Buy The Right Gas Grill For Your Next Barbecue

By Gary Williams

Gas grills are the grill of choice for barbecue fans today, mostly due to the convenience as compared to charcoal. You don't have to deal with messy charcoal or much cleanup when you are done grilling. You can simply turn it on, get the temperature just right, grill up your meal, and clean the grates. When you want to use it next time it will be ready to go. But before you run out and buy a new propane grill there are some things to consider. These considerations should be part of your initial research and will help you make the right choice.

How much money you can spend is something you should really know ahead of time. If you have a low budget then you don't want to waste your time looking at the more expensive grills. Try to find the upper end of grill that is still in your budget and try to get as much grill as you can for your money. Stainless steel is a nice quality to have as it will last longer. You can find grills with stainless burners as well as outer construction but it would be hard in the lower end of models. If you are patient and don't mind buying a prior year's model you can get a great deal as well. Huge discounts are offered for grills that are sitting there unpurchased when the company wants to make room for the new models.

If your budget has no limits then you can really get a lot of grill for your money. You can find grills with four or more burners, built of high quality stainless steel, with extra covered storage underneath, and many extra accessories. If you are grilling many nights each week then you really should consider spending extra money to get a unit that will last. Pay attention to the BTU ratings and compare them to what you will typically be grilling. There's no sense getting a 40,000 BTU gas grill if you won't use all the power.

The design of today's gas grills is fairly standard with a few variations existing between brands. For the most part, an external source of gas or propane will feed the burners and keep them producing enough heat to cook your meal. Grates will sit over the burners and are responsible for keeping your food close enough to the burners to get grilled but not too close that you get burn marks. Also, depending on how much you spend on the grill, you will get temperature control knobs for each burner. You can also find some models that will easily smoke your meal but you can expect to pay a little more for that feature.

When determining the overall grilling power of the gas grill you generally have to look at the BTU rating. BTU's, or British Thermal Units, give you an idea of how much food you can cook in one session. However, more is not always better as you can find yourself barely using a grill's capabilities. Another thing to think about is the better brands like Weber are more efficient in their grilling process so they won't require as much BTU's as other brands.

Since you will be using your gas grill outdoors you also want to find one that has a solid construction to it. The lesser built models tend to wobble and won't last as long, especially if you are grilling on them multiple times per week. A good way to check out the construction is to visit your local home improvement store and look at some of the models on display. You can tell a lot about a company by simply looking up close at its' products. Make sure you get a quality grill cover as well since this can protect your investment from the weather when it is not in use.

Lastly, think about how much maintenance you have time to do and compare that to what each manufacturer recommends on their grills. The higher end brands tend to need very little in terms of maintenance and you can usually get a great warranty. Online customer reviews are a great source of information too as they can let you know what you can expect before you even bring the grill home. - 30289

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