I’d like to have something propane fueled since it’s easy to setup and clean but I could be convinced to go another way.
Not interested in the newer griddle-style cooktops, having an insert would be nice but I don’t want to be stuck with it as my only option.
Doesn’t need to be fancy or super large, I’d think just about anything larger than the classic clamshell grills would work fine.
Also, anyone had experience with natural gas grills? I’ve wondered what it would be like to have a grill you’d need to “plug in” to a natural gas line a plumber would install for the purpose. Seems like it would save a lot of headache with buying and storing propane tanks and it would also allow me to hookup a generator if the need arose.
Please, allow to try to convince you to go another way.
There’s nothing you can do with a propane grill that can’t also be done just as easily, if not easier, than with the oven already in your kitchen. All propane does is make food hot. Unless you just want to be outside in the weather while you cook, there’s no culinary reason to have one.
A charcoal grill, especially one with a smoker attachment, will allow you to flavor your meats in ways that simply aren’t possible with a propane or gas grill.
I think you seriously underestimate the value of a propane grill
No. There’s not much that you can do on one that you can’t theoretically do on your stove or in your oven
But if you’re doing something that’s likely to smoke up, you can do that without filling your house with smoke, and sometimes a grill is exactly what’s needed for ripping hot direct heat, not everyones stove or oven can replicate those conditions well.
There’s less cleanup, usually you’re cooking things right on the grill, no pots and pans to deal with later, just utensils, plates, and the grill itself which often doesn’t need much more than a quick scrub or sometimes you can even get away with just burning it off.
Using your stove or oven can sometimes noticeably heat up your house, and in the summer that’s something most people are trying to avoid.
If you’re having an outdoor event, you can stay outside where the party is instead of hanging around away from everyone in the kitchen. You’re opening the door less to bring out food as it’s ready so you’re keeping the cool air inside and the bugs outside.
And frankly, not everything really benefits much from charcoal. If you just want to grill up some hot dogs you’re not gonna notice a ton of difference between charcoal and propane.
And all of that does of course apply to charcoal as well, but what gas brings to the table is convenience. Turn a couple knobs, press a button, and your grill is ready to go in a couple minutes. No waiting for the charcoal to get going, no needing to add more later on if you’re doing a long cook (and if you do manage to kill your propane tank, if you’ve got a spare, it takes all of 30 seconds to swap it out for a fresh one) and once you’re done cooking, just turn the knobs the other way and the fire is out and the grill will cool off pretty quickly. No need to worry about your still burning coals that might keep going for another couple hours because you misjudged how much you needed. And it’s less fiddly, want it hotter? Just turn up the gas. Cooler? Turn it down. You get basically instant feedback about how hot your grill is, unlike with charcoal where you may need to spend some time fucking around with the vents to get the right airflow.
If I can, and I have time, I prefer charcoal, but I will always have at least a small propane grill around as well, because it’s pretty hard to beat that convenience when you just want to quickly grill up a couple things for a weeknight dinner and be done with it.
I’ve had charcoal before and never really tasted the difference, though that probably says more about my grilling skills than anything lol. And some things (like burgers) make a lot of smoke and just need to be cooked outside, preferably over an open flame. Either way I never really found charcoal to be worth the setup/teardown hassle.
Smoking I feel like it would be one of those things that I’d be stoked about having but never really do that often, so I don’t want to buy something just for that capability.
If you have smoke problems cooking burgers inside, your priority should be improving your hood vent, not getting a grill.
Aside from that, I’m inclined to agree with the GP that cooking on natural gas might as well be done inside and that you should get a charcoal/wood-burning offset smoker.
I’m afraid I’m gonna have to agree with you.
Use hardwood lump charcoal, not briquettes. Build a tall pile, not a wide one. Light it with paraffin wax or vegetable oil, not lighter fluid. Wait for the flames to die down and the charcoal to start turning grey. Spread the pile out and cook over the glowing coals. If flames lick up when you put the meat on, move the patties away from the heat.
Cover while cooking to trap heat and cook evenly, but open the vents on top and bottom to keep the fire going. An open-top grill won’t cook evenly.
Flip them once, maybe twice. Don’t play with the meat. Don’t smush them into the grill to flatten them. Cover them and let the grill do the work.
Use a meat thermometer to determine when they’re done. Eyes and fingers lie, the meat thermometer doesnt.
You want low heat, long duration (also called “low and slow”). If juice is running out, the heat is too high. Use indirect heat if you have to; coals on one side of the grill, meat on the other side. If you see smoke, the heat is way too high. That’s actually moisture in the meat turning into water vapor. If you keep them on the grill like that, they’ll be very dry by the time they cook.
When it comes to pattying the meat, use a spoon to make a bowl on top and bottom. If not, that’s how they cook up into meatballs on the grill.
When you’re done, save the leftover coals by closing all the vents and putting the lid on.
When it comes to smoking, that’s a whole other technique. But I’ll go ahead and tell you, if it doesn’t take all day or all night, you’re doing it wrong. Personally, I love the ritual, but I totally gey why a lot of people don’t. Not everyone likes managing a fire all day long or waking up throughout the night to check on it.