Outdoor BBQ/Grills - Keidel Cabinetry and Appliances, Cincinnati, OH

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Outdoor BBQ/Grills
Choosing a Gas Grill

Although the terms "grill" and BBQ are used interchangeably, there is a difference in the two cooking methods.

Grilling is done quickly, searing the meat to maximize juice retention.

Barbequing is a slow cooking process, similar to roasting, with the meat both smoked and cooked until it is well done.

Today's gas grills offer the best of both worlds in a single appliance.

Features
Gas grills are available in a variety of sizes, with an even wider variety of features and options. Some features are optional and can be added after purchase. Others must be chosen at the time of purchase, and cannot be added later.

The basics of a gas grill are really quite simple:
  - The burners are located on the bottom, and create heat
  - Above them are the radiants, dispersing heat from the burners
  - The cooking grates lie above the radiants

This article covers those items above the grill's burners.

What To Look For In A Gas Grill * Not all features are available on all models

		Cooking Surface (Grids) Grilling is done quickly, searing the meat to maximize juice retention. The grids are what make a grill a grill. Hamburgers, hot dogs, chicken breasts and fish are just a few of the items that taste great when grilled.
A thicker, heavier-gauge cooking grate will last longer and distribute and retain heat better. Grates coated with porcelain enamel are a common step-up feature. The cooking grids/grates are typically made from chrome plated steel, chrome-plated aluminum, chrome rod, porcelain coated steel, cast iron, porcelain coated cast iron, or stainless steel. The best grates are made of cast iron, stainless steel, or porcelain-coated aluminum or cast iron. Chrome or Plated Steel: Harder to clean than a porcelain coated grill and tends to rust fairly easily. Chrome Rod: Will not tarnish in air, but burns when heated, forming a characteristic green chromic oxide. It will burn through in about 1 to 2 years. Porcelain Coated Steel: Resists rusting and is easy to clean. However, it tends to chip which allows the exposed metal to rust. Stamped sheet metal: Hard to clean and will burn through in a relatively short period of time. In addition, stamped metal grates are a poor cooking surface since they do not properly concentrate the heat, and they cool off too quickly. Porcelainized stamped metal grids tend to chip. Cast Iron: Holds the heat extremely well and heat very evenly, but must be kept seasoned with cooking oil to avoid rusting. Because cast iron retains heat extremely well, slow cooked foods should be cooked before searing meats to avoid charring. With age, and heavy use, cast iron may get brittle and break. Porcelain Coated Cast Iron: Has all the benefits of cast iron, with a rust resistant, easy to clean and maintain surface. As with all porcelain coated surfaces, it tends to chip. Stainless Steel: Designed for more even heat distribution. It resists rusts, and will not chip or burn through Will last a very long time, but it does not hold the heat or sear as well as cast iron. Stainless Steel Rod: Absorbs heat well, but does not retain it for long ... making this kind of grid ideal for searing meat on high heat, then reducing the heat and let the meat slow cook until it reaches the desired doneness. Generally the thicker the rod, the better the quality. The easiest type of grid to clean. It can be cleaned in the dishwasher, or rubbed with a brass bristle brush while the grid is hot. .

