{"id":600,"count":15,"description":"

Foodal's Barbecue Grill and Smoker Reviews and Buying Guides<\/h2>\r\nThere\u2019s no doubt that we enjoy grilling season here at Foodal.\r\n\r\nFor your entertainment and information, we\u2019ve written guides on different cooking methods for the grill, along with some delicious recipes<\/a><\/strong>.\r\n\r\nWe\u2019ve also provided some in-depth reviews, both for full-size gas<\/a><\/strong> and charcoal models<\/a><\/strong>, and the same for portable-sized gas<\/a><\/strong> and charcoal barbecues<\/a><\/strong> as well.\r\n

Smokers Vs Grills: What\u2019s the Difference?<\/h2>\r\nBottom-line: Grills excel at using high and medium heat to quickly sear and cook food while smokers use low heat to slowly cook food sort of like dry braising. This low and slow technique allows for smoke to seep in for an added flavor profile that\u2019s hard to beat.\r\n\r\n\"A\r\n\r\nGrills work better for tender cuts of meat such as good marbled steaks and burgers while smokers are designed for those tougher cuts such as briskets and Boston butts that need to be cooked for hours at low temperatures in order to achieve a tender bite.\r\n\r\nMost grilling technique utilize high heat to get a nice sear on the outside and depending on the type of cut and protein, using indirect heat to fully finish the cooking process. This order can also be reversed in process known as a reverse sear.\r\n\r\nAlthough smokers are sometimes synonymous with grills and many grill models can be made to smoke using various techniques and\/or add-ons, there are dedicated smokers that excel at infusing a smoky flavor a low (or no) heat.\r\n\r\nThese can be powered by charcoal, wood pellets, or even gas and electricity (by burning wood chips for smoke).\r\n\r\nDedicators smokers do have a trade off though\u2026many of them can\u2019t easily switch from low to high heat without some sort of extra bit of kit.\r\n

Grill\u00a0 and Smoker Styles<\/h2>\r\nBarbecues come in a huge variety of styles, sizes, fuel types<\/a><\/strong>, and price ranges \u2013 there\u2019s truly a model for every taste and budget.\r\n\r\nHere\u2019s a breakdown of the most common styles and sizes for the home enthusiast:\r\n

Gas Grills<\/h2>\r\nThe most popular style of backyard barbecues, gas models, can be powered by either liquid propane (LP) or natural gas (NG).\r\n\r\nThe majority run on bottled propane, and most newer models can be converted to natural gas with the purchase of a converter kit.\r\n\r\n\"Gas\r\n\r\nBoth fuels provide a clean-burning power source. Natural gas has the advantages of convenience and lower fuel costs and you won\u2019t have to buy a tank, however, they\u2019re limited in terms of positioning to an area in close proximity to the gas line. Plus, any natural gas hook-up will have to be installed by a certified gas fitter or a licensed HVAC contractor.\r\n\r\nPropane has the advantage of being portable, and in general, retail prices are a bit less than for NG models.\r\n\r\nGas is suitable for the home cook who likes the quick-lighting ability, and doesn\u2019t want to deal with the cleanup of ashes that comes from charcoal.\r\n\r\nBut gas does have its downside in terms of flavor and price. While some models come with a smoke feature, purists claim that the taste doesn\u2019t compare to that of a charcoal barbecue.\r\n\r\nAnd because they have more operating parts and components, prices for gas models are higher than for charcoal styles, even on the least expensive units.\r\n

Charcoal Grills<\/h2>\r\nThese barbecues use either charcoal briquettes or natural hardwood charcoal as a fuel source, which provides the nuanced, smoky flavor traditionalists enjoy.\r\n\r\n\"Barbecue\r\n\r\nBriquettes burn more evenly than hardwood lumps, however they do contain binding additives and produce more ash.\r\n\r\nNatural hardwood or lump charcoal burns hotter and comes in a variety of \u201cflavors,\u201d according to the type of tree the wood came from. But the lumps aren\u2019t of perfect uniform size, and the bag may contain an excess amount of dust at the bottom, which can block the oxygen flow needed for even burning.\r\n\r\nDecidedly more time consuming to use and messier to clean up than gas, charcoal is best suited for those who prefer the smoky flavors of using wood and who don\u2019t mind the time required for charcoal to heat.\r\n\r\nCharcoal does take time to prep the coals \u2013 you\u2019re looking at about 45 minutes compared to gas, which is ready just a few minutes after lighting.\r\n\r\nAlso, charcoal \u2013 particularly the natural hardwood type \u2013 is more expensive than gas. And then there\u2019s the time and effort required to clean up and dispose of the ashes.\r\n\r\nBut, because of their simpler design and construction, prices are much usually more reasonable for charcoal barbecues than for their gas counterparts.\r\n\r\nSee our top recommended backyard charcoal grills now.<\/a><\/strong>\r\n\r\nOr check our our favorite portable models.<\/a><\/strong>\r\n

