Fvck gas grills

[Chu]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n
Do people not know how to use charcoal anymore?! I'm grill shopping and all the charcoal grills are crap compared to the sexy high end gas grills.

ALL I WANT IS A NICE GRILL THAT'S NOT GAS, IS THAT TOO HARD TO ASK!?! *rant*

I'll probably end up purchasing this since the price is right. What do you think? ATK/CI gave it a thumbs up in their 2002 charcoal grill review

You are in luck my man. I just got myself an awesome unit.
Awesome BBQ from Lowes.

Great stuff. Cast iron grids. Possible to smoke and bbq. There is even a an add-on smoker if you want.
I've used it twice now and made the best T-bones in my life.
:thumbsup::beer:

You people who can grill are so lucky . . . both my residences (campus and home) are on the 9th floor of an apartment building w/o a patio I looooove to cook, and never got a chance to mess with charcoal except at korean bbq houses.

-Chu

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: earthling30

Originally posted by: Ameesh
ive used both plenty of times and i am convinced that its all mental. in fact if I cooked you up a couple of brats or hamburgers i bet you couldnt tell which one came from charcoal and which one came from propane or natural gas.

Try telling that to my taste buds. It's the smell, taste and above all, the FLAVOR that's different when you use charcoal vs. gas IMO.

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Cook a steak on natural hardwood lump charcoal and another steak on a high-end gas grill, I guarentee 100% of the time I can identify which one came from gas and which one came from charcoal.

I have a lil tiny smokey joe weber grill, have had it for about a year, and it is the best thing ever. I use either lump charcoal or briquettes depending on what kind of heat I want, and how long of a burn time I'm looking for. Lump burn a lot hotter than briquettes, but lump also burns faster than briquttes.

Here's a good site for all you lump charcoal afficianadoes(sp).Lump charcoal site

Well said!

guess you're used to the flavor of ligher fluid then?

You say it like lighter fluid is the king of all charcoal ignition methods.

 

[Sketcher]

You Panzy one_side_or_ the_other snobs .

Each has a purpose and place in the barbecue world. There are right and wrong ways to do charcoal and wood and right and wrong ways to do gas grilling.

I am able to enjoy the luxury of having individual charcoal, gas and pit grilling options. In the summer, I grill two-three times a week. Winter time usually once every other week. I prefer natural lump coal to charcoal briquettes when I have the time for a proper burn. I appreciate the quick cooking and cleanup of the gas grill when time's a premium and there's nothing like cooking over an open pit fire that's primed to ember if one has a few hours to play nurse to a fire.

If you're burning coal and your food tastes acidic or like lighter fluid then you're cooking wrong. Coal needs to burn to an ember for consistent heat and to allow burnoff of additives and lighting fluid (if you're so pathetic at starting a fire that you need to use fluid). Even "Matchlight" briquettes when burned to ember don't impart a lighter fluid taste to your food.

Gas grills aren't exempt from intricacies in grilling though. Many a meat purchase has been disgraced by a too hasty Chef thinking his quick start grill also cooks the food faster. Meat, Veg, whatever requires proper heat and time to cook no matter what BBQ method you're using. Cooking temperatures and ambient heat control (or lack thereof) are important. YOU are the master of your grill be it charcoal, gas or open fire.

If you like the quickness of gas grilling but always long for the wood or charcoal taste, some grills offer a combination of burning or allow you to add wood chips or even charcoal briquettes to the mix. If you have a strong perference for the taste of coal cooked food then you simply make time to do it properly. If your method for gas grilling achieves the BBQ taste you're going for than more power to you; you've got the taste you want AND a quick setup/cleanup. For some, the setup and nurturing of coals IS part of the enjoyment.

There is no right or better grilling method; just different considerations and unique elements to the situation.

But, if someone asks the bare bones questions of Coal vs Gas BBQ grilling; I go with Natural Lump Coal every time (BTW, there's even an argument within the ranks of Lump Charcoal). That's my preference when additional restrictions or confines aren't posed.

