Charcoal or propane which is better for flavor

Charcoal or propane which is better for flavor?

How much more time does it take for a charcoal grill to be ready for cooking as opposed to gas. 10 minutes and my propane grill is ready for the food.

I vote for real hardwood charcoal, very much unlike Kingsford or other "briquettes". It's very hot, cooks fast, and pours on the smoke.

But a propane one does well if you never ever clean below the food grate, other than the burners.

I just hooked up a large Kitchen-Aid natural gas grill. Right now, it still tastes like off the grill inside. But after a few weeks of heavy hamburger, brat, and steak cooking, I'm sure it'll get better.

Now this grill I bought has a smoker drawer. So I brought some applewood chips from the factory to see how it would work. Well, it's just like at the factory - you have to smoke at the right time, or it is useless. So I'll be experimenting with this all summer, I'm sure.

IMHO, there isn't a great deal of difference for most things, but for a good steak, I always use charcoal due to the far greater heat, and therefore better ability to quickly "sear" the steak and seal in the juices.

And it only takes about 20 minutes with my "smokestack" style charcoil lighter. To me, at least, the extra 10 minutes is well worth it for steaks.

OTOH, I far prefer the gas grill for sausages, due to better ability to regulate temperature.

I stopped using charcoal and switched to gas. I find it really is a lot easier to control the temperature easier than with charcoal. Now my smoker is also gas but it will use charcoal in place of wood chips which I've never tried since I also don't like the taste with charcoal.

I see this post is waaaaaaaay old, but what the hell....I just got here.

When I was a kid my Dad had a charcoal grill. We even had an outdoor fire pit that he burned logs in, occasionally cooking on that. When gas came into vogue he got a gas grill.
When I got married and had a yard of our own, we got a gas grill. I never liked lighting that thing. I always expected it to blow up. Three years ago I got a charcoal grill, more advanced than the kind my Dad originially had. I got a smoker, too..and an outdoor fireplace as well. I use all three for cooking.

It takes about 20 minutes or so for the charcoal to be ready to cook on. Then it stays hot for a little more than an hour. I prefer the flavour of anything over the flavour or lack of flavour of the gas grill. I still have the gas grill but haven't touched it in three years.

I'm with you on that Vera-I have a gas grill that I walk past everytime I go out to light my Weber or stoke the smoker!!

My sincerest apologies to Hank Hill....

Actually I have never liked the taste of charcoal nor the problems with keeping it hot long enough. At any rate I use a gas smoker and get the taste of the woods I use which is what I really want. My grille is just that a CharBroil that cooks clean with gas, gets the job done and doesn't drowned out the actual flavoring I use in rubs or seasoning so the food tastes like I like it not the taste of charcoal.

For whatever my opinion is worth........I prefer charcoal. I just love my Weber!

Barb

In my opinion, there is no comparison between the flavor of stuff cooked over charcoal and stuff cooked over gas.

I have two Weber bullet smokers and a Weber kettle. Haven't owned a gas grill in over 10 years.

Lee

Are there any better coals than others? I usually use Kingsford. Had occasion to use wood coal once, but had a hard time getting it to light. It stayed hot longer, but it took forever to light.

Anyone use those chimneys to start the coals?

Ooh, a grill thread....

Flavor; Too hard for me to compare because I grill using propane. I, nor anyone that I've cooked for has a problem with anything I cook using gas. Many moons ago, when I was a little guy, my father had a natural gas grill and my two uncles charcoal. They always rotated the family get-togethers and I don't recall anyone saying one cooking medium was better than the other. And I grew up to my old age of today pretty much around both, but most of used propane grills. I'm not even going to get into cooking over an open fire because that's a whole different animal.... camping, cooking over an open fire, or a fire pit in the backyard that's more about ambiance than it is flavor. IMO. And if I want a smokey taste, I can wrap up some chips in a foil packet and set them on a burner.

