propane tanks that you do with a regular gas grill.

There is a small drawback to using gas grills, as some of the heating parts have a tendency to break down after a while and need replaced. You can pretty much count on the fact that your valves, temperature controls, and even igniters will eventually need to be replaced at some point in time.

Charcoal Options

In my own opinion, as a barbecue expert, I truly enjoyed the distinct flavor that charcoal adds to my meats and other foods that I throw on the grill, and I truly feel it is worth the extra effort in cleaning up the ashes and getting the fire lighted.

The good news is that most charcoal bbq grills do not have extraneous parts like the gas one that needs replacing. Charcoal is for the most part pretty cheap, it is pretty dirty though but you never have to worry about leaking gas or filling up your propane tanks.

Portability

If you like the barbecue when you’re camping or tailgating or just going on picnics, you really want to act about buying a barbecue grill that is transportable. There are both charcoal and gas options for sale that would be easily portable for you to take almost anywhere. When you’re looking at buying a barbecue grill you’re simply going to have to let your budget and your taste buds be your guide.

By: Frank Froggatt

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I personally favor the taste of a charcoal BBQ grill but everybody taste buds are different. If you want to learn more about barbecues in general or would like some barbeque recipes, then visit www.freebarbecuetips.com

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