Flame on!

 

[earthling30]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: earthling30

Originally posted by: Ameesh
ive used both plenty of times and i am convinced that its all mental. in fact if I cooked you up a couple of brats or hamburgers i bet you couldnt tell which one came from charcoal and which one came from propane or natural gas.

Try telling that to my taste buds. It's the smell, taste and above all, the FLAVOR that's different when you use charcoal vs. gas IMO.

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Cook a steak on natural hardwood lump charcoal and another steak on a high-end gas grill, I guarentee 100% of the time I can identify which one came from gas and which one came from charcoal.

I have a lil tiny smokey joe weber grill, have had it for about a year, and it is the best thing ever. I use either lump charcoal or briquettes depending on what kind of heat I want, and how long of a burn time I'm looking for. Lump burn a lot hotter than briquettes, but lump also burns faster than briquttes.

Here's a good site for all you lump charcoal afficianadoes(sp).Lump charcoal site

Well said!

guess you're used to the flavor of ligher fluid then?

Uh.........no because I don't use any. You don't have to use lighter fluid to get charcoal going.

 

[RayH]

For those of you who have trouble finding lump charcoal, True Value Hardware stores carry it. If they don't have it in stock, they'll order it for you.

 

[deftron]

Thank me later...



One grill to rule them all

Ownage in action





Smokemaster

 

[MisterMe]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
Gas ease of use>Charcoal ease of use
Charcoal flavor>Gas flavor

And...
Charcoal Carcinogens >>>> Gas Carcinogens

:beer:

 

[Adul]

Originally posted by: deftron
Thank me later...



One grill to rule them all

Ownage in action





Smokemaster

nice

 

[FrustratedUser]

Originally posted by: deftron
Thank me later...



One grill to rule them all

Ownage in action





Smokemaster

Droooolage!

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: earthling30

Originally posted by: Ameesh
ive used both plenty of times and i am convinced that its all mental. in fact if I cooked you up a couple of brats or hamburgers i bet you couldnt tell which one came from charcoal and which one came from propane or natural gas.

Try telling that to my taste buds. It's the smell, taste and above all, the FLAVOR that's different when you use charcoal vs. gas IMO.

Originally posted by: TechnoKid
Cook a steak on natural hardwood lump charcoal and another steak on a high-end gas grill, I guarentee 100% of the time I can identify which one came from gas and which one came from charcoal.

I have a lil tiny smokey joe weber grill, have had it for about a year, and it is the best thing ever. I use either lump charcoal or briquettes depending on what kind of heat I want, and how long of a burn time I'm looking for. Lump burn a lot hotter than briquettes, but lump also burns faster than briquttes.

Here's a good site for all you lump charcoal afficianadoes(sp).Lump charcoal site

Well said!

guess you're used to the flavor of ligher fluid then?

Sounds like you had a bad experience with someone that didn't know how to light thier charcoal and now you're jaded against charcoal grills.

 

[Shockwave]

Originally posted by: deftron
Thank me later...



One grill to rule them all

Ownage in action





Smokemaster

Meh, its aight. I have some pics somewhere of my cousins grill, I'll see if I can find it.
My cousins > yours

To give you an idea....Its hydraulically driven. Has 2 grills. One you can fit an entire pig in, flip the switch, watch the pumps spin and the pig slowly turns. Pull the lever and the lid automatically opens.... Its one helluva grill.

 

[earthling30]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: deftron
Thank me later...



One grill to rule them all

Ownage in action





Smokemaster

Droooolage!

I can only dream :thumbsup:.

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Originally posted by: FrustratedUser

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n
Do people not know how to use charcoal anymore?! I'm grill shopping and all the charcoal grills are crap compared to the sexy high end gas grills.

