0 comment Saturday, May 3, 2014 | admin
There are literally hundreds of barbecue grills to choose from. It's confusing to say the least. My goal is to help you narrow the field a tiny, and get you on the road to really good BBQ'ing, or Q'ing.Warning: Barbecuing is additive. It gets in your blood! Pretty soon you start thinking about ways to improve your BBQ skills....well, the whole idea is to get you BBQ'ing so good that folks will be foaming at the mouth to get at it.
To start with, gas grills can be fun! It's nice to have one in your arsenal. They are very convenient to use. And, for straight-away grilling they beat cooking inside the kitchen any day of the week.
Another thing is, an excellent quality gas grill can be had for a lot less than what they were not to many years ago.
Personally, I barbecue all year around. I live in Oregon, and the weather isn't always conducive to outdoor barbecuing. This is where a gas grill exceeds. They start fast, get up to temperature fast, cook fast, and clean up fast.
If you want to get the steaks, or hamburgers going after work, there is nothing speedier than a quality-built gas grill to get the job done. And, there are a few tricks that will make your grilling even better. I will talk about this in a future post.
Charcoal grills are also a choice, and are less money than there gas counterparts. The problem is; "charcoal", because it takes a while to get the charcoal going just right, and in the meanwhile, if speed, or convenience is an issue you're stuck in the mud. But, there is a BBQ you are going to absolutely love because it takes the hassle out of starting the charcoal.
With charcoal grills you will be able to do more with your food in regards to taste. Many years ago I invested in a "water smoker" for less than forty dollars. If you don't know what they are, they are barrel shaped and have a dome-like lid.
The coals sit at the bottom of the unit, and in between your grill and the coals, is a water pan. The water heats up and basically self-basts anything you have on the grill. It keeps the meat moist and, ideally, you are smoking it at the same time. The slower you cook it, the better.
A good water smoker is: well, sort of a substitute for a wood burning pit that will cost a lot more. The smoker I have has two racks in it. For example, you can barbecue a turkey on one rack, and a beef roast on the other.
If convenience is an "item", or you are going to grill nothing but hamburgers, steaks and shish kabobs, a gas grill is probably the choice. If you are serious about barbecuing, I would recommend the Weber Performer, their "Smoker", or a Traeger wood pellet BBQ.
Ok!
1) For an outdoor gas grill, the Ducane Affinity 4100 (See Below) is recommended. It has features that others don't have in it's price range.
Much of the Ducane 4100 is stainless steel construction. It is totally enclosed, meaning the propane tank is out of the way and you can store BBQ tools in that space, out of sight and weather. If you have stored a BBQ outside you know what I am talking about. Best of all, you can cook at high temperatures, which is a must for searing steak.
The Ducane also comes with side burners. This is a cool perk! Make sure you invest in a cover for this, or any other grill. The unit will last twice as long if you do.
2) A lot of folks love charcoal for the smoky, old-school flavor it lends to whatever is on the grill. However, not many folks like the hassle of dealing with charcoal, starting them and having that chemical aftertaste that lighter fluid can leave. This is where the Weber Performer (See Below) shines, and it has a cool table to boot.
The Weber Performer's Touch-n-Go ignition system uses liquid propane to light charcoal with just a simple touch of a button. In turn, when the coals are white-hot, you're ready to Q.
Even cleaning up afterwards is easy, thanks to their One-Touch cleaning system--a simple sweep of a lever pushes ashes into a removable catch pan for quick and easy disposal. Get a cover for it! If you want to convert it into a water smoker there is an attachment you can buy that will do just that: The Smokenator 1000 (See Below)
3) For water smokers you'll like the "Weber 2820 Smokey Mountain Cooker/Smoker" (See Below). It is more expensive that the Brinkman, but is much easier to regulate, and to add charcoal and/or water when needed. It comes with an accurate thermometer which is super important in your BBQ'ing. You can grill hamburgers, steaks, and whatever on em', too. You don't have to use the water pan to grill.
4) The wood pellet grills, like the Traeger Lil Tex (See Below) are an option, although you can grill on them, and if all you do is steak and hamburgers, they are a lot slower and don't grill as hot as the gas grill does. On the other hand, if you want your barbecuing results to astonish everybody.....get one...try pulled pork, or ribs.
They run on a system that is very unique. The pellets are not the ones that they use in pellet stoves. They are especially made for BBQ'ing.
The pellets come in different flavors�.like hickory, cherry and so on. You fill up a bin that is on the side of the unit with the pellets. In turn, an auger transports the pellets to a small fire pit below the grill. Make sure you invest in the cover for it, they are somewhat expensive, but well worth it.
The pellets help flavor whatever you put on the Traeger Barbecue Grills. The results are amazing! However, for even better results you would want to use a rub and/or marinate to make your BBQ even more finger-licking good.
Labels: Barbecue Grill, Barbecue Grills, Ducane Affinity 4100, Outdoor Barbecue Grills, Traeger Grills, Weber Performer Grill, Weber Smoker, Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Smoker