Gas or Charcoal?

[elessar78]

I was walking through Lowe's last night and walked past a sale of grills. What kind of outdoor grill folks here prefer. Do you own a propane grill? Or do you stay classic and use charcoal?

Charcoal definitely less glamourous, takes a longer time to heat up, and you can't control the heat. But costs much less to operate.

Propane/gas grills are "instantly" hot, come in nice designs, can adjust heat but it's more of an initial investment and a higher cost of ownership.

[disneysteve]

I'm a propane guy myself. I want to be able to light up and cook on a moment's notice. I don't want to have to plan things in advance, keep charcoal and lighter fluid on hand, and deal with the mess afterward.

Of course, these days we hardly ever barbecue because we don't really use much meat at all and it is too much trouble to use the barbecue just to cook veggies. We're happy doing it inside on the grill pan.

[Ima saver]

We have always used charcoal. It makes the food taste better. I guess if I wanted to cook with gas I would cook inside the house.

[GrimJack]

I wonder the same thing - I have a charcoal bbq but I am so stingy that I think it is waste when the food is done but the coals are still hot. I like the idea of the control with gas and gas is really cheap to run. Some of the charcoal grills have hinged sides so you can add more charcoal w/o having to lift the whole grill.

I don't know, I will probably stick with the tiny Weber I have (and grit my teeth about the 'wasted' heat).

[elessar78]

Grim, I was reading your review and a thought crossed my mind. What if they had an outdoor, electric George Foreman grill. Guess what? They do!

Amazon.com: George Foreman GGR50B Indoor/Outdoor Grill: Kitchen & Dining

Probably the best of both worlds. Gotta love capitalism. ha ha.

[buildmybudget]

Don't forget that you don't have to use charcoal to cook in a charcoal grill. You can also use different types of wood that can add greatly to the taste of whatever you're grilling. Like Steve, however, we've cut meat out of 99% of our diet. Too much stuff going into the animals that doesn't belong!

[GrimJack]

Yeah, there are places that sell fruit wood garnered from pruning in California's orchards, kiln dried and shipped. I keep thinking I should seek that stuff out. I do use 'real' charcoal made from specific woods but do like the uniformity of the briquettes.

[GREENBACK]

This has come up before. I stated, at that time, that I use both. I use gas for things that cook quick like steaks or seafood but use charcoal for ribs or larger pieces of meat. You definitely get a smokier tasting meat if it sits on a charcoal grill for an extended time. Gas is convienient and fast and with thin cuts it doesn't matter to much because it's not on the grill long enough for charcoal or wood to impart much extra flavor. Try grilling a halved chicken on a charcoal grill over indirect heat for an hour or so and you'll see the difference it makes.

[Eric80]

This has come up before. I stated, at that time, that I use both. I use gas for things that cook quick like steaks or seafood but use charcoal for ribs or larger pieces of meat. You definitely get a smokier tasting meat if it sits on a charcoal grill for an extended time. Gas is convienient and fast and with thin cuts it doesn't matter to much because it's not on the grill long enough for charcoal or wood to impart much extra flavor. Try grilling a halved chicken on a charcoal grill over indirect heat for an hour or so and you'll see the difference it makes.

you do notice the difference between gas and charcoal and its great having ribs on a charcoal, yummy.
i get scared whe4n cooking chicken as i am scared its not 100% cooked but then nearly burn it to a crisp.

rememebr if its brown is cooked, if its black its f*$%ed

[CalireEHughes]

Nowadays, natural gas is the better alternative. If you live in a relatively new development, then you probably already have the proper hookups. Also, it’s cheaper and more efficient to use natural gas as a cooking fuel. Plus, don’t you always seem to run out of propane/charcoal and the wrong time?

[GrimJack]

you do notice the difference between gas and charcoal and its great having ribs on a charcoal, yummy.
i get scared whe4n cooking chicken as i am scared its not 100% cooked but then nearly burn it to a crisp.

rememebr if its brown is cooked, if its black its f*$%ed

One suggestion is to nuke the chicken first then pop it onto the barbie and finish it using indirect heat (coals around the edge and a drip pan in the middle). Get an instant-read thermometer.

[snafu]

DH loves to grill and I'm happy to support his culinary efforts. We've had a propane BBQ for several years - so much cleaner, easier & faster than a charcoal Weber. He recently bought an electric 'Smoker' which requires my involvement to brine and spice however, DH has taken this so seriously, he does the shopping to get exactly the product and size he believes to be ideal.

[cicy33]

Charcoal all the way. as said above, if I was going to use gas I would cook on the stove inside.

[elessar78]

Any of you see that reality show BBQ Pitmasters? They followed these group of people as they toured the country competing in various BBQ festivals. The food looked so amazing. Couldn't believe the amount of time they took to slow cook/roast some of that food.

[talltom]

Another vote for the flavor and aroma of charcoal.

Talltom