Outdoor Grilling

This grill has a 15,000 BTU stainless steel loop burner to heat up its 240 square-inch porcelain enamel-coated cast iron cooking surface. Push-button ignition and an integrated temperature gauge come in handy when you’re cooking, and two 10-inch by 10-inch side tables hold condiments, tools, and ingredients waiting their turn on the grill. At just under 50 pounds, you could probably carry this grill around, but the roll-away feature is a huge bonus. Unlike the four other models in this post, you don’t need a table top to cook comfortably standing up. This Traeger Grill is perfect for those smaller gatherings that you need a grill for. This 155 pellet grill gives you enough room to cook many different types of meat with its 292 square inches of cooking space and also has an auto-start feature.

The traditional material used to construct Dutch ovens is cast iron. However, all cast iron is not the same and the quality of the cast iron can make a big difference to your end results. It should be noted that some cast iron is incredibly poor quality so its worth buying the best you can afford. By now, we hope you have a better idea of what type of pellet grill to buy and the best options for under 500 bucks. We also hope that our article has helped steer your thoughts in a specific direction if you were previously undecided about which pellet grill is right for you. The Ozark Grills Razorback Pellet Grill features a sleek and modern design.

The integrated drip tray for grease collection ensures that clean-up is a breeze. This happened again on a night when we were grilling pulled chicken — a good test meal that necessitates slow-and-low cooking, and is only possible on a grill with solid heat retention. Due to poor airflow between the top and bottom vents, the bed of coals went out completely before we were even able to achieve the proper internal cooking temperature. The first major flaw with this compact, charcoal grill was getting a solid bed of coals to stay lit in the first place. While a tall chimney came close to the right amount of lump coal, it often took two lightings to get a bed burning at the right temperature.

Start on a 2-zone setup with some burners shut off to create a moderate, indirect zone of 225°F fueled by the lit burners on the other side. Slowly bring up the internal meat temp to 110°F then remove it. Crank all burners up high to Warp 10, then sear the outside of the steak fast and furious! With a reverse sear, you’ll get a delicious brown crust on the outside. Cuisinart’s 3-in-1 Stainless 5 Burner Gas Grill is a pretty nice package deal for a pretty low price.

Basically, it can take the place of your oven, making it uniquely useful for folks who enjoy multi-function kitchen appliances. This grill has a recessed cooking area that helps contain any mess within the appliance, while an integrated water tray helps eliminate the risk of flare-ups and minimize smoke odor. And yes, the water does help add some amount of moisture to the food while it cooks. It comes with swappable cooking surfaces, too, so you can use the grated plate when you’re grilling and a griddle plate for cooking other dishes. It also includes a clear curved lid that seals in the cooking area, making it useful for covering the food after you’re done cooking to keep it warm before dinner. The Traeger BBQ155 comes with a digital controller and 10 pounds of pre-made wood pellets at the ready so you won’t have to worry about run out mid-way through dinner!

The clear benefit of enameled over non-enameled Dutch ovens are that they are much easier to clean and maintain. They are also considered much safer compared cuisinart pots and pans set to non-stick surfaces. The cooking results can be good but the items are prone to damage. The better ones tend to be quite bulky as they need thicker walls.

cuisinart outdoor grilling

Additionally, it has another rack that is the size of 144 square inches which lets the cook to prepare additional items, making it a perfect barbecue for people with a tight budget. With a temperature range of about 500°F to 700°F, 3-in-1 runs hotter than most gas grills. That’s OK with us because there’s no substitute for intense searing heat, and 700°F is a steakhouse temp. On the low end, you can get below 500°F by using a 2-zone set-up and placing the food over the unheated side. To test both the low and high temp grilling performance, we reverse-seared a 1.5 inch thick T-bone. The reverse sear method is the best way to grill a thick steak and ensure the center isn’t tough and brown, or red and raw.

Lift it at all times to prevent it scratching the glass or indeed the base. Seasoned cast iron cookware is naturally a non-stick surface without the use of synthetic substances. Some of these synthetic materials can be toxic at higher temperatures. I may be biased as I am passionate about this brand…but you definitely get what you pay for.

Cooking an immense amount of food with little time is made possible by this versatile unit that comes complete with three racks for ribs as well as 18 hot dogs spaces. Moving on to the next level, we’ll look at Green Mountain’s Davy Crockett Stove is a good choice for people who travel and campers on a budget looking for a small, inexpensive model under $500. Another great feature of this grill is that it only uses real hardwood pellets, so no fake stuff you have to worry about or chemicals going into your food.