BBQ Store

BBQ Store - BBQ Grills and Smokers

Price: Gas grills generally cost more than electric and charcoal grills. So, if cost is the biggest factor in your decision then a charcoal or electric grill would be your best choice. However, charcoal won't save you money in the long run. Charcoal is more expensive than fuel. You will spend much more money on charcoal than you will on gas down the road when you are having a BBQ.

Although electric grills can be quite inexpensive, they take quite a while to generate a high level of heat that is necessary for searing foods on a grill. Most people opt to go with an electric grill usually because they are restricted to a small space such as a balcony or local laws restrict them to only allow that type of BBQ grill.

How much flavor do you want?: Taste is a determining factor for some people when deciding on what type of BBQ grill to purchase. Electric grills are at the bottom of the scale in this category as they offer the least amount of authenticity when it comes to taste.

A charcoal grill or pellet grill should be your selection if taste/flavor is at the top or your list. You can either choose a certain type of wood to smoke or a certain type of charcoal that will give you the flavor you are looking for.  

Weber, Traeger, CharBroil and others, offer BBQ smokers that produce food with the most flavor, so look out for those and put them on your short-list.

Despite charcoal grills giving more flavor to food than gas grills, charcoal BBQ's still fall a little short of the incredible flavor provided by a pellet grill, such as those made by Traeger or Bradley (the Bradley uses it's own proprietary form of pellet called a Bisquette). A pellet grill burns hardwood pellets that are made from wood scraps.

In short, from least flavor to most flavor; electric, gas, charcoal, (charcoal or wood) smoker, pellet smoker. 

The last two are hotly debated in terms of taste. The only way to know for sure, if flavor is your primary goal, is to see which tastes best to you if you get the chance at a BBQ cookoff or from friends who already own them.

What features do you need?: Gas grills offer additional cook spaces that a charcoal or smoker unit cannot. Gas grills can have side burners, rotisserie kits, and multiple burners which allow you more cooking space and the ability to cook other types of food at the same time. As far as electric grills go, they can heat up quickly and don't require any fuel other than an electrical outlet nearby. 

Do you need portability?: If portability is the main factor in your decision then a gas grill should be your choice. Small propane tanks allow you to easily take your grill to a tailgate party or camping. Also, if you have a small charcoal grill you are left dealing with the disposal of the charcoal briquettes. There are many portable BBQ grills available, and all have their advantages and disadvantages.

The Cobb for example is a small 2-3 person BBQ/Smoker, that is highly portable and uses charcoal or lava rocks to fuel it, it's advantage is it's weight and durability for a very reasonable cost.

In terms of electric grills, Webers Q series electric grills are great if you have an electric hookup, so ideal for tailgating, or at home if you can run a power cord outside to the picnic table. We have dozens of portable and backyard electric grills in our BBQ store, take a look above, simply use the search box to find what you are looking for or navigate your way to the correct section.

The Hibachi (a japanese style open-flame charcoal grill), is probably one of THE most popular portable charcoal grills available, having been used for literally thousands of years (hard to believe but true!), and gives a great flavor along with high portability.