A built-in grill is the focal point of your outdoor kitchen design. It’s where hungry guests will naturally gather, hoping to sneak a peek at the food, or offer tips and advice on your grilling methods. Grills come in all kinds of shapes and sizes to meet your wildest outdoor cooking desires, but they can be broken down into three main categories based on the fuel they use.
Charcoal
A gas grill is a great choice for convenience and a clean and fast outdoor cooking experience. The main appeal to gas grills is the quick and simple startup procedure: Just turn on the gas, push the igniter, and it’s ready to go!
You will need to swap out tanks occasionally unless you opt for plumbing a gas line from your house out to your grilling area, but even with the portable propane tanks, you’ll still be doing alot more grilling than replenishing fuel.
Gas also has the added benefit of being able to be extinguished quickly, which can be an added safety benefit. The only apparent downside to gas grills is that food prepared on them can lack the smokey taste when prepared over wood or charcoal fuels.
Pellet Grills
These are a more recent entry to the outdoor cooking market, but can be a versatile addition to your outdoor kitchen. Pellet grills provide cooking heat by feeding small compressed wood pellets and air into a fire pot, creating a very hot, clean burning wood fire. They are a great middle ground between charcoal and gas grills, adding wood fired flavor to your food but with ease of use and startup time that almost rivals gas grills.
Pellet grills also have the added benefit of precise temperature control which is great for smoking meats, preparing frozen food, or even outdoor baking.
The main downside to pellet grills is that they require the lid to be closed to maintain temperature, so if you’re the type of outdoor cook who likes to stand over the grill with a novelty apron and spatula admiring your burgers, one of the other options may be a better choice for you.
