Grills & Outdoor Cooking

Buying a new grill or smoker is a bit like shopping for a sound system. You want something powerful enough to blast out the neighbors, but sufficiently delicate to do justice to Bach chamber music. You need to consider both form and function, aesthetics and engineering. Make the right choice and you'll eat well and look even better when you entertain. Buy the wrong grill, and you'll never know whether to blame the equipment, the recipe, or the cook for the burnt or undercooked food.

Like buying a new sound system, there are literally hundreds of grill options to choose from, ranging from modest hibachis to mid-priced kamado-style cookers to multi-thousand dollar “super grills.” (There's even solid gold grill for those people who can never have enough bling.) I wish I could tell you that there's one perfect grill out there, but the fact is that every grill has its strengths and weaknesses. Moreover, price doesn't always reflect quality: there are a lot of really expensive grills that perform as though they were designed by engineers, not cooks.

Before you set foot in the showroom, you should think about how you like to grill. Are you a gas griller (more results oriented) or a charcoal griller (more into the process)? Do you tend to do fast and furious direct grilling (well suited to steak), or the low and slow smoking required to turn out fork-tender pork shoulders and brisket? Do you do most of your grilling in the Sunbelt, or are you the sort of person who grills all year round—even though you live in northern Minnesota?

Here are some of my favorites.