“Grill”, both as a verb and as a noun, relates to cooking food over a metal structure placed over a fire, while “grille” is simply a metal structure of bars built around or across something to ensure its protection.

Electric or gas are your best budget options for long-term use and entry level pricing. And they're the most hassle-free with the least amount of cleanup. For flavor, charcoal and pellet grills are generally accepted as the better options, but they will require more maintenance and higher running costs.

In the United States, the use of the word grill refers to cooking food directly over a source of dry heat, typically with the food sitting on a metal grate that leaves "grill marks." Grilling is usually done outdoors on charcoal grills or gas grills; a recent trend is the concept of infrared grilling.

In short, grilling means to cook over a fire, hot and fast. Barbecuing refers to cooking over a low flame and much slower, and smoking means to also cook low and slow, whilst also using the smoke produced by the barbecue to cook the food.