In my last blog, I wrote about my upcoming adventure in selecting a new grill for my personal use. So, without further ado, here is what I found during my hunt for the perfect grill at the Backyard BBQ Store.

In defining the 'perfect grill', I decided to make a list of what features are most important to me.

*Efficiency

*Great flavor

*Versatile

*Appealing look

*Value

Obviously, some reasons were more important than others in making my decision.

I arrived at the store bearing a variety of goodies to test on the grills. Whole natural chicken, chicken breasts, N.Y. strip steak, bison burgers, fresh tuna steak, planked salmon, shrimp, sea scallops, pork chops, short ribs, and bbq baby back ribs. I came prepared!

Here are the grills that I tested, their price, and my opinion of each.

MHP Phoenix - $799  This is an interesting grill. It cooks with gas but has a trough in the middle that burns wood chips. I like the convenience of gas and the flavor the wood chips created.  I slow cooked beef short ribs on one side of grill for 3 hours and a chicken breast on the other side for 5 minutes.

36" DCS - $3,529 ($5,528 with cart)  Nice features with rotisserie and good grilling capacity. Has a small drawer that holds wood chips for flavor. I cooked planked salmon and a bison burger on this grill.

Kalamazoo 900 Hybrid - $12,995  This grill was built like a Cadillac. It cooked with gas, but had drawers that held wood or charcoal. I spit roasted a chicken with the rotisserie feature and it cooked the chicken nicely with a great mahogany color. I also tried pork chops and scallops over wood. This grill provides the best of both worlds. I knew I'd fall in love with this grill...

Large Green Egg - $939  Everyone talks about this one more than the others, and after trying it I can understand why. Compact and versatile, I slow smoked BBQ ribs, then added more charcoal and seared a N.Y. strip steak and grilled up another bison burger. Good results. The grill is made of ceramic, which is said to help seal in the juices.

Good One Open Range - $1,099  This grill has that rustic look that makes you feel like you're competing in a bbq rib contest! It is made with black steel and has two openings for cooking; one for slow cooking and roasting and the other for heat grilling and searing. I cooked with a combination of charcoal and wood chunks. Heat was controlled on both levels with various damper controls. I slow cooked a pork chop with great results. Everything else, a steak, bison burger, shrimp skewer, chicken breast, and tuna steak was seared over high heat with great results as well.

In conclusion, the Backyard BBQ Store has a number of grills that appeal to a wide range of people. I only tried some of their inventory. I enjoyed cooking on all of the grills that I did try as they were each unique and offered a variety. But I have to select one, and even though I really enjoy rotisserie cooking, I think the grill best suited for me is....Good One Open Range. Happy grilling!

From the wood-burning oven,