Grill what is btu

BTU ratings on grills are specifically related to the maximum output of the main set of burners. Most reputable grill manufacturers will stick to that convention. Over at amazingribs. The higher the number you end up with, the more heat is transferred from the burners to the grill surface. So, are BTUs significant, and is it worth figuring out and comparing the heat flux of competing grills?

The construction methods for gas grills have advanced in leaps and bounds over the last decade. Additionally, different heating methods, like infrared burners , have furthered muddied the waters, making it even harder to translate BTUs into a usable idea of how hot a grill gets. Build quality is always of paramount importance when it comes to getting a good gas grill.

Well made heavy-duty components and a well-fitting lid will arguably do more to heat up a grill than an arbitrary measurement of how much fuel it uses. On the surface, a grill offering a very high BTU output might seem like it will heat up faster and maintain a more consistent cooking temperature. However, the opposite is often true. Very high BTU output is often a sign of a poorly constructed grill whose design and manufacture is fuel-inefficient.

The wasted heat lost through badly fitted parts or thin lids means the grill needs to draw more fuel to heat up. Since BTUs measure fuel used per hour, these grills can often offer seemingly impressive heat output but, in reality, have disappointingly poor performance. BTUs are a somewhat outdated and not particularly accurate way of measuring the heat output of a grill.

Heat flux outputs of 80 to for convection and 60 to 80 infrared are normally a good indication that a grill will heat quickly and maintain temperature. However, BTUs are too often presented in a confusing, or downright misleading manner, making it hard to get an accurate idea of how good the grill in question is. When it comes to buying a grill, well-made components, a good design, and good manufacturing techniques are usually more important than an arbitrary BTU value.

Does it even matter? This guide will put the matter to rest once and for all. BTU ratings can be a tad bit deceptive, to put it mildly. The BTU of your grill is a reflection of the total heat output of all burners per hour. This number, however, is reserved for the main or primary burners — the ones located directly beneath the cooking grate.

Many manufacturers also include the BTU of the side burners, smoker burners, and even the rotisserie to make you believe that a grill is more powerful than it is. The truth is a BTU value is meaningless unless you know the total area of the primary cooking surface itself. Think of it this way. A typical gas stove has different sized burners — a large one and a smaller one. If you place a large pan with a massive diameter on the smallest burner, the heat on the pan will likely be concentrated at the center.

The outer parts of it will be considerably cooler. If you were to make a large pancake on it, the center would most likely become charred before the outer parts cook all the way through. To get a better idea of what a good BTU is when choosing a gas grill, you need to divide the total BTU of the primary burners by the total cooking area in square-footage in inches.

Weber grills have not only been designed for quality and performance, but efficiency as well. Our grills are not wasteful gas guzzlers. They use just the right amount of fuel to provide consistent, even, delicious results. There is a law that requires every gas grill to have ventilation for safety purposes.

The vent on many other brands, with really high BTU ratings, that same vent may be quite wide. This means that a lot of the heat generated by that high BTU rating is just going right out the back of the unit.