Springtime is just around the corner, and just as I am often asked about what equipment someone should buy for their grilling friend/spouse/neighbor, I am also asked by people about what kind of grill someone should get. Gas grill, charcoal grill, wood smoker, electric smoker, or some hybrid device? Believe it or not, this can be a complex question. Hopefully, I can help sort it out for you.
Your basic choices are:
Grills
- Charcoal
- Gas
- Traditional
- Infrared
Smokers
- Vertical/water
- Horizontal / dedicated pit
- Electric
Hybrid
- Ceramic
- Grill/smoker Combinations
As always, there are myriad factors effecting this decision. Each of the devices listed above is better at one aspect of cooking than another. Rarely can a single device prove competent at the wide range of tasks from cold-smoking salmon and sausage to hot-smoking ribs and pulled pork to grilling vegetables and fish at low heat to searing a steak. So the first question to be answered is this:
What kinds of food will you cook and how often?
The main division is between grilling and smoking, because these techniques are done at such divergent temperatures – grilling typically above 350°F (and searing meat above 700°F) while smoking is done at or just below 250°F. With few exceptions, a grill with the burner capacity to heat to 700°F will not easily maintain a low temperature of 225°F. And of course, having multiple specialized devices is best, but other considerations will affect this.
Next, you need to answer the one question that affects everything:
How much money are you willing to spend?
The simplest small charcoal grill can cost as little as $20 and make a decent steak once and a while. Yet you can also drop $20,000 or more on a large custom BBQ Pit. The amount you spend is limited only by how much you have.
Finally, there are some logistics that come into play:
How much room do you have?
Most people are limited by the space available to store their toys. Either the size of their deck or patio or the space in the garage is going to limit the number of pieces of equipment you’re going to buy.
The Pros & Cons
| Device |
Primary Use |
Typical Cost Range |
Typical Sizes (Cooking Surface) |
Notes |
Example |
| Charcoal Grills |
Grilling – meat, fish, vegetables. |
$20 to $250 |
From 150 in2 to 850 in2 |
Charcoal is an excellent heat source and provides traditional flavor to grilled food. With careful technique, many charcoal grills can also hot smoke, though they aren’t very efficient. Charcoal is prone to flare-ups. Can take time to pre-heat, and temperature control is a matter of technique (building multi-level fire). |
Weber Kettle (One Touch) |
| Gas – Traditional |
Grilling – meat, fish, & vegetables |
$99 to $2000 |
From 300 in2 to 1000 in2 |
Traditional gas grills have some device to prevent flare-ups (rocks, ceramic briquettes, or “flame-tamer” burner shields. Cheaper models have flimsy grates and weak burners that sear meat poorly. High-end models can add rotisserie burners and searing burners and cook at a wide range of temperatures. |
Weber Genesis |
| Gas – Infrared |
Grilling – meat, fish, & vegetables. Also hot smoking |
$350 to $5000 |
From 300 in2 to more than 1000 in2 |
Infrared grills isolate the cooking surface from direct flame, and use a substance (ceramic or steel for example) to absorb heat from a burner and re-emit the energy as infrared light to cook food. Infrared grills are usually able to sear at higher temperatures than traditional gas grills, and so excel at cooking steaks. Yet many can also maintain lower temperatures when necessary and can therefore be used for hot smoking. Because the flame is isolated from the cooking area, many infrared grills allow you to add woodchips to the cooking area to simulate real smoke flavor. |
Char-Broil RED [I own a 4-burner version of this grill] |
| Vertical Water Smoker (charcoal) |
Hot smoking |
$69 – $299 |
~250 in2 |
Good way to get true hot smoked meat and charcoal flavor in a compact package. Called a water smoker because a pan of liquid sits between the coals and the meat. Most can be converted from a smoker into a small grill. Downside is that these smokers require a lot of fire tending. |
