Knowing the Different Kind of Barbecue Grills

There are literally hundreds of barbecue grills in the market. In fact, some manufacturers launch new models every month to provide the consumers better options. To remain competitive, they have to come up with new features and new technology.

Still, whatever new features barbecue grills have right now, everything still comes down to the basic features when buying one.

Materials used

A barbecue grill can be made of different kinds of materials. Some are made of stainless steel while others are just made from cast aluminum, cast iron or sheet metal. Of course, barbecue grills that are stainless steel are more expensive and vastly preferred not only at home but also in industrial settings.

You should however be careful in buying stainless steel barbecue grills as some brands have models that have painted steel frames that are prone to rusting. If you are going to buy a stainless steel barbecue grill, make sure that all of its parts are stainless. Otherwise, you will not get your money’s worth.

Fuel used

Barbecue grills also differ on the “fuel” that it uses. There are gas grills, electric grills and of course the most basic, the charcoal grills.

Gas grills is perhaps the most common one these days because of its competitive price range and of course convenience. It runs either in natural gas or in propane. If you decide on buying a barbecue gas grill, make sure that you have a big space waiting. Barbecue gas grills requires a lot of space. Another thing is that it cannot be placed so near other appliances and structures in the house for safety reasons. But what is great about gas grills is that you will cook your barbecue faster compared to other types.

Charcoal grills, on the other hand, are for the people who still want the feel of traditional barbecuing. Charcoal gives better flavor to the meat perhaps because there is less oil used but unlike gas grills, it will take you a really long time before you can set it up, get the fire going and cook the barbecue. In fact, it will tale about 20 to 30 minutes just to set the fire.

Another disadvantage is that charcoal grills can’t be turned off at your will. This is why, all the meat that will be barbecued should be cooked already as starting another fire for another round of cooking can take a long long time. Still, this is still quite ideal during parties and get together where people just want to relax while cooking barbecues.

Although charcoal grills are cheaper than gas grills, make sure that you include in your computation the fuels that you use. If you grill all the time, it is better if you get a gas grill instead as frequent charcoal grilling of one or two barbecue items can cost you a lot more.

Preparing Different Kinds of Barbecue Sauces

Anyone can grill meat and make barbecues but it takes the best cooks to make a really mean barbecue sauce that will make put your piece of grilled meat a cut above the rest.

Sauces are used to enhance the flavor of the meat and to help retain the juiciness of the meat products being grilled. Often, sauces have sugar content. This is why they are brushed on the meat instead of dipped because sugar may burn even before your meat is cooked .

Contrary to popular perception, there is actually no “one” formula for making barbecue sauce. There are, in fact, different kinds of barbecue sauce in the market that you can choose from. There are even different sauces that can be used for different types of meat, for chicken, for beef, for pork, for duck.

Some sauces can be bought already prepared in bottles that are sold in grocery stores. Still, there are people who want to create their own sauces or use sauce recipes that have been passed from generations to generations.

Below are some of the popular kinds being used both at home and at restaurants.

Honey bacon barbecue sauce – Although there are prepared mix that you can buy, you can also create your own by using chopped bacon, onion, garlic, honey, lemon juice, hot pepper sauce and other seasonings. Check out some websites for the complete recipe and preparation guide.

Mushroom-wine sauce – This kind of sauce is often used with chicken. It has three major ingredients, dry white wine, mushrooms and some chicken broth, which is used to help keep the flavor of the chicken.

Sweet and sour sauce – In preparing this kind of sauce, you will need some jelly, mustard, rosemary and lemon juice. This is also one of the favorite sauces when preparing turkey.

Nippy Pineapple Sauce – This sauce is especially great in keeping up with a Hawaiian theme of a barbecue party. Although pineapple preserves are often use to make this sauce, some scrimp and use lemon instead.

Hoisin sauce- this is used if you want you barbecued meat to have an oriental taste to it. This sauce is often used with onions and black beans.

Crême Fraíche – This is a rich and thick cream with a mild and tangy flavor that will be especially good for salads and desserts that you will whip up with your barbecued meat. This can actually be bought in major department stores and groceries.