Radiants/Heat Diffusers Heat diffusers/radiants should provide even heat distribution across the grill, be self-cleaning, easy to remove, and able to support smoke woods. The familiar flavor produced by charcoal grilling comes from the juices of food dripping onto the hot charcoal. Gas grills use several materials to produce the same effect. The best radiants quickly flash the drippings, eliminating flare-ups and creating flavorful smoke.
		Lava Rock Lava rock heats quickly and disperses the heat to the interior of the grill. Lava rock is porous and allows grease to accumulate, lessening its efficiency and increasing flare-ups. Irregularities in the surface of the rock create hot spots and cool spots, leading to irregular cooking and burnt/undercooked food. Lava rock should be replaced every year, or turned over to expose a fresh surface.
		Pumice Stone Pumice stone is similar to lava rock in that it heats quickly and disperses the heat to the interior of the grill. Due to its smoother surface, pumice stone collects less residue and produces fewer flare-ups. Irregularities in the surface of the stone can create hot spots and cool spots, leading to irregular cooking and burnt/undercooked food.
		Ceramic Briquets Unlike lava rock, ceramic briquets are non-porous, will not absorb fat and their uniform size ensures even heat distribution for better cooking performance. Ceramic briquets allow food juices to vaporize while cooking, minimizing food charring flare-ups and keep the briquets cleaner. They can be cleaned by turning them over to burn off any residue. Some manufacturers offer mesquite-flavored ceramic briquets. Ceramic is more expensive than lava rock but generally last 5-7 years.
		Ceramic Plates Like ceramic briquets, ceramic plates are non-porous, will not absorb fat and their uniform size ensures even heat distribution for better cooking performance. Ceramic briquets allow food juices to vaporize while cooking, minimizing food charring flare-ups and keep the plates cleaner. They can be cleaned by turning them over to burn off any residue. Heat distribution is better than briquettes, since they can be laid edge to edge. Ceramic plates do get brittle with age, but generally last 5-7 years.
		Metal Vaporization Plates/Bars/Radiants Designed to reduce flare-ups by permitting heat to rise, metal vaporization plates allow dripping juices dissipate when they fall on the hot metal. Vaporization plates can be made of aluminized steel, stainless steel, porcelain coated steel, or cast iron. Use caution when selecting metal vaporization plates. Stamped Stainless Steel radiants generally perform well and have a very long life expectancy. On the other hand, Stamped Metal vaporization plates have a poor performance history and are expensive to replace.
		Easy-Clean Drip Tray Unless excess cooking liquid (drippings, juice, grease, etc.) are properly channeled away from the burners, they can cause flare-ups-or even worse, a grease fire in the bottom of your grill. Drip trays/pans that stick or catch when open and closed indicate poor design, or may be warped. Shallow trays must be emptied and cleaned more often than deeper catch pans. Drip trays should be easily accessible from the front of the grill. Many can be cleaned in the dishwasher.

		Grill Hood Barbequing is a slow cooking process, similar to roasting, with the meat both smoked and cooked until it is well done. A grill hood turns a standard grill into a BBQ by covering the cooking surface, trapping the heated air inside and increasing the temperature inside the grill.
The hood should be high or deep enough to allow sufficient space to cook any type of food - particularly if it houses a rotisserie . A grill hood that is large enough to cook a turkey should handle most cooking needs. BBQ hoods are typically made of the made of the same material as the grill. Stainless Steel Hoods Intense heat generated by the grill will discolor stainless steel in a relatively short period of time. Stainless steel hoods should have double wall construction to help prevent this from happening. Double-walled hoods create an insulated air space protecting the outer finish from discoloration. If you buy a grill with a single-walled hood be sure it has a porcelain-enameled finish so it lasts and won't fade. Grill Hood Handle The handle should extend the full length of the hood and provide safe clearance for your arm and hand. When the grill is hot, the handle could conduct heat-potentially making it a painful process to open. The handle should be made of a heat- and weather-resistant material like stainless steel or glass-reinforced nylon. Wood handles will eventually splinter and rot. Glass Viewer (Window) Many hoods have a glass viewer, or window, made from high temp ceramic glass. This material is exceptionally scratch resistant, easy to clean and keep clean, and offers ideal protection against breakage from temperature extremes. The downside, of course, is that it must be cleaned. Most high-end grills omit this feature.
		Halogen Grill Hood Lights A grill hood with built-in Halogen lighting, takes the guess work out of after dark cooking. Each manufacturer places the light at a different location; near the handle side of the hood, integrated into the rotisserie motor, or as in the case of Dacor, mounted to either side of the hood for full illumination of the grill and hood interior.
		Hood Mounted Thermometer An accurate monitor of temperature is needed to ensure food is cooked thoroughly. Most BBQ hoods have a temperature gauge mounted on the front side of the hood that acts as an oven thermometer.
A thermometer that indicates the actual temperature inside the grill, instead of range of temperatures, is preferred. Guages on low-end grills may reflect the temperature of the hood, and not the cooking area.

