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Grill Types

Fire Pit Grills

The perfect end to a warm summer day is watching fireflies while sitting around a fire pit! Add a grill above the fire, and you have all the ingredients for an amazing summer party!

From simply toasting marshmallows to cooking rotisserie chicken, fire pits allow flexibility and variety in outdoor cooking. Customizing your fire pit to fit your yard makes installation easy!

Fire Pit Grills: Features

Fire pits usually burn wood or charcoal, although gas inserts are available. Permanent fire pits are usually brick or stone built up

fire pit grills

around a shallow hole in the ground for the fire with a wire grill and/or a spit over the fire for cooking. Patio fire pits are often made of cast iron or copper.

Cast iron is heavy and retains heat well, whereas copper is more portable and cools more quickly. Sojoe makes fire pits from steel coated with porcelain, creating an earthy look and mimicking the temperatures of stone or brick pits. Even though patio fire pits are not actually dug into the ground, the legs holding the fire bowl stand low to the ground.

Fire Pit Grills: Pros and cons

Fire pits are accessible from every side of the pit, allowing multiple people to cook instead of assigning one or two as chefs. However, because more people will be near the fire, more precautions should be taken to avoid an uncontrolled fire. Brick and stone pits can be custom made to fit your yard, and they absorb and retain heat well, which is good for cooking, but can be a hazard around kids.

Though copper, cast iron, and Sojoe fire pits are heavy, they are not permanent. You can take them to where you want the cookout instead of always bringing the cookout to them. Because fire pits are on, or low to, the ground, stooping or sitting could make cooking difficult for some. Low chairs or cushions set around the pit could relieve some discomfort.

Fire Pit Grills: Is it for you?

Fire pits can cook almost anything you want, involve all your guests in the fun of cooking, and add a campfire ambiance to your evening. The variety of fire pits allows you to make or find the perfect one for your space and personal preferences.

Being low to the ground may be a drawback for some, but if that is not a problem for you, then end a summer evening drinking coffee and eating s’mores around your fire pit grill!

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Grill Types

Gas Grills

Tired of going through a whole box of matches each time you fire up the grill? Maybe it’s time to try a gas grill!

Unlike other grills, gas is convenient and reliable, starting instantly and heating up in minutes. Get the satisfaction of grilling without the frustration of trying to light coals and waiting for the perfect temperature.

Gas Grills: Features

Gas grills are easy to use: after turning on the valve to the gas source, a starter button produces a spark which immediately ignites Gas Grillsthe grill. The valve register on the front of the grill regulates the temperature, and the hood can be opened or closed depending on the amount of heat needed. Think of gas as a hybrid between the kitchen stove and a traditional outdoor grill.

Natural gas and propane are the two sources of fuel for a gas grill. Although natural gas requires installing a gas line, the fuel itself is less expensive than propane. Natural gas is safer because it is connected to a gas line controlled by a valve, unlike propane which requires constant changing of the tanks.

Natural gas also has a more noticeable smell, dissipates faster, and burns cleaner than propane. However, propane grills are easy to set up ad are not tied to a gas line. Compact portable propane grills are inexpensive and ideal for camping trips and other outdoor cooking.

Although grilling is mainly an outdoor experience, indoor grills guarantee your cookout even on a rainy day! Open grills mimic outdoor grills with the heat source under the grid. Folding contact grills work like a Panini maker, cooking both sides of the food simultaneously.

Gas Grills: Pros and Cons

The greatest advantage of gas is that it starts instantly and its temperature is easy to regulate. Also, it is less smoky than other grills, and clean-up is basically scrubbing down the grid–no ashes or soot to dispose of. These grills cool down quickly, reducing the risk of uncontrolled fires that other grills pose.

Gas Grills: Is it for you?

If you get frustrated with the the time firing up the grill takes, with burning your food because you tried to cook it too soon, or with cleaning out ashes after the grill finally cools down, consider switching to a gas grill.

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Grill Types

Charcoal Grills

Summer family fun is the smoky flavor of  juicy hamburgers fresh off the charcoal grills. On vacation or at home, charcoal grilling adds an extra level of fun to any meal!

Nothing beats the flavor of food cooked over a charcoal grill, or the control you have when using charcoal. Forget the microwave and try your hand at real cooking!

Charcoal Grills: Features

All charcoal burning grills have a pan for the fire and an adjustable grid for cooking. The height of the grid above the fire and the amount and arrangement of the charcoal control the temperature. Charcoal is more flexible regarding temperature than other grill charcoal grillsstyles since charcoal arranged closely together produces an incredible amount of heat.

Although the basic features of  charcoal burning grills are the same, styles and prices vary. Square grills have a shallow pan, an adjustable grid, and a lid with vents. They are simple and inexpensive, ranging in price from $60 to $100.

Kettle grills are round with a deep lower chamber, an adjustable grid, and vents in both the lower chamber and the lid. Both the depth of the chamber and ventilation system better control and circulate the heat than other styles of grills. Slightly more expensive, the price of kettle grills ranges from $70 to $140.

Cart  grills are the upscale version of these grills: similar in shape to gas grills and having an ash tray that makes clean-up easy. Like other grills, the grid is adjustable and vents help control the heat. These grills are expensive (but very nice), ranging from $2,000 to $2,800.

Charcoal Grills: Pros and Cons

In a day of microwaves and fancy kitchen tools, charcoal grilling has an appealing simplicity and gives you control as the chef. You can use the wide range of temperature to your advantage. And the flavor charcoal adds to food is well worth the extra effort.

However, starting the fire can be difficult, and once the fire starts, controlling the heat may prove challenging. After grilling, cleaning out the grill and disposing of the cooled ash can be a messy job.

Charcoal Grills: Is it for you?

The simplistic style of charcoal grilling requires extra effort, patience, and some skill from the chef, but also rewards that effort with a feeling of satisfaction when your family and friends bite into those juicy hamburgers fresh off the charcoal grill!

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