With Father’s Day coming up, now is the best time to start thinking about the right gift for dad. And what dad wouldn’t love a grill? These days though, there are so many grills to choose from that it can be overwhelming. In this article, we’ll go over the main types of grills including gas grills, charcoal grills, pellet grills, Kamado-style grills, and electric grills, so you can make sure you’re choosing just the right one for the dad in your life.
- Gas grills are one of the most common types of grill, and they’re very convenient and easy to use. They operate using 20 pound propane tanks that you can get at most stores, and this fuel allows them to heat up fairly quickly. Gas grills can range in price from less than $200 to more than $2,000. Gas grills offer easy to control temperature with knobs, multiple burners for different temperature zones, no messy ashes, and easy and fast grilling. However, they don’t get as hot as charcoal grills, and the food has less of a smoky flavor. They’re also usually more expensive than charcoal grills.
- Charcoal grills are the other most common type of grill, and they require you to light a fire using either lump or briquette charcoal. They can be less convenient than a gas grill because you will need charcoal on hand, and it can take a while for the grill to warm up. It’s also harder to control the temperature, and you have to clean up the ashes from the charcoal. However, they get to a higher temperature, and they give you more flavorful food because of the smoke.
- Pellet grills run on electricity but burn specially-made hardwood pellets for heat and smoke. The pellets are fed into a hopper that dispenses them as needed for a steady temperature. These types of grills are fairly easy to use, and they give you some of the benefits of both gas and charcoal grills.
- Kamado-style grills are large and shaped like eggs. They are stainless steel, but the majority of them are encased in ceramic or earthenware. The majority of these types of grills burn charcoal, and they are able to heat evenly. However, these grills are very heavy and tend to be on the pricier side. They don’t take much charcoal to get them started, but it can be hard to have two zone heat because of the round shape, although they do give off steady and consistent heat.
- Electric grills, as their name suggests, run off of electricity. They don’t use any sort of flames or coals, and they are essentially just larger and more sturdy George Foreman type grills. While they don’t offer the flavor or heat of charcoal or gas, they can be an option if you’re very new to grilling or live somewhere where neither gas or charcoal grills are allowed.