Gas grill vs. Charcoal grill

[NightsinCalifornia]

I know what you all will say, "charcoal grills are the way to go", but I like gas grills sometime. The gas grills are usually portable, so you can move them wherever you want more easily, they are cleaner, and honestly taste good to me.

Charcoal grills are classics, and have great tasting food no doubt, but the gas grill is like luxury.

So advantages, disadvantades of gas vs charcoal ?

 

[Andy M.]

Gas: Quick, easy, predictable, clean.

Charcoal: Less expensive, best for smoking, more versatile.

Both can produce delicious grilled foods.

 

[bullseye]

First off, I don't think of gas grills as mostly portable. I have seen gas grills that needed a semi to move them. That said, I think they each have their places, and they overlap greatly. For me, I use the charcoal grill (Weber) for the red meat, and the gas grill for the other tasks, i.e. grilling veg. such as corn, squash, asparagus, etc.; I also tend to go gas for seafood. The two, together, do what I want for a crowd. I wouldn't want to have to be without either. On the other hand, it is perfectly possible to do nearly anything possible on one on the other with little compromise, and I do so when cooking for only a few.

 

[TATTRAT]

search button is our friend

Though both have distinct advantages, I prefer coal. Thee is something that links to my cromagnum manhood that is extremely gratifying about stoking the coals and grilling my kill...

gas, on the other hand, is always readily available...

And so begins the never ending debate

 

[candelbc]

This is minor, but one thing I like about Charcoal besides the flavor is always knowing where I stand on fuel. It seemed like the fuel gauges on the propane grills were never right. And it was ALWAYS when I was grilling for a crowd that I would run out of Propane.

With charcoal, I like being able to look in the bag(s) and know that I do or do not have enough for the next meal I am buying groceries for.

I use a Charcoal Chimney, so I don't mess around with Lighter Fluid or anything like that.. All in all, I looked at the fact that I had purchased 3 middle of the line Gas Grills for a 6 year period. I kept them covered out doors, and no matter how well it was taken care of, the burners would stop working, or there would be some physical problem causing the thing to just not work right. After the third gas grill started shooting flames out the bottom towards the tank, I decided to heck with it.. I bought a Charcoal Grill and love it for all the right reasons.

It's got the Offset Smoker box, twice the cooking space, and very few parts that will ever go "bad" or cause the grill to stop working..

All in all, for me.. It was about taste, then smoking (had a propane smoker too), then economics..

Hope this helps a little bit. I'm no pro, but I am extremely happy with what I have now..

-Brad

 

[Andy M.]

The gas gauge on my 7-year old gas grill still works. I keep an extra bottle of gas on hand just as some have an extra bag of charcoal.

 

[Sigma Man]

I have a propane grill and a propane smoker. Love them both. I have a propane bottle on each and a spare which I keep filled. I like the cleaner propane and being able to keep consistent heat without watching so close.

Just my feelings.

Sigma Man

 

[Hopz]

Living out west I find we enjoy the delightful aroma and subtle flavor of buffalo chips. Cheap, plentiful, fully organic....

OTOH I like gas as a backup. Spare bottle always available. Start/Stop on demand. Fully controllable as to heat volume. Flavor, to my well tuned tastebuds, is no different from the previously partially burned and chemically enhanced wood product.

You pays your money and takes your chances....

 

[laura_holmes]

I think taste plays an important factor when choosing a grill.

If you're going to be cooking steaks, then nothing beats a charcol grill, it gives you a more distinct smokey flavour

 

[Andy M.]

Regarding the Tast of Foods Coked on Grills

This thread needs a little controversy. So...

There has long been a conventional wisdom that states food cooked over charcoal has a better flavor than the same food cooked over a gas grill.

I have read (cannot remember where) that that great grilled flavor comes from the fat that drips off the meat and vaporizes. Also that this fat vaporization occurs the same with charcoal or gas.

In addition, some time ago, Goodweed also posted that he had tested this premise and found it to be true.

That being the case, why would the fuel make a difference? Because the fuel is charcoal, it burns without smoke, the same as gas.

 

[bullseye]

Well, Andy, just to fuel the fire a bit <g>, the charcoal grill will get hotter than most gas grills. It seems as though you should then get more fat drippings and fat smoke. Also, the higher heat makes it easier to get a good sear.

 

[Robo410]

charcoal here. 1) with a kettle grill one can save much charcoal and reuse if the cooking time is short. 2) one is supposed to preheat a gas grill, and leave it on a bit to burn clean. So neither is really better than the other as far as fuel efficient or cost.

I believe that charcoal gives better taste and overall results.