How to choose a Charcoal Grill?

According to statistics, In 2016, about 1.47 billion U.S. dollars worth of grills and barbecues were sold in the United States. There is no universal recipe for an ideal charcoal grill – it’s important to choose what is right for you. But what you should pay attention to and what parameters you need to decide in order to buy a grill for frying on charcoal?

The size

Would you like to open your own restaurant and offer guests dishes on charcoal? Or maybe you are regularly going to a large group of friends in the country or at home? Large charcoal grills make it easy to cook impressive amounts of food, which will be enough to treat 15-30 people. For a family of two to four people, you can limit yourself to a medium-sized device, especially if you do not have enough free space to install a large one. The smallest grill models are designed to prepare one or two servings of delicious food and can be located on a small platform near the townhouse, porch or even on the balcony. Also, they are often bought for trips and travel, as they are compact, they are easy to put in the trunk and carry in a bag.

The form

The shape of the device can be very different: ovoid, like the legendary Big Green Egg, or innovative ceramic – Kamado Joe, rounded like the classic American Weber “barbecue grill”, or regular rectangular. The first two options are more popular because they are much more economical and more compact. Such charcoal grills can be used as a smokehouse and oven: they retain heat much longer. You can cook in them over direct and indirect heat and not only excellent steaks but also poultry, vegetable stews, pizza and all kinds of pastries. In the case of Kamado Joe, several dishes can be cooked thanks to the divide and conquer system.

Thermal mode

To prepare different dishes, you need a different temperature: 180°C is enough to fry sausages or vegetables, and a much higher “degree” is needed to get a juicy and ruddy kebab. The temperature changes like in a furnace by adjusting the airflow. In some grills, you can also adjust the height of the grill over the coals, which allows you to cook various products in different temperature conditions at the same time (vegetables and steak, for example). The boiler itself must retain heat for a long time – this is necessary for baking bread, preparing pilaf or rich borsch with a “haze”. The heat-reflecting cover is another significant plus.

Ease of ignition

It is important that your unit has easy access to the coal tank and an adjustable air supply for convenient ignition, so choose a grill with the ability to control ventilation. For added convenience, it is worth using special briquettes for ignition.

Where can I buy a charcoal grill? A wide selection of charcoal grills is presented in specialized stores, hypermarkets for home and garden, as well as, of course, in online shops. Exchange Bar and Grill offers very easy to use charcoal grills of different shapes and sizes.