Charcoal vs. Propane

[blugill]

Ok grillers let's hear it.

The age old debate, gas vs. charcoal!
Primal fire which is about as manly as you can get and satisfies that inner desire to cook meat against modern speed and convenience, precise cooking temperatures and times for that perfectly grilled cut of meat.

What is it for you?

I like Charcoal, but both have benefits

[kelmac07]

I'm a gas guy...no messy clean-up.

[Skywalker]

I don't mind the mess... Make mine charcoal!!!

[longknocker]

Originally Posted by kelmac07

I'm a gas guy...no messy clean-up.

Much easier & meat tastes great, IMHO!

[Ranger_B]

In this case i will swing both ways. During the week I will go for the gas but come weekend its all charcoal

[cort]

Originally Posted by Ranger_B

In this case i will swing both ways. During the week I will go for the gas but come weekend its all charcoal

100%

I love the charcoal but during the week I have very little time so I go with the gas.

Every 2 weeks I bust out the smoker and throw down a pork shoulder, brisket, ribs, etc. using charcoal and hardwood.

[Trace63]

All charcoal. So much more flavor.

[markem]

wood pellet. best flavor with many options

http://www.traegergrills.com/

Originally Posted by markem

wood pellet. best flavor with many options

http://www.traegergrills.com/

Wow, the cheapest model I saw JUNIOR (BBQ055) Price: $449.00, is way over my budget. I'll stick with charcoal and my 22" weber...

[bigloo]

Originally Posted by nozero

Wow, the cheapest model I saw JUNIOR (BBQ055) Price: $449.00, is way over my budget. I'll stick with charcoal and my 22" weber...

22inch Weber with ash catcher thingy, they go on special for around $100-$110 every so often. Cannot be beat for the price.

The thing with charcoal grilling is understanding what you are cooking and where to place th coals. If I am cooking a 2 inch steak, all the coals go on one side, I sear over the coal directly and finish cooking indirectly, same for chicken, ribs, and other thick pieces of meat. For grilling lots of thinner pieces, a single layer across the entire bottom and everything gets direct grilled. Then if I am doing something fatty like lamb chops or korean short ribs, I put a wide strip down the middle leaving the side for flareups. Then there is a lid, to use or not to use. Lid prevents flareups but actually lowers the temp. a little. I always use it when indirect and use it about 50% of the time when direct grilling. Anyway, for those who have not done charcoal in a while, you forgot how much better it is and should give it a twirl with this very grill as cleanup is quick aand with a chimney so is startup.

[themoneycollector]

I don't see how much of a mess it takes to scoop up a few bounds of ashes. I put them right back into the empty bag.

Charcoal for me.

[Bruzee]

Gas everyday and twice on Sundays!

[Wolfgang]

Depends on what my time constraint is. If its a get out frozen stuff and eat fast gas is the one for me. If I have all the time in the world then Ill use Charcoal. If Im building a forge to anneal and treat steels I like gas its easier to control the temperatures. But thats another beast.

[cle_smoker]

In the past year I have only used my gas grill to light charcoal in my chimney on the side burner. Charcoal all the way.

[Mark C]

100% charcoal. If you use the right stuff, there's nearly zero ash, so no mess. Just need a little more time, but it's worth it.

[groogs]

Charcoal, can't beat the flavor.

[Trace63]

Originally Posted by Mark C

100% charcoal. If you use the right stuff, there's nearly zero ash, so no mess. Just need a little more time, but it's worth it.

Care to explain?

[bigloo]

Originally Posted by Trace63

Care to explain?

Lump charcoal burns away almost entirely. Kingfords, etc leave a ton of ash due to the binders that do not burn away. If you use lump, you have much less ash, much higher heat, lower burn times though but a much cleaner flavor AND the ability to add more charcoal on the fly, it is however more expensive BUT you can get to choose the wood used (hickory and oak burn the longest, mesquite charcoal burns wicket fast and hot but has that distinct flavor).

I prefer propane...j/k, charcoal all the way. I am up and running in 20 minutes with my chimney starter, about 5-10 minutes more then it takes to heat up a gas grill. And cleaning the old ashes, all good charcoal grills have ash catches that only require cleaning every 3-4 uses.

[shilala]

Charcoal and mesquite, by a longshot.
I cook on a great big gas grill cause I'm too lazy to go through all the charcoal screwing around. I sure do miss it, though.