B. How Grills Work

The higher the heat in a grill, the more browning reactions you will get. For this reason, a grill’s fuel or heat source is by far the biggest determining factor in how it works, although a grill’s material and dimensions also play a role. Fuel is so important because different fuels require different amounts of energy to ignite and different amounts of oxygen to become combustible at a rate suitable for cooking. Once a grill’s fuel source is burning, however, all grills cook food through a combination of radiant heat from the fire, conduction of heat through the metal grill grate and food, and, when indirect grilling, convection of hot air around the food. Seefor more on the science of heat transference. Here’s a glimpse into the inner workings of the two most common grills: charcoal and gas.