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BUYING GUIDE: Charcoal Grills
Make sure the grill has some sort of easy clean out feature:
Nobody wants to be stuck with a charcoal grill that has to be turned over to be cleaned out. One of the things you want to check for when buying a charcoal grill is some sort of easy clean out mechanism.
Make sure the grill design allows for adjustment of charcoal distance:
If you plan on buying a serious charcoal grill, one that will hopefully last you several years at least, then you will want to make sure that charcoal grill has a lot of cooking versatility. If the grill offers a way to adjust the distance from the charcoal to the food, the charcoal grill we be able to fulfill a more diverse role. This generally makes for a better long-term buy.
Check for durability:
If you are making a long-term investment in a good grill, you are going to want it to last. So, make sure that the charcoal grill you buy will be made out of a durable material (stainless steel is the best, but its a little pricy. 18 or 16 guage steel is also good.) Also, you will want to check the thickness of the charcoal grill. Make sure that the combination of material and thickness will make the charcoal grill you choose last.
Company that is reputable:
If the company you buy from is reputable, chances are you will get a better product. Companies do not become renoun by having horrible products. Also, with a reputable company, customer service and support will probably be better than that of a smaller company.
If you plan on shopping online, and aren't just browsing products, then you should call/write the company you plan on buying from, and get all the information you need on each grill you are considering.
Don't be afraid to contact retailers to get more information on their products. That is part of their job. You should know enough about the grill you are about to purchase, both good and bad, to distinguish it from others on the market. That way, you can make an accurate and informed purchase decision, and be comfortable with it.
If this has not helped, or if you would like to know more, please call me
at 1-877-743-2269 - I'll be happy to help you out!
Thanks and have a grilly good day.
Mike
Hackley
CEO
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BUYING GUIDES: Gas Grills
Well - first of all, forget anything you've heard about gas
grills. There are lot of myths out there, and I'd like for you
to really think about what I am about to pass on to you. It
will make sense when we are done, and hopefully you can make a
great gas grill purchasing decision. First, you need to decide
how you like to cook on a gas grill. Do you like putting your
meat on the grill and walking away until it is done, or do you
like cooking things fast and hot? Do you cook directly over
the flame, or indirectly? Once you have figured out what you
want out of a grill, you're ready to go shopping. A lot of
publications out there say to set your price point and then
shop. That is not the way you should do it. First of all, you
may not have any idea what grills cost these days. Second, you
get what you pay for. As Benjamin Franklin used to say, "The
bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of
low price is forgotten." If you follow my guide lines, you
will make a more educated decision in buying your next gas
grill.
Let me walk you through a typical grill purchase. A person
goes into a mass merchant store and looks at a huge grill that
has big warming racks, high BTU's, and a list of many other
impressive features. They are trying to impress people with
this list so that the basics that are required for a great
grilling experience are passed over. Sufficiently impressed,
this person purchases the grill. He/she gets it in a box,
takes it home, and spends most of the day on Saturday cursing
and putting it together. Then he/she fires it up to cook...
all of the sudden the grill looks like it is on fire!
Startled, he/she dumps most of his/her beer on the grill,
trying to douse the flames. Frantically trying to save the
food, he/she tries to turn the heat down, only to realize
there's really not any heat control. So, all of the food has
to go on those large warming racks.
A year later, that person has to spend $70.00 to $90.00
dollars to replace the parts that went bad on a $200.00 grill.
The average mass merchant grill needs new parts every 14
months. So in three years, $400 to $600.00 dollars have been
spent on a grill that never satisfied the customer in the
first place. He/she could have spent just a little more in the
beginning and been much happier. To avoid the same old traps a
gas grill buyer needs to look for the following:
- Make sure the manufacturer has a good warranty.
This should keep you from having to spend money on parts
that shouldn't have broken in the first place.
- Make sure that the burner is a good, proportional
size to the grill. A lot of grill manufacturers make a
large, impressive looking casting with a little burner -
that means lots of hot and cold spots.
- Check out the flame taming devices and make sure they
cover the entire burner. The salt and grease from the
food you cook causes most of the damage to the grill. The
more exposed the burner is, the faster it burns out. Always
make sure the flame tamer is directly over your gas grill
burner - not to the side like some grills do. They put lava
rocks to the side of the burner, and it defeats the purpose.
To get maximum vaporization, you must have a good, even
heat. Stay away from lava rocks. They are irregularly
shaped, and do not hold heat evenly. That's why most grills
with lava rocks are a flare up nightmare.
- Meat grids. Whether they are made from stainless,
porcelain coated or cast iron, most will work well as long
as you know how to clean them properly. For example, most
mass merchant gas grills with porcelein coated meat grids
tell you brush your grids off when hot. This is wrong.
Porcelain is at its most fragile state when hot. Brushing it
at that time will cause it to chip. Once chipped, they will
rust extremely fast - and most grills only have one year
warranty.
- Most grill housings and frames are pretty good and
are usually the last thing to go. Just keep this in mind
- your climate plays a big part in determining how well your
grill will hold up. If you live on the coast, almost
everything you buy is doomed unless you buy copper. Even
stainless will rust. It just takes longer, and that's where
the good warranty comes in. If you live in a high humidity
state, then stainless or a thick aluminum normally will last
longer than most of us.
- Temperature. If you like steaks, the grill needs
to reach at least 600 degrees. You need to get that steak on
and off the grill as soon as possible so it does not dry
out.
- Consumer Reports.
Buy a gas grill that will last for many years. Here is a list of some gas grill brands
and their rankings based upon people who bought them.
See Here
If this has
not helped, or if you would like to know more, please call me
at 1-877-743-2269 - I'll be happy to help you out!
Thanks and have a grilly good day.
Mike
Hackley
CEO
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