We all love that sweet smell of sizzling grilled hamburgers or hot dogs. But what you may not have noticed is that there are different types of grills. These grills all have their advantages and disadvantages as well. So, the best Grill depends on what you want to achieve.
We all easily get swayed away by the price, shiny display, and packaging, but what we should be after is quality and functionality. The purpose of this article is to educate you on the best 7 types of barbecues for 2021. So, if you want to get the best Grill that meets your needs, then learn about the pros and cons of the different types of bbq grills.
Best 7 Types of Grills for 2021
#1. Gas Grills
The best gas grill smoker is commonly shopped on the market because it’s clean and convenient to use. A typical natural gas grill makes use of either butane or propane as a source of fuel. Propane is a type of gas that once ignited, it burns with a clean fire and does not produce smoke. People who opt-in for gas grills love this feature because it doesn’t leave you with a dirty, smoky grill with ashes everywhere to clean up, which is one less thing to worry about. Most gas grills are also very versatile. You can use it for cooking food over direct heat or through the gas grill smoker.
The best gas grill has different grilling options for various purposes. The standard size people often go for is the 32 inches six burner gas grill, which offers enough room for versatility. To further add, most restaurants make use of gas grills because it is faster to cook with and can support grilling enough meat for hundreds of people. Gas grill burns at a very high temperature. Some users complain it’s quite challenging to keep a gas grill at a low temperature of 225 – 250 degrees Fahrenheit. However, what most people often complain about when using a gas grill is they don’t get that real smoke aroma in their food.
- Great for very fast grilling
- Useful for grilling large quantities in an occasion or restaurant
- Clean to use without letting you worry about clean up after grilling
- It’s often quite expensive
- Doesn’t give you food that smoky aroma
#2. Portable Grills
One of the best ways to cook when camping is to use a portable grill. These types of portable grills are small and easy to carry anywhere to grill tasty meals. And if you have an RV and you love field trips to the woods, you could get one of this best portable Grill for RV. They are mostly fueled by briquette charcoal, lump, or propane, each with its different advantage. For instance, lump charcoal is easier to ignite, and they burn hotter than charcoal briquettes. It is because it is a type of charred charcoal, and so there are irregularly shaped, so you need to be a bit of an expert to be able to light it.
Additionally, because portable grills are lightweight, they are easy to transport. They are also straightforward to dismantle and reassemble in the site. However, lightweight can be a flimsy feature in terms of construction. Most portable grills are either cast aluminum, cast iron, stainless steel, or enameled steel. And the overall quality of the construction of portable grills is quite sturdy. They also don’t have too many features, just the regular stuff, like a surface cooking area, and a heat source.
- They are lightweight
- Very easy to transport
- Ideal for camping and RV’s
- Very affordable
- Easy to use
- Very small and may not be suitable for more than a family of 4 or 5 people
#3. Charcoal Grills
Charcoal grills are one of the most sought out grills on the market. Customers in different charcoal grill reviews claim they prefer charcoal grill to other types of barbeque grills because it offers genuine smoky flavor to the grilled foods. Charcoal grills make use of natural lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes, which is an excellent fuel source. On igniting a charcoal grill, the charcoal turns into embers producing smoke and slowly cooks the food. Charcoal-grilled food tastes better because of the presence of real smoke and the cooking temperature.
Users of charcoal grills have contentions on what type of charcoal grill is the best charcoal grill. People who use charcoal briquettes emphasize the uniformity of the charcoal as well as the burning rate and heat creation. On the other hand, those who make use of the all-natural lump charcoal emphasizes its subtle smoky aroma and high heat production. Also, there are no binders and fillers in all-natural lump charcoal, unlike briquettes. Moreover, charcoal grills come in many configurations like rectangular, round, or square. Some charcoal grills have a lid, while others don’t. Likewise, some grills have a venting system to control the heat while others don’t. Note that the majority of charcoal grills fall within one of these categories mentioned above.
- Charcoal grills can burn at a higher temperature than gas
- Gives grilled food a smoky aroma
- It’s quite challenging to ignite charcoal
- It takes time to get a charcoal grill working including starting the Grill and pre-heating the Grill
- It’s time-consuming and stressful to clean up and dispose off the ashes
#4. Pontoon Boat Grills
Manufacturers are becoming more and more innovative with initiatives to meet the demand of customers. This type of grill allows users to take their favorite barbeque grill and mount it quickly and efficiently to their pontoon boat rail. The pontoon boat grill has a bracket system that is made with electroplated steel. The bracket system allows the pontoon boat grill to be attached and detached easily, making it easy to store after grilling. It is a durable and long-lasting solution that allows pontoon boat grills to last for years.