I think that grilling with gas it much safer than charcoal. If I didn't have my propane grill up on my porch, there's no way I would be playing around with charcoal at least 3x/week. Sparks, igniters... fun to play with, but lots of caution needed for sure on a wood deck. Gas is so safe that.... well, that it replaced wood stoves

Convenience? Who here that uses charcoal fires up the charcoal grill to grill a couple hot dogs for lunch, or burgers? Gas has charcoal for convenience (and being cleaner) hands down. If I light only two burners on my Ducane I have a 500+ grill in five minutes. All four and the flavor bars are cherry red and it's up to 600F. Like Joe C mentioned, very controllable temps, too. I even love my hot and cold spots for moving around food. Sometimes I'm not even grilling meat, I'll fire it up just to toss some potatoes on. Crispy skin, grill marks.... all in the matter of minutes.

I have nothing against charcoal grills, but I'll always own a gas grill. I do prefer the "days of old" though when they used briquettes and lava rocks over these "flavor bars".

Your mileage may vary

I use a chimney to light charcoal when I'm cooking BBQ on the WSM. They work great. A little newspaper for the igniter and you have a chimney full of lit charcoal in ten minutes.
And I have much better luck with good old Kingsford than lump charcoal. It burns much longer and gives more consistant temps. I never had a problem lighting the lump though.

I do miss the convenience of gas, I have to admit. You're right, Chowhound...no quickie burgers or dogs with charcoal. Personally I've never detected any flavour with gas, but do get a nicer flavour from the coals.

Yeah, that's why I didn't want to get into the flavor aspect too much. I much prefer grilling a steak over pan searing and baking it, so that's flavor enough for me And the gasser means I'll be cooking it that way more often. A purist I aint

I use a charcoal chimney when I grill hot and fast (cooking steaks, chops, burgers, etc).

I use Weber parafin cubes to start my coals in the smoker because I can better control the heat for low and slow, long cooks.

I use Kingsford briquettes almost exclusively for both methods of cooking but I'll occasionally use hardwood lump for the hot and fast grilling.

Lee

I use the charcoal chimney also. I usually use Kingsford.

Yes I will fire up the grill for a couple dogs, brats or burgers. But I'm a "nut job" that way!

I like the charcoal grill... or actual wood in my firepit thingy.. I actually think I ruin a lot more this way but it is just more fun to me to build a fire.

Grew up with the propane and that made some great food... way easier too.

PanchoHambre said:

I like the charcoal grill... or actual wood in my firepit thingy.. I actually think I ruin a lot more this way but it is just more fun to me to build a fire.

Grew up with the propane and that made some great food... way easier too.

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Howdy Poncho! I agree with the wood in the fire.... its just a hell of a lot of fun for me too!!!

Charcoal/hardwood lit with a chimney... no lighter fluid! The best!

You folks using Kingsford briquets - you really should try to find a bag of real hardwood charcoal and cook with it. You will avoid Kingsford like the plague once you've crossed over...........

I use all 3, but not often. I mostly keep for emergencies for hurricane season, when we lose electric, sometimes for days, sometimes a week to 10 days.
It looks silly any other time using them as I live alone and doing all that for 1 brat, or 1 dog, or 1 burger LOL!
But when I get the chance I use the gas for fast cooking stuff.
I love ribs and roasts on the wood, but don't use the wood too often. Mostly briquettes.
I love a eyeround or pork tenderlion grilled over an aluminum pan placed in the bottom center of the grill, with the hot coals around it so the meat isn't under direct heat. The pan collects the juice for some of the most fantastic tasting gravy.
Or a half turkey breast cooked over apple wood.
Wow. Now I got myself thinking about my dad's birthday meal this weekend.
Thanks guys.

The Giant Mojito said:

Howdy Poncho! I agree with the wood in the fire.... its just a hell of a lot of fun for me too!!!

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... it satisfies my inner pyro... this summer the kitchen is going down so I will be grilling a lot... if you hear about the great North Philly fire of '09 you will know who is to blame.

Maiden post...

