5 Types Of Grills - Which is Best to use in 2024

Summer has finally arrived, so it is time to prepare the grill for the cookout or barbecue session. Is your backyard cooker ready? It may need a deep cleaning. If not, you should buy a new grill. As the grilling landscape continues to develop, there are more options than ever, so the debate has become more complex.

It is no more just about types of grills or types of barbecues. From charcoal kettles to propane gas burners and from propane gas burners to hardwood pellets, choosing the best backyard cooker takes work. Here is the complete guide about different types of grills.

What Is A Grill?

The grill is cooking equipment with an open grate or rack as the heat source and cooking surface underneath. The heat source may be electric or available flame(charcoal or gas), but it depends upon the type of outdoor grill.

As the food cooks directly on the grate or rack of the grill, the best food for grilling is poultry and meat. However, you can cook food like vegetables, seafood, turkey, pork, game, burgers, and firm fish.

Using a grill pan specially designed for grilling, you can obtain grill marks from the rack or grate for food cooked on a grill. A grill pan contains ridges to create grill marks, but some pitmasters argue that cooking on the grill pan is not true grilling.

Grilled meats should be tender cuts to maintain moisture during cooking. Cooking them over a grill can help retain moisture in the meat. If you are in the market for replacing your old grill with a new one and have some knowledge about gills, then you should select one among the following six.

Types Of Grills – What Are The Different Types Of Grills?

Following are the types of grills available in the marketing:

Charcoal

A charcoal grill is very favorite and famous among purists and is known for the authentic and superior way to grill food. They are available in various sizes and shapes, but mostly they use lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes, usually mixed with wood chips as fuel to produce a smoky, strong, and distinct flavor.

Cooking with a charcoal grill is a lower way to cook food which requires some hard work. For example, using a high-octane charcoal starter is very time-consuming to ignite the charcoal.

It is less precise and more difficult to control the inner temperature of the grill, and the grill will take almost 20 minutes to reach your desired temperature. Another challenging work is to clean your charcoal grill.

All your efforts are worthless without the flavor. The best way to keep the cooking on the charcoal grill low and slow for several hours is to use hacks. Charcoal grills are affordable, ranging from $30 to $300.

They come in the following different grill styles:

Brazier Grill – Brazier grill is an open-style grill that you probably have seen at the parks.
Kettle Grill – kettle grills are square or round-shaped grills usually placed on either two wheels or a tripod. Vents control the internal temperature of kettle grill sets.
Barrel Grill – A barrel grill is just like a barrel. Early versions were made using a 55-gallon barrel cut in half lengthwise and turned on its side. To make a barrel grill, you should have some legs, upper cooking grates, lower grates for keeping charcoals, a hinge, and a handle, and you will have your barrel grill. If you buy a ready-made grill, you are making a good choice.
Cart Grill – Cart grills are of those styles that you can see outside the hardware shops. Only some cat grills are charcoal, while most cart grills are gas.
Kamado Grill – The kamado grill is similar in shape to the Japanese rice cooker. It is also similar in shape to the kettle grill, but it is made up of ceramic rather than metal, and the vessel is more bottomless. It is a heat-resistant cooker that does not allow heat to get outside. Thus, the temperature increases rapidly, and charcoal burns much more efficiently. They are heavy, significant, and come with a price of $500.
Portable Grill – Grills like these are typically smaller than kettle grills and can be taken on picnics or weekends in the woods.

Pros And Cons Of Charcoal Grill

Pros

Relatively portable
Easy to use
Amazing smoky flavor

Cons

Harder to clean
It takes much time to heat up
Less precise temperature control

Gas Grills

The gas grill is another outdoor grill that mostly comes in cart style or contains many burners to offer a permanent cooking area. The debate between gas and charcoal has become old. However, the new discussion is about liquid propane and natural gas.

Natural gas is cheaper, burns cleaner, and no need to replace tanks or refuel. As such, you cannot move your natural gas grill at will when you utilize it as a permanent installation.

Liquid propane is the most widely used gas grill as it offers convenience, like portability. Nevertheless, you should plan or estimate how long your current tank can cook.

Luckily, if a gas link hookup is available at your house, I recommend buying a conversion kit to enjoy both types of cooking. The main advantage of using a gas grill is the accurate temperature control and ease of use.

You need to turn on the gas, press the igniter, and wait until your desired temperature reaches. It will take less than 20 minutes to get hot. If the grilles are too cold or hot and you want to increase or decrease the gas grill’s temperature with true, then adjust the dial.

There are dozens of gas grill models to choose from, with dozens of useful features (like rotisserie spits or side burners), but when buying one, the primary decision is how many burners you need.

It is straightforward to clean a gas grill as there is no ash left. Still, you can only get a smoky flavor if you have a smoker box. A gas grill with two burners is about $90, while a gas grill with six or four burners is more than $1000.

Pros And Cons Of Gas Grill

Pros

Available in numerous sizes
Heats quickly
Easy to clean
Simple to use

Cons

Propane tank requires care
It gives a less smoky taste
More expensive

Electric Grill

Electric grills are much more compact and can be used outdoors and indoors. They come in different sizes, such as a cart, open face, kettle, pedestal, countertop, etc.

The flat-top griddle is a newer electric grill that comes without a lid. Electric grills are very easy to use because you need to plug them into the nearby outlet and turn the knob.

