Outdoor cooking remains more popular than ever,revealing that grilling is becoming a year-round passion. Flavor (72%), lifestyle (52%), and entertainment (40%) were the top reasons for grilling according to 2017 national poll released by the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association.
The same study found the share of grill ownership in the United States is 7 in 10 adults and in Canada its 8 in 10. The type of grill: 64% gas grill, 44% charcoal grill, 9% electric grill. Wood pellet grill ownership at 3% with 11% of future buyers to purchase one in the coming year. And, don't forget, May 16th is National Barbecue Day!
Grill and Stove
If you're one of the 35% percent of U.S. adults who are looking for a new grill or looking for an addition to the family camping trips, here's a guide to your options.
Tip: Portable propane grills and stoves are a great option for camping or tailgating.
Grills: How to Choose the Right One for Your Needs
When buying a new outdoor grill, choosing will depend on a number of factors: how often you plan to cook on it; how many people you feed; where you plan to do the cooking; what barbecue techniques you prefer; and how much money you're planning to spend.
There are grills for every conceivable situation, from handy portable grills like the Mr. Steak 1-Burner Infrared Portalbe Grill for camping and picnics to elaborate, multi-grid models with deluxe service units that are practically a kitchen in themselves.
Basic Types of Grills From Which to Choose Use Different Methods for Heating Food:
Grills That Use Gas
great choice for grilling at tailgates,
campsites, or a gathering in the park
Gas grills are more popular than others, with more than 8.5 million sold in 2010. They come in all shapes, sizes and price ranges, from portable tabletops to elaborate wagons, complete with cutting boards, condiment trays and sometimes even a dry bar.
Gas grills are most commonly fueled by refillable liquid propane tanks, but some models may be fired by natural-gas lines underneath the lawn or with disposable 16.4-ounce propane cylinders. The grate often is lined with specially made briquettes or with "lava rocks," made from natural volcanic stone, which are heated by gas jets. The rocks or briquettes radiate heat, which cooks the food.
Popular models include Char-Broil's stainless-steel 4-Burner and 6-Burner gas grills, which have side burners, electronic ignition and closed storage space; Teton Grill Company's gas grills, which feature beautiful outdoor scenes on the stainless-steel hood and doors; and Mr. Steak 2-Burner Infrared Portable Grill, a portable combination cooker great for camping or tailgating.
Grills That Use Charcoal or Pellets
Grills that cook with charcoal like the Masterbuilt Gravity Series Charcoal Grill and Smoker also are very popular, with 44% percent surveyed by the HPBA choosing to cook with charcoal.
there are many options and sizes to
choose from.
With the lid up or off, these grills can be used in the most basic way — to grill foods directly over hot coals. However, because of their deep bottoms, they are also excellent for indirect cooking in which a drip pan is placed on the bottom of the grill, just underneath the food, and briquettes are banked to one side. (This allows fat to drip into the pan, not onto hot coals, preventing flare-ups and excessive smoke.)
With the lid on, the charcoal grill acts like an oven, roasting and lightly smoking the food at the same time. Vents in the bottom are used to regulate heat. This method doesn't require a lot of attention — you just pop in the food and time it.
You can do an entire meal on a charcoal grill, from hors d'oeuvres to fish to roasts. You can bake potatoes, grill vegetables, toast bread and use the dying embers to warm up pies, other desserts and coffee. This is an easy, efficient way to cook and ideal for entertaining.
Tip: the RedHead Cowboy Fire Pit Grill is light enough to take on camping trips. This fire pit is meant to burn wood and cook. Easy to put together, tons of grill space to cook, and the swing out table/grill is just that, a warming grid or a swing out table you can put stuff on.
The variety of models from which to choose is nearly endless. For camping or tailgating, you might select a small portable grill like the UCO Flatpack Grill & Firepit or tabletop grill like Lodge Logic's cast Iron Sportsman's Charcoal Grill.
Make backyard grilling and smoking as
easy as it gets.
Among the newest grill innovations are pellet grills that allow you to grill food with less acrid smoke. Pellet grills cook food more evenly and like gas grills are easy to use, offer fast cooking time and convenience. Pellet grills are known for cooking slow at low temps like a slow cooker so if you're entertaining a lot, this grill type might be the one for you.
For outdoor entertaining at home for a large crowd, you may want something flexible for two people up to large groups like the techy Camp Chef Woowind Wi-Fi 24 Pellet Grill (you can stay inside away from the mosquitoes and heat using the remote control feature) or bigger like Cabela's Pro Series 36" Pellet Grill with a whopping 1,016 plus square inches of cooking area.
The ceramic cookers, like Primo Ceramic All-In-One Oval Grill XL have thick ceramic walls that retain and distribute heat better than conventional metal grills, permitting less charcoal usage, quicker cooking times and juicier, more delicious foods.
grills are perfect for using over anopen fire.
Grills Used Over Campfires
When cooking over a campfire, it's helpful to have a grill for direct cooking over hot coals or on which you can set skillets, pots and pans. Camp grills like Camp Chef's Mountain Man Grill are ideal for this purpose, allowing you to prepare a meal over an open fire with no fuss.