Brinkmann “Cook-n-cajun,” Brinkmann Gourmet Charcoal, Brinkmann “Smoke-n-grill,” Weber Smokey Mountain [I own an old Brinkmann Smoke-n-pit vertical smoker] |
| Vertical Water Smoker (electric) |
Hot smoking |
$119 – $199 |
~250 in2 |
Easier to maintain temperature than with a charcoal version. But all electric smokers suffer from an inability to create a traditional “smoke ring” in smoked meat, because without combustion, no NOx gasses are produced by the heat source. |
Brinkmann Smoke-n-grill electric, Brinkmann Gourmet electric |
| Dedicated Horizontal Smoker |
Hot smoking |
$99 – $800 all the way to $20,000 + |
From 500 in2 to 1500 in2 |
Known on the Internet as “Cheap Offset Smokers” or COS, the low-end of this range is most people’s first leap into serious bar-b-que. Most can serve double-duty as a grill, but the main feature is a wood and/or charcoal burning firebox which is offset from the main cooking chamber and a series of dampers to control the heat and smoke. |
Char-Broil Silver Smoker, Brinkmann Pitmaster, Char-Broil Longhorn Smoker, — at the high end, custom smokers like ones by Klose. [I own an old New Braunfels Black Diamond horizontal smoker which is now the Char-Broil Silver Smoker] |
| Electric Smoker |
Hot or cold smoking meat, fish, vegetables, sausages, cheese, etc. |
From $170 – $700 |
500 in2 to 1000 in2 |
Electric smokers offer convenience because they can hold a set temperature without constant tending. Many higher-end models offer digital controls for better precision. Some (notable Bradley smokers) can cold-smoke food below 150° F. |
Various analog and digital smokers from Masterbuilt and Bradley. [I own a 4-rack Bradley Digital Smoker] |
| Ceramic Grill/Smoker |
Grilling and hot smoking |
$400 to $1000 |
150 in2 to 500 in2 |
A unique charcoal cooking experience, the ceramic grills are known for their ability to hold temperatures and to get very hot with charcoal for searing steaks. They can also be used as ovens. |
Big Green Egg |
| Hybrid Grill/Smoker |
Grilling and hot smoking |
$250 to $500 |
500 in2 to 1000 in2 |
A recent phenomenon, some companies have begun putting traditional gas burners under a cooking surface with an offset smoker box so you get a traditional gas grill and an offset smoker in one. |
Char Griller Duo |
http://www.brinkmann.net/Shop/Series.aspx?category=Outdoor+Cooking&subcategory=Charcoal+Smokers+%26+Grills&series=OUT-1001-6&seriesname=Gourmet%20Electric&id=0
So, factoring in all the information above, what’s the recommendation? That’s still a tough decision. I’ll start with what I own and why, and then make some recommendations.
My Stable of Grilling and Smoking Devices
A Char-Broil RED 4-burner infrared gas grill. I bought this grill three years ago when the 2008 models first came out and I have been absolutely thrilled with the results. This is the first grill I have ever personally used that can get to 800° F and sear a steak, and also hold a steady 250° F temperature and turn out competent bar-b-que. I have written extensively about this grill in the Char-Broil forum on my favorite message board, the BBQ Source. Since this is such a versatile grill, it’s a good foundation to build from.One word of caution: after the initial debut of this grill in 2008, several quality problems have been reported, particularly with the similar but smaller 3-burner model of this grill. The issues are well documented in the Char-Broil forum mentioned above, but please check into the issues before buying!-
Modified NBBD Smoker
New Braunfels Black Diamond smoker. I bought this in 2002 when I moved into my current house. It has taken some modification, but it’s now a competent bar-b-que pit. Every year I break it out in the summer to smoke for my Carnivore’s Carnival. The first five years I did four racks of pork ribs at a time. Last year I added pulled pork to the menu and did two shoulders and four racks of ribs. The smoker performed flawlessly for two days straight (14 hours for the shoulder and 6 hours for the ribs). This smoker is now sold as the Char-Broil Silver Smoker mentioned above.
