First. . . the Grill

There is an almost endless variety of grills on the market. The primary question facing most of us is: do I get one with a cover or not? My vote is to get one with a cover. The purpose of the cover is to hold heat in so that you can cook larger cuts of meat or whole birds and the like, which take longer to cook. The cover is not there to help you control flame or flare-ups (even though we sometimes resort to that). You do that by using the two level heat combination that I’ll describe in just a minute. I also suggest you get one that has as large a grill surface as you can comfortably house and handle. This will give you the best chance to actually use the direct or indirect heat methods described below. Make sure that the cover is tight-fitting and look for one that uses thick, stainless steel rods (at least ¼ inch in diameter) for the grill surface. Thick rods hold the heat better when you place food on them and are less likely to stick. Stainless is also easier to clean.