I too am of the opinion that the whole "flavor" thing with charcoal vs gas is way exaggerated.

Smoking with charcoal and wood I still like to do, but high-heat grilling? Gas all the way, I don't have time to be messing around with lighting and babying charcoal with two little boys now.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
When I moved to Utah, I went with Weber Kettle for about 5 years. Then we redid our outside area and added a Weber NG grill. For 8 years the Kettle was retired, I brought it back put about a month ago. I think there is a difference but my wife is really good with the gas grill and will stick with that.

I've been using briquets and want to make a change, any suggestions?

lump charcoal, I have used several brands with no problems with any of them

no filler, it is just the stuff charcoal is made from,

it tends to burn hotter, and I think it is easier to start that briquettes (I use a chimney)

quote:

Originally posted by sigmonkey:
If God wanted man to grill without using wood or charcoal, He would have made natural gas.

Since there's no difference, I don't mind if others waste their time.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
I demanded that we should get a grill that has both a gas side and a charcoal side.

For a year I didn't even get a gas tank for it because charcoal is so much better! Then I needed both sides for the size of the party we had so I got the tank and grilled with it along side of the charcoal.

Well, let's just say the charcoal side is getting a little rusty from not being used or cleaned or cared about. Gas grilling is a revelation. It's way more convenient and there's no difference in flavor.

I'm a convert.

I’m with you, Mark. Tried to “be a man” and grill with charcoal briquettes when I first got married. Gave it up, went gas.

Many years later I tried a big green egg style grill using lump charcoal. Gave it up, back to the gas.

I use a wood pellet at work, because it’s there. Not my thing. Not hot enough.

RecTec makes one called the Bullseye... it’s wood pellets but is said to be able to hit 700 degrees. I’d give it a whirl. Or the CampChef Woodwind with the gas sear kit. I’d like that thing.

I'm more or less the opposite. I started using charcoal about 10 years ago and my Weber gasser sits unloved most of the time. Between a Weber kettle and the BGE I'm very happy. The pellet smoker is nice for overnight cooks too.

If I were independently wealthy and had man-servants that would prep and clean my charcoal grill for me, I would never use a gas-grill.

But I am not, so, I said good by to my Weber charcoal grill and my Smokey Joe years ago.

I come home, fire up the grill, cook my steaks, let it cool and cover it. About once every couple of months I clean it.

If you don't have the capacity to tell the difference then by all means take the least path of resistance and use whatever is easiest.

I can't tell whether we got more heat than smoke here. Like the caliber discussions, personal tastes make the call. For years I've been on the verge of a pellet grill yet never feel quite ready to make the jump
Maybe decades of campfire cooking has affected our taste expectations. Currently exploring the expanded types of charcoal.

I have a Weber Kettle grill and Weber gas grill.

Briquettes or gas for 20 minutes or less don't make much difference. I've used both standard briquettes and hardwood briquettes. Not that there isn't a difference in flavor, but that the difference doesn't make one better than the other. You have to add wood chips to impart better flavor. This is easier with charcoal.

Lump hardwood charcoal is better than gas regardless of cook time. It makes food taste better.

quote:

I think there is a difference but my wife is really good with the gas grill and will stick with that.

That's what I am talking about,you got a good woman there.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
When I moved to Utah, I went with a Weber Kettle for about 5 years. Then we redid our outside area and added a Weber NG grill. For 8 years the Kettle was retired, I brought it back out about a month ago. I think there is a difference but my wife is really good with the gas grill and will stick with that.

I've been using briquets and want to make a change, any suggestions?

Hardwood lump.

Been using this non-stop on my BGE for 3 years. It is fantastic. Lots of large pieces for 24 hour low and slow pork butt jobs. Also can crank it up to 900 degrees for pizza. Great lump product. Great flavor--blows away any gas grill for flavor, and you can add a few wood chips for extra flavor (hickory, cherry etc). The lumps are overall very large and I get 2-3 sessions out of every load. Very tasty meat!

Minimal clean up time involved. Once a month I sweep out the ash bin at the bottom of the unit. Takes about 2 mins to clean out.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod..._title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Also, use this. It works great. Ready to grill 15 mins after plugging it in. Very fast. Never use liquid lighter fluid on lump!



https://www.amazon.com/Ivation...t%2Caps%2C206&sr=8-6

I should say when I go camping, I use Kingsford match-light briquets. Easy even when it is raining. But that is not a gourmet situation

Personally, I think your gas grill side has been "seasoned" from cooking on the char side.

quote:

Originally posted by PASig:
I too am of the opinion that the whole "flavor" thing with charcoal vs gas is way exaggerated.

Smoking with charcoal and wood I still like to do, but high-heat grilling? Gas all the way, I don't have time to be messing around with lighting and babying charcoal with two little boys now.

Same. I could likewise make my own seasoning with 30 different ingredients or just buy some seasoning in the store that I sprinkle on. I eat 6 meals a day so putting too much importance into a single meal is not my bag. Life is too short and I've got stuff to do. I rarely eat beef anyhow as it takes too long to digest so my fish on a wooden plank over gas works to a tee. Cleaning up after charcoal is not anything I have time for. Busy as it is.

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
I've been using briquets and want to make a change, any suggestions?

Hardwood lump charcoal. Your local superstore or supermarket should have a brand or two. Big box sporting goods stores like Academy also tend to carry a brand or two.

Or if you really want to get crazy, see if there's a dedicated BBQ store near you. They'll usually have a wider selection of lump charcoal than the above. Also check pool/outdoors stores, who will also sometimes carry lump charcoal and other BBQ supplies.

Just understand that you'll need a dedicated way to light the lump charcoal. They're not match-light like some briquettes, and dousing it with lighter fluid is a poor choice. Look into either a charcoal chimney, a charcoal lighter coil, or a charcoal lighter torch.

I grilled on nothing but charcoal for decades...then, I got a Weber Genesis gas grill, and to my knowledge, have not used charcoal since. I will fess up that I do own and use my CookShack electric smoker a lot!!

quote:

Originally posted by UTsig:
I've been using briquets and want to make a change, any suggestions?

Wise man - do NOT go to the dark side. It's bland with delusions of easy/lazy over there!

Lump Charcoal Database

A good starting point and you can browse for ones you can find locally while standing in front of them if needed.

No briquets.

I used to be a big fan of grilling over lump charcoal, but due to it setting off bad headaches for my wife, I’ve pretty much stopped grilling. It surely does flavor the food, and that’s one of the things I liked about it. You can especially smell it with refrigerated leftovers that haven’t been reheated yet. One of my favorite techniques was soaking a bunch of rosemary sprigs and throwing them straight on the coals when doing chicken; just amazing flavor with a technique that doesn’t work with gas.

Anymore, I’m on the reverse sear, “throw it in the oven, pull at temp and use a blowtorch to sear it” wagon for whole cuts of meat. Best results I’ve ever had and my wife doesn’t get headaches from the smoke imparted to the meat. Smash burgers on cast iron skillet for the win.

That said, since my grill is dead, I’m thinking about building a rocket stove out of a few cinder blocks to do some smash burgers on the back porch on the 4th, just to try something different and be outside for the Watson’s my neighborhood turns into every year.

I am strictly a charcoal guy. A former neighbor (from North Carolina, no less) was cooking strictly on gas until I made it a point to grill four days straight with my Weber kettle.

For four days straight, the savory aroma wafted over to his home...

Literally, within a few days after, UPS dropped off a Weber in his driveway.

Mission Accomplished.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
there's no difference in flavor