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grilling: gas or charcoal?

gas or charcoal?

  • Total voters
    73
OutThere said:
Well, being that it's the height of grilling season, what do you use? Gas or charcoal?

I'm a bit of a charcoal purist, even though it is more work and less consistent than gas, I think the flavor is considerably better.
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I prefer the taste of charcoal, but gas grills are so much faster/easier...I voted for gas.

Anyway, I mainly replied to say that while this may be the height of the grilling season, I personally grill year round! I've even had to brush snow off the grill in order to cook up food.

What kind of food do you grill? I used to just do steaks, but I've found veggie kabobs are also really easy to do and the less I do in the kitchen the better, I think.

As far as steaks go, I mainly focus on the NY strip. Its a really easy cut to grill.
 
I like wood/charcoal, and my S.O. only likes gas or propane. So my vote is cancelled out. ;) And we have to buy two damned expensive grills/smokers!!!
 
I used to swear by charcoal but became a recent convert to gas. Hank Hill would be so proud, if he was a real person. The flavor difference isn't nearly as much as I thought it would be, and I cook outdoors far more often now than I used to with the messy old charcoal grill. For those who complain that a gas grill is like an outdoor microwave, I'd ask them if they ever cook steaks or burgers over an open flame in their kitchens. Some do, but not very many.

Favorite item to grill: Italian sausages.
 
I have a charcoal grill, but if I had my own yard I would probably get a large gas grill because they are much easier to use and maintain.
 
When I do eat meat, it going to be gas 99% of the time, because its
1. Easier
2. Faster
3. and very close to charcoal.

but but but when its really good meat or if it needs to taste really good,
its charcoal.
 
savar said:
Anyway, I mainly replied to say that while this may be the height of the grilling season, I personally grill year round! I've even had to brush snow off the grill in order to cook up food.

What kind of food do you grill? I used to just do steaks, but I've found veggie kabobs are also really easy to do and the less I do in the kitchen the better, I think.
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I don't grill much anymore - living in an apartment makes it tough. But, before that, I used to live in a place with a carport - so every Sunday (at least) was spent eating some sort of foodstuff off the grill. Heck, I used to reheat pizza on the grill

A suggestion for the veggie kabobs (which you may already do) that I hadn't thought about until someone showed me - do each type of vegetable on it's own skewer. That way the meaty vegetables aren't raw when the lighter ones are perfect and the lighter veggies aren't burnt when the meaties are done. You can even get away with doing like vegetables together.
 
Another recipe for veggies on the grill is to prepare them cut them up in large pieces and shaken up in a plastic bag with olive oil, salt and pepper. Squash and peppers are wonderful cooked this way. This is another place where the gas grill shines -- you can adjust the temperature on the burners to cook the veggies to a nice finish without scorching.

raggedjimmi said:
Is kabob a typo on kebab?
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A variant spelling of the same thing.
 
IJ Reilly said:
Another recipe for veggies on the grill is to prepare them cut them up in large pieces and shaken up in a plastic bag with olive oil, salt and pepper. Squash and peppers are wonderful cooked this way.
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Yes, zucchini and yellow crooked-neck squash are absolutely wonderful prepared this way. Actually, those are my favorite things to BBQ. :D
 
Lump charcoal only ...... (briquettes are "the hot dogs of the charcoal industy"). You never really know what they're using as a binder to form those uniform-shaped briquettes.

And...only cook on The Big Green Egg. Kamado-style grilling/smoking/baking is the only way to go.

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Another charcoal here. I think it's because I get to play with lighter fluid really.:p
My father in law has a gas grill, and honestly the taste isn't that much different to me. (He also has a 500 dollar grill, vs my 50 dollar grill).
 
Charcoal, every time. The flavor aspect aside, it's more of an outdoorsy kind of ritual for me. This easy and convenient business is for the birds.

Although I admit- I'm very fond of my brother's salmon recipe cooked on a cedar plank on a gas grill.
 
I don't like the Foreman grill. Too much trouble to clean. Although I hear the newer models have removable cooking surfaces.
 
ravenvii said:
I'm an apartment dweller, so George Foreman FTW!

In all seriousness, if I want to do BBQ, charcoal is it.
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I live in an apartment in Colorado and here gas grills are legal to use even on a covered deck (like mine).

When our house gets built I'm definitely going to get one of the dual fuel grills that allow either gas (for ease of use and time) or charcoal (for better tasting and better cooking [more even heat]).
 
raggedjimmi said:
What's next? A giant signal amplifier to microwave food in the garden?
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Hey I think you've got a great idea there, point it at your garden and bake your potatos before you pick them! Now that's fresh! ;)

As for my preference I like charcoal better; but since I can't use one in my condo and all my friends/family have gas BBQ's now... I don't complain when they invite me over for some burgers!
 
I use gas ,mainly because it takes too long to get charcoal going to cooking state in order to cook something that is done in 4 minutes on it.

Though my favorite is still wood.
 
On weeknights,after work,it's gas..On weekends when I fire up the smoker for some pulled pork or ribs,charcoal all the way..Hard to beat charcoal and hickory..
 
Charcoal for me, but I'd consider a gas BBQ in future. Eaten off them round friends and they seem OK to me.
 
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