Green change - Home Makeover Magazine

Barbecue bonanza
Styles, features to fit any outdoor demands
By Dermot Mack
With summer (finally) arriving
on the West Coast, thoughts
turn to outdoor fun around the
barbecue. However, many people who live
in condominiums have a problem: strata
and safety rules often restrict the use of
propane-powered or charcoal barbecues.
Fortunately, in the bonanza that is the
barbecue market today, there is an option.
There are now electric grills that allow
you to barbecue safely, anywhere, even
indoors. Some models even come with
their rolling cart so it can wheel from the
kitchen to the deck.
Firestone’s New Legacy electric convection
grill is a good example of the
technology. It plugs into a conventional
electrical outlet, but can reach searing
heat even faster than big grills.
Most barbecues today remain gas
models, either hooked to a dedicated gas
line, or running off a propane tank.
You can spend from $200, to well over
$2,000 for a five-burner gas barbecue
tweaked out with lights, timers and a
myriad of other accessories.
If you’re looking for a barbecue that
has enough basic features to meet your
outdoor cooking needs, you can get into
the game by spending $300 to $800 for a
respectable model.
The key is not to buy more barbecue
than you need. To do this right, you’ll
need to determine before you shop how
your new barbecue will be used. How
often will you cook on it and for how
many people? Will you want to just grill,
or broil on a rotisserie? If you want to be
able to do a variety of tasks, you’ll need
equipment that can handle them. If you
just want to cook dogs and burgers, there
is no need to spend the big bucks for a
model that can handle a Hereford.
If you occasionally entertain large
groups, you’re better off opting for a barbecue
with a medium to large grilling
area – 490 square inches is enough room
to cook from about 25 to 30 burgers at
once. A smaller grill, say 350 square inches,
will handle cooking about 15 burgers
at one time – more than enough for most
family gatherings.
Barbecues that cost from $500 to $1500
often have a rotisserie burner and gener-
Large gas-fired barbecues, often
hooked to a dedicated natural gas
line, are the key anchor for the
outdoor kitchen.
Electric barbecue
grills can be set up
on condo decks or
other small spaces
safely. They plug
into standard
electric outlets.
ally have from 450 square inches to 850
square inches of total cooking surface.
Those priced under $500 are more likely
to offer from 350 to 600 square inches.
Also keep in mind that, if you want
a barbecue that can handle big crowds,
you’ll need plenty of preparation area and
you may want a unit that includes side
warmers and/or warming racks.
Heat output is measured in BTUs
(British thermal unit) – the higher the
BTUs, the hotter the sizzle. The number
of burners and their particular design
will determine the BTUs delivered by a
particular barbecue.
Most barbecues have from one to four
conventional burners that, depending
upon the model, are rated together at
from 25,000 to 60,000 BTUs. As a standard
of measure, a 44,000-BTU unit is
considered hot. A 60,000-BTU model is
blazing.
Also consider whether or not assembly
will be required and, if it will, how difficult
this will be. Some barbecues are
easy to put together without tools. If it
looks like the one you’re considering will
require an engineering degree, you might
want to ask about buying an alreadyassembled
model. Who knows, you might
even get the floor model for a discount,
particularly if it’s a little shopworn. �
With thanks to Dan Vandervort (www.
hometips.com)
Top photo: Concorde Distributing; bottom photo: David Buzzard ���������������������������� ��