ALL I WANT IS A NICE GRILL THAT'S NOT GAS, IS THAT TOO HARD TO ASK!?! *rant*

I'll probably end up purchasing this since the price is right. What do you think? ATK/CI gave it a thumbs up in their 2002 charcoal grill review

You are in luck my man. I just got myself an awesome unit.
Awesome BBQ from Lowes.

Great stuff. Cast iron grids. Possible to smoke and bbq. There is even a an add-on smoker if you want.
I've used it twice now and made the best T-bones in my life.
:thumbsup::beer:

I checked out that grill. I already bought the Char-Broil Santa Fe, but it's going to go back after seeing this Char-Griller grill. Here's my opinion....

Char-Broil: Lid is a rectangular prism minus one side
Char-Griller: Lid is a half circle with a 10" radius (distance from grill to top of lid at farthest point
Winner: Char-Broil since there's more area under the lid (haven't measured the Char-Broil yet, so I might be wrong. Watch for updates)

Char-Broil: wire grates
Char-Griller: cast iron grates
Winner: Char-Griller

Char-Broil: charcoal access door
Char-Griller: no door
Winner: Char-Broil. However, the Char-Griller grates are 4 vertical grates side by side. each measuring about 20 tall inches by 7.5 inches wide. That's 200 sq inches, and 4 side-by-side grates for 600 sq in. cooking area. To gain charcoal access, I can lift off one grate, 1/4 of the cooking surface, and get below it. The grill comes with a lifting tool to facilitate lifting a hot grate.

Char-Broil: no available smoker or rotisserie addon
Char-Griller: available smoker side box ($50) or rotisserie ($30)
Winner: Char-Griller

Char-Broil: 491 sq in cooking area, no warming rack
Char-Griller: 600 sq in cooking area, 205 sq in warming rack
Winner: Char-Griller by far

Char-Broil: 2 side tables
Char-Griller: side table, front table
Winner: Char-Broil, fscking front tables are annoying

Char-Broil: "cold, warm, hot" qualitative thermometer
Char-Griller: quantitative thermometer up to 450 deg
Winner: Char-Griller

Char-Broil: $100
Char-Griller: $120
Winner: Char-Broil

The bigger cooking area, better grates, available addons, and better thermometer cinch the deal for me. The extra $20 bucks is so worth it. The only thing I lose is the charcoal door (no big deal since I don't have to remove the entire grate to gain charcoal access on the Char-Griller, only 1/4 the total grate area.) and some area under the lid (no biggie, I'm not even sure how much area I'll lose.) I think I'll do some measurements tomorrow and come up with numbers for volume difference and whatnot.

 

[Kelemvor]

THey make charcoal grils all over the place. Just go to Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. There are probably far mroe gas grills because they are so much more convenient (cooking in 5 minutes with no setup) but they still make and sell plenty of charcoal ones.

Personally I have a Kenmore grill from Sears I got for $150ish and I absolutely love it. 3 racks, side burner, 2 burners in gril (no need for more). Everything I'd ever need.

I don't mind charcoal and still use it up north. But it's messier, takes far longer to heat up to get ready to grill, etc. Can't beat turning a coupel knobs and pressing a button.

 

[Red Dawn]

Originally posted by: FrankyJunior
THey make charcoal grils all over the place. Just go to Sears, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. There are probably far mroe gas grills because they are so much more convenient (cooking in 5 minutes with no setup) but they still make and sell plenty of charcoal ones.

Personally I have a Kenmore grill from Sears I got for $150ish and I absolutely love it. 3 racks, side burner, 2 burners in gril (no need for more). Everything I'd ever need.

I don't mind charcoal and still use it up north. But it's messier, takes far longer to heat up to get ready to grill, etc. Can't beat turning a coupel knobs and pressing a button.

It is a lot meesier that's for sure. Every time I cook on mine I have to take out the Aluminum Foil I put on the bottom of my grill to catch the asshes from the coals and put it in a bag because the Sanitation Dept (garbage Collectors) will fine me if I don't. THen I have to reline the bottom of my gril with more Aluminum Foil. I needn't do this every time I grill but if I don't it is just a bigger mess!

