The Ultimate Guide to Grills and Smokers
Cooking outdoors. It’s an American pastime, a rite of passage, and a summer essential. The smell of smoke and cooking brings back memories of countless summer celebrations. But, if it’s your first time taking over as the ultimate grill master, you may be wondering what kind of outdoor cooking works best for you. Fortunately, we’ve got answers.
What's Cooking?
First off, let’s start with an important definition. Are you grilling (aka, having a cookout) or are you having barbecue? If you’re wondering what the difference is, grilling is when you cook food like hamburgers, hotdogs, veggies, or steaks on a grate over direct heat. Barbecue is when you slow cook your food over indirect heat, and usually involves a rub or a sauce.
In many parts, the two words are used interchangeably. However, there are certain areas of the country where if you say barbecue and you are only grilling burgers and hotdogs…you’re going to lose some friends. Especially if you’re in the South.
But this argument of terms isn’t just culinary philosophy. It will also help you determine what kind of grill (or grill alternative) will serve you best. Whether you want to cook up the perfect, mouthwatering burger, or you crave the slow-cooked perfection of a well-seasoned brisket, you need the right kind of tools to get the job done.
Grill Types
There are three main types of grills: Charcoal, gas, and electric. Each grill offers a specific benefit and flavor profile, so be sure to choose the one that makes the most sense for your space and needs.
Charcoal Grills
Charcoal grills are the traditional choice when it comes to outdoor cooking. Large charcoal grills are perfect for huge backyard cookouts, while small, portable charcoal grills are great for cooking in the wild while camping or at the beach (in safely designated areas). Charcoal grills come in a wide variety of price ranges and sizes, but they are usually the most economical.
Charcoal grills can be heated with charcoal briquettes, lump charcoal, or even wood, which can be a more cost-effective option than gas-powered grill competitors. This heating method also offers that smoky taste and flavorful char that takes your meat and veggies to the next level.
Photo by Niko Nieminen on Unsplash
Charcoal grills do take longer to heat up than other options, as it takes 15-30 minutes for the charcoal to reach the right temperature. They also offer less control when it comes to maintaining an even cooking temperature as charcoal cools relatively quickly and may have to be switched out before you are done cooking all your meats. This is especially true if you are serving a large group or cooking thicker cuts. These grills can also be more difficult to clean, and are restricted in some areas and rental spaces, so be sure to check local laws and agreements before committing to a charcoal grill.
However, the affordability and outstanding flavor make charcoal grills a natural choice for many backyard grill masters.
Gas Grills
Gas grills are a great way to bring low maintenance flexibility to your cookout. Gas grills are available in both natural and propane gas models. These grills often include extra features such as storage and work areas not available in charcoal models.
Gas grills are easy to use as they start and heat up quickly. They also make it easy to choose and maintain a consistent cooking temperature, so you don’t have to keep your eyes peeled for unruly bursts of heat. A gas grill will not give the smoky flavor you would get with a charcoal grill but will still provide grill marks and a beautiful char. Gas grills provide more efficient heat and produce less personal pollution than charcoal grills (remember, no smoke).
The lack of smoke and ash makes gas grills easier to clean. However, many models are not able to reach high enough temperatures to perfectly sear steaks, or low enough temperatures for low and slow cooking, so make sure you understand all of the specs before you purchase a gas grill. Gas grills are also considerably more expensive than charcoal grills, and filling the gas canister can also be prohibitively pricey in comparison to charcoal.
But the easy-to-use and easy-to-clean features make gas grills a great choice for backyard cooking.
Electric Grills
Electric grills are probably the most controversial of the grill types because they cook without smoke and have no open flame, which means the meat tastes slightly different. However, electric grills have come a long way in recent years and come with a variety of benefits to consider. First and foremost is that you only need to plug it in to cook your food. There’s no need to buy or store extra fuel sources like gas and charcoal.
Electric grills also add an extra measure of safety as the lack of open flame reduces the risk of a fire getting out of control, making this a great option for apartment areas. Most electric grills also get hot enough to allow you to sear your meats to lock in the juice and flavor.
Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash
Electric grills are limited by their cords, so if your back yard doesn’t have an outlet, you’re out of luck. And, once again, they are totally deficient in that delicious smokiness that provides additional complexity and flavor to your meat.
However, gas grills are easy to use, heat up quickly, and are easy to clean. That combined with their inherent safety makes electric grills a great choice for those who want something simple while still cooking outdoors.
Smoker Types
Smokers are designed to slowly cook larger cuts of meat and are exactly what you need if you are interested in cooking barbecue. Rather than being placed directly over the heat source, smoked meats are cooked with indirect heat and surrounded by smoke to infuse them with delicious flavor. The low and slow temperatures cook and tenderize your meats by melting the collagen that makes meat tough, activating enzymes that provide tenderness.
