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If you want to cook stuff outside, you can't go wrong with a charcoal grill. Charcoal is small 'briquettes' (black squares) of charred wood. It burns cleaner than wood because it has had most of the impurities already burned out of it. Charcoal grills consist of a 'kettle' (a large hollow chamber that reflects heat and makes up most of the grill), a charcoal grate (which is located near the bottom of the kettle and holds the charcoal), and a cooking grate (which holds food and is located at the top of the kettle. Some charcoal grills have covers that you can close to contain the heat and cook faster.

 

One indispensable accessory for cooking with a charcoal grill is called a chimney starter. Chimney starters consist of a metal cylinder with a handle, a grate near the bottom, and holes for air at the bottom. To use a chimney starter, you put it in your grill then fill it with charcoal, light a small fire underneath it, wait for all the charcoal to start burning, then empty it out into the grill. Since the charcoal is stacked vertically and heat rises, it is much easier to get charcoal to burn using a chimney starter, rather than trying to get it started while it is spread out in the grill. Other recommended accessories are tongs, grill brushes, oven mitts, and a butane long-necked lighter.

 

Here are five different varieties of charcoal grills for you to choose which best suits your backyard:

 

Table Grills

 

Table grills or tabletop grills are small charcoal grills that you can place on a table. They are a good choice if you want a grill that you can use at home and take on the road.

 

Lodge’s Cast Iron Sportsman’s Grill

 

Kettle Grills

 

Kettle grills have an acorn shape. They aren't especially big, which makes them easy to clean but less than ideal for large barbecue parties. Since it is going to be staying outside, it makes sense to buy a cover.

 

Weber’s Kettle Charcoal Grill

 

Steel-Drum Grills

 

Steel-drum grills are sort of a novelty. They are made out of steel drums, and can be recycled.

 

Design for a 55 gallon drum BBQ grill

 

Kamado Grills

 

Kamado grills are egg-shaped and are made from ceramic. Their thick construction means they retain heat better, which lets you save on charcoal.

 

Kamado Joe’s Classic III

 

Smoker Grills

 

Smoker grills look like regular grills turned on their side. They are used in a different way. First you place a basin of water above the charcoal, and then you put a basket of wood chips above the water. The meat hangs in the upper part of the chamber, and as they heat up the wood chips fill the chamber with smoke. The type of wood you use affects the flavor.

 

Oklahoma Joe’s Bronco Drum Smoker