The Grill
There is the age old debate over the choice between gas and charcoal grills. If you are a serious about the taste of your food and are not restricted to only using gas then the debate is over because charcoal wins hands down. Gas grills are fine and are better than not grilling at all. I still have my old gas grill and may fire it up from time to time to help get through some big meals. If you are in a apartment that restricts the use of anything but gas then you will not be out of your element here. Now that we have got that over with let’s talk about what drove my choice in grills.
I am not going to endorse a particular grill or brand but I will tell you what I had on my list of features when searching for the perfect charcoal grill. Here they are in no particular order:
Sturdy construction over all
Two separate cooking surfaces for cooking at different temperatures
Adjustable fuel gate that can be adjusted while the grill is hot
Temperature Gauge for each cooking surface
Access door to allow hot coals to be added or removed during cooking with out moving the cooking surface
Removable cooking surfaces for easy cleaning and easy fire starting
Large cooking area for cooking more than just the meat for a meal
Easy access to clean ashes
That’s about it. I was able to find such a grill for under $250 and was able to assemble it in less than an hour one evening after work. You can find other tips on choosing a grill in the books listed in the side bar of this page.
Coming up next are some tips on other equipment that I find to be essential to grilling with charcoal.