OUTDOOR LIVING : Uptown Grills : Sophisticated Barbecues Expand the Range of Patio Cooking

The simple braziers that grilled our hamburgers and frankfurters back in the ‘50s and ‘60s haven’t exactly become obsolete, but they’ve certainly been overshadowed by current offerings. With adjustable heat for grilling, covers for smoking, auxiliary burners, griddles and woks, the new grills suggest that practically the entire kitchen has moved outdoors. It’s becoming as common to prepare breakfast in the back yard as it is an evening meal.

Until recently, the choice between cooking over charcoal or with gas was strictly personal. Charcoal grills were often favored because they cost less, are quite portable and because charcoal imparts a distinctive aroma and flavor to food. In fact, a spokesman for the Southern California Gas Co., representing the competition to charcoal grilling, acknowledges that there are many positive associations with the smell of briquettes. “Even the smell of starter fluid can make your mouth water,” he says.

Gas, on the other hand, is recognized as clean, quick and easy. Now, additional factors are emerging that may make gas grilling a more attractive option. In March, the South Coast Air Quality Management District approved a plan that could lead to a ban on the sale of grills or barbecues “that require starter fluid.” The plan also calls for starter fluid to be reformulated with fewer smog-producing ingredients and would restrict its use on summer’s smoggiest days. Each measure of the plan must be approved by the 12-member board after public hearings, which are now in progress. The rules regarding barbecues are set to be adopted in 1992.

A spokesman for the AQMD said the district recognizes that the wording of the plan is inaccurate--there really aren’t any barbecues that require starter fluid--and that will be modified before the plan comes before the board. The final measure is more likely to require charcoal users to ignite it with something other than starter fluid, such as an electric or chimney starter.

In addition to environmental concerns, economics may help push gas grills to the forefront. According to gas company calculations, cost per cookout for charcoal plus lighter fluid is $1.69, contrasted with 6 cents for natural gas and 19 cents for propane. Over three years, figuring two cookouts per week during a nine-month period, cost for charcoal was $394.52; natural gas, $13.27; propane, $44.08.

The bottom line? “I think gas is going to be the only way left to grill,” says Stuart McDonald, president of Barbeques Galore, a chain with eight outlets in Southern California. Though sales volume is still in charcoal, only a small portion of McDonald’s inventory is charcoal grills. “We’re very much geared for the gas consumer,” he says.

“The biggest development in the last couple years is gas units without volcanic (sometimes called lava) rock or pumice stone,” McDonald adds. Weber introduced one of the first units, which uses patented, porcelain-on-steel bars that vaporize juices.

Charmglow of Illinois has developed a grate with perforations that its makers claim will “help spread heat more evenly and vaporize meat juices quickly for more smoked barbecue flavor.” Minnesota-based Nordic’s answer is a four-piece design of porcelain-coated grill louvers that vaporize drippings and distribute heat. Pro-Chef, another industry leader, features a similar design.

McDonald says the jury is still out on whether these new designs are superior to gas-fired, volcanic-rock barbecues. He continues to use the latter in his own Australian Turbo Gas Grill because he believes that rock is still superior for generating the high heat necessary to sear meat quickly. He also cautions that non-rock units must have efficient grease catchers for drainage and to prevent flare-ups.

McDonald’s Turbo unit can be mounted on a portable cart or built into an outdoor entertainment center. It offers a choice of three to five burners, an optional griddle and an auxiliary burner that accommodates a wok. South Carolina-based Ducane offers a gas grill that combines the volcanic-rock system with louver cooking. It has two layers of offset, V-shape runners that vaporize juices at the bottom and a separate vertical burner across the back for rotisserie cooking using pumice briquettes.

Thanks to mild weather, Southern Californians can cook outdoors almost any time. Outdoor entertainment areas, enhanced by state-of-the-art grills, offer a versatile new way to extend living space. “When you say ‘barbecue,’ ” McDonald says, “you immediately think of casual, relaxed entertaining. Yet with sophisticated new grills, you can prepare almost anything and present it elegantly.”

Weber grill from Barbeques Galore.