Best Wood Grill in 2023: Reviews and Recommendations

The wood grill is not very eco-friendly, yet it is the non-plus ultra for many barbecue friends. The smoky taste and the open glow are just part of the BBQ for most people. According to Statista, around 50.5 percent of Germans grill at least once a summer each month.

Finally summer - the sun is shining and the grill is hot. Get up with the steaks on the grill and the enjoyment can start. A truly delicious treat, with the family and friends to smell the scent of roasted meat, fish, or vegetables and to enjoy the delicacies. Even with wood grills, there are some features and quality features that you should consider. In addition, there is an almost unmanageable number of different models to choose from.

The different grill shapes and models

Grilled food Funnel or column barbecues are among the most popular types of barbecues in Germany. Your column creates a chimney effect that quickly and adequately supplies the embers with oxygen. The air is sucked in through ventilation slots from the base into the funnel or circular top of the grill. The reason for the high popularity is usually also the favorable purchase price.

More and more often a charcoal grill is bought as a kettle grill. This consists of two hemispheres, the lower one is equipped with a carbon grid, on which the fuel rests. In addition, it has a built-in grill, a drip tray, an ash container, and a ventilation slide. The lid also allows indirect grilling and thus a kettle grill is ideal for grilling large pieces of meat.

With a suitcase grill, the two halves can be folded into a suitcase. The charcoal gives your grilled food a slightly smoky taste. The suitcase grill is easy to transport, but only a few models have a cover and are therefore not suitable for indirect grilling.

If more friends are invited, then the swing grill is the best choice. The grate offers ample space for grilled food with a diameter of up to one meter. It hangs on chains on a tripod stand or gallows. Underneath is a large fire bowl. The grate can be easily swiveled to the side, so refilling charcoal is very easy.

The smoker is more like a smokehouse. The food is located on a grate in a drum-shaped smoke chamber. Outside is the firebox. The hot smoke passes through the smoke chamber and exits through a chimney pipe. The smoker is intended for the preparation of larger pieces of meat.

The advantages of the wood grill

The aromatic grilled food: One of the biggest advantages is the typical grill taste, the unmistakable smoke aroma comes about through the charcoal.

Also very advantageous is the quite reasonable purchase price. There are already entry-level models for just under 10 euros.

A big advantage of charcoal grills is the huge variety of products. In the end, but it probably remains a matter of taste whether smoker, kettle grill, column grill, etc.

The transport of a charcoal grill is easy to realize if you want to barbecue with your neighbors in the garden, in the park or at the lake.

The charcoal grill needs no other energy sources such as gas or electricity.

The disadvantages of grilling with wood

The unpleasant smoke when igniting the coal bothers your own lungs as well as the nice neighbors next door.

When barbecue fat drips into the hot coal, harmful vapors and annoying fires that usually have to be extinguished arise.

The barbecue cleaning is relatively time-consuming. First, you have to cool the charred coal and then dispose of it. The residues from the food to be grilled on the grill should be removed with a steel brush.

For inexperienced barbecues holding the right temperature is usually difficult. Too high temperatures burn meat and vegetables, with too low temperatures, the barbecue experience can take much longer.

Barbecuing with charcoal incurs a relatively high follow-up cost. The constant purchase of charcoal and possibly lighter is much more expensive compared to gas or electric grills.

Direct vs. Indirect grilling - these are the differences

Grilled food When directly grilling, the food is positioned directly above the heat source. These high temperatures of up to 270 ° C can be achieved. Due to the strong heat, the food is seared and it forms a tasty crust. The direct grill method is very suitable for chicken breasts and fish fillets as well as steaks and hamburgers. Even vegetables can be grilled so. However, grilled fat can drip on the glowing coals and produce harmful substances.

When indirect grilling the food is not directly above the embers, it is almost the lid of the grill closed. The heat is radiated from the sidewalls and the lid of the grill and the meat is gently cooked. The coals or embers are arranged so that the coal is not below the grilled food. Indirect grilling is ideal for grilling larger and thicker pieces of meat. A kettle grill is ideal for indirect barbecues, for example. But even smokers cook their meat according to this principle.