What Is an Electric BBQ Grill?

An electric BBQ grill is an outdoor grill that cooks like a charcoal or gas grill but uses electricity. They can provide the same great BBQ taste your accustom too but and, much like traditional grills, allow you to burn hickory, apple, cherry or mesquite wood chips for additional flavor.

What Are The Pros of Electric BBQ Grill?

Ease of use Electric grills are easy to set up and can be used in a variety of settings. They are also easy to clean. Convenience Because electric grills are generally more compact, they work well in smaller back yards. A 2009 Consumer Reports lab test cited outdoor electric BBQ grills' convenience. Notably, they said, for condo and apartment dwellers whose buildings may ban the use of gas and charcoal grills. Safer to use Because there is no flame, injuries and accidents from fires are less likely. If you are the chef, you will also benefit from a cleaner and safer air quality—you won't be breathing in pollutants from natural gas. Good achievement of char on grilled foods According to folks at Delishably , while flavor quality is not the same as charcoal or gas, "the best electric BBQ grills can produce juicy, caramelized, and seared-to-perfection meals." (The reviews on this are mixed, though; it's a subjective topic.)

What Are The Cons of Electric BBQ Grills

Negative reputation for food grilling Anti-electric BBQ grill comments can be rabid. A review from the website AmazingRibs.com . points out that even though electric BBQ "devices" are called "grills," food cooked on them is heated by coils that get hot and glow. "There is no combustion, flame, or smoke," the evaluator writes, "so I consider them to be large panini presses or, at best, low-temperature griddles." Negative comments also include how long outdoor electric BBQ grills take to heat up or how they provide a sear on food but no smoky flavor. Power source Where your home gets its power can make a big difference in how "clean" the grill is. If, for example, coal is the source of a home's electric energy, using an electric BBQ grill may be worse for the environment than just about any other option. That's why the most significant "con" of electric BBQ grilling has to do with a home's electrical power source. The electric power grid is growing greener. But, the 2019 US Energy Information report indicates that "about 63% of this electricity generation was from fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, petroleum, and other gases). About 20% was from nuclear energy, and about 18% was from renewable energy sources." Is it true that using an electric grill with non-renewable sourced electricity is the wrong choice? It seems the original contention comes from an Oak Ridge National Lab report of 2003 . In it, they stated that "Although electric grills emit no on-site carbon dioxide, West [Tristram West, a researcher in ORNL's Environmental Sciences Division] said they have the highest emissions per hour of all the grills when accounting for fossil fuel emissions from producing and transmitting electricity." Note, however, that this report is from over a decade and a half ago. At that time, renewable energy was only 6 percent of the total US energy produced. In 2017, it was up to 11 percent (source: US Energy Information Administration ), and in 2019, it rose to 18 percent.

Electric BBQ Grills - Is it Time to Switch?