Talk:Barbecue grill

Article history is inaccurate
Grilling and smoking existed way before Kingsford. That looks like an ad product placement and should be more looked into.

—Preceding unsigned comment added by Ericg33 (talk • contribs) 22:52, 6 August 2008 (UTC)

There is a third category, not mentioned in the article: Wood coal grilling, i.e. burning wood in a separate firebox and moving the hot wood coals under the grill. It is usually preferable to using charcoal.

I would agree. I don't know about it being "preferable", but it is certainly an alternative. Also, lump charcoal could be mentioned as an alternative to briquettes. On a side note, who thinks that asparagus is a commonly grilled food? (at least, more common then most)

Isn't grill also slang for challenging someone? I.E. "Josh took it to Ricky's grill during the debate." Yanksox 21:35, 15 February 2006 (UTC)

I came here hoping to find out what all the openings and slots on my grill are used for! guess i'll keep looking...


 * I agree. This technique (wood coal grilling) is used among other places in Uruguay, a country with a great grill tradition. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Poiuy998 (talk • contribs) 03:34, 9 February 2009 (UTC)

Is this a joke?
If this is an article on grills then where is the mention of the appliance used to do this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grilling#British_English

What do Americans call the part of the cooker they "broil" things in anyway? A broiler?

???

beano 00:54, 28 March 2007 (UTC)


 * Yes, it is called a broiler. Josh Thompson 16:11, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Image of Gas Grill
The image of the propane grill buried under snow doesnt really capture the "essence" or purpose of the appliance very well. The focus should be the grill itself, not the extreme weather conditions around it. Just about anything else would be better.

I agree. Do you think this CC image I found on flickr suits? http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=9813564&size=o Please let me know if that violates the copyright rules, I don't think it does, but thats why I didn't alter it myself. Thanks, BillyRego 02:02, 5 May 2007 (UTC)


 * The image linked above is not allowed: it violates the copyright rules. It has a "by-nc" CC license (Attribution Non-Commercial). Non-commercial images are not allowed on Wikipedia. Josh Thompson 17:39, 6 May 2007 (UTC)


 * You could use either of these images: or  Josh Thompson 17:46, 6 May 2007 (UTC)

Additions and Ideas
Added a piece on portable grills and a comment on the difference between lump and briquets but forgot to sign in before doing so.

I will take some pictures of my own grills (gas, charcoal kettle, portable gas, and portable charcoal) to add to this article.

I am thinking about tackling something about the history of grilling as well as how it plays into the tailgate party culture. Also may include a description of the (in)famous "newspaper grill."

Also, would this article merit a small discussion on charcoal-starting methods?

Lightfusegetaway 22:38, 7 September 2007 (UTC)

You should add the ignition into the list of parts. After all, this is one of he more important parts of the grill. I came to this page looking for something about this, but I didn't find anything.

BTW, this is my first time editing, so plz don't be mad if I did something wrong.

RingShifter 09:39, 12 May 2021 (UTC)

US-centric
The second para in the lead is mainly about grilling in American culture and should be moved out of the intro. Anybody disagree? Rothery 03:35, 30 September 2007 (UTC)

Infrared Section
The infrared section doesn't cite any sources and may be original research. It also looks a bit biased due to stating without citation that it is being used in "finer" restaurants. The parts dealing with it being more "green" especially read like ad copy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 139.131.241.10 (talk) 17:41, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

About it being used in finer restaurants: AP article --> http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18866625/ —Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.114.197.113 (talk) 00:13, 10 July 2008 (UTC)

Might want to use a more neutral phrase like "pricey restaurants." Finer is a nicer way of saying it, yes, but it could be construed as too euphemistic for objective writing such as this. And yes, pricey varies by whom you ask, but most frugal people would see an $18 steak as a treat, not a daily staple. --(User miraamara--not logged in) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.18.12.115 (talk) 21:10, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

The South America Problem - Specifically grill from Uruguay (asado)
In Uruguay they do not use ready bought coal, or gas, but fire up wood in one end of the grill, and use the coals that form naturally there and then. Their grill is constructed entirely differently. Often it is angled so that some parts of the grill are hotter than other parts. Uruguayan BBQ or more correcty "asado" is considered among the best in the world with regards to grilled foods. Of course Argentina also needs to be mentioned in this article, as other South American countries. A grill in the beforementioned two countries is called a parrilla.