 

[ArmchairAthlete]

Charcoal all the way! It's all about flavor, and how fancy your grill looks has nothing to do with that.

 

[Ornery]

"Every time I cook on mine I have to take out the Aluminum Foil I put on the bottom of my grill to catch the asshes from the coals and put it in a bag because the Sanitation Dept (garbage Collectors) will fine me if I don't."

Unreal! Why not just throw them under the shrubs or something? Don't tell me, let me guess. Because the EPA will fine you?

 

[waldocat]

Why not use Wood and Paper?

Food will taste much better....

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: ArmchairAthlete
Charcoal all the way! It's all about flavor, and how fancy your grill looks has nothing to do with that.

uggghhhhh.

burnt food != flavor!!!!!!

never mind...you'll thank me later when you guys learn how to cook.

I'll post pics sometime.

For those that know how to cook with charcoal, my hats off to you. It takes quite a while to get it right and it take a good amount of practice.

Even I, the "grillmaster" ruined some steak this week by running it too hot. I'm so ashamed.

Truly - if one knows how to grill gas vs charcoal doesn't matter that much. The only reason you'd use charcoal is for slow-cook/indirect cooking foods. The thing is most don't know how to use a grill of any kind.

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: ArmchairAthlete
Charcoal all the way! It's all about flavor, and how fancy your grill looks has nothing to do with that.

burnt food != flavor!!!!!!

To the contrary, in the book I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown, Alton covers a personal experience when he taste tested a few different ways of cooking steak on the grill. The highest heat method that looked like it "burned" the steak on the outside (extremely high charcoal heat) ranked the best tasting in an informal test among Alton and his grilling friends.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: ArmchairAthlete
Charcoal all the way! It's all about flavor, and how fancy your grill looks has nothing to do with that.

burnt food != flavor!!!!!!

To the contrary, in the book I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown, Alton covers a personal experience when he taste tested a few different ways of cooking steak on the grill. The highest heat method that looked like it "burned" the steak on the outside (extremely high charcoal heat) ranked the best tasting in an informal test among Alton and his grilling friends.

And because your idol says so that makes it true?

jeez...

 

[Neos]

Do we not realize in our heart of hearts that we need to step away for the use of charcoal and conserve the enviroment. A tree in the Belgian Congo gave it's life for the charcoal we consume.

Be kind. Buy a gas grill. Hug a tree.

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: NuclearFusi0n

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: ArmchairAthlete
Charcoal all the way! It's all about flavor, and how fancy your grill looks has nothing to do with that.

burnt food != flavor!!!!!!

To the contrary, in the book I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown, Alton covers a personal experience when he taste tested a few different ways of cooking steak on the grill. The highest heat method that looked like it "burned" the steak on the outside (extremely high charcoal heat) ranked the best tasting in an informal test among Alton and his grilling friends.

And because your idol says so that makes it true?

jeez...

Yes.

 

i grilled a huge onslaught of food for fathers day last sunday
6 pork tenderloins (not the HUGE ones)
24 ears of corn
and about 20 stuff portabella mushroom caps

because my charcoal grill wasn't large enough for everything, i also used my dads gas grill
i made two loins, 6 corns, and half the caps on my charcoal
and the rest on the gas

20 people were eating, and everyone that took the taste test picked the charcoal cooked food

i used to use gas, and i used to hate the thought of grilling with charcoal because each time i tried i ended up skrewing up the food
once i figured out the trick to charcoal, there is no going back


gas grills are to grilling as AOL is to the internet

 

[StageLeft]

I made the mistake of buying charcoal last time because I was cheap. My next grill will be gas. It's not like I'm good enough of a cook to make a difference noticeable between the two anyway and charcoal is expensive buying it all the time, plus it takes forever to heat up, and requires clean up. Gas rules.