Frequently asked questions
What should you look for in a grill?
Make a trip to your local home renovation store and you will see dozens of grill models not mentioned here. Are they good? Most of them are probably good, but we suggest you stay with the brands you recognize.
The good thing about shopping in person is that you can have a better idea of the robustness of the grill. Give him a good shock and make sure he seems to be well assembled. If it is a brand that you have not heard of before, check the nearby aisles and see if there are available replacement parts. This is particularly important with gas, but this can be a problem with any type of grill. The burners on the gas grids do not last more than a few years, but they are easy to replace – if you can get the parts.
Other things to look for include a good temperature range (the dials are running smoothly and are large enough for you not living them to find the median point between low and high). Although it can be tempting to opt for the biggest grill you can allow yourself, it is not always the intelligent choice. There is no need to heat 660 square inches of the grill to cook two burgers. All that does is fuel waste. Finally, avoid everything that says infrared. Our experience is that infrared does not grasp anything better than regular flames. All it does is add an unnecessary feature that increases the price.
It is also worth considering the guarantee. Grills often experience a hard life, stored outside in the rain, grère, snow and cooking heat. I saw small blank blankets in a year (they are always worth the investment – the coverage that your grill). A guarantee will not cover normal wear and tear, but more deemed companies like Weber offer guarantees from five to 15 years (according to the grill). Look for something similar when buying large -area store grids.
What grill accessories do I need?
Here are some elements that will facilitate your grill life.
- A good blanket: The one you need depends on your grill, but a coverage is worth the investment. Even if your grill is not exposed directly to the rain, it will always be wet in dew and will eventually rust. Good coverage can keep the worst rust remotely and will offer you many years of additional use.
- Instant reading thermometer: After the real stove, nothing will improve your grills like an instant reading thermometer. Glue it and instantly know the internal temperature of your food. For beginners, this cheap thermometer ($ 20) will work. The gold stallion is the thermoworks Thermapen MK4 ($ 109). It is not cheap, but its automatic backlight and its rotary display are pleasant to have. The functionality I appreciate the most is that it stops automatically when it is not used and comes back to the minute when you extend the probe. (It is powered by an AAA battery.)
- A good cleaning tool: We do not recommend using a grill brush. A metal brush in stainless steel or brass can leave small hairs that get stuck in your grill and find themselves in your food. It happens more often than you think. Most grilled manufacturers do not recommend these wire scrapers anyway. If you have cast iron grids, I like Proud Grill’s Q cleaner ($ 19), which combines a wireless purifier, a stainless steel scraper and disposable wipes to clean your grill without leaving your brush in disorder.
- A charcoal fireplace: For charcoal grids, get a starter from the fireplace – I like this Weber ($ 25), but everything that will be similar will do the trick. It is faster and it saves your food by tasting like lighter liquid smoke. I tested a charcoal fireplace against our high-end Weber gas bar and I found that the gas was ready for seven minutes faster, that is to say not much.
- Use high quality wood carbon: You don’t need craft briquettes handcrafted by the elves, but don’t buy super cheap things. In my tests, it does not burn so hot or lasts as long. Almost all of the carbon grill tests I performed used Kingsford briquettes.
- Try charcoal: I was lucky with the jealous charcoal of natural devil in natural wooden wood. If you are cooking in high heat or if you want to have higher indirect heat, charcoal in lumps is a good choice. It burns much hotter and faster. I prefer a piece of input, but I don’t like that to smoke or a slower kitchen. If you are worried about additives, Lump generally does not have one. –Scott Gilbertson
Other grids that we recommend
With the kind permission of MasterBuilt
MasterBuilt Gravity Series 800 for $ 899: This spacious master offers a beautiful combination, the wired critic Chris Smith: charcoal flavor with the precision of the temperature of gas or electricity. The large highest loading charcoal hopper uses gravity (hence the name) to power heat in an internal case, and an integrated fan allows precise digital temperature control – on the device or via the application. You reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit in 15 minutes. The temperatures are remarkably consistent when stabilized, and if you want to add smoke flavor, simply throw pieces of wood in the ash tank and let the charcoal embers that fall. But versatility is delivered with warnings. You can miss the possibility of entering directly on a flame, and you will have to modify the internal case before switching to the flat roof grill.
With the kind permission of Yoder
YS640S PELLET SMOKER for $ 2,600: Most grins do one thing and several other things badly or not at all. YS640S Yoder is a more versatile tool, thanks to a design that allows easy access to the Autoféed Fire Box. Like tragers that are half of the price, this grill made in Kansas uses an electric fan and an auto to power wood pellets for a slow smoke session. Everything is driven by a control card that sends temporary alerts and allows you to adjust the temperature via Wi-Fi. As a smoker, it has easily handled ribs and a roast of mandrel, holding the temperature better than most, thanks to its 10-steel steel construction, which means that this grill weighs as much as a refrigerator. Where the yoder really stands out, however, it’s a possible grill and a pizza oven. By removing a steel plate positioned on the hearth, you can enter the burgers directly on the flame or remove the grins and place them on a heavy fixing of the pizza oven ($ 489), which uses the pellet power supply system to maintain a constant of 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
With the kind authorization of Nomad
Nomad Portable Grill for $ 695: The Nomad Style Nomad Grill sells for a price that makes a luxury. But if you have money to lose, it’s the best portable grill you can buy. It is well constructed, robust and easy to transport. It is heavier than our first Pick Jumbo Joe at 28 pounds, but the shape and the large handle in fact facilitate transport. Like Jumbo Joe, the Nomad uses a double ventilation system to obtain a good air flow even when the lid is closed. The vents, combined with the boosted fins at the bottom of the grill (which raise your charcoal, allowing air to flow under it), allow very precise control of high and low temperatures.
A grill to avoid
With the kind authorization of ACE
Kamado Joe Konned Joe for $ 2,000: there is a lot to love in this Kamado style grill. Indeed, we previously recommended it for its electrical ignition and its Wi-Fi connectivity which allows you to measure the temperature of the interior and meat via two probes. But in the long term, the wired reviewer Martin Cizmar had constant problems with the electric grill triggering the 2 -year GFCI outlets on its patio. Once, he even tripped the circuit breaker. A Reddit thread reveals that this is a common problem. Like the Redditors, Cizmar found temporary relief by performing an extension in a catch in his kitchen, but even it failed him several times during the tests. Unfortunately, this grill is a difficult pass until the problem is solved.
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