Broil?
I did a search on Broiler and it took me to an article about chickens that said at the top ''This article is about a type of chicken. For the kitchen appliance, see Grill (cooking).'' So I clicked that link and it lead to this article. Then I searched the page for the word "Broil" and got no results. What gives? BillyTFried (talk) 07:15, 17 July 2009 (UTC)

Material extracted from Barbecue
{| class="collapsible collapsed" style="width:100%;font-size:88%;text-align: left; border: 3px solid #3A35EA; margin-top: 0.1em;" ! style="background-color: #368aeb; font-weight:bold; text-align: right;" | Excised from Barbecue
 * style="text-align:center;" | References
 * style="border: solid 1px powderblue; padding: 8px; background-color: white;" |
 * style="border: solid 1px powderblue; padding: 8px; background-color: white;" |
 * style="border: solid 1px powderblue; padding: 8px; background-color: white;" |

Wood
The choice and combination of woods burned result in different flavors imparted to the meat. Woods commonly selected for their flavor include mesquite, hickory, maple, guava, kiawe, cherry, pecan, apple and oak. Woods to avoid include conifers. These contain resins and tars, which impart undesirable resinous and chemical flavors. If these woods are used, they should be burned in a catalytic grill, such as a rocket stove, so that the resins and tars are completely burned before coming into contact with the food.

Different types of wood burn at different rates. The heat also varies by the amount of wood and controlling the rate of burn through careful venting. Wood and charcoal are sometimes combined to optimize smoke flavor and consistent burning.

Charcoal


Cooking with charcoal, like cooking with gas, is a more manageable approximation of cooking over a wood fire. Charcoal does not impart the rich flavor of cooking over hardwoods but is cheap and easy to purchase in sizes appropriate for close proximity cooking in typical commercially available home grills and griddles.

Charcoal gridironing generally begins with purchasing a commercial bag of processed charcoal briquettes. An alternative to charcoal briquettes is lump charcoal. Lump charcoal is wood that has been turned into charcoal, but unlike briquettes, it has not been ground and shaped. Lump charcoal is a pure form of charcoal and is preferred by many purists who dislike artificial binders used to hold briquettes in their shape, and it also burns hotter and responds to changes in airflow much more quickly. Charcoal cannot be burned indoors because poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) is a combustion product. Carbon monoxide fumes may contribute to the pink color taken on by barbecued meats after slow cooking in a smoker. Many barbecue aficionados prefer charcoal over gas (natural gas or propane) for the authentic flavor the coals provide.

A charcoal chimney starter is an inexpensive and efficient method for quickly obtaining a good charcoal fire. A few pages of newspaper are wadded up underneath the chimney to start the fire. Other methods are to use an electric iron to heat the charcoal or to soak it with aliphatic petroleum solvent and light it in a pyramid formation. Charcoal briquettes pre-impregnated with solvent are also available. Although the use of solvents is quick and portable, it can be hazardous, and petroleum solvents can impart undesirable chemical flavors to the meat. Using denatured alcohol ("methyl hydrate", "methylated spirit") instead of commercial petroleum-based lighter fluids avoids this problem.

Once all coals are ashed over (generally 15–25 minutes, depending on starting technique), they can be spread around the perimeter of the grill with the meat placed in the center for indirect cooking, or piled together for direct cooking. Water-soaked wood chips (such as mesquite, cherry, hickory or fruit trees) can be added to the coals for flavor. As with wood barbecuing, the temperature of the grill is controlled by the amount and distribution of coal within the grill and through careful venting.

For long cooking times (up to 18 hours), many cooks find success with the minion method, usually performed in a smoker. The method involves putting a small number of hot coals on top of a full chamber of unlit briquettes. The burning coals will gradually light the unlit coals. By leaving the top air vent all the way open and adjusting the lower vents, a constant temperature of 225°F can easily be achieved for up to 18 hours.

In North America, small BBQ cooking stoves resembling Shichirin are referred to as "Hibachi" or "Hibachi-style (Grill)". ("Hibachi" in Japanese language refers to a small heating device which is not usually used for cooking.) Binchō-tan is most suitable for fuel of shichirin.
 * Shichirin

Natural gas, propane, and electricity
Grilling with natural gas, propane, or electricity is a step further removed from cooking over a wood fire. Despite this, and the higher cost of a gas grill over a charcoal grill, many people continue to prefer cooking over a gas flame or electric element. There are also some hybrid charbroilers and griddles that combine these two energy sources together for cooking.

Gas grills are easy to light. The heat is easy to control via knob-controlled gas valves on the burners, so the outcome is very predictable. Gas grills give very consistent results, although some charcoal and wood purists argue that it lacks the flavors available only from cooking with charcoal. Advocates of gas grills claim that gas cooking lets you "taste the meat, not the heat" because it is claimed that charcoal grills may deposit traces of coal tar on the food. Many grills are equipped with thermometers, further simplifying the barbecuing experience. However, propane and natural gas produce a "wet" heat (combustion byproducts include water vapor) that can change the texture of foods cooked over such fuels.

