Whats Better?

[firebirdcrazy]

I closed on my new house a couple of weeks ago. I dont know which kind of grill to buy. Whats better Charcoal grill or Gas Grill? What are the pros and cons of either, and Which one you think has the better taste?

[WildBillyT]

Charcoal:
Pros- More flavor. Can cook with direct heat. Cheaper, sometimes significantly. More portable.
Cons- Have to buy charcoal and lighter fluid. Have to wait for coals to turn. More cleanup.

Gas:
Pros: Ready to cook faster, flame is turn on/turn off, less cleanup.
Cons: Not as flavorful, you have to buy propane, more expensive.


In my opinion there is no real "better". One is tastier but more of a pain in the ass, another has slightly less flavor but you can do it all the time.

Regarding the flavor issue, that is really nit-picking as well. If you are a good cook you can make an awesome meal on either grill.

I grill all the time so a gas grill was a no-brainer.

[79T/A]

If you plan on using it a lot, like daily, you might want to consider propane. I bought the cheapest, low-end Charbroil grill I could find at Home Depot and I think I spent about $130 at the time. Propane is easy to get (Many gas stations and hardware stores, even big stores like Walmart, all carry it), and once you buy the cylinder, you can trade it in when it runs dry (Costs a bit of cash, but not nearly enough as the initial purchase price of the cylinder). The cylinders last quite awhile; I just drained one that I bought in July of last year. It survived a major, all-day barbecue and dozens of uses throughout that summer.

As stated above, the flavor a charcoal grill produces is noticably different than propane. But with as much as I use my grill, charcoal just isn't practical anymore. I cook on my grill almost daily now, and if I had to pile on the charcoal and wait for it to ignite (Which in and of itself is a chore unless you're using Matchlight from Kingsford), it would eat a lot of time.

It really depends on what kind of food afficionado you are. The better the gas grill, and the more features it has, the more it costs. I keep a little portable charcoal grill for camping and go propane at home.

And congrats on the house! Having bought a house not even two years ago, I know you need to save the cash wherever you can! :mrgreen:

[Untamed]

I have a Weber Silver... something, gas grill. The ease of use was the biggest factor in the purchase. While I agree the charcoal grill makes tastier food, adding spices, sauces, rubs, etc. to the food also makes it taste well so shutting the grill off and walking away after the food is cooked was the best feature.

[maroman88]

natural gas grill FTW, no tank to refill teehee

[Tru2Chevy]

natural gas grill FTW, no tank to refill teehee

Yea, my parents just switched their propane grill to natural gas.

I have propane at the house I just closed on two weeks ago :)

I also have a small charcoal grill that I use once in a while if I want that flavor and have the time to get it going. I think I paid $20-$25 for it at Target or Walmart.

- Justin

[bubba428]

gas FTL.....charcoal is the way to go, i takes a few more minutes to set up/clean up but its so worth it

[WildBillyT]

gas FTL.....charcoal is the way to go, i takes a few more minutes to set up/clean up but its so worth it

For a weekend BBQ I'd agree with you but for weekly or even daily use it's a royal PITA.

[bubba428]

For a weekend BBQ I'd agree with you but for weekly or even daily use it's a royal PITA.

not really...I used to charcoal a steak 3 times a week, its really not that bad. Or maybe I just got used to doing it

[firebirdcrazy]

Hmmm maybe I should have polled it to make it easier lol. Between here and my friends its seems like charcoal is the preference.

[79CamaroDiva]

Charcoal is a little messier, and you need to make sure the lighter fluid is gone so you dont get that lighter fluid taste. I like both, but just bought a charcoal grill because it was cheaper, and thats important to me right now.

[madness410]

are you talking about like...the front grill on your car?

[sweetbmxrider]

i'd go propane.

[unstable bob gable]

"Clean burnin' propane is the way to go!"

http://www.damascusroadchurch.org/mediafiles/hank-hill.jpg

[foff667]

Post #2 summed it up http://www.njfboa.org/forums//showpost.php?p=448073&postcount=2

with that said I've had propane for 10 years now & prefer it over charcoal because of its ease of use.

[Slow 88]

Propane, just turn the knobs and hit the ignitor and BAMM!!! You are ready to go......Charcoal does have agood taste but like somebody else said, rubs, spices and marinades make up for that...Also, the time you are setting up and cleaning up you could have sucked down a 6 pack while sitting on your bum....

[fallenleader]

I prefer the extra work, usually use charcoal but am going to move to the good stuff, the little log type of charcoal, not the briquetts?

I think cooking is a labor of love, the more work you put in, the finer the results. Soak my ribs for 2 days, turning them in the marinade twice a day, then boil in the marinade for around 2hrs? hard to tell, go by the feel, as to how long.

Then I brown them on the grill or w/e I am cooking on. Corn gets wrapped in foil, same with porkchops and other such things.

Hell, my thanksgiving turkey gets foil in specific places "not getting named" and stuffed in a roaster too small for it, then basted with some butter and such. :) ALWAYS tender and delicious. 2yrs in a row now.

Thats all IMO, uncle has a propane grill, just takes the love out of it. no scooting the charcoal to change where the heat is and how hot. things like that.

[79T/A]

I think cooking is a labor of love, the more work you put in, the finer the results. Soak my ribs for 2 days, turning them in the marinade twice a day, then boil in the marinade for around 2hrs? hard to tell, go by the feel, as to how long.

Then I brown them on the grill or w/e I am cooking on. Corn gets wrapped in foil, same with porkchops and other such things.


:drool::drool::drool:

And I thought I was a maniac for marinating in the morning and grilling that night! Nice work!

I do corn in foil also, but I peel back the husk, ditch the corn silk, then drizzle on a mixture of melted margarine and garlic powder. Then it's wrapped back in the husk, wrapped in foil and off to the grill for about fifteen minutes.

[fallenleader]

I like to get rid of the husk and silk. I pride myself on my cooking. Even now I don't eat a lot of sugar, working great recipies and modifying a lot to work without it.

;) my apple pie is F-ing amazing. I modify every damn thing I touch, customize it to exactly what I need and I/my family wants. Including food. When I removed my center console, of the 84' bird, while doing some restoration, all of the hex screws even the fake ones, have gunmetal heads. Same with the rivits in the dash gauge pod. :) a nice subtle touch, will have pics in my garage when back from aamco and I reinstall the console.

Oh, pork chops and apple cider, cook them in the cider. Its like chops with apple sauce, pretty good. Thank you, to my woman for the recipie. Also, hand picked fruit, the only way to go. For quality, imports suck. Plus picking is fun. "get hit in the head every year, damn apples"

Back to grills.

[WildBillyT]

FYI I just did yellowfin tuna steaks (lemon basil) seared and ready to go in about 15 minutes. I love charcoal grills but no way would it have been that fast on one of them.

[fallenleader]

foreman is my second fav. :) frozen chicken nuggets.

We should maybe make a food topic? since there are already 3 of us drooling.