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What to look for in a barbeque
Size of grill
Frequently when people are shopping for a grill they ask, "How many square inches is it?". Forget that. All the manufacturers include the warming racks in their measurements, and the warming racks greatly differ in size. This renders the sq. inch measurement rather useless when determining how big the grill is. I tell people to stand in front of the grill and visualize what you usually cook, and ask yourself, "Is this grill going to be big enough for what we usually grill?" If you are looking at the basic 2 burner gas barbecue, most manufacturers offer 2 sizes, one bigger than the other by about 20 to 25%. If you are looking at multiple burner BBQs such as Barbeques Galore's Turbo, Capt'n Cook & Cook-On, Weber's Summit series, DCS, or Lynx, you have greater choices for size. I used to think a 5 burner Turbo, 39 inches wide, was only necessary for people who regularly gave somewhat large parties. I felt the 4 burner was a great size for the average family. Then 2 friends of mine purchased 5 burners and I grilled on them in a real life situation (as opposed to demonstration cooking) and I was surprised at how easy the extra size made the whole experience. Cooking for 5 adults and 3 children, the entire meal came off the grill at the same time. There was no juggling of foods removing them from the grill, trying to keep them warm, etc. While not every one has the budget, or the room, for a 5 burner, they tend to be less than $150 more than a 4 burner.
Basically keep in mind how many people you usually cook for and what you usually cook. If you grill lots of foods that require indirect cooking [ go to the Cooking Methods page ] you may require a larger grill than if you exclusively grill foods using the direct method.
Grill surface
The cooking grills typically are made from either chrome plated steel, porcelain coated steel, cast iron, porcelain coated cast iron and stainless steel. The chrome grills are found on lower end grills and are used to keep the price down. They are harder to clean than a porcelain coated grill and tend to rust fairly easily. Porcelain coated steel grills resist rusting and are easy to clean. Cast iron grills hold the heat extremely well and heat very evenly, but must be kept seasoned with cooking oil to avoid rusting. This can be a challenge on a grill that is used and stored outside. Porcelain coated cast iron has the benefits of cast iron wrapped in an easy to clean and maintain package. If you get grills with porcelain coatings make sure to only use a brass bristle brush to clean the grills as the brass is relatively soft and will not scratch the porcelain off of the grills. Stainless Steel grills will last a very long time, but don't hold the heat or sear as well as cast iron. If you are buying a barbecue with stainless steel grills make sure the grill rods are thick and heavy if you like to sear your steak so that it is left medium rare in the center, or if you grill fish fillets, which also should be seared. If most of what you do is cooked indirectly or relatively slow (chicken, pork, roasts), then stainless steel would be an easy to maintain, long lasting choice.
Burners
If you are going with a typical 2 burner grill, make sure the burners are in an "H" shape and not an "I". The "H" burners spread the heat out more evenly across the expanse of your grill. "I" shaped burners tend to heat only down the center of the grill. Stamped stainless steel burners will last longer than aluminized steel burners, cast iron longer than stamped steel, cast brass longer than cast iron, and cast stainless steel longest of all. The Weber Genesis features a tubular stainless steel burner that might not look very sturdy, but the design of the barbecue protects the burner and they usually enjoy a relatively long life.