Deciding Which Gas Grill is Right for You: A Comprehensive Guide

When it comes to choosing a gas grill, there are several factors to consider that can make all the difference in your grilling experience. In this article, we'll take a closer look at some of the most important things to consider when deciding which gas grill is right for you.

The First Thing to Consider: Grill Size

One of the first things I like to find out when it comes to choosing a gas grill is how much grill space they offer. People often try to answer this question by thinking about how much food they cook, but it's also important to consider the number of burners you have and the size of the grill itself. The more burners you have, the more versatility you'll have in terms of cooking techniques. If you want to cook indirectly or possibly smoke on your gas grill, you'll need more space for that. To help illustrate this concept, we use 4-inch round hamburgers as a reference point because everyone is familiar with their size and shape.

We lay these hamburgers out on the grid to give you a real-world feel of how large a certain grill is. This way, you can get an idea of whether or not the grill will be big enough for your needs. When it comes to choosing a gas grill, there's nothing worse than running out of space when you're trying to cook multiple items at once.

Burner Configuration: Understanding Your Options

In addition to considering the size of the grill, another important factor to think about is burner configuration. A conventional-style burner produces heat that is more diffuse, similar to a flashlight. On the other hand, an infrared burner produces heat that is more direct and intense, like a laser beam.

If you're looking for that perfect crust on your steak every time, you'll want to look for a grill with multiple infrared burners. However, if you don't need that level of intensity in your grilling experience, a fully conventional burner-style grill will be perfectly fine for you. Another option is a hybrid grill, which combines the benefits of both conventional and infrared burners.

When it comes to choosing between these different options, there are several factors to consider. If you plan on using your rotisserie kit regularly, make sure that the grill has a rear infrared burner as part of its configuration. This feature will come in handy if you decide to add a rotisserie kit later down the line.

Thermometers: Analog or Digital?

Most gas grills come equipped with analog thermometers, but some companies are now offering models with digital thermometers as well. While both types of thermometers have their own advantages and disadvantages, it's worth considering which type will work best for you.

Whether you choose an analog or digital thermometer, the most important thing to look for is accuracy. You want a thermometer that will give you precise readings so you can cook your food to perfection every time.

The Importance of Burner Type

In addition to considering burner configuration and thermometer type, there's another factor to think about: the type of burners themselves. When it comes to gas grills, you'll typically find two types of burners: conventional-style and infrared-style.

Conventional-style burners are great for cooking a variety of foods at medium to high heat levels. They're perfect for grilling steaks, chicken breasts, and vegetables without any issues.

Infrared burners, on the other hand, are designed specifically for cooking at extremely high temperatures. They're ideal for searing steaks quickly and achieving that perfect crust every time.

If you enjoy having a full crust sear on all of your cooked items, an infrared-style burner is the way to go. However, if you don't need that level of intensity in your grilling experience, a conventional-style burner will be perfectly fine for you.

Hybrid Grills: A Compromise Between Options

If you're having trouble deciding between different types of burners or want to try out multiple configurations without breaking the bank, hybrid grills are an excellent option. These grills combine the benefits of both conventional and infrared burners in one unit.

With a hybrid grill, you can have it all: the versatility of multiple burners combined with the intense heat of infrared burners. This makes them perfect for people who want to experiment with different cooking techniques but don't want to commit to a single type of burner configuration.

When choosing a hybrid grill, make sure to look at the specific features and configurations that come with each model. Some hybrid grills may have more conventional-style burners than others, while some may have more infrared burners.

The Final Consideration: Is There Anything Else I Need to Know?

Before you make your final decision on which gas grill is right for you, there are a few more factors to consider. First and foremost, make sure the grill has a rear infrared burner if you plan on using a rotisserie kit in the future.

In addition to that, some companies offer models with digital thermometers instead of analog ones. While both types have their own advantages, it's worth considering which type will work best for your needs.

