These are good questions and I will do my best to answer them. My first observation is that an electric barbecue grill will never produce the amount of heat that a decent charcoal or gas grill will. This is not necessarily a bad thing, and in fact it can be a bonus especially for anyone new to the art of barbecuing.
If you’re a tough soul, who likes to cook outdoors no matter the weather, and wouldn’t even consider grilling indoors, the tool for you has to be a charcoal grill. However, if you are the type of person who enjoys entertaining friends in good weather and prefers a more relaxed approach to barbecue, this article may benefit you.
When considering an electric barbecue grill, one of the most important factors is the power of the grill. The lower the wattage, the slower the cook will be and the slower the grills will be able to replace heat if the unit is in a draft. This is much less important if you are grilling indoors. The room temperature under cover and the lack of crosswind is always an advantage indoors if you have a low power product.
With good weather conditions in a sheltered area, it is possible to have an outdoor family barbecue using electricity, but there is another way that an electric barbecue can also benefit you.
We all look forward to a nice family barbecue, but sometimes plans have to change due to the vagaries of the weather. In circumstances like these, you can move your barbecue into the kitchen and use the electric one. Because electric barbecues do not produce hazardous waste gases, like all others, they are safe to take home. You don’t need to remember to buy special fuels, as long as you have mains power, they are ready to go in five minutes.
If you are a newbie to barbecue cooking, electricity is perfect for you. Because electric grills don’t produce an open flame and cook more slowly, you should never experience the horrors of a charcoal-black burnt steak that’s raw in the middle. This is a very common problem experienced by the inexperienced when using a charcoal or gas barbecue for the first time. Modern electric barbecues come in all shapes and sizes, some designed for tabletop use and others that have legs and can be used both ways.
Sometimes the local voltage has an effect on the available power. It is a fact that if you have a 120 volt electrical network and a 2000 watt grill, it will need a little more than 16.6 amps to operate, while the same power to a 230 volt electrical network requires less than 9 amps. Also, the 120 volt barbecue requires heavier cables than the 230 volt version to carry the extra load. This is why 2,500 watt barbecues are much more common in the UK than in the US.
