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Charcoal or gas?


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I am looking to buy a new grill for the fall and next summer, and would like some input. What do you prefer to cook with, charcoal or gas? Is one better than the other as far as durability goes?

We primarily cook pork and beef using various methods, and every so often try something different (vegetables, salmon in foil, etc). We typically prefer the basic, not all the bells and whistles kind of grill.

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Kinda depends on your style of cooking. If you frequently grill after work or on the spur of the moment, gas is hard to beat. Charcoal gives the best flavor, but the coals take a bit to get ready (20 minutes or so) and the clean up of the unit (ashes) is greater.

We've got a Weber gas grill and it is with out question the best one I've owned. Three years outside and never a problem. The cheaper ones we've owned in the past usually would last two seasons before a burner and grill/lava rock replacement and a repaint. I think the Weber burners have a lifetime guarantee. Never heard of anyone who has one say they didn't like it.

Charcoal will be harder to use as it cools off, if you're a colder weather user. However, you simply can't beat the charcoal flavor, if you've got the time and don't mind messing with it.

If you want to spend some bigger bucks, the Green Egg grills are out of this world in what they can do. Weber kettles are probably next in line in my opinion, they can smoke as well as grill and have a dedicated following as well. What generally kills the charcoal grills is leaving the ash in them. The ash gets wet and corrodes the bottom of the grill. The heat of the coals also takes a toll.

For us at this stage of our lives, the gas is better. May not be for you though - depends on your tolerance to the above issues. Not sure I've answered your question....

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And I quote.....

"Good Housekeeping" magazine did a blind taste test and found that people could not tell the difference between hamburgers or skinless chicken breasts cooked over gas or charcoal. However people could tell the difference with a steak. Their conclusion was that the longer you grill something the more the flavor of the fire gets into the food. The mechanism involved here is the smoke. Charcoal, even though it is just smoldering, produces smoke.

Have a huge need for some extra fancy flavor? You can always add a pan of pre-soaked woodchips. Most folks who extole the virtues of charcoal either have an interest (Weber, Kingsford), or are quoting the legend of how great charcoal really is. You cannot deny that charcoal can get you a fire that is way hotter than anything gas could provide (great for searing Tuna) but for the most part, if you can't get it done on a gas grill, you can't get it done.

Quick and clean.

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This weekend I tried a recipe that I had cooked only on a gas grill on my Weber and I found out that I did not care for it as much. It was a koren bbq beef and the charcoal put to much flavor and coverd the ginger, sesame taste that I love. Still I would not ever go with out gas or charcoal cause there is a time and place for both.

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I actually have three grills, one gas and two charcoal. I use the gas grill during the week because its quick, turn it on, 5 minutes later you're cooking, 20 minutes later you're eating. The two charcoal grills are kettle Webers with the round dome. I use the big one when I'm doing a lot or something big like a whole chicken or turkey or big roast, the medium Weber is used when the food will fit, I like it because it does a better job of saving the charcoal, when I'm done and close it up tight, it will choke down the fire to where I'll have charcoal left to use next time. When I start a charcoal fire, I use plenty of briquets, I've had too many experiences where you have 'too little fire', I can always deal with too hot fire by moving to the side or choking it down.

To answer your question, I will probably always have both a gas and a charcoal grill. I like doing whole birds - they come out moister and you're only turning one piece vrs seven - I have yet to see a gas grill that will handle a 14 pound turkey. Yet I like the gas grill for the convenience.

As far as the difference in taste, I don't see any, AS LONG AS YOU'RE CAREFUL TO MAKE SURE YOUR CHARCOAL BRIQUETS ARE GOING WELL, grey ash covered, and all lighter fluid burnt off!!! I like to give them at least 1/2 hour to start. Where people get into trouble is when they don't give it enough time, it may be a calm, humid day where the charcoal is slow to take off.

Do a search on charcoal, there was a discussion in May about grilling using wood, charcoal, or gas.

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I prefer charcoal, hands down. I don't know if it can be done with gas, but with our charcoal grill, we like to throw in hickory wood chips, apple tree sticks/branches, etc to give meats different, delicious flavors.

