Grills, Grills, Grills!

 Grills, Grills, Grills!

There are many different types of grills out there, and here's what you need to know.


Not listed but honorable mention, are flat top grills. On the rise in popularity and opens up the possibilities of grilling like a burger joint or making pancakes and eggs like your local diner.

Built-in Grills

Built-in grills are typically fitted into a structure, usually some type of stone or granite surround. The cut-outs for these are not universal, so switching them out becomes difficult, but they do last much longer if taken care of than your regular grills. They are also more expensive, up to 10X more expensive than a Weber or Napoleon. Built-in grills are most popular in luxury outdoor kitchens. You can customize your surround with sinks, drawers, cabinets, refrigerators and icemaker, making a patio kitchen the epitome of outdoor living. If you're building an outdoor kitchen, make sure you consult your builder on location requirements and venting options if under the cover of a roof. These high powered grills need the smoke to escape. These grills are popular because they come with a lot of options. There are several different types of burners you can get, standard gas, infrared, rotisserie and ceramic. This makes them more appealing since you have more flexibility in what you're cooking than the standard grill.

Freestanding Grills

Freestanding grills are what your average consumer is looking for when they shop for a grill. They are on carts with wheels which makes them mobile. Perfect for smaller spaces where they can be tucked away when not in use. While there are more affordable, there is a very wide price range, typically starting at $400 and going as high as $5,000 or better. The average price of a grill is about $1,200. These grills hold 75% of market share, they have the least amount of customizable options. They feature standard gas burners or sometimes, even electric. You can often get them with a gas or infrared side burner for more cooking options. Higher end models will offer variability in cooking sources by adding a smoking accessory burner and even a rotisserie.

Infrared Grills

Infrared burners are more common as accessory burners, but luxury brands such as Lynx, will offer grills with all infrared burners. Infrared grills get much hotter than normal grills and can exceed temperatures of 1,000 degrees - twice that of a normal grill. This higher heat can create chemical reaction within your food, giving exquisite flavors that cannot be achieved with a generic burner. Infrared cooking employs direct heat transfer, so it is much quicker. You can cook a steak with a perfect sear in 3 minutes! If you want to eat like you're in the world's top rated steak houses, get infrared. However, these are not recommended for delicate foods and infrared grills tend to be on the more expensive side. Even an accessory side burner will be at least $100 upcharge on any standard grill.

Wood Pellet Grills

The obvious difference in pellet grills that any other grill is that it is fueled by, well, wood pellets! They create heat by by burning said pellets and producing hot smoke. You can buy pellets in various flavor that upgrade your grill game to the next level. Cooking on a pellet grill is more of a low and slow style of cooking, which requires more time and planning than regular grilling. They also require more maintenance, since the ash from the pellets needs to be cleaned regularly, and the grill itself kept dry for optimum function. The Pellet grill however is not for everyone, but the flavor is unmatched by any other type of grill.

Charcoal Grills

Charcoal grills provide intense smoky flavor, quicker than a pellet grill wood. Due to the combustion of the charcoal, the heat is more concentrated than you would experience on a gas grill. This creates a crispy exterior on meats and vegetables. Another benefit of charcoal grills is that they are affordable, because of the simplicity you can find these at some low prices. However you will have to continue to buy charcoal to fuel the fire. Charcoal cooks really well, but it is an engaging way of grilling, so you have to pay attention. Additionally, there is little to no temperature control.

Ceramic "Egg" Grills

Made popular by "the Big Green Egg", other brands have started to sprout up in the market. The egg shape creates precise air flow for optimal cooking. These are arguably the most versatile grills on the market, 3-in-1 grill, oven and smoker. They are designed to be the most durable grill on the market for a long lasting cooking "experience". The patented air flow gets the temperature higher than the average grill, creating perfect results in less time. the ceramic layers can hold heat for up to 12 hours making it perfect for low and slow cooking as well. If you're looking for something that can do it all, this is it.

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