Electric Grills & Smokers

No fuel burns in an electric grill. Current passes through a resistance element, the element glows, and food above it cooks by radiant heat, making this the only group here with no fuel to store and no flame to keep clear of a railing. A unit sold for indoor countertop use is a separate appliance with its own rating; anything built for a patio stays on the patio.

Power sets the ceiling. A 120 volt outlet at 15 amps supplies 1800 watts, and most units draw 1500 to 1800, which converts to roughly 5,000 to 6,000 BTU per hour and lands a grill near 450 to 500 degrees at best. Electric smokers run the same element far lower inside an insulated cabinet, add a small tray of wood chips that smolder against it, and hold 225 to 275 degrees for hours on a thermostat. Smoke comes from smoldering rather than combustion, so it reads lighter than a wood fire makes and the ring under the bark stays thin.

Gas grills reach higher, sear better and need a tank plus clearance from combustible walls. Pellet grills also plug in but burn real wood, which puts them in a different flavor class and a different price. Portable grills solve the space problem instead of the flame problem. Electric wins one situation and wins it decisively, which is anywhere open flame is not permitted.

Apartment and condo residents are the buyers, since many fire codes bar charcoal and propane from balconies of multifamily buildings while allowing electric. It also fits anyone unwilling to lift a 20 pound tank or keep fuel around the house. Cold weather is the weakness, as a 1500 watt element struggles below 40 degrees and recovers slowly every time the lid opens. Searing a steak stays beyond most of them.

Priorities on the shelf run in this order: ground fault protection on the plug, a thermometer reading at grate level, a double wall cabinet on a smoker, and a chip tray that loads from outside without dumping the heat. Plug straight into an outdoor rated outlet where you can, and where a cord is unavoidable use a heavy 12 gauge outdoor extension, since a thin cord under 1800 watts gets hot. Keep water off the element, cover it outdoors, and bring it inside over winter.