Pontoon boat grills are easy to clean after grilling. And with its lock-in grease tray, in just a few moments, you can easily clean the grill. Most pontoon boat grills make use of propane gas as a fuel source. But you can also change the fuel source to natural gas. Some models have a swiveling valve that makes swapping the gas bottle in and out a whole lot safer and quicker. Pontoon boat grills are also quite challenging to regulate the temperature, but because they are cheap, most customers overlook that. Pontoon boat grills are a perfect gift for any boat enthusiast.
- Quite affordable
- They are easy to clean
- Portable and can be detached from the boat and stored easily
- A bit too small for a large get-together
#5. Smoker
A smoker grill is a bit different from other kinds of grills because it smokes your food well. Grill smoker doesn’t dry out your meat or food, but they come out juicy, tender, and with a very strong smoky flavor. A gas grill smoker cooks with indirect heat at a lower temperature than most other types of grills and for a longer period. It’s available in many fuel options to better suit your needs. Even though in smoking your food the lid has to be closed, most smokers have a ventilating system you can use to regulate the temperature.
Because smokers cook for a prolonged period, they use a lot of fuel. So, when picking out a smoker, go for one that wouldn’t consume a lot of it. Moreover, you’d also be doing the environment a favor. Furthermore, because of the high and prolonged heating in smokers, manufacturers often build smokers with durable materials that last. Most smokers are often made from the cast iron class. Cleaning a smoker can be quite tough with all the soot and ashes it produces after grilling. But the long wait and stress of grilling with a smoker are worth it at the end of the day.
- Meat comes out tender and juicy
- Gives meat and food a robust smoky flavor
- Takes so long to grill the meat
- They are quite expensive too
#6. Electric Grill
Electric grill smokers make use of electricity as a source of power to cook meat. This type of grills doesn’t require fire, but the heat generated by the grill plates once connected to a power source. There are so many varieties of electric grill smoker, which makes it a suitable grill for both indoor and outdoor use. In some countries, city dwellers are prohibited from using charcoal grills and gas grills. In that case, you can opt-in for anyone of the best electric grill smokers that best suits your needs. This type of grill is a perfect choice for people living in a condo or an apartment as it doesn’t occupy much space.
Electric grills are not very popular, but they simmer your food, giving it that perfect roasted texture. Gas grills offer a better texture and flavor than electric grills, but not as good as charcoal. Don’t underestimate the heat intensity of an electric grill as it can generate intense radiant heat. Most electric grills have a kind of heating system that power off when the temperature reaches its limit and re-energize its heating coils intermittently again when the temperature drops. However, the maintenance of an electric grill can be quite demanding. You can’t submerge an electric grill in water. And even when cleaning, you can’t use too much water, but a damped cloth to clean tough stains.
- Great for city dwellers without violating any law and still enough grilled food
- They are quite affordable
- Easy to clean up after grilling as there are no ash residues to clean.
- Although they offer great texture, the smoky flavor of a traditional grill is all but lost.
#7. Natural Gas Grill
The main difference between a natural gas grill and a propane gas grill is the fuel source, which is interchangeable. Nevertheless, natural gas grill and propane gas grill are quite different. Natural gas grills cook your food over a flame fueled by gas, just like a propane grill. However, instead of the regular use of a propane tank gas, this grill can be connected to the gas line in your home. Natural gas grills are more popular than propane gas grills with pretty exciting advantages. At first glance, we noticed natural gas grills are incredibly cheaper to purchase and maintain than propane gas grills.
Natural gas grills are also very easy to maintain and clean when you’re done grilling for the day. They burn with a clean, smokeless flame, that saves you time while grilling. However, they don’t give you food that juicy smoked flavor. Nevertheless, they are incredibly convenient and portable to set up and use. Unlike charcoal grills that give off a lot of CO2, natural gas grills are much more environmentally friendly. Natural gas grills are even more environmentally friendly than propane gas.
- It’s a clean-burning gas leaving no soot or ash residue
- Highly environmentally friendly
- Grills food very fast
- They are very affordable to purchase and maintain
- It doesn’t give you that juicy smoked flavor.
Conclusion
Now that you understand the advantages and disadvantages of the different types of grills, we believe it would be a lot easier to make a choice now. So, whether you pick an electric grill smoker or the best gas grill, it’s all good as long as it suits your lifestyle. However, don’t forget that when you are picking any one of the different kinds of grills, ensure you consider factors like space, set up time, portability, and your local law, amongst others. So, pinpoint those things in a Grill that are most important to you before actually paying for one. Because in the end, we all want to get the best value for any money we spend.