TASTE
Gas grills: Gas grills allow for some level of grilled taste by allowing dripping to vaporize on hot lava rocks and burner covers. A smoker box with wood chips can add a modest level of smokiness.
Charcoal Grills: Adds charcoal smoked flavor to grilled food; even more if used in a smoker. Briquettes contain additives like borax, starch and sawdust from waste lumber. "Ready to Light" briquettes can leave an after taste to food.
Kamado Grills: True charcoal flavor. Natural lump charcoal is made from charred hardwoods like oak, hickory and maple. Excellent for grilling and especially for smoking meats.
EASE OF USE
Gas grills: Very convenient for start up and shut down after cooking. Great for "last minute" grilling.
Charcoal Grills: Less convenient than gas and requires a little guesswork to achieve the desired temperature.
Kamado Grills: Less convenient than gas and the desired temperature is achieved adjusting the air flow. Easy-to-read thermometer.
START UP TIME
Gas grills: Lights immediately and ready in 10-15 minutes.
Charcoal Grills: The longest start up time at 20-30 minutes.
Kamado Grills: Ready to cook in 15 minutes.
TEMPERATURE RANGE
Gas grills: Low temperatures can be easily achieved. Entry level units average 500°F for the highest temperature, while more expensive models are required to go above 600°F to properly sear meats. Low temperatures can be achieved.
Charcoal Grills: Depending on the amount of briquette charcoal, you can achieve temperatures near 700°F. Average high temperatures hover around 500°F for most models.
Kamado Grills: Consistent temperatures as low as 225°F and as high as 750°F+ can be achieved easily. Low temperatures can be retained for 12 hours or longer for smoking.
HEAT SOURCE
Gas grills: LP Gas, Natural Gas Charcoal Grills: Briquette Charcoal
Kamado Grills: Natural Lump Charcoal
FUEL COST
Gas grills: Depending on current LP gas prices you can expect it to cost about $1.00 an hour to operate. Natural gas cost is lower, but a new regulator will need to be installed as well as a main line connection.
Charcoal Grills: Using a volume of six quarts of briquettes, you can expect a cost on average of $3.00-$3.50 per cooking depending on the brand. Kamado Grills: Using a volume of six quarts of natural lump charcoal for one cooking, on average you can expect a cost of about $1.50-$1.75 depending on the brand.
ASSEMBLY
Gas grills: Gas grills can be complicated to assemble; especially the high-end models. You should expect a 2-3 hour assembly time.
Charcoal Grills: Charcoal grills are pretty straightforward when it comes to assembly.
Depending on the model you can expect a 15- 30 minute assembly time.
Kamado Grills: Kamado grills come fully or partially assembled. Typically, it's a matter of inserting the internal parts and placing it in the cart. Average time is 15-30 minutes.
MAINTENANCE
Gas grills: Gas grills carry the most maintenance and monitoring time. You'll need to refill the tank, check the lines, venturi tubes and replace the grates as needed.
Charcoal Grills: Charcoal grills are typically a very simple design, so there is not a lot to maintain other than replacing the cooking grate if it begins to chip or rust.
Kamado Grills: Annually check the tightness of the band screws that hold the base and lid and connect to the hinge. Replace felt gaskets as needed; generally every 2-3 years.
CLEANING
Gas grills: Regularly clean the burners, igniter collector box, and drip trays. Clean the cooking grate before grilling by turning the grill to high for 10-15 minutes, then brush the grates. Cast iron grates require regular oiling. and ceramic coated grated should not be scraped to prevent flaking of the coating.
Charcoal Grills: Briquette charcoal produces a lot of ash residue. If you grill often, consider a model with an ash catcher can. Brush or scrape the cooking grate before cooking and occasionally clean the outside.
Kamado Grills: Kamado grills produce one- third the ash of briquettes, however an ash tool is usually provided that can be used to remove it. Brush or scrape the cooking grate before cooking.
SPACE
Gas grills: Typically needs the most space, and should only be considered for good-sized patios and decks.
Charcoal Grills: A small area is needed and they are a good choice for limited outdoor space like an apartment balcony. Check your rental agreement for restrictions.
Kamado Grills: Kamado grills work well in a limited outdoor space. They can also be inserted in a grill table for an additional working surface and storage.
PRICE RANGE
Gas grills: Entry level gas grills can be as low as $100, expect to pay $500-$1,500 for a durable grill with with decent features. Commercial grade outdoor grills can cost in the thousands.
Charcoal Grills: You can get a