toldailytopic: BBQ battle: Charcoal vs. Propane? Which do you prefer and why?

[fool]

You can't turn charcoal "Off".

 

[TomO]

I use both.

I prefer the taste of food cooked with charcoal and therefore I have a charcoal grill/smoker that I use. However, for convenience sake I have a propane grill that I use on a more regular basis.

Scoreboard (10 pts max for each category, higher scores are better)

TASTE:
Charcoal 10
Propane 6

COST:
Charcoal 7
Propane 7

EASE OF USE:
Charcoal 6
Propane 9

TOTAL:
Charcoal 23
Propane 22

I concur lain:

 

[fool]

I concur lain:

10 is max and he only gave propane 9 in "ease of use".
What's easier to use?

 

[Buzzword]

My grilling experience/expertise/preference can be summed up in two words:

George.
Foreman.


For true barbecue, though, nothing beats hickory smoke over 12+ hours.
Mmm mmm good.

 

[fool]

I can't just throw charcol into my LP grill cause I have no way to get the ash out.

 

[Nathon Detroit]

10 is max and he only gave propane 9 in "ease of use".
What's easier to use?

Cows that come pre-cooked. :cow:

 

[fool]

Cows that come pre-cooked. :cow:

But those don't exist.
Unless we could get the cows to cook themselves.

 

[kmoney]

Well, if you want to go cheap, you're better off buying charcoal. A good gas grill will run you into the $500+ range depending on cooking area and quality. Mine was over twice that much, but I do a lot of cooking for family gatherings (not to mention I grill three to four days a week year round.) Weber is really the top of the line and they make a Genesis model that you can get for around that $500 mark, but it's pretty small. Ducane generally comes a bit less expensive and is now owned by Weber (you just don't pay for the name).

Anything much cheaper than that and you will wind up replacing it in a short time after it warps and cracks.




For charcoal, nothing beats a Big Green Egg, but they're pretty pricey too. Weber makes a charcoal grill that's pretty nice or you can even fall back on the trusty Brinkman -- they perform well and they're inexpensive enough that replacing them isn't a big deal.

Thanks for the info. :up: I wasn't even looking to spend $500.

 

[assuranceagent]

Thanks for the info. :up: I wasn't even looking to spend $500.

Go Brinkman charcoal. Brinkman Gourmet smoker/grill combo will run you about $90 and will last you quite a while. Simple, and gets the job done. :thumb:

 

[fool]

You turn the propane OFF and it's ready to go again.
No ash to shovel out, no bag of bricks to pour back in.
I'd like to see a comparison of the cook time of a propane cylinder vs the same number of bags of charchol. Remember that whatever run time the charcoal as after your done cooking is waste.

 

[Persephone66]

Ever hear of a microwave?


If I want to be archaic about my cooking, I go all the way and use wood.

 

[Yorzhik]

Charcoal. For the great reason you can drink (if you want), smoke (if you want), and shoot the breeze (if you want) while waiting. It's a cavalcade of freedom. It's almost as good as the food. Waiting is part of the experience

If you want convenience, there's a stove in the kitchen. Now if I weren't in Michigan where the weather isn't predominately nice, I'd like to grill for convenience to keep the house from getting hot at the very least. We don't get a great number of good grilling days and we savor them.

 

[zoo22]

I prefer the taste of charcoal, but we have a propane BBQ. It's pretty good, and definitely easier to use. Sometimes I'll put some charcoal and/or wood chips on the lower grill and grill on the top grill.

 

[Alate_One]

Another advantage to charcoal over propane . . .Charcoal doesn't tend to blow up and burn your house down.

I once watched a house burn for a good 20 minutes (before the fire fighters arrived) that was set on fire by a propane grill. A second tank even blew up as we approached the house, that was interesting . . .

 

[The Graphite]

Every now and then we skip the propane and the charcoal and place the steaks directly on the fire. The flavor is AWESOME!!!! :chew:

Oo, I bet it is!

Have you ever Pittsburghed a steak, that way?

 

[The Graphite]

Oh, and my vote would be for a wood smoker! My father has one that's not that big, and over the last few years, he has become a master smoker. He favors a 50/50 mix of hickory and mesquite.

For the record, when it comes to wood, I am a hardcore mesquite fan and have been since my childhood in Texas. I would use mesquite for almost everything, except maybe something special like pecan, apple or cherry wood for certain special occasions, particularly involving pork. Oh, and pecan shells are awesome, too, when added to any wood.

 

[Nathon Detroit]

Have you ever Pittsburghed a steak, that way?

Absolutely!

Although, I hate that term.

 

[The Graphite]

Absolutely!

Although, I hate that term.

Hate the term? It's just a term... What would you call it?

I've never had a true pittsburghed steak, although I'm sure I'd enjoy one. Few steak restaurants have a grill master experienced enough to be able to do one properly. Even during my couple years working at Traildust Steakhouse, we had only one grill chef who was willing to do it; if he wasn't on the clock, you couldn't get one.

 

[Nathon Detroit]

Hate the term? It's just a term... What would you call it?

I don't know... anything but that, I suppose.

 

[The Graphite]

I don't know... anything but that, I suppose.

Then let us call it Fred.

Anyone know a steakhouse in Denver that will Fred my steak and do it right?