There is a wide variety of outdoor grills based on size, mode of grilling, and placement of food. Additionally, different brands make customized outdoor grills with unique design and grilling techniques, broadening these types further. However, the best grill is the one that suits your needs. To help you make an informed decision, here are different types of grills based on the mode of grilling.

Open grills
The most basic types of outdoor grills, open grills are made of stone or metal box with the heat source at the bottom.

You can use charcoal, wood, or propane as a source of heat. The food is positioned directly above the fire. This type of grill is best suited for cooking small and tender pieces of meats, steaks, kebabs, chops, vegetables, fish fillets, and so on.

Smoker
Companies that make these types of outdoor grills include Traeger grills®, Weber, Pit Boss, and Oklahoma Joe’s®. These are one of the oldest types of grills and help in giving the food a smoky flavor. It is usually used for indirect grilling with wood smoke at low-to moderate-temperature. Foods that can be grilled in smokers include ribs and briskets.

Covered grills
An open grill with a tall lid is usually referred to as covered grills. These outdoor grills facilitate two different types of cooking: indirect cooking and smoking. Covered grills are used for thicker or larger foods such as thick steaks, double-thick pork, tuna, veal chops, whole chicken duck, and baby back ribs.

Rotisserie grill
This type of outdoor grill involves gentle and slow rotation of a turnspit, which evens out the cooking process. Rotisserie grill can be used for basting the meat, browning the exterior, and melting out the fat. It also makes the food crispy on the outside and succulent from within. This type of outdoor grill is best suited for whole fatty foods like chicken, ducks, rib roasts, and whole hogs. Popular brands that manufacture rotisserie outdoor grills are Traeger Grills, Napoleon Grill, and Broil King

Vessel grill
These can be used as both indoor and outdoor grills. Vessel grills have thick-walled, ceramic grills. Foods cooked in vessel grill rely on the radiant heat from its sidewalls and the direct heat from the coal. Vessel grill is best suited for flatbreads, kebabs, chicken, fish, lamb legs, and cottage cheese cooked on a vertical spit.