Cooking Grills for Special Applications
Some grills also are made for special applications, such as Springfield's Marine Propane Pedestal Grill and Kuuma 216 Elite Gas grill made for mounting on a pontoon boat or other water craft. Also available are combination cookers such as Orion's Charcoal Cooker, which simultaneously smokes, steams, and uses convection with an extraordinarily fast cooking time.
Outdoor Cooking Smokers
Smoke cooking is extremely popular with outdoor chefs, and manufacturers have made a wide variety of smokers from which one can choose. Although smoking is the slowest method of barbecuing, food cooked on low, even heat is always tender, moist and delicious. Foods particularly suited to this method of cooking include wild game, slabs of ribs, beef briskets, roasts and whole fish.
Smokers That Use Charcoal or Pellets
Chips
Charcoal smokers like the Orion Charcoal Cooker and Smoke Canyon Vertical Smoker with Offset Firebox are among the least expensive and most popular models. Each is a tall, cylindrical covered cooker with a fire pan for coals, a water pan, one or two grids and a dome-shaped cover. The food is placed on a grid high above the coals. A pan of water or other liquid is placed between the coals and the grid holding the food. In some smokers, there's a second grid above the first for smoking several different foods at the same time. The food cooks very slowly in a dense cloud of smoke and steam.
Soaked aromatic wood chips like the Western Wood Smoking Chips can be periodically thrown on the coals to create smoke and add another dimension of flavor. For other interesting taste variations, beer, fruit juice or wine can be substituted for water.
Smokers That are Electric
temperature and smoke control when
cooking large amounts of food.
Today's cook also can choose from a variety of smokers you can plug in and start using. These electric smokers include Masterbuilt's Adventure Series 140S Digital Electric Smoker with a built-in probe to monitor internal meat temperature with digital panel controls for temp and time; and the Bradley Smoker Original Electric Smoker that gives you the ability to smoke foods with cold or hot smoking and works perfect for slow, low-temperature roasting.
Smokers that Use Propane Gas
Propane smokers are very popular, too, like Masterbuilt's Sportsman Elite 30" Two Door Propane Smoker, which offers 717 square inches of cooking space over four movable chrome cooking racks
Fish Fryers
Fish fries and fried fish are popular almost everywhere, so it's not surprising that manufacturers offer a variety of fish fryers for quickly cooking a mess of fish fillets, steaks or pan-dressed fish along with fixings such as hushpuppies and French fries. Most come complete with a single, heavy-duty burner that runs off a propane tank, a large fry pot (aluminum, stainless steel or cast iron) with basket, a gas regulator and hose, and a deep-fry thermometer. More expensive versions may include options such as multiple burners or accessories that allow you to steam or boil foods such as lobsters, crawfish, clams and vegetables.
Among the many models available are Bass Pro Shops' Aluminum Fish Fryer, a portable propane appliance that comes with a powerful 58,000-BTU, heavy-duty 10.5-Quart aluminum fry pot measures 12'' across and features dual side handles, 18"tripod cooker stand, cool touch handle and rear clip for easier draining; and the Cajun Fryer by R & V WorksPropane Cooker Deep Fryer, which comes in a 4-gallon, 8.5-gallon or a 17-gallon propane cooker/deep fryer, which utilizes a unique design not only to fry fish, but also turkeys, chickens or any other food you decide to cook up.
Turkey Fryers
Deep-fried turkey, a longtime favorite in the South, has spread its flavorful wings and become popular throughout the country in recent years. Celebrity chefs rave about its crispy skin and tender, juicy meat, and millions of cooks have learned just how convenient it is to have their holiday bird done in about 45 minutes (3 1/2 minutes per pound) instead of counting down the hours.
These turkey fryers made especially for cooking this delectable dish have a propane-fired burner and accessories similar to those used with fish cookers, but they come with a larger (typically 30 quart as compared to 10 quart) fry pot with lid, plus a special turkey rack and hook, and an injector so you can shoot up your bird with delicious marinades that enhance the flavor. Also available are pumps and funnels for removing and storing cooking oil and a variety of special cooking utensils.
Among the turkey fryers from which you can choose are Bass Pro Shops Stainless Steel 3 in 1 Combo Cooker, which features a 30-quart stainless steel pot equipped with a handy copper spigot that makes oil removal a snap; and Butterball Indoor Electric Turkey Fryer by Masterbuilt, which lets you prepare a turkey up to 14 pounds using a third less oil than standard turkey fryers sealing in its juices for a crispy outside and moist, juicy inside.
Specialty Cooker Technology
Recent years have seen outdoor cooking technology advance to never-before-seen levels of excellence. Recent examples include:
- Orion Charcoal Cooker: simultaneously smokes, steams and uses convection for an extraordinarily fast cooking time. Cook a 20-pound turkey in just over 2 hours.
- Mr. Heater MH15C Propane Heater/Cooker: helps you take care of both cooking and heating concerns at camp. A great heater for ice fishing, deer camp, tailgating, camping, and many other uses
- Bass Pro Shops Stainless Steel 3-in-1 Combo Cooker: comes with a large 30-quart stainless-steel pot, stainless-steel strainer/steamer basket, steamer grid and stainless-steel turkey hook and stand, giving you everything you need to cook your favorite foods by frying, steaming or boiling.
Bon appetit!
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