Just like grills, smokers come with a variety of features and heat sources. Smoker types get a little more complicated as construction plays as much a part in how smokers cook as the heat source does.
Offset Smokers
Offset smokers usually have a horizontal configuration with a wide cooking area to prepare large portions of meat. A firebox off to the side of the smoker burns the wood or charcoal, and the smoke is then funneled into an open cooking chamber where it swirls around, heating your food before it is released through a smokestack. A pan of water in the smoker keeps your meats moist and helps to regulate temperature.
Offset smokers can be difficult to operate as they are prone to hotspots, and you have to carefully monitor the cooking temperature and consistently replace the wood or charcoal. However, they also provide the most intense smokiness, and are the most common choice for professional pit masters.
Offset smokers can also come in vertical designs. These work in a similar way to horizontal smokers, but they are better at distributing heat and take up less space in your yard. However, the smaller size means you can’t prepare as much meat, and they tend to be more expensive than traditional offset smokers.
Reverse Flow Smokers
Gas grills are a great way to bring low maintenance flexibility to your cookout. Gas grills are available in both natural and propane gas models. These grills often include extra features such as storage and work areas not available in charcoal models.
Gas grills are easy to use as they start and heat up quickly. They also make it easy to choose and maintain a consistent cooking temperature, so you don’t have to keep your eyes peeled for unruly bursts of heat. A gas grill will not give the smoky flavor you would get with a charcoal grill but will still provide grill marks and a beautiful char. Gas grills provide more efficient heat and produce less personal pollution than charcoal grills (remember, no smoke).
Vertical Smokers
Vertical smokers feature an upright cooking chamber with the heat source at the bottom, a water plate above, and a number of cooking racks on top. The clever design traps and circulates the heat and smoke to create a consistent, even cooking temperature. The compact profile and efficient heat distribution means that vertical smokers need less fuel and are easier to use than other smoker varieties.
Because vertical smokers are more compact, they aren’t usually great for large cuts of meat. It can also be difficult to add fuel after the cooking process has started as the heat box is usually underneath the cooking grates. But the small footprint is great for those with tiny yards, and the easy-to-use design more than makes up for having to use smaller slabs of meat. You still get tender, flavorful, fall-off-the-bone barbecue.
Grill and Smoker Combos
Though the experienced pitmaster can grill on an offset smoker or smoke on a charcoal grill, it takes practice. Most find it easier to have separate tools for separate jobs. However, you don’t always have to choose between a smoker and a grill. Some devices work as grills, smokers, and outdoor ovens, allowing you to fix burgers, brats, and hotdogs as well as your briskets, ribs, and barbecue. The ease and simplicity of a combination may be exactly what you’re looking for.
Ceramic Grills
Ceramic grills, most commonly known as Kamado grills, are a great option for versatile cooking. These egg-shaped grills feature a ceramic lining that is fantastic at heat retention so you can cook while using less fuel, meaning you don’t need to keep a super close eye on them. Ceramic grills are able to reach the high temperatures needed for searing meats, but they are also capable of regular grilling, low and slow cooking, and even baking (with the proper attachments).
Kamado grills come in a variety of sizes and feature a grate (or several grates) over a heat box, and the temperature is maintained and altered through the use of air vents. Ceramic grills are heated with lump charcoal, but that fuel source can sometimes be mixed with wood to create more diverse and intense flavors, which is great when you’re smoking your meats. Accessories like pizza stones, heat reflectors, or rotisseries allow you to use this grill to cook most types of food.
Kamado grills tend to be very heavy, and they can take 30 to 45 minutes to reach the high temperatures needed for searing. Quality Kamado grills are also usually much more expensive than your average charcoal grill. That being said, ceramic grills are easy to clean, and the variety of cooking options makes them a fantastic choice for those who love to cook outdoors.
Pellet Grills
Pellet grills are just as versatile as the Kamado grills, and in many ways are like an outdoor convection oven. You can smoke meats, grill, or even bake on a pellet grill. Designed to infuse your food with flavor, pellet grills feature a hopper that you pre-load with wood pellets which are fed automatically into a firepot by an auger. Fans circulate the hot smoke evenly throughout the grill for a consistent cooking temperature.
Pellet grills are extremely easy to use. Due to temperature controls, internal thermometers, and the self-feeding design, you can set the controls and let the grill cook with very little monitoring. Many pellet grills also include smart features to give you updates on your phone. These grills heat quickly and automatically, and wood pellets come in a variety of wood flavors so you can add the right smokey touch to your food.
Many barbecue lovers feel that the smokey flavor from pellets is not as intense as the smoke from pure wood or charcoal. They also require an electrical outlet to power the augers and the fans, so they are not as portable as regular grills or smokers. Some pellet grills also have difficulty in reaching the temperatures required to sear meat.
But the versatility and the low monitoring cooking make a pellet grill a great choice for those who love to cook outdoors. Pellet grills are also easy to clean as they usually have buckets to collect grease and ash.