FEATURE ARTICLE FOR July/August 2008
Professional Barbecue
With summer upon us I thought it would be a good time to discuss with you the
merits of Outdoor Grilling on professional barbecues. It seems like everyone and
his brother/sister is into “professional” barbecues these days. Ten years ago it
was very limited and DCS was about the only major player. Since then we have
seen Viking, Thermador, General Electric Monogram, Wolf, and others enter the
market with more on the way. So far I have not been able to put my finger on any
distinguishing characteristic which would make one better than the other so I
will try to explain the features one should look for when making a purchase. I
do own a Viking and have experience on cooking on these high end grilles.
These large barbecues must be installed outside either in custom made enclosure
or on a cart. Most manufacturers offer carts for the grills and we do carry
Barbecue islands, prefabricated with different textures and tops for all brands,
custom made for you. If they are installed under an overhang an outdoor
ventilating hood may be needed to eliminate smoke. Most of the carts have
storage doors. You must order them for the specific gas you are using as most
are not convertible after sale. Most cart installs use LP gas while fixed
enclosures use natural gas.
There are many feature options one can choose from when buying the most obvious
is size. Make sure you get enough grill area. If you pick models with side
burners remember to get a size larger because they will take away from the
grille. Some brands offer rotisserie feature which use an infrared burner for
caramelizing the meat juices while turning the food on a spit. They use an
electric motor so be sure while designing your installation be sure to have 110V
installed to run the motor.
Side burners may be ordered on your professional barbecue. They are rather close
to the side of the barbecue when attached to the unit so if you are installing
this in an island I suggest to buy side burners separately and move them a bit
away as to utilize them for large pots, they can be too close on the carts.
Some of the models have smoker burners and trays built into them. One would soak
their wood chips and insert them into the tray and light the smoker burner for
smoke flavoring. This is not a smoker since the heat is too intense but adds
smoke flavor to the food. Some brands do claim to be able to smoke like a smoker
but this user has not done that yet. I use a smoker that we sell here by
“COOKSHACK” and it is unbelievable. Better than going out to have barbecue.
A brand new feature, which is now showing up on these grilles, is an electric
ignition system. The older models had pezio igniters that one would have to turn
a knob or push a button to create a spark. These did not always light and in the
winter almost never light unless you keep your Barbecue out of the weather, even
then there may be too much moisture in the air for them to work. I have to light
mine with a match in the winter. The new igniters are almost always going to
light, they may be 110v powered or 9v battery powered. Ask your sales person if
you need to run 110 to operate properly. I highly recommend this feature. Most
of us who have pezio igniters are not happy with them.
Most of the barbecues have similar BTU ratings but it is a good thing to check.
The larger the unit the more burners and more BTU is needed. The grilles have
indirect heat by using different diffusing methods, ceramic rocks, ceramic
plates, or other devices which each claims is the best.
So far clean up has been pretty easy for me. Most drippings are incinerated and
fall into the barbecue but have not yet made it into the clean out tray which
most manufacturers have. Make sure to check for this since it may help with
cleaning if your barbecue gets heavy use. I use mine once a week in winter and
twice a week in summer.
All units come with a stainless steel cover and it is recommended to keep it
closed while cooking. Some brands have better insulated covers which stay cool
while cooking and also resist discoloration from heat. Ask your sales person to
show you this feature. Some come with colored covers but they have not been
successful since the paint does not adhere well to the product and the
manufacturer is trying to make a new process for this so we recommend stainless
only at this time.
Come by and check out these professional grills. We sell them all year round and
are in the process of upgrading the display area with the custom island
displayed as well as the carts. We will be having live demos this summer on the
grilles so come by and enjoy the food and discuss the features of the particular
models being shown with the chef as well as with your salesperson.
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