Choosing “grilled” dishes over “fried” foods is one of the golden laws of eating healthily at restaurants and at home. Because there’s no batter coating or dripping grease on grilled food, it’s a healthier option. After all, there’s something about grilling that makes food look and taste incredible. Is it the smokey flavor, the unique marinade flavors, the grill lines created on the meal, or the fresh taste that comes from cooking anything quickly over high heat?
Grilling has been practiced in the Americas since before the arrival of the Spanish. Grills come in various shapes and sizes, with the majority falling into different categories: pellet, gas, charcoal, or electric. Which method produces a superior result is a point of contention. In the article, what are gas grills we will discuss their features, pros and cons, and the process of cooking over it.
What are Gas Grills?
Cooking on a gas grill allows aspiring outdoor cooks to produce delectable grilled cuisine without lighting a fire. A gas grill uses gas to cook food. Most gas grills use liquid propane gas from a tank directly connected to the grill. (However, some grills can be connected to the same fuel tank as your kitchen range or even to a gas line running to your home.)
Delicious meals can be prepared on a gas grill in a matter of minutes. The most prevalent form of barbecue is a gas grill. They’re terrific because they provide reasonable temperature control as well as the ability to light with the push of a button, heat up rapidly, and are simple to clean.
It’s the go-to choice for no-fuss grillers who plan to grill regularly. Just keep in mind that you’ll need a propane tank or a natural gas hookup on your property to power your generator.
Features to look for in a Gas Grill
Size of Gas Grills
One of the most significant factors to consider when buying a gas grill is its size, including cooking space and overall dimensions. Consider how many people you usually invite to your family barbecues and the type of food you enjoy cooking and then select a gas grill that can handle this volume.
Why Built-in Grills are so Expensive?
While it may be tempting to go with the largest grill available, bear in mind that a more prominent grill will take up more space in your yard, on your deck, or patio, so pick wisely.
Grates For Gas Grills
Look for coated cast iron or stainless-steel grates to keep grilling temperatures consistent or sear meat. Stainless steel is more durable and is commonly used in the kitchen.
Safety While Working on Gas Grills
While cooking is frequently the most crucial consideration for gas grill buyers, safety should also be a top priority. When evaluating gas grills, seek models with a lot of stability to limit the risk of fires or accidents caused by tipping. To determine the risk of burns, avoid grills with sharp metal corners or edges. Instead, choose versions with wooden or plastic handles.
What to Do if Grill Catches Fire?
Fuel Type for Gas Grills
Liquid propane is the most common type of fuel used in gas barbecues. This gas is stored in refillable tanks attached to the grill’s base. They provide a great deal of versatility by allowing users to move the grill around the property. Consider purchasing a natural gas grill if you have a natural gas line installed in your home.
You may avoid refilling and replacing propane tanks by permanently connecting the barbecue to your gas line. The only disadvantage of this fueling mechanism is that it eliminates the portability every day with gas barbecues.
Pros of Gas Grills:
- Cleanup is easy.
- Gas is usually less expensive than charcoal.
- Side burners and smoke boxes are included with some gas grills.
Cons of Gas Grills:
- They do have parts that need to be replaced, particularly gas lines and burners.
- They’re also more challenging to clean because there are more pieces.
How to Light a Gas Grill
- Some gas grills have an auto-ignition system built to make the lighting even safer. When the gas flows, click the igniter until a faint whooshing sound is heard, indicating that the gas is lighted.
- Some igniter switches are push buttons, while others require you to turn a dial to turn them on. In any case, hold your palm over the grill’s surface for around 30 seconds after hearing the ignition. If no heat is detected, turn off the ignition and gas and wait for any built-up gas to evaporate before attempting to relight it.
- Use a match, such as a long one developed exclusively for starting flames, or an ordinary match, to light a grill without an igniter – or if the igniter needs a new battery.
