gas or charcoal grill?

[TheSlamma]

I have both

Hand built charcoal smoker/grill for outdoor, grill top for our NG Jen-air range for indoor.

and yes my indoor grill top tastes exactly the same as any propane grill outside does cause by the time it's done that's all a gas grill is.

 

[MongGrel]

On a side note, I'm seeing why people are hyped up about this stuff a bit for awhile now, had never tried it.

Good medium powered tasty slow burn sauce.

Getting another bottle for the price and taking one to work, it's pretty good for some things.

 

[Hayabusa Rider]

I have seen people use those propane torch's to light the charcoal. its good in like 5 minutes.

When I used charcoal I put paper towels into a chimney starter and poured cooking oil over them. Put natural charcoal on top them lit the paper. That was the fastest way I tried, tied with a high output electric heat gun. Propane torch came in third.

 

[BUTCH1]

Either propane or charcoal could do the job properly. The advantage of charcoal is that the grills are more portable than a gas grill of similar surface area. The fuel is easier to carry around as well. It reaches a higher temperature using lump charcoal. It is however messy and requires getting rid of ashes, requires more tending, and requires more effort for consistent results.

Propane would have the opposite properties. As for me I've used both and was a long time hold out for gas, but time is often an issue for me and not having to fuss means I grill more with what I have now. My particular grill can reach 650F which is as much as I need.

What I've learned is that charcoal does not produce a better flavor than propane. The difference is in the design and use of the grills.

Charcoal is inherently "smoky" but all smoke isn't equal. Any which is given off before food is laid on the grill grates is from incomplete combustion and as tasty as car exhaust. Once the coals are glowing hot however the juices dripping from the food produce smoke which is what people are really after. Years ago most gas grills didn't have a design that takes advantage of this and were virtually "smokeless" and that did leave them at a disadvantage. Nowadays there are "flavorizer bars" or some such terminologies, but they are simply burner shields or something similar which is heated by flame for the juices to fall and that produces the same smoke that charcoal does.

The end result is that properly constructed and used both provide good taste. It's the person who's doing the cooking which ultimately determines quality.

Excellent post, this is exactly what the "flavorizer bars" do and as you mentioned, if your using charcoal before it's ready you may wind up tasting residues you don't want. I would still give a "very" slight nod to wood in general grilling but not anywhere enough to go through the added expense and hassle of ash disposal. If you slow smoking ribs or brisket's then a wood smoker is a must though..

 

[DrPizza]

Good steaks: cast iron (porterhouse, ribeye, t-bone)
burgers, hot dogs - not worth the time & bother of a charcoal grill
bbq chicken, etc. - things that take an hour or longer to cook: charcoal.

 

[MongGrel]

LOX for the win but it's a one time things he he.

 

[V00DOO]

After reading this thread last week, I decided it is time to replace my rusty Kenmore gas grill. I didn't want to spend $400 so I looked through Craigslist and found a nicely used weber Q320 gas grill for $50. I scrubbed it down and it came out really nice. I then fired it up and this thing heats up really fast with dual burners. I ordered new grates from amazon and can't wait to begin BBQ this summer.

 

[Kaido]

After reading this thread last week, I decided it is time to replace my rusty Kenmore gas grill. I didn't want to spend $400 so I looked through Craigslist and found a nicely used weber Q320 gas grill for $50. I scrubbed it down and it came out really nice. I then fired it up and this thing heats up really fast with dual burners. I ordered new grates from amazon and can't wait to begin BBQ this summer.

http://www.instructables.com/id/Propane-Bottle-Lego-Head/step3/Reinstall-the-Gas-Bottle/

:awe:

 

[Linflas]

I'm on my 3rd season with a Weber Genesis E330 gas grill and I love it. I replaced a Kenmore chinese built piece of garbage that rusted to nothing in 3-4 years time. The build quality difference is like night and day.