Choosing a Grill
Like many RV’ers, we love grilling out, but are not that crazy about the mess. The novelty of cooking over the fire wears off rather quickly when camping frequently, and charcoal grills tend to be a little messy and time consuming. When traveling hard, as soon as we set up camp the troops want to be off on a hike or at the pool, not sitting over a grill for an hour waiting for the coals to offer the right temperature for dinner prep.
We decided early in our camping endeavors that a gas grill for traveling on the road was best for our temperaments. The last time we were in the market for a grill, we took our homework seriously; there are so many different types of grills, and they are not cheap.
Questions to ask before before buying a grill:
Gas or charcoal? Charcoal grills are less expensive and more disposable than their gas counterparts. Small “hibachi” type grills exist in both types of fuel, so portability isn’t an issue. Do you mind toting bags of charcoal? On the other hand, more expensive gas grills usually have an LP Gas hose extension so you can connect it directly to your RV’s gas tanks.
Fire or heating element? You can get a gas grill that looks like a charcoal grill and cooks with the flame, or one that works more like a non-stick pan on a heating element. Do you like your food to have that char-grilled flavor, or would you rather have non-stick surfaces that are (supposed to be) easier to clean?
I love cooking over a fire, but always end up fishing a hot dog or burger out of the coals when it slips between the rungs of the fire grate. Many portable grills have small enough gaps that you don’t have to worry about this. However, the fat drippings can really make a mess of a grill rather quickly, but this can be solved with some tinfoil. Worse yet, the charcoal dust often leaks out and spreads around the storage compartment, however a crate or some other transport container to limit the mess.
How many will you be cooking for? Another concern is cooking area. Large families may become rather dismayed by the lack of cooking space available on smaller grills. Likewise, if you like to cook an entire meal on one grill (we cook packets of veggies with our meat), you will need a larger grill.
Will you do more than just grilling? Some grills have interchangable plates that allow the grill to become a griddle or stove burner. The griddles allow for pancakes, sausages, etc. Keep in mind that these surfaces aren’t always easier to clean up than a plain old grill that you can simply clean with a metal brush.
Do you like new every year? Using something a few times and throwing it out certainly doesn’t help our landfills, but that’s the way some folks operate. We urge you to upgrade slightly to a grill that will last for more than one season.
Whatever you decide is best for you, check out Grills and Grilling Accessories from Camping World
Happy Grilling!
