It has become very difficult now to get a good grill because of so many options in the market. You don't know what you want to do. Which grill to go for? Well, it is completely true that so many options can confuse us. The debate of the pellet and gas grill has been ongoing for a very long time in the grilling community. Both are grills but they function in a very different way from each other. They are both good for beginners but which one should you get? We have the article here to help you. Take a look.
Difference between Pellet Grill & Gas Grill
We know that they both are good in their own way and both of them have their downsides too. We are not going to tell you which one you should get. Instead we are going to give you all the basic information about these two grills to help you choose which one is best for your cooking style. A bit of information can help you make an educated and informed decision.
Both of these grills offer speed and convenience of cooking as an offer package. Pellet grills are more like the set it and forget it kind. You can set the grill at a temperature and them forget about it. It is more like an outdoor oven that will finish the cooking after the allocated time and notify you. You don't have to do anything for the grill. It does the job on it's own. It is perfect for beginners. You might have heard some people refer to pellet smokers and pellet grills. They are both the same thing. These grills are more like smokers because they can help you cook the food low and slow.
Pellet grills are very expensive and not a lot of people can afford them. The cost of the pellets are also not that cheap and you are going to have a hard time finding the pellets everywhere because they are only found in certain spaces. If you are looking at gas grills then you can find more of a cost effective solutions. A lot of people like had grills because they are less costly than the pellet grills and it just runs on gas which is easily available in the market.
However, gas grills don't perform that well in low temperatures. They can cook the food at a high temperature and leave a good sear on the food. Now let's head to the detailed guide about these grills.
Pellet Grills
Rec Tec, Yoder, Traeger, and Z Grills are all brands that are highly recommended among the grilling community when it comes to pellet grills. They can make good pellet grills and therefore they are standing at the top of the pellet grill market. Pellet grills are more or less smokers and they are also referred to as ovens. It uses indirect heat to cook food. This is kind of like the oven. The pellet grill needs electricity to run. Only wood pellets can be used as fuel for smoking on these grills.
These pellets look like chicken feed and they are made of compressed sawdust. These pellets go into the Hopper of the grill. The hopper keeps feeding the pellets to the auger which is like a place to pass the pellets to the fire pot. The pot has a rod inside. This rod can grow very hot and glow red with heat. Its heated by electricity. When the pellets come in contact with the rod, they catch fire and produce all the heat and smoke needed for the cooking process. The fan then blows this heat and smoke to the entire pellet grill.
Advantages of Pellet Grills
There are several advantages of a pellet grill. Take a look at them.
- It is very convenient to use. Once you have placed the food and filled the hopper with pellets, all you need to do is to set the temperature and the time limit. The grill will do the cooking for you.
- They are very efficient. You do not have to waste a lot of fuel on these grills. The convention fan does the job well.
- The cleaning process is easy. They do not make a lot of mess and they are easy to maintain.
- You can smoke, roast, bake, barbecue and grill on the pellet grill. It is very versatile in nature.
- It is very quick to heat up so you can cook readily in a few minutes after starting the grill.
Disadvantages of Pellet Grills
There are several disadvantages of a pellet grill. Take a look at them.
- Pellet grills are not suitable for camping because they always need an outlet of electricity to work. You can not take it anywhere unlike the other grills
- They are quite expensive. You have to have the budget to buy and maintain a pellet grill. It is not meant for everyone.
- Pellets can be hard to find so you might always need to stockpile them. Amazon has pellets but you still need to order them in advance. Running out of pellets in the middle of cooking is not good.
- They do not produce a lot of smoke.
Gas Grills
Gas grills are suited for people who like to grill at high temperatures. These do not take much time and can be grilled in a matter of minutes. Some grills are expensive while some are cheap. There are a variety of different options and features that you can go for when it comes to gas grills. You can try direct and indirect cooking on gas grills. You can use propane gas or natural gas for cooking on a gas grill. Most of the propane ones can be converted to a natural gas grill if you want. You will just need an extra kit then. LPG is most commonly used by the public.
The gas tank usually sits under the grill. The gas travels from the tank to the grill. There is a regulator that helps you control the flow of gas from the tank. It goes to the manifold which is like a tube running under the cooking surface of the grill. Some gas grills come with infrared burners. The most common kind are gas grills that have burners to produce a direct flame. The flame is distributed evenly across the grill.
Advantages of Gas Grill
There are several advantages of a gas grill. Take a look at them.
- The gas grills are perfect when it comes to grilling and searing. You can get some good char marks on your food if you have a searing area.
- There are many cheap but great gas grills available in the market. You can always find a good gas grill according to the budget that you have. You can find some with more features than the others. A bit of research is needed to find the perfect gas grill since there are so many.
- The gas grill is easy to use and it is easy to clean after you are done with the cooking process.
- They are very fast to heat up and they can reach any temperature you want in a matter of minutes.
- They are good for beginners. There are many portable gas grills in the market too.
Disadvantages of Gas Grill
There are several disadvantages of a gas grill. Take a look at them.
- The heat retention is a problem because gas grills need good ventilation.
- You do not get any flavor from the gas because gas is flavorless. In order to get flavor you have to add wood.
- There are certain safety considerations that comes with gas grills.
Pellet and Gas Grill Head To Head
This is kind of a comparison between the two kinds of grills. This might help you get a better perspective of the grills. Take a look.
Ease of Use
Both the gas and pellet grills are easy to use. They are popular because they are so convenient to use. You can start a fire in both of the grills without any issue. Just turn a knob and you are done. They are both easy to clean. Considering the fact that no one likes cleaning the grill after a good meal, this is a major plus for both the grills.
Temperature Control and Range
Pellet grills are great when you are cooking good food at a low and slow temperature. They are perfect for 200 to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The older models of pellet grills could not go higher than 400 degrees Fahrenheit. However, the newer releases can go up to 600 degrees Fahrenheit which is pretty good.
Most of the gas grills have no problem with going high as 500 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on the model and kind of gas grill you are buying, it can go much higher up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat retention of the gas grills can be a problem. They have problems with holding a low temperature.
Fancy Features
Both the pellet and gas grills can offer fancy features when the price of the grill goes high. The higher the price the more bells and whistles you are going to get. Pellet grills are usually costly so they do come with a fair share of technology like Bluetooth and Wifi connectivity. Some high quality gas grills also have these features.
Conclusion
Thank you so much for giving this a read. We do hope that you have enjoyed this article. We have tried our best to make the difference between the pellet and the gas grills stand out. Maybe you have found the perfect one for yourself or maybe you have figured out that neither of these grills are for you. Whatever you have decided after reading the article, we are just glad that we could help you make this important decision of your life. There are other options in the market if you are going to look for it. Have a good day. Take care of yourself and find your own grill!
