poll: gas or coal

[shimsham]

this coming summer will be the 2nd in our home. i need to buy a grill. just curious as to what you all prefer. i like coal. i prefer the taste, and its just another excuse to fool around and drink some :beer:.

can anyone personally recommend a nice coal grill? having only rented before we bought this place, i always bought the small, cheap,"disposable" grills. each time we would move, i would just leave it instead of wasting space moving it. i havent really looked around, from what i have seen, most nice grills are gas. the coal models are just basic, and id like a nice one. any suggestions?

:beer:

 

[iamme]

if you get charcoal, definitely get one of these: Charcoal starter

these ROCK. no more stinky lighter fluid. charcoal comes out blazing hot and evenly heated. heats up very fast too.

 

[TitanDiddly]

I like gas. Quicker. Some say you get better flavor with charcoal, but I don't care. I just brush on the BBQ sauce. If you really want to go charcoal, go all out and make one with a welder, a 55 gallon drum, and some perf sheet.

 

[shimsham]

Originally posted by: PhasmatisNox
I like gas. Quicker. Some say you get better flavor with charcoal, but I don't care. I just brush on the BBQ sauce. If you really want to go charcoal, go all out and make one with a welder, a 55 gallon drum, and some perf sheet.

ive thought about trying to get a keg, and make one from that. my neighbor had one when i was a kid. im not sure if it was a true keg, or just a grill made to look like one tho.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I have both, I like my charcoal grill, but its a lot more work to maintain and use, every now and again, thats fine, but I don't want to use it every day.

I like gas as its much more convienient, also my gas grill cooks stuff much more evenly. It also gives me direct instant control over the temp by increasing/decreasing the burners intensity or turning off certain burners. My gas grill is bigger, so I can fit more on there if Im having a big BBQ or something. I bought a Kenmore grill from sears a couple weeks ago for about $300, I have used it almost every day since, its just as convienient as cooking on the gas range in the house, except the food always tastes better on the grill. Also, with gas, you can usually sear teh meat better, since its an open flame.


If you want a charcoal grill, Weber is probably the best brand. For gas, they were a little bit out of my price range, so I went with Kenmore, and I am extrememly happy with it.

 

[Thegonagle]

I like coal. Coal gives me the perfect excuse to be a pyro with the lighter fluid and all, not to mention, the flavor I prefer. The thing that sucks is that the coals go down after 45 minutes to an hour, so you need to pause for a little while if you're having a big barbeque party.

With that said, I?d still rather cook with coal no matter what the occasion. For the grill, I say go for the classic: The Weber kettle. It's surprisingly pricey, but it gives great results and it'll last damn near forever.

 

[Ikonomi]

I'm sort of a purist in that I grew up with charcoal, and it embodies, to me, the spirit of barbequing. However, we've got a gas grill, and it works like a charm. The flavor is never quite the same, but it starts fast, and cooks well. The only problem is... With gas I feel like I'm grilling, not BBQing.

 

[Colt45]

hardwood

 

[Stifko]

IMHO if you cook on a gas grill, you might as well cook in the kitchen.
As far a getting a good charcoal grill, get a cheapie and use it for a Sumer or two.
In Texas they make grills out of 50 gallon drums by cutting them down the middle.