A grill is the ultimate summer big ticket purchase, and you want to get it right. We tapped expert chefs to share their favorite grills — and their best tips or hacks to make your Memorial Day barbecue smokin’ hot.
Charcoal Grills
Ash Fulk’s pick: the Weber Original Charcoal Kettle
“For a charcoal grill my favorite is the Weber Original Kettle. It’s a utility player. You can smoke on it or cook at a super-high temp. It distributes heat perfectly and does not cost a bunch of money,” says Ash Fulk, Culinary Director of Hill Country Barbecue Market. His tip for fighting flare-ups? “Have a spray bottle on hand with water on hand. If you have small flare ups you can give it spritz and it will calm the flames. If you have big flare ups, drop the spray bottle and grab the fire extinguisher.”
Harold Dieterle’s pick: The Big Green Egg
“My favorite method to grill fish is slow grilling over charcoal in a Big Green Egg, and one of the best fish to cook that way is black seabass,” says “Top Chef” alum Dieterle. “Slow cook the fish filets over vegetables at 350F on the grill. The flavor from the charcoal really comes through and the fish is cooked very gently and indirectly over fire. This is a dish I’d love to do on a restaurant menu, but it doesn’t really work on a gas grill, which is what most restaurants have.”
Justin Smillie’s pick: Char-Griller Akorn Komodo Charcoal Grill
“My favorite home grill is the Char-griller Akorn. It’s great for smoking short ribs, cooking pizza, or charring cauliflower, because it holds heat incredibly well,” says the chef at Il Buco Alimentari Market. “That’s why it’s also important you don’t open and close your grill too many times while cooking. Just be patient.”
Gas grills
Amanda Freitag’s pick: Weber Spirit S-315 Gas Grill
“The grill I have cooked on the most (being a city girl) is my mom’s Weber propane grill in her backyard,” says the “Chopped” judge. “The best part about the Weber grill is that I can create different levels of heat just like I could at the stove. I make a hot spot for searing and getting grill marks, have a medium low heat for finishing and then move to the upper shelf for holding. You can cook just about anything on that grill! And if you need some smokiness, fill a foil packet with some soaked hickory chips and close the lid and you have a wonderful hint of smoke.”
Robert Irvine’s pick: The Coyote Gas Grill
The “Restaurant Impossible” host uses a built-in Coyote gas grill at home, and suggests a couple of seasoning tips if you’re cooking meat. “Add salt and pepper just before grilling, after the steak comes out of the marinade,” he suggests. Also, consider adding paprika to your rub. “Steak doesn’t spend long on the grill, so paprika boosts its open-fire flavor,” he says.
Pat LaFrieda’s pick: the Lynx Sedona
“Placing a cast iron skillet on the grill and preheating it allows you to cook steaks and burgers with a great sear,” says renowned meat purveyor Pat LaFreida, who uses a Lynx gas grill. “If the skillet sizzles when a drop of water hits it, then it’s ready to cook on.”
Wood Pellet Grill
Timothy Hollingsworth’s pick: The Trager Timberline 1300
“My wife and I both have big families so when everyone gets together it is super helpful to have a grill that can fit a lot at once,” says Hollingsworth, who cut his teeth at The French Laundry. “The 1300 has three tiers ideal for long smokes like; brisket, ribs, etcIt also has a super-smoke setting which is great when you want to get a nice smoke inside those thicker steaks and use a reverse sear technique.”