15 Feb The Professional Outdoor Gas Grill Guide
A grill should be the center piece of your outdoor kitchen. A gas grill is a device for cooking food by applying heat evenly by leaking gas through outlets, directly bellow the cooking grate.
There are a few varieties of gas grills but majority of them fall into one of two categories, propane or natural gas.
So why are gas grills the top selling type of barbecue in the United States?
In order to understand why they are so popular we must first see how these grills work.
How Does a Gas Grill Work?
Gas grills are built for convenience, simple to fire up, and easy to maintain.
They either have a button start ignition, or a knob that must be turned and pushed inward to activate the grill starter which ignites a spark near the gas outputs.
Gas supplied from a propane tank or natural gas hose mixes with oxygen above the grill burners and the spark provides just enough heat to start a flame and power up the grill.
Why Are They Popular?
Gas grills are the top selling barbecue in America for 5 reasons
- Convenience, Gas grills heat up to max temperature in minutes and are easy to clean.
- Precise Temperature Control, You can cook different food items at different temperatures at the same time by adjusting the gas output shifting between heat settings in seconds.
- Consistency, Gas grills offer heat predictability, consistent burn and an evenly distributed flame.
- Burns Clean, By using natural gas or propane you significantly reduce the levels of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds released.
- Propane or natural gas is more economical per cook out than charcoal.
Why do people love gas grills?
Simply put, gas grilling is clean and quick.
No old Kingsford bag.
No stacking or finding your chimney starter.
Gas grills heat up to high temperatures in minutes.
You have the ability to grill different items at different heat levels at the same time.
Cooking on charcoal or wood does give you undeniable great taste and a savory smoke flavor but gas grills are a quick fix for those last minute dinners after a long day at work.
When dinner is over, there’s no ash or mess to clean up. Return the setting to off, scrape a metal brush over the cooking grate and clean-up is over. Cooking on gas is all about convenience.
Features for gas grills
- Before you consider features for the grill you want, decide whether you would prefer your gas grill to be permanently mounted or mobile. Is your grill going to be the centerpiece of your backyard or would you prefer not to see it when your not using it?
- Gas burners are designed to have an evenly spaced heat distribution, so that there are no hot or cold spots on the surface of the grill.
- Cooking grids should be spaced close together so that small food will not fall through while grilling, but still far enough apart that heat can penetrate the cooking surface.
- Grill hoods come in different sizes and styles. Two popular features of grill hoods include a feather light lift aid and a glass see through window to check on whats cooking!
- Infrared Burners are used to grill at super high temperatures of 1000 to 1400 degrees Fahrenheit. Grilling at temperatures that high creates a series of chemical reactions that rapidly take place when proteins and sugars are super heated, also known as searing. This locks in essential juices and adds flavor to your meat.
- Grill lights are key for grilling at night. Barbecuing in the dark is a recipe for burnt food. Having a built in lighting feature on your gas grill is very important.
Important accessories for gas grills
Gas grill accessories upgrade your grills performance and improve your overall barbecue experience. These additions include, storage drawers, warming drawers, rotisseries, smoke boxes and much more.
For example, smoke boxes are filled with wood chips and are attached to or placed inside the grill to create aroma compounds and natural wood smoke flavor.
Warming drawers keep already cooked food at a warm temperature while you put the finishing touches on those steaks.
Rotisseries are a cooking appliance that is attachable to your grill with a rotating spit for roasting and barbecuing meat evenly.
Having storage drawers enables you to keep your grill cooking and cleaning tools conveniently outside, saving you the trip running into the house to grab a marinade brush.
Each plays a role in ensuring maximum performance for your gas grill.
3 Questions to ask yourself
- What are the BTU ratings? BTU means British Thermal Units and tells you how much heat the individual gas grill will generate. Knowing the BTU of the grill will help you to make a more accurate decision based on how much power you would like your gas grill to have.
- What size grill do I want? The size of your grill should depend on one thing. Do you need a diversified grill? Meaning, the bigger the grill you have, the more flexibility you have to cook different items at different heat levels at the same time. Gas grills normally range from 30″ all the way to 54″.
- Do I want to move my grill mobile or mounted? Are you trying to build an outdoor kitchen with accessories and appliances built in next to your grill? Or is mobility for your grill more important for your backyard?
What You Learned
- Gas grills heat up to high temperatures in just minutes
- They are easy to clean and maintain
- More burners or surface grilling space means the ability to barbecue different items at various temperatures at the same time.
- Important gas grill accessories that enhance your barbecue experience include, smoke boxes, rotisseries, warming boxes and storage drawers.
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