Finally, don't be afraid to experiment and try out different burner configurations or cooking techniques until you find what works best for you. With the right gas grill, the possibilities are endless!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi, I'm Chef Tony Matassa with BBQGuys.comToday were going to take a very close lookat some of the most important things to considerwhen trying to decide which gas grill is rightfor you.Now the odds are, you are going to have thisgrill for a really long time, so it's importantto look into these things.Let's get started!One of the first things I like to find outis, how much grill they want.. size wise.At first, people generally try to answer thisquestion with how much food they cook.So they only need a two burner, because it'sonly a husband and wife, and thats all theyare ever cooking for is them and two kidsso it's no big deal.But you should also try to keep in mind, themore burners you have.. the more versatilityin cooking you have.By that I mean..if you have a nice wide grill,even if you are only cooking for a couplepeople, if you want to cook indirectly..possibly smoke on your gas grill, you'll needmore space for that.So also keep those kind of things in mindwhen looking at the number of main burnersin a grill.When trying to help people decide how muchgrilling real estate they needed, it was sortof tough.We could give you square inches, or the actualdemensions.. but thats sort of.. that's kindof hard to really put into your mind how muchspace that is.So we descided to go with 4 inch round hamburgers,because we know how big that is and what itlooks like.So we decided to lay those out on the grids,and that is how we come about our burger count,to really give you a real world feel of howlarge a certain grill is.Let's have a look at the different cookinggrid types that you will find with gas grills..we will begin with stainless steel grids.Stainless steel grids come in a variety ofoptions, um, thicker and thinner, you havecast stainless steel.. sometimes they usetubular stainless steel.But the main thing to remember is that stainlesssteel will probably give you the most longevity,and also the most resistance to corrosionand rust.The main thing to keep in mind is, the more..or the heavier that section of grid is, themore heat it will retain, which will providea better sear.Next you have porcelain coated steel grids..these are probably the least desirable tohave on a gas grill.They show up looking great, but from heatingand cooling, and heating and cooling the grids..they are more prone to chip and anywhere thatyou have a chip is just plain cold steel underneaththere, and so it's going to be prone to rustonce it chips.Another grid type that you see sometimes ongas grills is a porcelainized cast irion.I'ts a little bit different, um, the porcelaindoesn't necessarily sit on the surface ofthe grids, its more within the pores.This lasts a whole lot longer, it still eventuallyyou could have some rust here and there..but it's generally years after the fact, givingit more longevity than a standard porcelainizedsteel.Let's have a look at the flame taming, orflame distribution system within a gas grill.Sometimes these are called flavorizing platesor bars, um they call them different thingsbut basically they sit between the burner'sflame and the grid.It helps to protect the burner from directdroppings of fat, debris, that kind of thing.It also helps prevent flare ups from thatsometimes.The other major thing that it does is, catchesthe flame's heat and helps to more evenlydistribute that heat.It also provides for better flavor enhancement,since the drippings that you have from yourmarinades on your meat will fall onto theflame tamers and either be carbonized or vaporizedback up into the food.. helping to eithermarinate it or give it some smokey flavorjust like charcoal used to do.The two main types that you'll most oftensee in gas grills is some form of metal flametamer, and some sort of a flame tamer thatincorporates ceramics.The main types you'll see with metal flametamers are either a perforated sheet, sortof like this one, in different varieties,or a tp, or a tent.. sort of like this onewith different sizes, but roughly these arethe main types you'll see.The difference between these two, is thatthe perforated ones usually cover more ofthe area, which will protect your burnersa little bit better.. and are a little bitbetter at being more even with heat distribution,and protecting from flare ups.Where as you can see, the tent, or tp is goingto have some empty spaces in between the burners,leaving it so that it will be a little bitmore uneven than a perforated sheet.With ceramic type flame taming, the main typesthat you will find is some sort of a rod,as you see here in my left hand.. or somesort of a briquette like I have here in theright hand.The main thing to keep in mind, the issuethat you will have vs. steel is when you arecooking at high temperatures, if you needto come down to low temperatures to make say..a dessert after searing a steak, you are goingto have to wait a little longer to get thetemperature to come down because the ceramicsare going to hold a lot of that heat.And although this may sound like a negative,it's also a positive because it holds heatvery well.. will distribute it pretty well,and should help on the searing end of thingswith the grill.To descide which burner configuration is rightfor you, first we'll look at which types ofburners you could configure.Generally what you'll see is a conventionalstyle burner.. something like this, and aninfrared burner, something like this.Generally ceramics, maybe protected by metallike this one is.Now the way I try to explain it is a conventionalstyle gas burner will produce heat, that ismore diffuse.. sort of like a flashlight.Whereas the heat that comes from an infraredis more direct, more like a laser beam.That is why these are generally used in steakhouses for the intense sear that they canproduce at extremely high temperatures.With a premium style grill, there is enoughheat generally produced that if you are notreally concerned with having that intense,you know, full crust sear on everything thatyou cook all the time.. then, a fully conventionalburner style grill will be perfectly finefor you.If you enjoy having that crust style, intensesear on all of the items you cook, you knowon large batches of food.. then they alsomake full infrared style grills that you canalso get.The last thing is, for people that want somethingin between, they may want to sear a couplesteaks and finish them off over conventionalburners, or sear a steak sometimes and thendo hamburgers the other times.. or at thesame time even.Then you can do hybrid grills, which a lotof companies offer, where you have severalconventional burners in the same grill withone.. or two infrared burners.The last thing you'll want to keep in mindwith consideration to burner configurationis whether or not the grill you're lookingat has a rear infrared burner.Now the only reason this matters is if youat some point plan to have a rotisserie kit,even if you don't have one when you purchasethe grill, you may want to add one.You can't add the rear infrared burner thatcome with some models of grills, so if youwill want to have one of those, you need tomake sure it has it when you purchase thegrill.Most of the gas grills you look at will haveanalog thermometers, but I think it's interestingto note that some companies offer models thatcome with digital thermometers as well.Thank you for watching, I hope this videohas helped to clear up some of your questions.If you have any further questions, or needany more detail, please contact one of ourknowledgeable customer service representativestoday, or check us out online.I'm Chef Tony Matassa, and remember..at BBQGuys.com, we smoke.. the competition!\n"