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I am a charcoal snob! Although I do have both, I almost never use the gas. I have 2 smokers (pit and waer smoker), Weber grill, and a gas grill.
No matter what I do the gas never produces food that is up to snuff.
Posts: 514 | Registered: May 2005
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For something like hamburgers (unless I'm going Angus beef, which I really don't for burgers) and hotdogs, I prefer gas simply for utility. For everything else, I find that charcoal is just a touch better.
And I feel manlier if I'm getting dirty while cooking outdoors. Argh argh! Posts: 17164 | Registered: Jun 2001
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You don't want to use standard charcoal for that, though. You gotta get the natural stuff. Too many petroleum products in the briquettes.
Posts: 4753 | Registered: May 2002
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Ya know, I use a chimney starter, with one crumbled sheet of newspaper underneath, no lighter fluid. It starts every time, and it's only about 20 minutes until the coals are ready. There's absolutely no hassle. So everybody who goes on about what a hassle charcoal is, I just don't get it. You must not have the right equipment for the job at hand. No innuendo intended.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I like gas, myself, because there is no clean up after it other than wiping the grill down,, and I don't have to wait 20 min to start cooking.
I do have a charcol grill/smoker though, and am looking forward to using it this summer. It was given to me by a freind and I have never even put it together yet....
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In those 20 minutes I can be done grilling two steaks on a gas grill, from start to finish.
Even if charcoal is better when compared to a good gas grill, the fact that I can use a gas grill every night if I want and actually save time and effort over using the stove gives it a huge advantage for me.
It's the smoke from the drippings that add flavor, unless you are actually smoking. And you can get some of that with wet wood chips on gas.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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BTW, not having to clean the charcoal grill leaves more time that can be applied to doing other things slowly.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Again, I don't see how cleaning takes so much time. I crumple up a piece of aluminum foil and rub it over the grill while it's still hot. Then it's clean. What's the big deal?
In the summer, if I'm cooking chunks of meat, I pretty much use my grill. I can't imagine using it more if it was gas. If I want pasta or something, no I don't use it, but I wouldn't use a gas one for that anyway. So your arguement, as far as I'm concerned, just doesn't work.
Posts: 7954 | Registered: Mar 2004
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I used to be a charcoal guy until my wife decided that charcoal was a carcinogen. I held the line for awhile but eventually she won (read, bought a gas grill for fathers day). I find that I do use the gas grill more than I used the charcoal but that could be a function of not hearing the wife complain about the remote possibility of cancer.
Posts: 2022 | Registered: Mar 2004
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ElJay, do the ashes just disappear for you? I definitely wouldn't use it as much. It effects not only my cooking choice, but my purchasing choice as well.
imogen, that includes letting the grill heat up, seasoning, and what-not.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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Never heard of using aluminum foil to clean the grate, I'll have to try that out tonight. I've been using Dawn PowerDissolve on mine (because I almost always forget to deal with it while the grease is fresh, and end up washing while the coals are getting ready the next time I grill)
I'm also a charcoal gal. I line the bottom of my grill (I have a Meco square) with a sheet of heavy-duty foil and put the coals on that. Then when everything is cool, I can just lift out the foil liner with the ashes still on it for disposal.
I've been hankering for a good mesquite smoke, though. My grandfather used to grill on mesquite, and I absolutely loved both the smell and the taste. But he passed away almost 20 years ago and I haven't had mesquite since. And I've been feeling very nostalgic for certain things in my childhood - family cookouts with Grandpa and hanging with my cousing John (who died 10 years ago in a car crash) both very high on the list... =(
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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This thread convinces me that few people have used a good gas grill, and fewer know how to use one right. Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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My name is Bob and I used to be a charcoal snob.
Hi Bob.
Yes, I admit it, I thought charcoal was better.
Then I realized that what really makes a barbecue great is the dripping of fat onto the heated substrate below. Gas grills, long maligned for not producing superior flavors, have really suffered from people not putting down a nice layer of heatable substrate.
I like lava rocks (the manufactured kind, not real lava rocks, for which Pele extracts a price too high for most of us to pay). (Trust me on this).
So...
Now the question is gas (real natural gas) or propane. So far, I have preferred natural gas because it burns hotter and I dont' have to deal with empty tanks. Just build the grill where you want it and hook up a natural gas line. Perfect.
Get yourself a layer of good "bricking" for even heat distribution and to do the magic with the dripping juices and away you go.
Now, the real secret is seasonings that will grill into the food and not burn or drop off too readily. I use a mix of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and curry. I spread it over the meat and then poke it in with a fork.
Next, and this is crucial, if you like a smoky flavor, the best thing is to get wood chips and remember to soak them in advance. A dry wood chip is a flash in the pan. But a well-hydrated wood chip will smoke your food to perfection. Put that stuff down right on top of the lava rocks, set your meat on the grill, and close the top over it all -- don't let that smoke escape.
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See, Bob knows. There are some very high end grills with stainless steel pans over the flames that work as well as lava rocks, but most of the models with them don't work that well. You're better off using the rocks unless you've got way too much money to blow on a grill.
Natural gas is preferred, but I haven't had a house yet where it's an option. One day...
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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My ex got the gas grill in our divorce-- which was fine, it's a huge fancy one, too big for my nice little back porch. The question was, do I buy a gas grill or just use our old Weber? My daughter instantly voted for the Weber, because she thinks things taste better with charcoal.