Electric Grills<\/h2>\r\n\"Electric\r\n\r\nPowered by electricity, outdoor electric grills require no flame or fire power, and cook by heating a heavy-gauge plate or grate via a heating element.\r\n\r\nWell suited for city or apartment dwellers, who may be restricted or prohibited from using any open flame source such as gas or charcoal, electric models have made some significant performance strides in recent years.\r\n\r\nWhile many electric models produce great char marks and provide very satisfactory results, the flavor is usually less smoky than with either gas or charcoal units \u2013 but if it\u2019s all you can use, it\u2019s a great option.\r\n

Kamados<\/h2>\r\nA type of charcoal grill these ancient devices can also go \"low and slow\" and smoke meats as well performing high heat grilling cooking similar to that of a kettle style unit.\r\n\r\nBased on a 3,000 year old Japanese design, these barbecue platforms are generally made up of clay-base ceramics and either cover in porcelain or in some cases, small mosaic tiles. A few modern versions take a different approach and use double layers steel or aluminum with an air gap or high temp insulation between the two layers to prevent heat loss.\r\n\r\nDue to the thermal mass or insulation of these high end charcoal cookers, they are extremely efficient with the use of charcoal. Once heated, they have the ability to retain heat for hours and can consume their fuel at a very slow rate.\r\n\r\nThis allows for those 16 hour (or more) low and slow smoking times required for full sized briskets as well as those 6-8 hour smoking times that make the perfect pulled pork from Boston butts and picnic hams.\r\n

Pellet Models<\/h2>\r\nThese models use hardwood pellets similar to those produced for home pellet heaters. An auger feeds pellets up to a burn box where the pellets are ignited based on preset temperature that you select either via a thermostat or in better models, more advanced electronic systems that better regulates the temperature.\r\n\r\n\"AAlthough often referred to as \"pellet grills\" these backyard barbecuing appliances are more often suited for \"low and slow\" smoking as most lower to middle level units can't reach the high temperatures required for a good sear. And most units use a heat barrier between the flames and the cooking surface to create perfect indirect heat conditions that are required for \"low and slow\" smoking.\r\n\r\nManufacturers have produced workarounds for assisting with high heat and\/or direct grilling operations. Some of these include optional gas-fed side searing units, sliding heat barriers to allow for direct heat, and optional aluminum grilling plates that conduct more heat energy from the fire pit to the food.\r\n\r\nThe higher end units can usually hit the lower band of searing temperatures without any modifications or accessories.\r\n\r\nMany users like pellet grills because they require much less attention than the traditional side-fed \"stick burner\" smokers and they argue the fact that they can be left unintended either for a few minutes or even hours while they are at work.\r\n\r\nWe don't advise this as we've seen too many fires in these units in various Facebook groups due to \"flame outs\" where the flame begins the smolder but the auger keeps feeding pellets. At some point, the additional fuel catches in one big \"whoosh\" and a large flame erupts from the burn tray. If you're going to leave these units unattended, we highly suggest they be placed well away from structures and flammable materials.\r\n\r\nIf you need some level of automation but want a unit without all the moving parts and complexity of pellet grill, we'd highly recommend purchasing a Kamado unit and then an accessory heat controller that uses a simple electric fan mounted on the bottom vent to control temperatures.\r\n

Grill Sizes<\/h2>\r\nBarbecue sizes range from small, compact models all the way up to deluxe outdoor kitchen styles. And as overall dimensions can vary greatly, look to the cooking surface area to get a better idea of your size requirements.\r\n\r\nBase your decision on the largest number of people you\u2019ll be cooking for on a regular basis.\r\n