4 guides
Fuel guides
Propane, charcoal, pellets, and wood: what they cost, how long they last, and which one suits the cooking you do.
Charcoal grills
Briquettes vs lump charcoal: pick by the cook, not the bag
Briquettes for long, steady, predictable cooks. Lump for hot, fast, responsive ones. Both are real charcoal. The chimney starter matters more than the bag.
Gas grills
What does it cost to run a gas grill?
Cents, not dollars. A 31,000 BTU grill run wide open burns about a dollar of propane an hour at $3 a gallon, and roughly half that on natural gas.
Gas grills
How long does a propane tank last on a grill?
A full 20 lb tank is roughly 14 hours on a 30,000 BTU grill run wide open. A 15 lb exchange fill is nearer 10. The table computes the rest.
Pellet grills and smokers
Smoking wood flavors by strength, and what to pair them with
Sort smoking woods by strength, not species. Hickory and mesquite hit hard, apple and cherry stay subtle, and oak and pecan are the middle most cooks land on.