Find the Perfect Grill This 4th of July

With Summer finally in full swing, we wanted to help you find the best BBQ grill for you and your barbecuing needs! For many years it was simple, just choose gas or charcoal and move on. It’s now much more complicated as the average consumer has significantly more choices. So let’s take a quick look at all the different options on the market and help you figure out which one is best for you.

Charcoal

The old school favorite! Nothing beats the fresh taste of grilled food over hot charcoal. It helps unlock our primitive side, as people have been cooking over open fire for thousands of years. It also has a simplicity and cost benefit of being typically cheaper than other types of grills. On the downside, it can be messy, you can run out of charcoal, and it can take longer to get the grill prepped for cooking.

Charcoal grills provide the consumer with a cheaper, very versatile grilling surface that gives you great and flavorful food without the taste of gas. You can even combine charcoal with flavored wood for an even smokier treat!

Gas

Simple and easy, it heats up quickly and is ready to go. There are two basic types of gas grills. First, the most common, propane. Propane tanks are easily accessible, but also have the ability to run out when you least expect them to. They also add to the cost of the grilling process due to having to replace tanks from time to time. An alternative to propane is natural gas. Oftentimes, this comes from a fixed gas line from your home. No cost of replacing tanks, and more importantly, never running out of gas when you need it for a party or event.

Overall, gas grills are the easiest to use as there is no messy clean up of ash/spent charcoals, and they heat up immediately, but they can be a bit more expensive than a charcoal grill.

Electric

Electric grills are perfect for those that live in high rises/confined city spaces that don’t allow gas or charcoal. These grills generate much less smoke, and are super easy to clean with no need to refill tanks nor clean up the ash from the charcoal.

Electric works perfectly as an alternative or indoor option if you can’t use charcoal or gas.

Pellets

Pellet grills are all the rage right now. They maintain stable temperatures, allow for the opportunity for easier cleanup than charcoal, while still allowing you that wonderful wood flavor and aroma. Pellet grills also afford you the ability to smoke meats for longer periods of times while holding that “low and slow” mantra at a very stable temperature. Most also afford you the ability to check your grill’s temperature via Bluetooth, which is an awesome feature in a high tech world.

Pellet grills are wonderful should you want the flexibility to smoke meats or grill them. They also afford you the ability to not stand next to the grill the whole time due to the bells and whistles that can alert you of the cooking temperature directly to your smartphone. All in all, a great option if you’re looking for something a little more versatile.

Infrared

Infrared grills are the newest addition to the outdoor cooking handbook. They start to blur the line between the old school charcoal grill and the new school Bluetooth enabled grills. Infrared gives the consumer the opportunity of the fast preheating times and very minimal clean up like gas, without the potential for a gassy taste to your food.

Infrared grills also have very limited flare ups, so you can be comfortable with it holding to the temperature and cook times that you set out to create.

Which type of grill is best for me?

Decide what is most important to you and make your choice. If you’re a “charcoal” person, make that decision and don’t look back. Grills can range from $29 to $10,000+, but it’s all about what you make out of it. There’s no reason to have 8 burners, infrared technology, and Bluetooth temperature regulation if you are a person that grills two hotdogs a weekend in the summertime. If you are like me, and you BBQ year round, invest in something that makes it a bit more personal for you.

How much should I spend on a grill?

Find a price point that you can afford while also understanding what you want out of a grill. Sometimes this means making tradeoffs. Charcoal will be the cheapest, but also has some downside to it. Infrared will be significantly more expensive, but is perfect for those technologically savvy grillers. Ultimately, the decision is yours!

If you’re looking for a particular deal to really make you pull the trigger on that new grill, Lowe’s is currently offering $50 off select Weber gas grills. As well as many other grilling deals this Fourth of July weekend.