Gas or Charcoal?

[Deleted member 995608]

For many nights, we used charcoal to grill and then one day, I was given a hand-me down gas drill.



It lasted a while and eventually fell apart. So we bought another one, and another one . . . . . . .



I'm wanting to build my own from a food grade drum but I'm on the fence with the gas VS charcoal debacle.



Because we're lazy and don't clean it nearly enough, my gas grill has experienced some bad mammer jammer grease fires that made my butt pucker. I've never had that with charcoal.



What do you guys prefer?

 

[JApol]

Charcoal, without a doubt.

 

[dresslered]

Charcoal is wonderful in most situations but I have gone to the Weber gas for convenience. They make a nice smoker/steamer accessory that adds the missing flavor of charcoal. I also set mine to the "NUKE" setting for about 10-minutes after my bbq to remove all the grease build-up.

 

[jclark5810]

I live in the trachea of California so charcoal really isn't an option. It's so windy that it's just way too much of a hassle to mess with charcoal. My father-in-law however bought that Char-Griller Duo from Lowe's, it's a combo grill and is actually pretty neat. We put it together in about 20 mins. Made in USA and support the troops. It's a good compromise if you can't make up your mind.



CharGriller

 

[jgillott]

I've only ever owned charcoal grills. We grill a lot. During the warm months, we probably use the grill more than the oven.

 

[KBurgoyne]

a pit works great. you can do charcoal or wood and just crank the rack up and down to adjust the temp. plus they're bullet proof. best tri-tip i ever had.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

a pit works great. you can do charcoal or wood and just crank the rack up and down to adjust the temp. plus they're bullet proof. best tri-tip i ever had.

I already have a pit and it is the best thing I ever built. We only use it for special occasions or big get togethers, though. We cooked cooked some bear in it last Thanksgiving, yum yum yum.

 

[BigHornMan]

Wood pellet grill! The gasser just dries everything out plus there are flare up on most everything you cook. A charcoal grill while adding some "charcoaled" flavor is prone to flare ups also. A wood pellet grill uses flavored mesquite, hickory, alder, apple and other types of wood pellets to add great flavor to anything you are smoking or grilling. Nothing dries out cooked on a wood pellet grill. They are dual purpose smokers and grills which means no separate unit for your smoking needs. There are no direct flames to cause flare ups. I cook meatloaf, bacon and pizza on mine. Try that on your charcoal or gas grill and let me know how it turns out. I have been cooking on a wood pellet grill for years and to tell you the truth I don't enjoy barbecue any other way. . Check them out. .

 

[JLEONARD]

Gas grill without a doubt. Spark it up and it's ready to use in about 3 minutes. I never have the time to deal with charcoal and don't care to deal with the ashes.

 

[BigHornMan]

By the way, these wood pellet grills are controlled with a digital controller. Turn it on the hot rod heats up while the auger turns and poof it ignites. Set to the desired temp and walk away. Just like using an oven... Can't get much easier then that. Did I mention the flavor you get from using wood pellets?

 

[GAmes]

I am a charcoal guy. Cooking on a propane flame is just like cooking on the kitchen stove. I do like the sound of the wood pellet grill.



I too bought a Char-Griller Duo, with the intent of smoking a few hunks of meat. (EVERYONE in TX is a BBQ master:-laf) I bought a very good thermometer and have had poor results. I have come to the conclusion that the metal is too thin, and the heat mostly escapes from the outer surface. Opening the lid for any reason is a no-no. It works fine for grilling, but as a smoker it sucks.

 

[jclark5810]

It works fine for grilling, but as a smoker it sucks.

I'm glad you mentioned that! We were going to buy the smoker attachment this sommer and do some roasts in it, maybe not now. I've got a couple food grade 50 gallon drums, i wanted to make one into a smoker, maybe this is good motivation.

 

[Deleted member 995608]

I'm glad you mentioned that! We were going to buy the smoker attachment this sommer and do some roasts in it, maybe not now. I've got a couple food grade 50 gallon drums, i wanted to make one into a smoker, maybe this is good motivation.

I'm currently building one right now. This morning, I set the drum ablaze and his been going for about 4 hours. Most of the ext/int coating is already gone so all I have left to burn off is the lid.



I'll start another thread showing how I'm building mine once I get the pics loaded.

 

[BigHornMan]

I am a charcoal guy. Cooking on a propane flame is just like cooking on the kitchen stove. I do like the sound of the wood pellet grill.



I too bought a Char-Griller Duo, with the intent of smoking a few hunks of meat. (EVERYONE in TX is a BBQ master:-laf) I bought a very good thermometer and have had poor results. I have come to the conclusion that the metal is too thin, and the heat mostly escapes from the outer surface. Opening the lid for any reason is a no-no. It works fine for grilling, but as a smoker it sucks.

Traeger was one of the first wood pellet grills. In fact the original maker of the Traeger grill is the one who came up with the auger idea which is also used in home heating pellet stoves. Since the Traeger grill there has been an onslaught of other wood pellet grill makers. My son has a grill business and sells them (Louisiana and Memphis Grills) along with the Big Green Eggs. Once you cook and eat off a wood pellet grill you will not go back to either charcoal or gas. The flavor you get with wood pellets compares to nothing you can grill on charcoal or gas. The fact that they are dual purpose and can be used for smoking is an added bonus. I have become quite good at smoking brisket, ribs and chicken on mine. I even have a small version pellet grill that I take on our camping trips. I won't go back to gas or charcoal... .

 

[BIGNASTY]

When camping in the TT we use Gas just because of ease. When we have a party and fire up the grill we use charcoal but not like the bag of charcoal from the store we use wood charcoal Hickory and Mesquite and then throw some apple wood on the fire to add more taste.