		Multi-Tiered Racks Grills with hoods frequently add a second and even a third cooking surface above the main one. Because the temperature drops considerably as the distance between the cooking surface and fuel source increases, the second cooking surface is typically used for things like steaming vegetables and keeping cooked meat warm.

		Rotisserie A rotisserie slowly spins above the heat for even cooking, using a spit (a long metal rod) and a clamping system to hold the meat in place over a fire to ensure even cooking. A rotisserie should have a heavy-duty removable motor and an unexposed rotisserie slot in the hood canopy to prevent heat loss.
Rotisseries are the best way to cook larger cuts of meat like pork roast, leg of lamb or turkey. When cooking smaller items, such as cornish hens, several can be placed on the spit and cooked at the same time. Food cooked on a rotisserie is slow-roasted, crispy outside - tender & juicy inside. Rotisserie Weight Rating: The more weight the rotisserie can handle, the better, especially if you entertain a lot. Low-end rotisseries usually rate at 20 lbs., mid-range at about 40 lbs., and high-end at about 65 lbs. and higher. Rotisserie Types: When using a rotisserie, grease and fat drip away from the meat, so the more distance between the spit and the primary burner the lower risk of flare-ups or burning the food on the spit. A rotisserie uses either the primary grill burners for cooking, or a separate rotisserie back burner. The Back Burner sits on the back wall of the grill, behind the rotisserie. By releasing heat from the side of the grill, rather than the bottom, flare-ups are eliminated. Rotisserie Back Burner Type: The back burner is usually open flame or infrared, with infrared more commonly used on higher-end grills. Open flame rotisserie burners are usually lower in BTU's, but allow for a slower roast. Infrared burners produces a more intense heat, which caramelizes the outside. BTU output from the back burner ranges from 10,000 to 18,000 BTU's. Rotisseries require an electrical out for the spit motor and/or infrared back burner.

		Smoker Box A smoker box is a metal container that holds charcoal or wood chips (such as hickory, apple, mesquite, etc.) to be heated so that the food will have a smokey flavor. On higher-end grills the smoker box is built in, either as a slide-out drawer which can be accessed from the front of the grill, or as a part of the cooking grate. In general, a smoker box drawer is fixed in one position, and may or may not have a separate burner. If the smoker box has its own burner, that burner may have its own separate control. A separate burner control will regulate the amount of smoke flavoring on the food. Those that are integrated into the grate offer a hinged design for easy loading. Some are removable with a mini-grate that allows for access of the entire grilling surface when smoker tray is not in use. On grills that do not offer a built-in smoker box, a metal smoker box can be placed inside the grill before cooking.

		Optional Side Burner Side burners allow you to prepare an accompanying dish, boil an extra large pot of lobster, or stir-fry your favorite vegetables using a wok (with optional wok ring), without running back and forth to the kitchen. Generally the more BTU's a side burner has, the better. Some models have 2 burners in one unit with a continuous grate, which permits the use of oversized pots and pans. Usually the same choices of materials apply as to side burners as to the primary burners: sheet metal, cast iron, tubular stainless steel, cast stainless steel and cast brass, with the same qualities. Sealed Cast Stainless or Cast Brass burners, if available, are the better choice, with a stainless steel drip basin and porcelain clad cast iron grates to ensure an easy clean cooktop that won't rust or fade. Typically a stainless steel cover is provided to protect the burner when it is not in use.

		Grill Covers A grill cover protects your grill from the weather, and help guard against rust. It should be made of a heavy-duty vinyl or nylon with a scratch resistant felt lining. Most manufacturers provide one with each new grill.

		Trim Kits Some manufacturers offer Stainless Steel Trim kits that provide a clean stainless steel finish to the outside edge of a built-in grill.

Gas Grill Carts

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