It's kind of a convenient, flavor thing. I have a 600 lb. smoker, a Weber, and a propane Charbroiler. The gas grill has a side burner. There is no bacon cooked in our kitchen, hence the side burner. I'll fry bacon and sausage when it's freezing because I don't like the hangover smell in the house. I have had some super rib-eyes on the gas grill. And, if I'm doing burgers on the gas grill, the meat will contain about 27% fat for the flair ups. On the Weber, I'll always use wood with the charcoal for flavor. It's very convenient with the gas, but I don't like fish from it. If I had to choose one, it's the Weber. Also, on the Weber, I can have a med rare steak and "no" blood. Amazing product.

waybomb said:

I vote for real hardwood charcoal, very much unlike Kingsford or other "briquettes". It's very hot, cooks fast, and pours on the smoke.

But a propane one does well if you never ever clean below the food grate, other than the burners.

I just hooked up a large Kitchen-Aid natural gas grill. Right now, it still tastes like off the grill inside. But after a few weeks of heavy hamburger, brat, and steak cooking, I'm sure it'll get better.

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+1,000,000

I'm not a fan of briquettes because of the mess they leave behind. It's a real PITA during extra long cooks when you need to clean out the ash half way through.

I love lump or just hardwood.

My main gas grill has heat diffuser plates just below the cooking grates. When I turn the grill on, I'll toss a couple pieces of lump (usually Mesquite) right on top of those plates. I get real nice smokey flavor to the food I'm cooking. Even works with 8 minute steaks. The lump just burns away to nothing so there's no clean up or anything. Sometimes one or two of the pieces will catch fire, I'll use those flames for extra browning, then just move the meat to a cooler part of the grill. With the lid shut, you get some nice smoke.

There's only one (1) thing I use briquettes for, and it HAS to be the Match-Light variety: Hot Dogs! I love the charchoaly, chemically taste of hot dogs cooked over Match-Light.

Charcoal here, and like Waybomb I find that with real hardwood charcoal, the flavor is better. With Kingsford you can get too much of the charcoal taste in it, and it can overpower the seasonings you are using. While gas would be quicker for a quick grill, I never do a quick grill LOL. When I go out to grill it is the whole enchilada for me! Steaks, burgers, dogs, brats, corn even BBQ'ing some chicken.
Basically, we make an afternoon of it with tons of side dishes as well which leaves us tons of leftovers LOL.

joec said:

I stopped using charcoal and switched to gas. I find it really is a lot easier to control the temperature easier than with charcoal. Now my smoker is also gas but it will use charcoal in place of wood chips which I've never tried since I also don't like the taste with charcoal.

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i also have one that burns both, charcoal or gasser..but the main thing is to use a water pan in your smoker if you are going to use it... water boils at 212* and there are basically no heat spikes once u get it going

joec said:

Actually I have never liked the taste of charcoal nor the problems with keeping it hot long enough. At any rate I use a gas smoker and get the taste of the woods I use which is what I really want. My grille is just that a CharBroil that cooks clean with gas, gets the job done and doesn't drowned out the actual flavoring I use in rubs or seasoning so the food tastes like I like it not the taste of charcoal.

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if u burn your charcoal in a chimney down to white and no black (yes a little bit of waste) u get next to no charcoal flavor

chowhound said:

I use a chimney to light charcoal when I'm cooking BBQ on the WSM. They work great. A little newspaper for the igniter and you have a chimney full of lit charcoal in ten minutes.
And I have much better luck with good old Kingsford than lump charcoal. It burns much longer and gives more consistant temps. I never had a problem lighting the lump though.

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me either and i agree... i found a ever better way to light my chimney... i fire up my turkey deep fryer and set the chimney on it..burn baby burn..lol

I used a chimney to start my charcoals for years but once I tried gas I was hooked.

I just bought a 500,000 btu weed burner/ice melter. I might switch from the chimney to that. Burn baby burn (lol). I can see my singed balasters now....

oh, i want one of those.

man invented fire, half of the reason of which was for fun.

i keep telling dw that i need one for weeds. it would give me more time to do other stuff, rather than hand pick them. but, she knows my inner pyro, so, no go.

Fire is fun, wonder if I can get DW to let me get a turkey deep fryer just so I can 'play' with it, LOL.

When I was a teenager we lived on an acreage with an old concrete silo. We used it to 'test' out home made bombs using my dads black powder, gasoline, whatever we got our hands on... darn thing actually fell down one day, LOL!!

Oh wait, maybe I shouldn't say that... is that a SWAT team pulling up to my house???