Grilling for Beginners: What Are the Best Types of Grills?

Who doesn’t love firing up the grill and enjoying a nice meal? If you are a barbeque connoisseur, then you know there are different types of grills available. But out of all the choices out there, what’s the best type of grill?

Well, that answer boils down to your expertise, your grilling style, and sometimes your environment. To get more information about the various types of barbeque grills, read the info below:

Charcoal Kettle Grills

One of the most well-known types of grills is a kettle grill. They are basic in the form and include a tight, removable lid, a stand, and grill grates. The charcoal goes on a small rack at the bottom of the grill, allowing ash and other cooking debris to fall away from the heat source and provide even ventilation over the coals.

One of the key advantages of this kind of grill is how compact it is. Generally, kettle grills are made of metal and are relatively lightweight. 

Charcoal Grills

For several reasons, charcoal grills have always been a favorite among outdoor cooks. It is quick to use a charcoal grill, and foodies crave the smoky, rich taste that charcoal provides.

All charcoal grills operate with the same standard similarities. The air intake is positioned towards the bottom of the grill and is manually controlled. When air reaches the grill, it passes through the lit charcoal and exits via an extra vent at the top of the grill.

The more air permitted to enter and leave the grill, the hotter the grill gets.

The primary upside of switching the air intake and exhaust is that it remains stable throughout the cooking timeframe until the temp adjusts to the proper heat setting that you wish to cook. However, that’s if there is enough charcoal to keep it running at that temperature.

Kamado Grills

Kamado grills are a more advanced variant of the charcoal grill and are also referred to as ceramic smokers. These grills have grown in popularity over the past 10 years. They are similar to kettle grills, but have a few variations.

This type of grill has a distinct shape that sets it apart from others. In fact, kamado grills are often referred to as “an egg”. Also, they’re quite heavy in weight because of the ceramic material that it’s made of. Most kamado grills are between 150-500 pounds.

Airflow and temperature are controlled by the bottom and top of the kettle grill. However, on a kamado grill, the lid is usually not removable because of the thickness and heaviness of the kamado. It’s attached to the base of the grill with heavy-duty, spring-loaded hinges.

The kamado grill normally pre-heats for 45 minutes to an hour once you get the charcoal gets completely hot. It uses all-natural, hardwood lump charcoal as a heat source, which uses less ash than charcoal briquettes. Some grilling and barbeque enthusiasts believe the strongest flavor is the hardwood lump charcoal.

Pellet Grills

Even though pellet grills have been around for about 30 years now, they have become a hot item in grilling over the past 5 years. They are a convenient and efficient alternative to traditional grills.

  One of the pellet grill’s most impressive features is that it functions as both a smoker and a grill, making the fusion of the two a great selling feature.

Food-quality wood pellets are loaded into a hopper about the size of a black-eyed pea and supplied to a burning pot with an auger. The thermostat and the burn pot operate electronically to keep the grill close to your ideal temperature, depending on the temperature you set your grill.

Since the electronic temperature controls are always calibrated to keep the grill within your specified range, once you have the cooker running to your liking, you don’t have to continue to keep a close eye on it.

This is convenient, particularly with longer grilling sessions for briskets, ribs, and large roasts. With pellet grills, there isn’t too much supervision needed when allowing the meat to cook. Due to the electronic settings, a power source must be connected during the entire cooking and cooling process with these types of grills.

If you like to grill on the go, check out these portable pellet grills.

Propane and Gas Grills

Both gas and propane grills work similarly and operate with burners emitting around 40,000 BTUs of heat. They fire on three or more burners to either direct or indirect heat from below to cook the food.

Part of the appeal of gas grills is that they are compact and they heat up easily. Also, there are several accessory choices available to better your grilling experience.

Their updated features are paired with accessories like side burners, lamps, integrated food thermometers, and dedicated meat search areas. These types of grills offer some of the best grilling results, even without the use of standard charcoal and wood.

Also, gas grills require the shortest amount of pre-heating. They are super easy compared to charcoal or pellet grills. Plus, gas burns very clean and adds no extra flavors.

The Different Types of Grills to Choose From

With the variety of different types of grills to choose from, you’ll never get bored. While some people have their favorite grill types, others enjoy switching it up from time to time. Which one of these grills will you choose?

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