Last week finally, for the first time in my life, started a charcoal fire and cooked burgers on it. They were mighty tasty. And the chimney starter worked great. But I have to admit I miss the quickness and ease of gas. Though I wouldn't want to deal with the tanks...
Posts: 239 | Registered: May 2004
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Dag, I haven't used one of those weird stainless steel dripping pans, but I have to say I'm pretty leary of them. Eventually, they'll rot out and have to be replaced. I can see replacing lava rocks periodically, but having to buy a new drip pan for a 10 year old grill is sounding like a huge problem.
The gas burners are a problem sometimes too. Need to buy a grill that has easy-to-replace units in there.
I have done some "rigging" of these things in my past. It works "okay" but not really acceptable from a purist's point of view.
Ah well. I don't like charcoal any more because it has far less control of the heat and you need to babysit the thing for too long after you've finished cooking.
Since it really has no flavor advantage if you are using the lava rocks in a gas grill, charcoal is just a messy pain that takes longer and achieves uneven results.
Consistency in the heating is important if one is wanting to experiment with the other parameters (such as wood chips, seasonings, etc.) and truly be able to judge the results fairly.
I also like having more than one "zone" so I can cook more than one type of meat at a time. I usually achieve this by having "hot spots" where the burner is kind of rotted out and has larger holes, but a grill actually designed to do this would be better.
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Like I said, only the very very pricy ones work (OK, I've seen one that works. But it was very very pricy. )
Even if I do ever splurge, it won't be on one those.
True stainless steel shouldn't rot, but a lot of what's sold as stainless steel isn't really - the outer case is, but not the parts. That's because using sheet stainless doesn't up the price by much more than the cost of materials, but making other parts requires more expensive tooling.
Eve knows that if we go to a place that sells grills, she needs to budget 5 minutes for me to look a them enviously.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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I'm into smoking/curing foods. I can't do that well on charcoal (not enough temperature control). And, as Dag and Bob have said, if you have a -good- gas grill life is good.
Gas indoors as well. Electric is the devil.
Posts: 944 | Registered: Jun 2001
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I find my meat, chicken and fish just don't taste the same without the tar-filled smoke, remaining pretroleum fumes and the other assorted carcinogens.
Chances of gas grill in my future: Very to extremely low.
(checks calendar to see if it's time for colon cancer check.)
Posts: 4344 | Registered: Mar 2003
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Wow! I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one who thinks about this.
I agree that charcoal takes a bit longer, but it's worth the wait. I'm a 12 month griller/smoker (rain/shine or snow!) and I simply plan for the wait.
I never use lighter fluid or that nasty match-light because it leaves a taste. I use a chimney starter with Weber fire cubes (no paper) These cubes look like little wax ice cubes that are placed at the bottom of the starter. I use one for hardwood charcoal and 2 for Kingsford briquettes. They represent the fastest and cleanest way to start up the coals.
Someone above said that the taste is in the sauce...I disagree. the taste is in the rub, the sauce is an accent or in too many cases the sauce covers up the meat (or mistakes). Don't get me wrong, I love St.Louis style wet ribs, but the best sauce in the world won't fix a rib with a bad rub!
Posts: 514 | Registered: May 2005
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quote:Originally posted by fugu13: Ashes from a charcoal grill are great for gardens.
I do know that, actually, when I still lived at my parents home we always fertilized the flowers. But I don't have the ability to plant anything here, so into the trash the ashes go.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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quote:Now, the real secret is seasonings that will grill into the food and not burn or drop off too readily. I use a mix of sea salt, pepper, garlic powder and curry. I spread it over the meat and then poke it in with a fork.
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Rubs don't do no good if you don't treat the meat right. Which usually means smoking it for a day or so. Sooooooo good. *drool*
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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How do you smoke the meat for a day or so? Can you do that with a regular smoker thing? I'd be afraid to leave something smoldering while I was away at work or something...
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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It usually requires a rig pulled behind a pickup truck, but Alton Brown was able to make a small one out of terra cotta pots for about 40 bucks.
You could maybe do it over a weekend. Since coming home from Utah I've had a newfound love and respect for good southern barbecue, hoping to bring its goodness to the ignorant folks in the west.
Posts: 4089 | Registered: Apr 2003
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quote: You don't want to use standard charcoal for that, though. You gotta get the natural stuff. Too many petroleum products in the briquettes.
Very True. The best I've found is Natural Lump Charcoal.
quote: Like I said, only the very very pricy ones work (OK, I've seen one that works. But it was very very pricy. )
You don't need to spend tons of money on a grill to get a good one with REAL Stainless Steel diffusers. Weber grills work well, and as you go up in price and brand the quality of grill and cooking ability also increases. The problem with lava rock and ceramic briquettes is that they collect more grease than they diffuse. Now, most people don't take the time to replace the lava rock / briquettes every year and the greases in the rock will deteriarate (sp?) the inside of an alluminum grill or a low quality stainless steel.
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Sopwith, I was going to say that some of the Southern pulled pork makers I know would scoff at gas or charcoal.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Barbecuing is not grilling. Very different things. Grilling = high heat, quick cooking. Barbecue = low heat, slow cooking.
Posts: 26071 | Registered: Oct 2003
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