Important Terms from beginning to grilling....
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| Parts of the Grill |
Built-in Grill
A built in grill is called a grill "head" as it is built in to a custom island, therefore it does not have the traditional cart with wheels.
Ceramic briquettes is one method used to distribute the heat from the burners across the grilling surface. They are great because they last longer than lava and do not crumble as easily. They are also great at holding heat, better than flame tamers as metal can only conduct heat to a point. You will find briquettes housed in some sort of tray.
Charcoal
The fuel source widely used in charcoal grills.
Charcoal Grill
Charcoal grills use charcoal briquettes or all-natural lump charcoal as their fuel source. When the charcoal gets hot, it radiates the heat necessary to cook your food.
Chimney Starter
A chimney starter is a circular metal cylinder used to hold the coals to start the fire.
Direct grilling is a method of quickly cooking "grilling" food by placing it on the cooking grate on top of the grill burner.
Drip Pan/Tray
A metal sliding tray underneath the grill or disposable foil tray or can used to catch drippings during grilling.
Electric Grill
Simply put, electric grills use electricity as the fuel source. They get power from a 120v or 220v outlets. These grills are great for living spaces that do not permit "open flame."
A firebox is the bottom part of the grill (directly below the hood). The firebox houses your burners, cooking grates, rock grate, etc.
Freestanding Grill
A freestanding grill, or cart model grill is a grill on wheels. They are easy to wheel around and the most widely sold product.
All grills need some sort of grate to cook your food. It is also known as the cooking surface. They can be stainless steel, cast iron, porcelain coated steel or chrome. Stainless Steel usually lasts the longest where porcelain coated have the same effect as your "non-stick" pan.
Grill Basket
A grill basket is a great accessory used to grill veggies or fish which otherwise may fall between the cooking grates.
Ignition
The Ignition is the way you light your grill. With gas grills, it is usually some sort of battery sparked generator that is designed to "quick start" your grill and charcoal we typically use lighters.
Indirect Grilling
The method of grilling slowly (aka barbecuing), on the opposite side of the heat source.
Infrared Grill
Infrared grills have become one of the most rapid growing area of grilling. Infrared cooking high heat quickly. They usually take about 3 minutes to reach over 1000 degrees. The result of cooking with infrared, seals in the juices (conceptually like a deep fried turkey)
Kettle Grill
Originally invented by Weber, the kettle grill is a round charcoal grill. Often imitated, it is often mounted to a tripod style base and is effective for direct or indirect cooking.
Liquefied petroleum gas, also called LPG, LP Gas, liquid petroleum gas or simply propane is the fuel source behind LP Grills. These tanks are easy because they are portable and refillable.
Fuel source for these grills is piped from the earth. With a natural gas connection, your grill is always ready to use and you do not have the worry of running out of gas.
Portable grills, Tailgating grills or table top grills are ideal for small patios and usually come with a regulator ready for a 1lb propane tank. You can use an adapter hose and hook the grill to a traditional BBQ tank.
Rotisserie
A Rotisserie Burner is the rectangular white ceramic burner at the back of your grill (if your grill is equipped with one). If not you can still use the grill burners. You will just need a rotisserie kit and mount the motor to your grill hood. The motor causes the spit to rotate your food within either the burners in the firebox or the rotisserie back burner (so if you have a rotisserie back burner, you do NOT use the burners in the grill). Rotisserie cooking is slow roasting. Results are juicy flavorful meat.
A side burner is a gas powered burner (like your home stove) for cooking foods that you would have had to go in the house to cook. You can use to make beans, heat sauce, or side dishes like corn.
Smoker Box
A smoker box is a vented box you place in the grill for smoking wood chips or even fresh herbs.
The thermometer is mounted to the grill hood so you can see the temperature without lifting the lid. A great feature on a grill.