Smokey Flavor Using Gas Grill
Smokey flavor comes from cooking meat in smoke. It is a distinct cooking technique in which a bigger cut of meat is cooked at a low temperature for a longer period of time in the presence of smoke that comes from using hardwood chunks either forest food or flavored wood like hickory, oak, maple, cherry, etc., These are used for cooking any type of food from poultry to pork.
Better exercise is to soak the wood chunks in water (comparatively larger in size). It can absorb water and will produce a large amount of smoke when heated on the grill. The soaking is generally compared with green wood that produces large smoke when burned. The large chunks can absorb a considerable amount of water. When placed these chunks in the grill it takes time to burn completely and produces a huge amount of smoke.
How to Get Flavor of Charcoal from Gas Grill
Many people go for gas grills as they are easy to operate, and don’t produce much mess while cooking. The cleaning process is also a breeze, you don’t have to remove the grill grates while dumping the ash from the bottom and find a place to dispose of it. You just need a gas connection and you are ready to cook anything. However, confusion comes when we want charcoal flavor and we don’t have any way except to buy a new one.
But it is not the case when you know the tricks on how to get a flavor of charcoal from a gas grill. Simply place a smoker box at the center of the grill filled with the required flavored wood (if soaked that will be great). Place the food within the grill but before placing it preheat the grill.
Close the lid of the gas grill and let the wood chunks or briquettes absorb the heat and start producing smoke. The heat will not flame the chunks but will make the chunks produce smoke. The huge smoke will then get absorbed by the meat and you will get the charcoal flavor from the gas grill.
How to Use Wood Chips in a Gas Grill?
Using flavored wood in a gas grill is important if one wants a flavored taste as they get from the charcoal or pellet grills. Nature adds specific flavors to different types of wood, that on burning produce smoke that is absorbed by the food and imparts an extra flavor into the cooking food. Many types of wood are used in grilling and smoking like hickory, mesquite, oak, apple, cherry, and many more.
In order to use the wood chips in the grill you just need aluminum foil or a smoker box. Place the soaked wood chunks in the aluminum foil and wrap them. Make small holes throughout the wrapped foil. The same is the case with the smoker box. Place it at the center of the preheated grill for 5 to 10 minutes. The heat will be absorbed within the chunks and it will start producing smoke that will be dispersed throughout the grill. Place the food on the grill grates and let it cook and smoke.
What are the Benefits of Gas Grills?
Gas grills can be used for tailgating parties, or for large get-togethers as there are a number of models from small tabletop ones to commercial-sized ones. As it can use gas that can be ignited by simply rotating the nob and you can adjust the heat of your choice by simply rotating it. The quick heating of the gas grill is the main advantage. It can require less maintenance than propane or charcoal grills. Gas grills are easy to clean as the heating source is gas so, there is no worry about disposing of the ash.
How to Use Smoker Box in Gas Grills?
It is a Stainless-steel box that is used in a number of grills and smokers for producing smoke. Its lid contains numerous holes through which smoke is released when the wood chunks that are filled within it are heated. It is different from a smoker tube as the smoker tube contains holes throughout the body.
When the smoker box is filled with flavored wood mostly soaked and placed at the center of the grill, it starts producing smoke on heating. The heat doesn’t burn the chunks as they are present within the box and the fire is not directly in contact with it. Fire will heat the box which in turn heats the wood chunks and will force it to produce smoke.
Conclusion
Gas grills are types of grill that uses gas as a source of heat. It comes in different sizes from simple portable ones to large commercial units. Its maintenance and usage are the simplest of all grills. It doesn’t produce ash so the cleaning process of gas grills are so simple and easy. You can cook anything you want using this device. The smoking process is also a breeze if you know how to use the flavored wood within the grill.
In the article “What are gas grills” we did a little discussion on the features of gas grills, their benefits, and their pros and cons. Further, we discussed how to get the smokey and charcoal flavor from the gas grill as the cooking source is gas and it doesn’t give those types of flavors. The best ways of achieving smokey flavor from gas grills are by using wood chips with a little modification in their usage by soaking them and wrapping them in aluminum foil or putting them in a smoker box.