Whether you prefer to barbecue in the summer or all year round, using a gas grill offers convenience and less mess to clean up. But knowing how to choose a gas grill will save you a lot of time and frustration. In this article, you’ll learn how to pick the right grill and guarantee that your next outdoor feast is cooked to barbecue perfection.

First, when choosing a gas grill, you should consider how much you’re looking to spend. Gas grills generally run in the $100-$300 range, but many models cost $400-$700 or more. Once you’ve worked out how much money you’re willing to invest in your grill, you should find out how many BTUs the grill has. For a small or portable grill 20,000 BTUs should be the minimum. For medium-sized gas grills, 30,000 – 40,000 BTUs is fine. For a larger model, 50,000 – 60,000 BTUs should be the minimum. Generally, the larger the grill, the larger the cooking area and the more BTUs it has. With that in mind, don’t buy a bigger model just because it has more BTUs. Only buy it if you need it.

Next, ask yourself how often you plan to use your grill and how much food you plan to cook on it. A small model or portable gas grill might be perfect if you only plan to barbecue for yourself and a spouse, but if you have a large family and most of your cooking will be done at gatherings with lots of relatives showing up, then you’ll need a larger model.

Another thing to look at is the grill’s construction. Is it sturdy? Feel free to shake it around a bit (but not too aggressively) before you buy it to get a sense of how stable the grill is. Look for a solid steel frame with a porcelain enamel finish.

Check to see if the model you choose has a flare-up control system to eliminate drippings. Not only will this make your grill safer when in use, but it will help the components last for a long time.

Next, make sure that your gas grill has two separate burners and two separate control knobs because these features will give you greater control over the grill’s temperature. Also, your grill’s cooking grate should be made of heavy gauge nickel of chrome plated aluminum. And you’ll get a better sear when you cook if the bars of the grate themselves are wide, but not spaced widely.

Do you live in an area that has a lot of extreme weather? If so, consider how and where you’re going to store your grill. Does the model lend itself to easy storage?

So in nutshell, when choosing a gas grill, you want to take price, safety, size, convenience and the grill’s cooking features into consideration. If you do your research before you buy, you should end up with a gas grill that will produce delicious barbecue meals for many years to come.