Added wood smoke flavor can be imparted on gas and electric grills using water-soaked wood chips placed in an inexpensive smoker box (a perforated metal box), or simply a perforated foil pouch, under the grilling grate and over the heat. It takes some experience in order to keep the chips smoking consistently without catching fire; some high-end gas grills include a built-in smoker box with a dedicated burner to simplify the task. Using such smokers on quick-grilled foods (steaks, chops, burgers) nearly duplicates the effects of wood and charcoal grills, and they can actually make grilling some longer-cooked foods, such as ribs, easier, since the "wet" heat makes it easier to prevent the meat from drying out.

Gas and electric gridirons, charbroilers, and griddles are significantly more expensive due to their added complexity. They are also considered much cleaner, as they do not result in ashes, which must be disposed of, and also in terms of air pollution. Proper maintenance may further help reduce pollution. The useful life of a gas or electric grill or griddle may be extended by obtaining replacement gas grill parts when the original parts wear out. Most barbecues that are used for commercial purposes now use gas or electricity for the reasons above.

Solar power
There have been a number of designs for barbecues that use solar power as a means of cooking food. The device usually involves the use of a curved mirror acting as a parabolic reflector, which focuses the rays of the sun on to a point where the food is to be heated. Charcoal Grill Reviews

Do you have electric grills in USA?
I wonder why this article has no information about electric barbecue grills. In Europe we have electric barbecue grills. --84.58.218.47 (talk) 16:37, 24 June 2012 (UTC)
 * I've seen them in stores occasionally, but not heard of anyone owning one. I think they tend to not be regarded as "real" grills.  We want fire!
 * EDIT: After talking with my folks, they apparently had a couple, but regarded it as an indoor novelty kitchent tool. Ian.thomson (talk) 20:07, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

Check out the George Foreman grill or a panini press. I think those are the most commonly used electric grill in the US. But yeah, electric grills do not do as good of a job as a grill with actual fire. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.58.211.149 (talk) 16:20, 26 January 2013 (UTC)

Outdoor grill
Isn't a gas grill actually called an outdoor grill and not a barbecue grill? I thought only charcoal fired or wood fired grills were actually barbecue grills. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.58.211.149 (talk) 16:17, 26 January 2013 (UTC)
 * In English English we call it a gas barbecue! The group of articles under grill, barbecue etc. will never please everyone as there are such opposing views from both sides. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.156.148.26 (talk) 20:30, 5 August 2013 (UTC)
 * Barbeque grill is an oxymoron. A grill supplies direct heat for cooking. A barbecue supplies indirect heat. -Nv8200p talk 18:30, 26 January 2014 (UTC)

Merger proposal
I propose that Barbecue grill cover be merged into Barbecue grill. A separate article is unnecessary. A section within the destination article would best serve visitors. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 08:15, 5 August 2013 (UTC)

I boldly copied the content here with attribution and have prodded Barbecue grill cover. Sorry to ignore all rules. I never do, but in this case, I did. Anna Frodesiak (talk) 17:13, 21 August 2013 (UTC)

Competition grilling
Why is there a sudden, uncited blurb about competitive grilling in the article header? It doesn't seem relevant to summarizing barbecue grills by itself. I suggest either putting in additional information about other kinds of grills to create a quick overview, or moving the bit about competition grills out of the header to a more relevant section. 134.223.230.200 (talk) 16:12, 23 September 2013 (UTC)

Use non-commercial sourcing
, I have reverted your changes because there are too many non-reliable sources being used as citations. Most of these .com sites are trying to sell their products. Try using high quality books, journals, magazines, newspapers, etc. I hope this isn't your normal standards for choosing sources...if so, then you need to start backtracking to remove them. Do not link to product pages please. We have enough commercial interests trying to manipulate Wikipedia. — Berean Hunter   (talk)  23:39, 16 December 2015 (UTC) — Berean Hunter   (talk)  14:59, 17 December 2015 (UTC)
 * I take your point about commercial sources although citing Weber's site to show a Weber grill exists seems pretty benign to me. I was certainly not trying to "manipulate" Wikipedia - my additions were done in good faith. I disagree that some of the information you removed did not have reliable sources ... but there you go. In reverting the whole article to your last edit you restored all the issues I found when copy editing the article. I have had to re-edit the article to fix these and trust this will meet with your approval.Twofingered Typist (talk) 14:52, 17 December 2015 (UTC)
 * Thank you.