Renee’s Hunt for a New BBQ/Grill is SO Confusing

As we welcome summer I decided 'I needed a new grill'.  So I set out to find one that was not too costly and not too big and would withstand a fair amount of use. UGH. I really was totally unprepared for my task, so I went home empty handed.  Here is what I have found in doing some research ‘how to buy a grill’.

Oh and to make this even more ‘fun’, the guys in the house want some sort of smoker ability  with a new grill. Great. More to worry about. So here is what I have learned in my research.

How are you going to make it HOT?  What fuel will you use…charcoal, gas, or electric. For me it is propane.  (check, I know one thing for sure)

Temperature control is another issue. Some have ‘zones’ other have some indirect cooking options.  For gas one needs at least two burners, and with charcoal you can shift it around for different results, so you need a little room to do that.  If you like your steak with a nice crust it will need to be able to get up to temps of 600 degrees or more. (my veggies do not need to be so concerned with that level of temp) With that type of power you are looking at a larger cost on a gas grill or going for the charcoal option.  Does it have a temperature thinger built in to the unit? Those are handy.

So that leads us to size. Yes, size does matter when it comes to grills. The larger the surface the more power you need to do the cookin’.  A good guide line is 100 square inches per person.  So, there are three in our house so it would be at least 300 square inches.  I also need to aware of the overall size of the grill.  I have a small area and can’t have one of these HUGE grills.

What about having those things for smokers or cooking whole birds? Well you have made sure your grill choice has those options and the room for that turkey if that is what you are into.

Now…burners. (my head is swimming now)  It should have stainless or brass burners because the others burn out.  And if the flame area has the lava rocks those will get soaked with grease and ‘stuff’.  Oh, there are a number of different starters for you grill, but no matter what it HAS to have a place to manually start the fire. Don’t forget the important of grates. Cast iron will rust without care but do a ‘grate’ job. (get it? ha-ha)  But there are also chrome or nickel coated, porcelain or stainless grates. But the good news, it can be easy to replace or upgrade the grates later on.  (something about this is easy?)

Like I don’t have enough to think about, I do have to consider how well it is made. Will it tolerate daily use?  The stainless steel looks so nice at the store, but after one use it will never look that good again.  Then add all of the above to what my wallet can handle.

Still, I am so confused.  Maybe I just need to fix up the old one.  Wonder what Google has to say about that! All I want to do it just grill a few veggies for lunch.