Another reason I like charcoal...takes about a six pack from the time you fire up the grill to the time when the steaks or chicken is done...well, maybe more than a six pack for a whole chicken. grin.gif

Charcoal grills are more maintenance in that you have to get rid of the ashes, but that takes all of 3-5 minutes and I do it when I take the trash out. No big deal.

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Quote:

We've got a Weber gas grill and it is with out question the best one I've owned. Three years outside and never a problem. The cheaper ones we've owned in the past usually would last two seasons before a burner and grill/lava rock replacement and a repaint. I think the Weber burners have a lifetime guarantee. Never heard of anyone who has one say they didn't like it.


I'll back you up on that one! My gas Weber is 10yrs old. Had to replace the flavour bars a few years ago.

But then my charcoal Weber is real old. I got it from my father in law and they used that grill when my wife was young. That's an easy 30 yrs.

You can buy smoke boxes for gas grills but they may end up adding flavour later on when you don't want it.

I say buy the gas for convenience then buy a charcoal later for that ham or turkey!

And then buy a nice smoker for everything else. smirk.gif

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********This is not a back-handed slam*********

Handy tip for the charcoal grill owners:

I used to bag the ashes in a paper sack, then go pick up the dog dump into the same bag. It totally eliminated the odor in my trash can. 100%.

That's the thing I miss most about my old charcoal grill. (still use coal on occasion).

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I used to have the cheap gas grills and 5 years ago I bought a Ducane. It is worth every penny and it made all the difference for my grilling, as far as adding smoke I use a smoker box that fits into any gas grill. I can also take woodchips and put it inside of aluminum foil pouches and poke a few holes in it. A above poster mentioned that you cannot cook large birds in them but I have cooked turkeys up to 20 lbs in mine and I had a foil drip pan under it.

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If you have a charcoal grill, I HIGHLY recommend one of those chimny starters. At first I thought they were gimmicks and stayed away.. But a couple weeks ago I picked up a weber chimny starter (it has a concave bottom, so I assumed it was better than non name brand) and WOW, was I impressed! 2 sheets of newspaper in bottom, fill top with charcoal, light the paper (notice, no Lighter fluid!). I swear, it took about five minutes before I noticed the top pieces had grey on them. Poured out charcoal and started grilling. My wife was even "It's ready already?".

Oh, and this type of debate (charcoal vrs gas) is right up there with Politics and Religion. IT's best to stay away from it. laugh.gif

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Quote:

I have yet to see a gas grill that will handle a 14 pound turkey. Yet I like the gas grill for the convenience.


it all depends on what you are buying. there are grill and bbqs. a slow cooking gas bbq with a good soaked smoking chips will give the same resulst in cooking as charcoal. i have both a gas grill and bbq on my porch. i use the grill for steaks and burgers but for everything else i use the bbq. and yes i do whole chickens, whole pork tenderloins, whole turkeys, whole hams and have even loaded it with over 12 pounds of ribs. i mean stacked it full. mmmm slow cooked ribs that will fall off of the bone when done. and turkeys so moist you will fight for the white meat.

a slow cooking grill such as the holland line use a convection type of heat movement that their design is known for. where as a grill needs a hotter heat source and some kind of heat retension stuff i.e. lava rock, porcelin pads, or something to hold the heat and sizzle the dripping grease. the holland only cooks at 400 degrees. and i do whole meals on mine. to include egg mcmuffins. ever do bacon on a grill mmmmm after you do this once you will never deal with the mess of doing it in the kitchen. no grease to deal with at all. cant do that on charcoal.

we used to sell grills at the shop sold both the holland and the frigadaire line. had excellant results cookin on both.

some grills boast that they can reach 12000btus or better but what are they worth if you can not regulate that heat. at todays meat prices will you throw a good sized porterhouse on a grill that will burn it on the outside and leave it cold in the middle. (i know a few who eat theirs this way.) keep all these things in mind and dont scrimp on cost i cannot believe the price range of grills these days. but you in most cases get what you pay for. my holland is 7 - 8 years old and i paid about 400 for it lifetime warranty 0n the cast iron burner. and for bbqing i would not trade it for anytthing. well except maybe the green egg. but those are a different story alltogether.

hope this helps. ... paul

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I can control my temperature instantly. Propane adds no flavor; good or bad. If one truly believes that there is a flavor imparted by the burning of something, you can always form a small boat out of foil and set in over the burner ( I do this from time to time).

