I just moved across the country, and as part of the move, got rid of my grill. Now, with summer here, I'm missing having the ability to stick meat on top of a flame. I've been scratching my head, thinking about what I want in a grill/set of grills.
I've come down to three requirements:
Doesn't take a huge hullabaloo to get fired up and to temp - My old grill was a 4 burner propane. I had to fire it up, and by the time I went in and prepped the meat, it was ready to go. It doesn't need to be quite that efficient, but the idea of fussing with charcoal just to toss on a couple hot dogs isn't appealing.
Has the ability to smoke - I've never succeeded with smoking before. I've tried the contraptions for smoking on a propane grill, and they all led to horrible results. I'm willing to heed the advice to get a separate smoker if necessary, but I'd like a combo grill/smoker if possible.
Can impart good flavor on the meats - Propane grilled meats are good, but when the meat has wood/charcoal flavor imparted, it's even better.
I've seen two solutions that tick all the boxes. First is effectively a propane grill welded to a charcoal grill/smoker. You use the left hand grill to smoke or do charcoal. You use the right hand grill to do propane. Second is a pellet grill/smoker. This seems much more sensible. It's one grill, dial adjustable, quick to fire up, and isn't any more expensive than the hybrid grill.
Am I walking into a trap by assuming that the pellet grill can smoke meats as well? Any recommendations on brand or features to look for?
I've come down to three requirements:
Doesn't take a huge hullabaloo to get fired up and to temp - My old grill was a 4 burner propane. I had to fire it up, and by the time I went in and prepped the meat, it was ready to go. It doesn't need to be quite that efficient, but the idea of fussing with charcoal just to toss on a couple hot dogs isn't appealing.
Has the ability to smoke - I've never succeeded with smoking before. I've tried the contraptions for smoking on a propane grill, and they all led to horrible results. I'm willing to heed the advice to get a separate smoker if necessary, but I'd like a combo grill/smoker if possible.
Can impart good flavor on the meats - Propane grilled meats are good, but when the meat has wood/charcoal flavor imparted, it's even better.
I've seen two solutions that tick all the boxes. First is effectively a propane grill welded to a charcoal grill/smoker. You use the left hand grill to smoke or do charcoal. You use the right hand grill to do propane. Second is a pellet grill/smoker. This seems much more sensible. It's one grill, dial adjustable, quick to fire up, and isn't any more expensive than the hybrid grill.
Am I walking into a trap by assuming that the pellet grill can smoke meats as well? Any recommendations on brand or features to look for?
