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Grilling and smoking...Gas or charcoal?

Specop 007

Specop 007

Diamond Member
What say you ATOT?

I'm in the market for a smoker. I have a charcoal grill which I enjoy, but its one thing to tend a fire for 15 to 20 minutes and another to tend a fire for 15 hours. BIG difference.

A gas smoker lets me "set it and forget it". A charcoal smoker means I have to keep an eye on it every half hour to hour.

Opinions? I put an "Other" option in case theres some bizarre gas/charcoal hybrid that allows me to use both.
 
Grilling with charcoal is best, but usually it's more convenient to use the propane grill so I just go with that.
 
How about all three?

As for charcoal smokers, my Weber Smokey Mountain will hold 225 for close to 12 hours with no intervention on my part. At the 12 hour mark the charcoal ring is out of fuel and you need to toss in a chimney worth of lit fuel to keep it going for another few hours to finish up those marathon pork butt smokes.
 
Gas smokers are worthless. Sure, you can grill with propane and it's alright, but smoking with it is IMO as sacrilegious as using the American flag as toilet paper on the 4th of July. But hey, I'm a charcoal/wood snob, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Gas smokers are worthless. Sure, you can grill with propane and it's alright, but smoking with it is IMO as sacrilegious as using the American flag as toilet paper on the 4th of July. But hey, I'm a charcoal/wood snob, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
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What do you use?
 
Originally posted by: Specop 007
Originally posted by: Vic
Gas smokers are worthless. Sure, you can grill with propane and it's alright, but smoking with it is IMO as sacrilegious as using the American flag as toilet paper on the 4th of July. But hey, I'm a charcoal/wood snob, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
Click to expand...

What do you use?
Click to expand...

Following vi edit's link above, I own this one. and love it.
Except you can get it a lot cheaper at Lowe's. But don't buy the similar one they sell at Home Depot, it's of thinner metal and doesn't have cast iron grates.
 
Originally posted by: Specop 007
Originally posted by: Vic
Gas smokers are worthless. Sure, you can grill with propane and it's alright, but smoking with it is IMO as sacrilegious as using the American flag as toilet paper on the 4th of July. But hey, I'm a charcoal/wood snob, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
Click to expand...

What do you use?
Click to expand...

I use one of THESE.

Very inexpensive and will do up to a 16lb turkey.

<------ Also a charcoal snob. Gas is for the kitchen only.

 
Originally posted by: Specop 007A charcoal smoker means I have to keep an eye on it every half hour to hour.
Click to expand...

only if you have a really crappy smoker.

and you can get a remote thermometer/alarm.
 
CHARCOAL. We have a gas grill but never use it since the heating is not even compared to a nice layer of charcoal, and charcoal just tastes so much better. Plus, getting the charcoal ready and starting up the grill using charcoal is part of the relaxing process of barbecuing.

EDIT: I was talking about a charcoal grill, not smoker.
 
Electric smoking is probably going to be better than propane or natural gas because it is dry heat. Propane/natural gas let off a lot more moisture when they burn, compared to natural charcoal or wood, as is my understanding. Electric smokers will just use a heating coil to smolder your wood chips, so it's basically a wood smoker with some added convenience.
 
Originally posted by: Vic
Originally posted by: Specop 007
Originally posted by: Vic
Gas smokers are worthless. Sure, you can grill with propane and it's alright, but smoking with it is IMO as sacrilegious as using the American flag as toilet paper on the 4th of July. But hey, I'm a charcoal/wood snob, that's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.
Click to expand...

What do you use?
Click to expand...

Following vi edit's link above, I own this one. and love it.
Except you can get it a lot cheaper at Lowe's. But don't buy the similar one they sell at Home Depot, it's of thinner metal and doesn't have cast iron grates.
Click to expand...

The Charbroil ripoff at HD is definately a pile of crap. Chargrillers are much nicer all around.
 
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