Skip to content
FriendsPantry
Grill / barbecue

Cookware & bakeware · Grill

Grill / barbecue

An outdoor barbecue that cooks food on a metal grate over charcoal, gas or wood fire.

Specialist · Fuel-fired · 70 recipes

Photo: Brian Chu, via Wikimedia Commons (CC-BY-2.5)

What it is

A grate set over a heat source, either a charcoal kettle or open barbecue, a gas grill with burners, or a wood fire. Food cooks by intense radiant heat from below and picks up smoky flavour from fat dripping onto the coals. Lidded grills can also roast and smoke. Note that in UK usage the oven's overhead element is also called a 'grill'; this record is the outdoor barbecue.

What it’s for: High, direct-heat cooking with char and smoke, plus slower indirect cooking with the lid closed.

How to use it

  1. Light the charcoal and wait until it is covered in grey ash, or preheat gas burners.
  2. Set up a hot zone and a cooler zone for indirect cooking.
  3. Clean and oil the grate, then sear food over the hot zone.
  4. Move thicker pieces to the cool side and close the lid to finish.
  5. Check meat with a thermometer and rest it before serving.

Good to know

Tasks
grilling meat, fish and vegetables, cooking kebabs, slow-smoking, charring corn and peppers, toasting bread
Cooking methods
Grilled, Barbecued, Smoked, Roasted, Toasted
Materials
steel, cast iron, stainless steel, ceramic (kamado)
Care and cleaning
Brush the grate while warm. Empty cold ash regularly, check gas hoses for leaks and keep it covered from rain.
Limitations
Weather-dependent; flare-ups and uneven heat need attention.

Safety

  • Use outdoors only, away from buildings and overhangs, never in tents or garages.
  • Never add lighter fluid to lit coals.
  • Keep raw-meat tongs and plates separate from cooked food.
  • Let ashes cool completely before disposal.

If you don’t have one

  • Grill pan — For grill marks indoors.
  • Oven — The overhead grill/broiler gives top-down char.

Equipment guide

How it works: Glowing charcoal, gas flames or electric elements beneath the grate emit intense radiant heat. Food sits on bars that conduct heat into it for grill marks. With the lid closed, a grill also works as an oven; setting coals or burners on one side only creates a hot direct zone for searing and a cooler indirect zone for slow cooking. Dripping fat that vaporises on the heat source adds smoky flavour.

MaterialGoodWatch out
Cast-iron gratesHold heat for deep marks.Rust if not oiled; heavy.
Stainless steel gratesDurable and low-maintenance.Thin rods give weaker marks.
Porcelain-enamelled gratesEasy to clean, resist rust.Enamel chips and then rusts.
Ceramic kamado bodyExcellent insulation and fuel efficiency; holds steady low or very high heat.Heavy and can crack if dropped or shocked.
Charcoal kettle
Classic; gives smoky flavour and two-zone cooking.
Gas grill
Fast start, easy temperature control.
Kamado (ceramic egg)
Wide temperature range, very efficient.
Pellet grill
Thermostat-controlled wood pellets for smoking and roasting.
Open charcoal grill (sigri, angeethi, mangal)
Skewers over coals with no grate or lid.

Buying guidance

Starting out: A lidded charcoal kettle about 47–57 cm across, or a two-burner gas grill.

Keen cook: A grill with good air vents (charcoal) or three or more burners (gas) for zoned cooking; add a chimney starter for charcoal.

  • Cooking area in square centimetres to suit your crowd
  • Lid with built-in thermometer (check it against a probe)
  • Adjustable vents (charcoal) or separate burner controls (gas)
  • Heavy grates
  • Ash catcher or grease tray that is easy to empty

No brands or prices — check current reviews before buying.

Techniques:RoastingGrillingSearingSmokingTandoor cookingCharcoal grilling

Related tools

Recipes that use it

58 more