They can move as far as their power cord allows them. If you have no access to an outlet in your backyard, you can use an extension cord to bring electricity or relocate the grill. Electric grill prices start from $50 to $600.

Electric grills are the best option for apartment dwellers, especially those who cannot fire to their balconies. The benefits of propane grills are that they are not as smoky as charcoal grills but cheaper and more appealing yearly.

Pros And Cons Of Electric Grill

Pros

Easy to clean and use
Safe for small areas
Compact

Cons

No smoky flavor
Expensive

Pellet Grill

Pellet grills have been available for 30 years, but their popularity has increased in the last few years. They can be used as both smokers and grills. Traeger is the most popular brand, but many other companies have started working on them.

For example, both the Cuisinart 4-in-1 Weber Smokefire are newcomers. In the burn pot, the pellets fall as they move. Upon descending into the burn pot, pellets are ignited by a hot rod inside the grill.

An auger connects the burn pot below the cooking grates to the hooper. As it moves, the pellets fall into the burn pot. A hot rod inside the grill will burn pellets when they fall into the burn pot.

When they burn, the smoke rises and gives a smoky hardwood flavor. The grill can be set to a high temperature, comparable to most grills available today, or you can cook low and slow, so you truly get the best of both worlds.

To operate a pellet grill, you must have access to a power source, as a computer controls the fan and the number of wood pellets in the cookpot. And just like a charcoal grill, you need to clean the ash after every use.

For example, some brands have started making portable pellet grills. Though this rule has few exceptions, the pellet grills come in cart or barrel-style designs. For instance, they are compact enough for tailgating or to take on the road. Its price ranges from $300-$1800.

Pros And Cons Of Pellet Grill

Pros

Great smoky flavor
Fast to heat
Set and forget control

Cons

It needs an electric outlet
Expensive

Infrared Grill

Infrared waves heat the food, not the air, inside the grill by creating radiant heat. Infrared grills are very similar to cart-style gas grills. They are mostly powered by liquid propane or natural gas but can also be electric.

Instead, the grill uses a gas or electric element to heat a solid surface, such as ceramic, which emits infrared waves. You get a grill that will be ready to use only in a few minutes and cooks the food evenly.

Infrared grills are famous for fast grilling, so I should not explain this. Such types of bbq pits can easily reach 700 degrees Fahrenheit. Infrared grills are expensive, which is their most significant disadvantage. Moreover, these grills come in price between $800 and $1500.

Pros And Cons Of Infrared Grill

Pros

Less cooking time
Extremely durable
Easy to clean
Uses less fuel

Cons

Expensive
Takes more space

Smokers

In the last decade, manufacturers brought more models to the smoking industry to meet the increasing demand for smoking. Smokers are not traditional grills, but they use fire to cook meats at low temperatures for juicy, tender, smoky flavors while they cook.

Some smoking methods can take weeks to complete. These grills should be considered for their flavor and potential for adding maple, apple, mesquite, and more layers.

Whether you prefer smoking or making food on the grill, the smoker offers rust-proof vents, a lid-mounted gauge, and a porcelain water pan that will last a lifetime. Especially suitable for holiday get-togethers and backyard parties where something special is needed.

Pros And Cons Of Smoker

Pros

Large cooking area
Deeply smoked flavor

Cons

Expensive
Long cooking time

Choosing The Right Type Of Grill

Unfortunately, there are many grills in the market, so many people need clarification while selecting one of the different grills for cooking. You should check many factors before buying a grill, such as the environment, your budget, and which type of food you will cook.

If your budget is tight, then the infrared grill can be used. In such a case, a charcoal grill will prove much more expensive because you need to replace briquettes after each use. Besides, these grills need less cleaning. While for entry-level pricing or long-term use, a gas or electric grill will be best.

The pellet grill is a grill and smoker in one. For good flavor, pellet and charcoal grills are generally famous but require higher running costs and high maintenance. It will also take time for your grill to get hot enough to cook.

Whether you use an electric or a gas grill, it is a great excuse to grab your favorite six-pack, a big slab of meat, and invite your friends over to “test things out.”

Frequently Asked Questions

I also mentioned that pellet and charcoal grills are best for adding smoky flavor, but they have some downsides, such as needing special maintenance and more cost. Aside from that, these grills take a lot of time to heat.

When you use a charcoal grill, you must manually maintain the grill’s temperature, and it will take some time and a decent amount of charcoal to figure out how much fuel you need. While for low and slow, long-term cooking processes, a pellet grill is recommended.

Time is the most significant difference between grilling and smoking. A smoker can smoke all day while monitoring the temperature constantly to ensure the meat is cooked evenly. The advantage of grilling is speed and convenience, but the disadvantage is that smoking brings out a different type of flavor and tenderness that’s nearly impossible to achieve

Charcoal is suitable for cooking low-and-slow foods that require hours over the coals to pick up smoke and wood notes. Get a charcoal grill if you want to grill low and slow foods such as ribs. But if you want to grill food immediately, get a gas grill.

It has been found that eating grilled meat can make you more likely to develop breast, stomach, pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancers, especially when well done. The risk for pancreatic cancer increases by as much as 60% if you eat charred meat consistently.

Final Words

At present, there are so many different types of grills on the market. A wide range of grills is available, from charcoal grills to pellet grills, gas grills to propane grills. They all have different pros and cons, so you should consider what you will need, set your priorities, and buy the best grill for the money.