Choosing gear
How do I choose the right cooker?
Start with how you cook and how many you feed. Our grill advisor asks six short questions and gives you three picks with plain-language reasons, or email us and a person who cooks over fire every week will answer.
Two questions settle most of it: how many people you cook for on a normal weekend, and whether you want to tend a live fire or set a temperature and walk away.
Live-fire grills — Argentine and Santa Maria styles — reward standing at the fire and give you the best crust and smoke. Kamados and pellet cookers hold a temperature for hours with far less attention.
Plan on roughly 100 square inches of cooking surface per person for a full dinner, then decide where it lives: a patio, a built-in outdoor kitchen, or something portable you can throw in a truck.
If you'd rather not guess, the grill advisor walks you through six questions and returns three specific picks with the reasoning spelled out. The comparison tool then puts them side by side on fuel, cooking area, materials and price.
Still need a hand?
Email service@getbackyarding.com — a real person who cooks over fire answers, usually within one business day.
Back to all questions