If you’ve been grilling for a long time, you’ve come across these terms before, but you may have never really understood what they mean. If you’re new to grilling, knowing what the lingo really means will help you choose a new grill.

BTU (British Thermal Units)

BTUs are a measure of energy use. The number associated with them, for example, 36,000 BTUs, indicates the amount, or volume, of gas the grill will burn in one hour. The higher the number, the more gas will be used. Now this is where it can get confusing – if you need to buy a large grill then it needs to have a higher BTU rating. If you don’t, it won’t generate enough power to give you the heat you need to cook all your food. That being said, well made grills, even if they are large, should have fewer BTUs because they should be made more efficiently. Think of a new kitchen fridge. It should use less energy per year than your previous model which may have been 20 years old and much smaller. The better the grill is made (no gaps for heat to escape, metal to retain heat, etc.), the more energy efficient it should be and therefore the less energy it will use.

burners

When people buy grills, they often forget about the need to cook some foods with indirect heat. These are the foods you may want to cook more slowly on the side of the grill, or not directly over a burner. The number of burners you have, the more heat control you will have. If you have multiple burners, you can control the heat and cook directly on top of the burners and off to the side for indirect cooking.

cooking fees

Cooking grates are generally made of porcelain enamel and stainless steel. Porcelain enameled grates are easier to clean. If you like the look of sear marks on your meat, porcelain enamel grates tend to leave wide marks. Stainless steel grates leave the narrow sear marks we’re used to seeing on advertisements or in restaurants, but grates are much more difficult to clean and sometimes take a bit of effort. However, stainless steel grates retain heat longer than porcelain enamel, so you can cook slowly because you can use lower temperatures. Some people put cooking oil on their grates so that food doesn’t stick to them during cooking.

crossover ignition system

A cross-firing system is a fancy way of saying that all burners can be lit at the same time, if you want to use them all. Without a cross ignition system, you would need to light each burner separately.

built-in grills

Typically, built-in grills are what you go for if you’re building a custom grill. A brick grill counter will be built and a grill will drop into the hole, just like when you buy a new kitchen sink. Some manufacturers also make custom carts for built-in grills to make them portable.

flavoring bars

The ever-popular Flavorizer Bar is made by Weber, a major family-owned grill manufacturing business in the USA. Flavorizer Bars greatly reduce, if not completely eliminate flare-ups. You also don’t need lava rocks or ceramic biscuits when you have flavor bars. The bars catch the dripping juices and turn them into smoke, adding flavor to the food. Some people don’t believe that the bars provide enough heat for cooking, however there seems to be an initial learning curve and you need to follow the instructions on how to allow the bars to heat up first.

portable grill

Portable grills are simply grills that you can easily move around. While some of them may be large, they do have wheels so you can move them around your yard. The smaller units can be packed in the car for a camping trip. Portable grills can be propane or charcoal.

Primary square inches

Primary square inches is the measurement of your primary cooking area on your grill. The term tends to be used when a grill has two cooking areas. Secondary square inches relate to the size of the smaller of the two cooking areas. Often the combined total is provided, so you need to be sure of what you are buying. Your grill may sound like it has a large cooking area, but the measurement could be for two cooking sections.

button lighter

With the push button igniter you get an electronic lighting system. Just like in the kitchen. Just push a button and your grill will light up. No matches needed.

quick disconnect

The quick disconnect means that the hose connector that connects the grill to the gas line connects and disconnects quickly and easily. Sometimes it can be done with one hand.

spit

Rotisserie’s shouldn’t need much of an explanation, as most of us have had rotisserie chicken at the local fast food or grocery store. Place your food on the rotisserie and it will constantly rotate the food at the speed you set. The food sprays itself because its juices are constantly running over it as it spins.

sideburn

Side burners are burners located on the side of the main grill and look like a stovetop burner. They are used to heat food in pots and pans. Perfect for your baked beans.

smokers

Smokers smoke food. They can be gas, electric or coal. To use them, fill the fuel area with wood chips and burn. The smoke from the wood flavors the food while the heat cooks it. Smokers are typically used to cook food very slowly over several hours.