charcoal shmarcoal

[e9999]

tastes better with charcoal? Maybe, maybe not...

But what I can tell you is this: I can get the gas grill ready in 30 seconds of cleaning and oiling. Come back 15 minutes later and it's ready to go. Compare that to charcoal lighting in a chimney or with fluid, wash hands for 5 mins, cough dust for 10, wait 45 minutes for heat (and resupply coal every 30 mins), and afterward deal with ashes ...

Bottom line is I could not handle charcoal more than once a week.

With gas I can grill -and I do- almost every day. With NG it's almost free and never have to deal with refills...

Have at it...

 

[snobdds]

I thought that was obvious...maybe not.

 

[spressomon]

Both is best. Different tools...for different purposes. But not a fan of "charcoal"...but charred "lump" hardwood. With the right tools lump hardwood is easy and quick to get going.

Now I just need to figure out how to build me one of those Komado Kamados...or find the money tree

 

[rusty_tlc]

If you are talking about the compressed cubes of almond shells and paraffin, yeah they suck.

Real charcoal from real wood has the advantage over gas of getting screaming hot. And it really does change the flavor of meat.

However like you I cook about 30 - 40 % of the our meals, year round, on my gas grill. It is just more convenient.

 

[JohnVee]

I only cook for two and find the Weber Smoky Jr moves pretty quickly since you don't need as much fuel. Less fuel in the big chimney lights faster and you can throw some unlit coals in the grill first that will catch as the food cooks (I'm assuming nobody uses Matchlight food-tainter, I mean charcoal). It takes a while to get used to a smaller cook surface but it's very doable.

I won't argue against the convenience of gas and I do plan on adding one to the fleet before long simply for that reason. Hank Hill had some good quotes about propane vs charcoal...

--john

 

[e9999]

oh, and yes, charcoal is likely the most egregious cause of deforestation, desertification, and therefore wildlife suppression in many 3rd world countries... Deforested the Mediterranean area and England way back when too... eeevil....

I did sell my next to last (I think) charcoal grill not that long ago... Still have the famous swoon-inducing Lodge cast iron Hibachi someplace... Never used it. May try it.


Have to go get a brew (first one of the day if you're wondering... ). Need a rest after I finally brought the bubbles count under my phone screen protector down to (only) double digits... sigh....


Tech content: how hot can you get with Charcoal that it's an advantage? On some of my Weber gas grills I can get easily to 600 if not 650+ F. Pegging the lid side gauge. Too hot to stand in front of the thing (and for food too apparently...)

 

[spressomon]

without forced induction you can hit 750* without too much effort...if using hardwood coals or pure coal. The more I read about the Kamado style grill/ovens the more I want one...I'd still need a propane/NG grill too...but my curiosity is peaked!

 

[e9999]

without forced induction you can hit 750* without too much effort...if using hardwood coals or pure coal. The more I read about the Kamado style grill/ovens the more I want one...I'd still need a propane/NG grill too...but my curiosity is peaked!

750, where exactly? and how long before it's gone and back down to 300... ?


oh, and get the damn thing already.... enough talking about it...

 

[sggoat]

You cannot cook a decent Boston Butt or Brisket on ANY gas grill, period. They are all too hot. (unless someone has seen one that you can hold 190-220 degs for 8 hours at a constant temp) The wood burning pit/smoker is the only way.-I do have a propane grill for the quicky meals-steaks/chicken/burgers/dogs, etc.

 

[e9999]

You cannot cook a decent Boston Butt or Brisket on ANY gas grill, period. They are all too hot. (unless someone has seen one that you can hold 190-220 degs for 8 hours at a constant temp) The wood burning pit/smoker is the only way.-I do have a propane grill for the quicky meals-steaks/chicken/burgers/dogs, etc.

Have you tried indirect cooking with only one burner on low?

 

[spressomon]

I agree with sggoat...its all but impossible to get a quality end result on most typical gas BBQs for low, slow and long cooking methods. Typically the burners are left/middle/right arrangement and just not up to the task for this type of cooking. Coupled with typical non-insulated lids you end up with either a side or bottom hot spot that doesn't cook evenly for this type of cooking. Or too much applied heat.

Again...for serious outdoor cooks that cook in a wide variety of styles...both NG/propane and wood appliances offer the best of all worlds. Seldom do 'all in one' type products provide best in class for all purposes...my experience has shown you need to be cognizant of the compromises in 'all in one' type devices/systems.

Just my 2 cents and maybe all its worth.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I notice that it is almost impossible to find gas grills with cast aluminum bodies anymore. They would hold temp much better than the stamped steel POS grills you find at home stores now days. I held on to my old Charbroil aluminum grill when we got the new steel one and I'm glad I did. The new one was falling apart so I took it to work to do our weekly summer lunches on and pulled the old grill out of retirement. I'll probably have to replace the crappy plastic side extensions with sheet metal and give it a fresh coat of paint to keep happy but I don't think I'll ever give it up.

 

[e9999]

the new Webers don't have the cast body any more?
my old ones all do (both bottom and lid sides). They sure are sturdy and, yes, much thermal mass.

 

[Trunk Monkey]

Come back 15 minutes later

15 minutes? My grill takes like 5 to get up to cooking temp.

 

[e9999]

15 minutes? My grill takes like 5 to get up to cooking temp.

You da Man!

 

[sggoat]

I've tried the 'indirect' method on the gas grill with limited success-still too hot for me. I have to keep moving the stuff around to get even cooking. Some success with doing St. Louis Style ribs in a sealed foil pan, but still need to either move it or keep changing burner arrangements.--not so with the wood smoker.
I had an old cast aluminum grill I got from a friend who worked for char-broil(it was a "cast off" (ha)) work fairly well, but was a charcoal type. I think it went by the wayside during the "bad metal" days years ago, but it did hold heat better than a lot of the junk on the market today, as rusty_tlc says.

 

[sggoat]

For those of you who have a wood burning pit--try these---

 

[Diskord]

Have both. Gas grill for some things, small things. A gas grill can't get hot enough for things like a good steak, nor maintain a low enough (even) temp for anything that requires "low and slow" I also have a Santa Maria (3'x4') grill which I use the most. I use wood, or natural mesquite charcoal, preferably though kingsford does go in there as well. Just the raw stuff no match-light BS. Ribs are no.problem, nor halfed chickens, just monitor the temp. Brisket isn't possible though on the Santa Maria, damn I do miss my smoker though, need to make a new one.

 

[NorCalDoug]

I agree with spressomon...different tools for different purposes.

I love my weber gas grill, but there are times then my kettle does a much better job, and other times when my smokey mountain cooker kicks ass over the gas and kettle.

 

[rusty_tlc]

I agree with spressomon...different tools for different purposes.

I love my weber gas grill, but there are times then my kettle does a much better job, and other times when my smokey mountain cooker kicks ass over the gas and kettle.

I think most of us agree on that.

But, if you could only keep one which would you choose?

Myself it would be the gas grill hands down. It may not excel at everything but it can do a fair job on most stuff. I can even throw my griddle on it and do pancakes, tough to get the temp control out of charcoal to do that.