Pretty sweeping statement about "Self respecting Bar-B-Qer". I've got more than a few years behind a grill under my belt. The coal burner sits right next to the gas. I've got plenty of Kingsford, but it's the gas grill that gets called pon time and time again.

Oh yeah: Rotisseries, indirect control, less clean-up, longer burn times for huge roasts........

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Ah the debate continues. I like both but lean towards the Weber charcoal grill. Have a Weber 22" charcoal grill that's going on it's 26th season. I like the fact I can use wood from my own yard (apple, cherry, plum, maple, etc.) to give larger things I cook flavor one is unlikey to get on most gas grills unless you want to spend some ching. If you've got it to spend, hey, more power to you. The taste from a gas grill will be as good as but usually not better than the Weber charcoal grill. Depends a lot on who's running the thing.

I also have a gas grill, a cheap one that works fine for quickies such as burgers, brats, weenies, etc. My last gas grill cost me $10 at a garage sale and recently bit the dust. This one was on sale, plus I had a $50 gift card. It's a timesaver for those nights when I'm in a hurry or it's hot out. Tastes better than cooking the stuff on the stove or in the oven, doesn't heat up the house.

We raise and eat a fair amount of lamb so aside from the lamb burger, that is reserved for the Weber. Shish kabob, marinated lamb chops, leg of lamb, wild game or Thanksgiving turkey on a gas grill??? Not here. Too much work? Relative to doing chores twice daily, cleaning barn, baling hay, straw, 5 hours spent mowing the lawn per week, and working fulltime off-farm at my business, it's a walk in the park. I find it relaxing, especially when I've got a cold malted barley beverage or fruit of the vine in hand. Maybe someday when I'm stuck in a wheelchair or sawed off at the hip I'll reconsider... wink.gif

Last LP cylinder I had filled came as a bit of a shock, almost $15. Rumor has it at the area retail outlets that charcoal grills have experienced a bit of a resurgence because of the LP price. Wouldn't mind picking up a little Smokey Joe Weber if they still make 'em. I use my Mom's when I head home and cook for her. It's small, quick and does lamb chops wonderfully. Someone borrowed my Hibachi 15 years ago and never brought it back! If you're out there reading this, cough it up! grin.gif

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Do not forget about the type and brand of charcoal...

I am not a big fan of Kingsford. I prefer lump coal, burns hotter and lasts longer. another good choice in my opinion is Royal oak.

Keep in mind that I mostly Barbeque (low heat, long period of time), not grill.

There may be some new products out there since the last year and a half and my opinion may be outdated, I have not smoked in as long just because I have lost the desire since I cannot taste or smell any longer. I would hate to pass out food that may have a terrible taste. Sure I could stick to recipes that have been true to me, but, I am not one to stick to the original. I am all about modifications.

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My experience between Kingsford and Royal Oak has been the opposite. Kingsford seems to last longer and burn hotter for me. To counter the extra heat I use less coal and just add as necessary when slow barbequing. I don't know if this matters much but I usually use indirect heating for this so my coal is divided on two sides of my grill.

Bob

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I have friends that do not like Royal Oak (they refer to it as Royal Joke) for the same reasons you have mentioned... Maybe the style of smoker? Some works better than others. It all comes down to what you prefer, just like marcum/vex, ford/chevy...etc. It is not that I do not use it. It is typically cheaper than the rest.

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make sure you're buying lump charcoal... not lump coal! You see it at quite a few places that carry bbq-ing equipment and accessories. You see it sold quite often in a bag marked 'Cowboy Charcoal'. Good stuff!

Good Luck!

Ken

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