“The best gas grill in the world,” and “it does everything better.” Bold statements drafted by a Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet™ catalog writer? Actually, they are words based on independent tests of the triple-fuel Hybrid Fire Grill by some of the grilling industry’s most respected experts.

Versatility and cooking power are the hallmarks of the Kalamazoo Hybrid Fire Grill™, the only collection of grills that gives outdoor cooks the freedom to combine wood, charcoal and gas fires for the ultimate in heat, flavor and convenience.

The key to grilling-fuel freedom is the Hybrid Grilling Drawer™. Located below the cooking surfaces and above the grill’s Dragon Burners™, the drawer can be loaded with splits or chunks of wood or any kind of charcoal, and its perforations easily discard ash.

A real wood fire creates flavors unattainable with a standard gas grill, and the intense, dry heat of charcoal is the grill master’s key to a perfect steak. The Dragon Burners (25,000 BTUs each) start the cooking fire and can be left on for a boost of heat as the charcoal or wood burns down. “The advantage of cooking with charcoal is that charcoal fire is a very dry heat, which creates the perfect heat for steak,” says Russ Faulk, vice president of Dand grill master for Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. “A dry heat also is preferable for building up the crust on steaks or burgers.”

If a gas fire is called for, leave the Hybrid Grilling Drawer empty. The H-shaped Dragon Burners sit farther below the grill grates than other grills, delivering a dramatically more even heat, virtually eliminating flare-ups and preventing cold spots. The burners cook at a low-and-slow 250° F or crank up to a searing 750° F. When using charcoal or wood, the grill’s temperatures extends from 150° F all the way up to 1,200° F – that’s grill-gloves-to-the-elbow heat.

All that heat travels through the Hybrid Grill’s three-foot-tall cooking chamber in a convection-like current that bathes foods in even heat, making the grill excel at indirectly cooking turkeys, roasts, briskets and more. Even steaks and burgers benefit from indirect cooking.

“The hybrid concept was first introduced by Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet in the late 1990s,” says Faulk. “This is the third generation of hybrid grills from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. One of the improvements with this third generation is the aesthetic improvements.

“As an example of the hybrid technology, the hybrid grill allows apple or cherry tree limbs to cook with gas burners working in conjunction with wood,” continues Faulk. “The combination of the convenience of gas with the flavor of wood and the intense heat of charcoal makes the hybrid the best gas grill you can buy.”

The Kalamazoo, Michigan-made Hybrid Fire Grills feature a sleek exterior inspired by minimalist architecture. They come in three sizes and nine models, include built-in and freestanding options and range in price from $10,495 to $21,195:

• K500: two burners, 506 square inches of primary cooking surface, 50,000 main burner BTUs

• K750: three burners, 726 square inches of primary cooking surface, 75,000 main burner  BTUs

• K1000: four burners, 1,012 square inches of primary cooking surface, 100,000 main burner BTUs

“Our Hybrid Fire Grills are all about cooking performance,” said Russ Faulk, vice president of design and grill master for Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet. “Nowhere else can you combine the convenience of a gas grill with the superior heat characteristics of a charcoal grill and the flavor of a wood grill or smoker.”

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