It isn't your daddy's old charcoal grill anymore.
These days, there are many more options, such as Luxor Grills and Green Mountain Grills, says David Clemovitz, owner of The Great Outdoors, 7974 N. Oracle Road.
Clemovitz gave us a quick rundown of these hot grill products:
• Luxor: Stainless-steel gas grills with infrared burners that cook food directly, and convection burners that cook with hot air.
Advantages: Infrared burners can heat the grate to between 300 and 700 degrees, "making it good for searing steaks and making the meat more flavorful as it seals in the juices," says Clemovitz. It also cooks 50 percent faster than convection.
Best types of meat to grill: steaks, burgers, chicken breast, pork chops and salmon. It can grill vegetables, too.
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Price: Approximately $2,000 to $5,000.
More information: www.luxorgrill.com/ luxor.html
• Green Mountain pellet grill: Hardwood pellets are placed in a hopper or box attached to the electric grill. An auger at the bottom of the box pushes the pellets inside the grill where they are ignited, producing smoke.
"Hardwood, when it burns, it produces a small amount of smoke," said Clemovitz. "The smoke then imparts the flavor in the meat. In essence, it is a grill and a smoker."
A tip from Clemovitz: "The longer you smoke it (in a pellet grill) the more tender the meat is going to be."
Advantages: "On a smoker, they are designed to cook slowly. The food is getting a lot of its flavor from the smoke coming from the hardwood."
Best types of meat to grill: roast, turkey, chicken, brisket and salmon.
Price: Approximately $750 to $1,200.
More information: www.greenmountain grills.com
Contact photographer A.E. Araiza at 954-3154 or araiza@azstarnet.com