Types of Grills: Gas vs Electric vs Charcoal vs Wood Pellet

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Grilling food is a summertime tradition enjoyed by many! But there are so many types of grills to choose from, and it can be difficult to figure out which one is best for you. This article will discuss the types and benefits of gas grills, electric grills, charcoal grills, and wood pellet grill options!

Grills are typically the centerpiece of any great backyard party and barbecue.

If you are a fan of barbecues, you likely know that the best grill should be easy to use, of good value, and convenient. And of course, you’ll need a good sauce!

Types of Grills: Gas vs Electric vs Charcoal vs Wood Pellet BBQ Grills

There are various choices, each of which has its own characteristics, pros, and cons. Though charcoal and electric grills are the most common, some people prefer to cook their food with gas grills or wood pellets.

Can’t decide between gas or charcoal grills? This comparison guide for different types of grills will help you determine which grill is best for you.

Thousands of articles describe which types of grills you should or shouldn’t use, but we have conducted comprehensive research into each type of grill to help you decide for yourself.

Gas Grill

The gas grill is the most common of the four types of grills identified in this grill type comparison.

Gas grills are the best choice if you are a fan of sandwiches and burgers. However, if you plan to use a gas grill for steaks or fish, you must get one with a wide temperature range.

Every gas grill is different, but the most common is the basic grill showing standard heat levels of 250°F, 350°F, and 450°F. These gas grills can cook every type of food, so if you plan to cook ribs or steaks, one of these will do the job.

Each gas grill has a different BTU/hr (British thermal unit) level, indicating precisely how much power the grill has and how much heat it can create. Infrared grills, a type of gas grill, are generally designed to produce higher heat.

This measurement unity also tells you how fast your gas grill will heat up. This factor matters a lot when it comes to cooking; usually, gas grills between 75 BTUs and 100 BTUs per square inch are enough.

Gas grills usually come with temperature control knobs to easily manage the temperature of your food.

Natural Gas Grills and Propane Gas Grills

There are two types of gas grills: natural gas grills and propane grills. Both natural gas and propane grills are operated in a very similar fashion.

Natural gas grills are powered by the natural gas utility supplied to your home, while propane grills are fueled by propane tanks you often see at your local grocery stores.

Natural Gas Grills: Natural gas grills are more environmentally friendly because they release fewer pollutants into the air as propane grills do, but their flame can be hotter than a propane grill, so one needs to be careful not to burn meat or vegetables if using high-temperature settings!

Propane Gas Grills: Propane grilling has its advantages, too, since you won’t need an electrician for installation. There will always be a ready source of fuel as opposed to natural gas, which is limited by local resources.

Maintenance

Maintaining your gas grill is essential; therefore, you must clean it thoroughly, including the tubes and burners.

When you are done cleaning the tubes and burners, switch your attention to the grill grates. Clean them very well, and be sure to wash the gas grill as a whole. Also, remove all the grease before you use the grill again.  

Average Cost

Gas grills usually range from $150 to $350. If you are a hardcore griller, you can find gas grills that cost up to $25,000.

Most of these expensive grills are hybrid, which means you can use gas, charcoal, and wood.

Here is a great and affordable stainless steel gas grill from Amazon:

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Easy to clean
• Temperature control
• Easy use and preheating
• Gas is typically cheaper than other options
• Great for outdoor cooking

Cons

• Can be expensive
• Doesn’t add the smoky flavor
• Can take up a lot of space         

Charcoal Grill

For most of us, summer means barbecues. And let’s face it: Few things smell as good as grilling on a charcoal barbecue.

To use a charcoal grill properly, you must know how it works. Therefore, you need some basic background knowledge about the grill at hand.

Charcoal grills depend heavily on airflow to keep themselves heated. So the more air that makes it into the fire, the hotter the coals will be.

If you would like to cook your food on a low and slow fire, you should limit the airflow so the coals keep a moderate temperature.

You may see different varieties of charcoal grills called kettle grills or barrel grills.

Maintenance

Coal usually takes around 25 minutes to heat up and about an hour and a half to die off.

For this reason, if you plan to use your grill for a long grilling party, we recommend that you buy a charcoal grill with an accessible coal bed so that you can add as much coal as you need.

Make sure you deep clean the grill before every grilling session. If you grill regularly, we recommend cleaning your grill twice—once before and once after every use. Particulary

Do not neglect the racks and grates because grease accumulates on them. Instead, mix soap with hot water, plunge, and then brush them hard until they are clean enough.

