Understanding Gas Grills, Charcoal Grills, Smokers and Your Outdoor-Living Lifestyle!
Posted on Tuesday, August 15, 2017
By:
Sequoia Supply
If you embrace outdoor living, you likely
also embrace outdoor dining, and that should certainly include outdoor cooking.
If so, you need to be in the know… with grills and smokers.
Outdoor cooking is as old as humanity itself. As soon as man
discovered how to capture, transport, create, and master fire; you can
bet your sweet ash that there was a steak hanging over that fire shortly
thereafter. Ever since that day, the ultimate goal has been to cook the best
steak ever! And with that, create the best outdoor cooking devices ever.
Today we are provided a myriad of outdoor-cooking options.
Dozens if not hundreds including gas grills, wood-burning grills, charcoal
grills, electric grills, portable grills, offset smokers, propane smokers, charcoal
smokers, cabinet smokers, reverse-flow smokers, so many more… and the science
thereof. The question is not which is best, rather which is best for you, your tastes, and your outdoor-living
lifestyle? We are happy to help you sort that out so that you can dive into a
lifetime of outdoor-dining delicious delight!
Electric Grills
If you live in a millennial-trendy tiny home, apartment. or
condo with a tiny balcony and do not have the space for a full-sized grill or
any other form of prideful outdoor cooking, then an electric grill is right for
you. Otherwise… no. Let’s please move on.
Gas Grills
Gas grills are, perhaps, the prototypical staple of American
outdoor cooking, holding the crown of the most popular type of backyard grill. They
can run either on bottled propane or natural gas from your utility provider.
Most gas grills are designed for propane, but can be converted to natural gas
fairly easily. They best suit the impatient chef who wants to quickly fire up
the grill and cook a meal without having to worry about the preparation and
cleanup of charcoal. What you gain in convenience, you sacrifice in quality of
flavor. Although some gas grills have small smoker boxes, you will only get a
hint of smoke flavor compared to a genuine charcoal grill or smoker.
Charcoal Grills
Cooking with charcoal is more time-consuming and expensive
than a gas grill, but some people prefer the taste of cooking with charcoal. If
you lean toward the that smoky, grilled flavor of foods, you may prefer a
charcoal grill. Charcoal burns at a higher temperature than gas, allowing the
expert to more-perfectly sear the meat. Also, cooking with charcoal has a
distinct romance that is clearly lacking with a the gas grill variety. What is
considered by some as a disadvantage, is the time involved to prep the coals. Prepping
the grill takes about 45 minutes of starting the coals and pre-heating the
grill. In addition, consider the time required to clean- up your grill and
dispose of the ashes.
Electric Smokers
It has been iterated that, “Electric cars are a great
innovation. Electric smokers? Not so much.” That being said, they are a great introduction
into the smoking culture. Advantages include setting and forgetting. You don’t
have to sweat with lighting charcoal or everything involved with that
monitoring and clean up. Just flip it on, crack a beverage, and kick back with
your favorite tunes. Better yet, pop in your meat of choice prior to leave for
work and come home to a tender, smoky, juicy meal. Electrics need only two to
four ounces of wood to give meat a great smoky flavor and are great for
carrying your delectable culinary smoked delights into the winter.
Wood Smokers
The barbeque enthusiast certainly explores the realms of the
advanced smoker. Within that realm, the wood-fired smokers of today. If you are
looking to deliver sweet, succulent low-and-slow smoked ribs, pork, and
brisket, the smoker is the only way to go. American smoker ownership has
increased significantly, in double digits, since 2015. Smokers that burn wood produce
flavor that is widely considered superior to that of other fuels. However, they
require a learning curve and a certain commitment. Wood burns clean at high
temperatures, but when you shut down the dampers to go low and slow, it gets
complicated and smolders. Skilled pitmasters with high-end equipment watch over
their smokers for hours, adding fuel and managing the intake and chimney
openings, in order to hold a the perfect temperature while creating the desirable
clean and sweet smoke.
Charcoal Smokers
High-end charcoal smokers like the Weber Smokey Mountain, Primo
Ceramic and others; offer a large cooking area and supreme smoky flavor. Every
charcoal BBQ smoker must have an efficient heat control mechanism, including
dampers at multiple levels to control the internal heat. Ceramic smokers can be
used for both smoking as well as grilling, maintaining the ultimate desired
temperature. The heat is evenly distributed on the entire surface of the grill.
With ceramics, the grill gets a greater degree of strength than its steel
counterparts. Along with that, it also has better moisture retention and
temperature control capabilities. The temperature range extends from
95ºF to 750ºF, far more than sufficient for excellently searing to your
desires. Ceramic grills retain temperatures more easily and efficiently than
any other grill, making them the perfect choice for those who are serious about
smoking eats.
Wrap it up!
Whatever your flavor, make an informed decision as to your
choice of smoky meaty goodness to relish in the most delicious meaty goodness
that you have ever laid on your lips! We know we didn’t cover it all here. The
fact is, there are far too many options. We just hope that we have sufficiently
whet your pallet to get you seriously considering the succulent splendor of
smoked meats! Now get your grill on friends!
Tagged:Smokers, Grills, Outdoor Cooking