|
 When grilling, your first choice is to select from
various cooking apparatus. You have your basic grill to one with
many features, smokers, or infrared grills.
Prices for fancy grills can be in the thousands of dollars, so you
may want to educate yourself through YouTube videos providing
product reviews, tips, and demonstrations.
For those starting out, basic charcoal grills may work well.
America's test kitchen reviews the best charcoal grills under $400,
considering ease of assembly and how well they work for grilling
meats.
Their representative says, "probably the most common use of the
backyard grill is just grilling right over the coals."
These basic grills have several notable features like easily
adjustable vents that help feed the fire. Top features include ash
catching buckets, grill grates with hinges that make it easy to add
coals, built in thermometers, and grills with propane tanks that
light charcoal when you push a button.
Watch for yourself
Equipment
Review: Best Charcoal Grills
In “Outdoor Living Concepts Alfresco 42-inch Sear Zone” Ken Fisher
describes using this versatile grill costing between $5,900 and
$7,300.
After using the grill, Fisher says, “I have never cooked on a grill
this nice. When I say it has ‘All the bells and whistles’ I mean it.
It even has built in lights.”
Fisher demonstrates various grilling styles, saying, “What I wanted
to do was give the grill a good work out by doing a variety of foods
that all need different grilling styles using a variety of cooking
temps and times. It even has a built in drawer for smoking chips or
pellets.”
Fisher shows how it can do pork loin or chicken in 45 minutes to one
hour using a rotisserie, and putting wood pellets in a smoke drawer
to add flavor.
The sear section of the grill can do ribeye steaks in three minutes
for each side. Fisher follows that up with brats and kabobs, using
direct heat to grill. It can also barbeque meat with indirect heat.
Fisher praises the grill, finding it simple to use.
 Check his demonstration
Outdoor Living
Concepts Alfresco 42" Sear Zone
Among smokers, "Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker" is considered top of
the line, and is available in three sizes, 14.5-, 18.5- and
22.5-inch.
The BBQ Guru calls it one of the most popular smokers on the market.
He says Weber Smoky Mountain charcoal smokers "help you achieve an
authentic smokehouse flavor at home."
It has two steel cooking grates, a heat shield at
the base, and a steel charcoal grate at the bottom for "good air
circulation." Two dampers help control temperatures when not using a
temperature control unit.
[to top of second column] |
For longer cooking, more charcoal will need to be added, which is
done by putting it in the fuel door.
BBQ Guru says, the middle section contains "a large porcelain
enameled water pan" and "filling this pan with the water" will "keep
the heat indirect to your food, which is essential in barbeque." He
says, "It also helps more evenly distribute the heat."
With two cooking grates allowing for multiple cooking levels, "you
can cook two meats at once like pork butts and some ribs."
The lid's built-in thermometer allows for easy temperature
monitoring.
The BBQ Guru calls it "a great, reliable and affordable cooker for
someone starting out in the hobby of barbequing."
See for yourself
Overview of
Weber Smokey Mountain Cooker Features - BBQ Guru Preferred Cookers
Infrared cooking offers another quick grilling option.
Alex Gafford at "TRU-infrared research and development," says the
TRU-infrared grill's grate "utilizes the hot gas from the burner
system to heat up the bottom of [the grate] and radiate heat to the
food."
Gafford says heat radiates through "small holes" in the grate and
"when the hot gas from the burner hits those holes, it slows down
abruptly because it can't go very fast through a small hole. When it
slows down, it transfers a lot of heat to the metal."
Gafford says the metal "forms a radiating surface that could be 600
to 800 degrees and radiates intense infrared heat right to the food
that is right above it." Since heat comes up slowly, it does not dry
out food.
Gafford says grease coming down "won't ignite underneath" the grate
since "oxygen from the air can't get in between the meat and the hot
surface where the grease is in order to create a fire."
Gafford says when the grates turn dark, they emit more infrared
radiation. Hot gas from burners spreads out evenly, heating
everything to the same temperature, allowing for faster cooking.
See how it works
TRU-Infrared
Technology Explained by Char-Broil Engineer
Whatever grilling style you prefer, these products are likely to
serve you well. Bon appetit!
|
