All about barbecuing - How do you choose the best outdoor grill and accessories for your needs?
1. Energy source

With Véronique Auger St-Onge, Category Manager, Grills and Seasonal Heat of RONA.

What's more summery than outdoor grilling? Given the many options for barbecues and accessories on the market, it is not always easy to make the right choice. Add Sizzle to your Summer with These Barbecue Tips from the Pros.

1st tip: Determine the energy source
Before anything else, choose your preferred barbecue energy source, whether gas, charcoal, smoker, pellet or electric.

Gas grills – powered by propane or natural gas – are simple to use, heat up quickly, and have dials to easily control cooking temperatures. If you don’t have a natural gas line at home to plug into, a refillable propane tank is the way to go due to its accessibility and mobility.

Charcoal grills are making a comeback – upgraded in design and functionality – thanks to the classic grilled flavour they deliver. Lightweight and easily mobile, charcoal grills allow for more control over cooking temperature than gas units but require a learning curve.

Smoker barbecues use heat from smoke to enable “low and slow” cooking that makes food extra tender and flavourful. They can take between three and 12 hours to fully cook food and deliver a variety of flavours depending on the fuel source, whether charcoal, maple or mesquite.

Wood pellet grills generate heat with easy-to-use hardwood pellets, giving food a wood fire taste. Highly versatile, pellets come in a range of flavours, including hickory, mesquite, apple and oak, and can be used to smoke, braise, barbecue or sear food.

Electric barbecues are perfect for those living in apartments. Balcony-friendly and portable, electric barbecues are smokeless yet can deliver the same char, searing and authentic smoky flavours as a standard propane grill.

Outdoor pizza ovens are the latest craze, enabling homeowners to create their own restaurant quality stone-baked pizza in the backyard. Different pizza oven options can be powered by wood, charcoal or gas, delivering fresh, authentic stone-baked pizza in as little as 60 seconds.

If you’re new to barbecuing, Auger St-Onge recommends starting with a propane gas grill. “As you advance in skills, charcoal, smoker or wood pellet barbecues may be good choices to vary the taste and texture of your food,” she said.