- Brinkmann Smoke-n-Pit vertical water smoker. I’ve had this for about 10 years now. The Smoke-n-Pit was the first real wood smoker I ever had the gave me the first confidence that I could produce real bar-b-que ribs by myself. Unfortunately, I haven’t used it since I bought my Black Diamond. But this was the device that got me and my friends hooked on bar-b-que, so I make sure it stays sheltered in my garage. At one point in my life, this was also the grill that let me eat good food when I had, literally, no money to my name. My first one was a gift from a friend and was well used. But an hour with an electric drill and wire brush and one can of high-temp paint and it was back in working order. When the food budget was low, I cooked hamburger and cheap pork cuts over a fire built from branches from the trees in my yard. I had several apple trees and the apple-smoked pork loin was amazing.
Bradley Digital Smoker. This is my newest purchase, and it’s only a month old. But I already love it. The Bradley is, IMHO, better than the Mastrbuilt because the smoke generator is a separate unit and this facilitates cold smoking better. It makes a decent hot smoker, but is really the only choice (other than a custom built device) for cold smoking. In fact, I have a nice salmon fillet that cured in salt and sugar for 12 hours waiting to go into my Bradley as I write this.
Great, So What do I buy?
OK – here are my recommendations.
If You Want to Cook and Hot Smoke
If your budget is unlimited, you can have the best of everything. Of course I recommend the equipment I have – a good quality gas grill, a dedicated smoker, and a nice electric smoker for convenience.
But if you have a medium budget — like $400 to $600, I recommend starting with a good gas grill with at least an infrared searing burner. Many people have luck with Chinese produced grills from the big-box stores like Lowe’s and Home Depot. Just read the imported grill message board at the BBQ Source forums and you’ll get an idea about what’s working in any given year.
If you are really limited in budget, I recommend a good charcoal grill, like a Weber kettle. A One Touch Silver starts at $89.99 retail, and as long as you are willing to put in the work, you can learn good fire control techniques and sear steaks and make passable bar-b-que all on the same grill.
The Only Thing I Smoke are Marlboros … What Grill Should I Buy?
If you want to improve your grilling technique the single best thing you can do is invest in something that allows you to really control the heat. Most cheap gas grills don’t allow this: even turning their knobs through a full range only changes the burners from really hot to very hot. So, if you have the budget, I’d recommend a good quality gas grill. And note that good quality doesn’t mean stainless steel. Stainless is a convenience feature — it does nothing to aid cooking. Weber gas grills have a great following. Jenn-Air used to have a loyal following, but I’ve read that their grills have declined in quality over the last couple of years. A company called Nexgrill makes a few models under different brands (sold at Costco and Sam’s Club for instance) and while a lot of their stuff seems like junk, a number of the people on the BBQ Source seem happy with them. Realize though, that a decent grill these days starts at ~ $600 and goes to $2000. If your budget is more modest, I recommend looking for a used deal on Craigslist and putting a little elbow grease into cleaning it up.
I Have the Grill … I Want to Smoke.
If you just want the end product and have the budget, an electric smoker can allow you to experiment with everything from sausage to ribs to shoulder to fish. For versatility and convenience, an electric smoker can’t be beat.
But, electric smokers aren’t the best for real, large cuts of bar-b-que like ribs and shoulder. For this you need something that burns wood (or charcoal). A cheap offset horizontal smoker is usually the way to start, but you can buy a pit that stretches any budget. Running a wood pit requires a commitment … smoking shoulder can mean 14 to 18 hours of tending a fire every 30 minutes to keep a constant temperature. But the reward is worth it. Nothing makes the great tasting bark on a shoulder like a long slow smoke over real hardwood.
I'm old enough to have been around the internet since the beginning -- starting with private BBS systems which I accessed via a Hayes 300 baud modem and then moving on to a genuine CompuServe account! I have a degree in Environmental Science and have had a varied career starting in a laboratory, followed by 10 years in Service & Operations for a large networking equipment manufacturer, and now in a Product Management role for an innovative healthcare organization. I started making web pages on Angelfire and other free services, and can remember when NetZero actually provided Internet access for free (hence the zero in the name). Among other things, I build my own PCs and run my own Linux servers at home for fun.
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