• Why Natural Gas
• Outdoor Living
• Buying a Grill
• Cook Top or Stove Top
• Ovens
• Cleaning Your Gas Cook Top and Ovens

The decision on what you’re going to use to cook on basically boils down to a stand-alone grill—a console or a cart—that can be tucked out of the way when not in use or a built-in one that can be the centerpiece for an outdoor kitchen.

A grill mounted on a cart will cost less than one that is mounted on cabinet-style housing. If you want some storage space consider a cabinet style. Also pay attention to whether the grill is mounted on wheels or casters. Casters make the grill easier to maneuver in any direction.

Some other things to consider before you buy a grill—either a stand-alone or a built-in—include:

How many square inches of grill surface do you need to cook what you usually cook? If you entertain a lot, a 750-square-inch grill that can comfortably handle ten T-bones and a dozen hamburgers and hot dogs might be what you’re looking for. On the other hand, if you usually cook for two to four people, there are pedestal grills with about 225 square inches of cooking surface that can be rolled into a corner when not in use. Most manufacturers recommend a 300- to 450-square-inch cooking area if you usually cook for two to four people, a 450- to 600-square-inch are for cooking for five to eight people and over 600 square inches for more than eight people. The best way to judge what you need is to stand in front of the grill and decide for yourself if it can handle your normal needs. Also, be aware that manufacturers often include the size of the warming shelf and side burners when advertising the number of square inches a grill has. Focus on the size of the primary cooking area.

Grills made from stainless steel, copper and cast iron are generally better constructed than those made from aluminum or porcelain-enamel-coated steel—particularly if they are made from heavier gauge metals. Typically the grilling surface itself is made from chrome plated steel, cast iron or stainless steel. Chrome grills are the cheapest and hardest to clean. Stainless steel will last the longest, but doesn’t hold heat well. Cast iron holds the heat the best and is great for delivering well-defined grill marks, but needs to be “seasoned’ to work well. Most all of the standard metals come in a porcelain coated variety which helps any grill surface resist rust and makes clean-up easier.

If you are going with a typical two-burner grill, look for one with the primary burners arranged in an “H” configuration rather than an “I.” The "H" burners deliver more even heat while the "I" shaped burners tend to heat only down the center of the grill. Grills with two primary burners are sufficient for most people, but if you grill a lot and often, consider a grill with four to six burners. Having more than one burner also allows you the option of cooking with direct or indirect heat. Unlike charcoal grilling, gas grilling with its multiple burners allows you to regulate the temperature in various areas of the grill by simply turning a knob. Using a higher temperature on one side and a lower temperature on the other allows you to grill foods that need to cook over indirect heat for a longer time—like roasts and ribs and whole chickens. Also consider getting a side burner, which is great for keeping sauces warm or preparing side dishes like baked beans. Side burners function just like a stovetop burner and have separate controls. For slow-roasting whole chickens or cooking ribs, a rotisserie can come in handy as well. It’s a long metal rod suspended horizontally above the grill surface and rotated slowly, usually powered by an electric motor.

Gas grills can range from a low of 5,000 BTUs to a high of 200,000 with most two-burner grills weighing in at about 40,000 BTUs. A BTU (British Thermo Unit) is the quantity of heat required to raise the temperature of one pound of water from 60° F to 61°F at a constant pressure. It’s usually stated as a number for the whole grill and a per burner number. So a 40,000 BTU grill may have two 20,000 BTU burners. But the BTU measurement alone is not as important as the BTU-per-square-inch measurement, which describes the amount of heat being delivered to whatever you’re cooking. Just divide the total BTUs of the primary burners (ignore the side and rotisserie burners) by the total square inches of grill cooking surface (ignore the warming tray). The answer should be close to 100. That will give you the range of heat you need to do everything from searing to slow roasting. A number in the low 80s is tolerable but even though the grill can handle slow roasting it won’t be great at high-heat searing. So a 40,000 BTU grill with 400 square inches of cooking surface delivers 100 BTUs per square inch, would be a good choice. Basically larger grills require more BTUs to hit the target number. Also realize that higher BTU grills consumes fuel much faster, making natural gas the best choice for both price and convenience. If you’re relying on propane tanks, you’ll be changing them more often with a higher BTU grill.

If you’re lucky enough to have a natural gas home, you can have a quick-connect fitting installed wherever you want to do your cooking. The grill can be rolled back out of the way whenever it’s not in use. If your home does not have natural gas, you’ll need to get a propane stove that is fueled from a refillable tank. It’s a good idea to keep a back-up on hand just in case you run out as you’re flipping that hamburger. Also remember that a grill designed for propane will usually need to be refitted to work well with natural gas.

Most gas grills now days come with a metal plate that sits above the burners to catch and vaporize the drippings or channel them off to a grease trap before they can foul the burners. Some grills still come with lava rocks, pumice stone or ceramic briquettes which do the same job, though not as well as the metal plate. Lava rocks heats quickly but are porous and allow grease to accumulate. They should be replaced or at least turned over yearly. Pumice stone operates like lava but collects less residue, while ceramic briquettes stay clean by baking off the residue, much like a self-cleaning oven. If you have a choice, stick with the metal plate.