Average Cost

When it comes to price, charcoal grills are relatively cheap. You can get your hands on a basic grill for about $30. High-end charcoal grills can go for $2000 or more. For charcoal, you can get a 7KG bag for $8 or $10.

Here is a great, affordable charcoal grill (kettle grill) option from Amazon:

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Affordable
• Gives the best taste
• Easy and quick to use
• Burns hotter than gas

Cons

• Can be unhealthy if used excessively
• Hard to clean
• Can make a mess

Electric Grill

Friendly and warm, electric barbecues are the best alternatives to charcoal grills.

Everyone can use them for cooking and eating, either alone or with others. Also, they warm up quickly and improve upon an already festive atmosphere or animate a family meal in the garden.

Electric grills have a positive and healthy effect by helping to balance your diet.

By heating instantly and cooking vegetables, meat, or fish through the core or on the surface, they quickly eliminate and remove a large part of the fat from food while retaining the vitamins and nutrients.

Electric grills usually make the best portable grills since you can use them anywhere you have an electrical outlet.

Maintenance

Naturally, you can’t throw your electric grill into a bucket of water, just like you shouldn’t clean it while it’s plugged into a power outlet. So make sure to check the casing and wire frequently as well.

Use hot water to clean grease trays, grates, and any other washable parts of the grill after each use.

Average Cost

In comparison to charcoal, gas, and pellet grills, electric girls can be considerably cheaper.

Small ones can cost as little as $40, though if you want to party outdoors, a big one could cost you up to $1000+. They don’t consume much electricity, so you’re looking at $0.25 per hour of usage.

Here is a great portable grill option from Amazon:

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Easy to use
• Inexpensive
• Quick to heat up

Cons

• Does not create that smoky flavor
• Large ones are hard to find
• A power outlet is necessary

Wood Pellet

If you grill only occasionally, you may have never heard of a pellet BBQ and smoker. Pellet grills were once specialty items. Now, they are being used by both chefs and families.

Their increase in popularity is because people have found out about the unique flavor that these grills add to food. This discovery is why their popularity is rapidly increasing in outdoor kitchens as well.

A wood pellet can add various flavors to your food, including cherry, apple walnut, maple, and mesquite. You’ll never get bored of the taste of your food due to the variety of flavor pellets you can buy.

Maintenance

The fire burns under a metal plate. That means the food is not in direct contact with the flame, thus avoiding outbreaks of fat in the BBQ! What does this mean to you? Easy and quick cleaning!

Depending on the temperature at which you cook, most pellet grills consume around 1 kg of wood pellets for every hour of cooking.

Meaning that a 9-kg (or 20-lb) bag would last about 20 hours at low heat (for most cooks) or 6-10 hours at slightly high temperatures.

Average Cost

Wood pellets are relatively more expensive than all other types of grills. They usually start at $300 and can go as high as $1700. One hour of cooking is estimated at around $0.76, making them cheaper than the other types.

Here is a great pellet grill option from Amazon:

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Heat is controllable
• Convenient
• Easy to clean (compared to gas and charcoal grills)

Cons

• Highest heat temperature is estimated at 450 Fahrenheit
• Expensive
• Takes up a lot of space

Types of Grills: Comparison Summary

Recommending the best grill is a hard thing to do. However, we have tried several of these grills ourselves and tried to sum up our findings in grill type comparison ratings. They are displayed in the table below.

Type of Grill	Cost	Convenience	Ease of Use	Food Flavor
Gas Grill	9/10	10/10	9/10	8/10
Charcoal Grill	10/10	8/10	7/10	10/10
Electric Grill	10/10	9/10	10/10	8/10
Wood Pellet	8/10	9/10	8/10	10/10

Other Types of Grills

There are other types of grills that are less commonly known.

Kamado Grills

A kamado grill is a traditional Japanese-style charcoal grill. It’s not like an ordinary barbecue where you place your food on the grate and cooks it over an open flame, but instead uses clay to slow-cook foods at lower temperatures than other types of grills.

Kamado has been used in Japan for centuries because they are very good at maintaining low heat levels, which prevents potentially harmful bacteria from forming on the surface of meats or vegetables and gives them that trademark smoky flavor!

While these types of grills do require more work to maintain, this can be seen as a bonus too. If you love cooking with firewood, there will always be new flavors coming through every time you use it.

Conclusion: Types of Grills

It is up to you to decide what grill you want based on the factors above. After that, finding the best grill is all about personal preference!

Are you looking for an original BBQ flavor? Do you want to prepare fast meals? Are you planning to use a grill for outdoor activities?

Make sure you take all these things into account before you purchase a grill. Now, it’s time to get grilling!