The Grill - Gas or Charcoal?

In General: Gas or Charcoal Grill?

Specifically: My inlaws gave my wife and I a Coleman 4000 gas grill. I was pretty excited at first but it's pretty clear that it needs a good cleanup. I've found a guy that can do it for about $100 all in. I could do it myself, but in truth, I'm just not that interested!

I used to have a Weber Charcoal grill and was a big fan of that. I'm considering just getting one of those on Craigslist.

Nothing new here: the taste of charcoal, the reliability of the Weber, or get the Gas Gill fixed?

I prefer charcoal. It allows me to do more things, such as add hickory or other flavored woods, and I like that charcoaly taste. Just me maybe.

Charcoal, as Doug mentioned, you can do so much more. I can do some easy burgers or slow smoke a pork loin or chicken. I also use lump charcoal and the mix I currently have is alder and maple.
I also have a Weber, it's a wonderful grill and the community is great, if you have any questions about anything, chances are somebody has an answer.

I prefer charcoal though with both there are their advantages, some more prevalent than others like taste which charcoal is better.

Easy choice: charcoal. When it comes to flavor, gas just doesn't compare.

I like charcoal for most things, especially things that take a long time and are sauced. Definitely for smoked.

But for simple dinners like burgers, thick steaks or brats, I find a Weber gas with the heavy, cast-iron grates is fine. The flavorizer bars keep the flames down (you have to be meticulous in keeping the cookbox and bottom tray clean, though), the cast iron grates make GREAT grill marks and it's quick and easy. I have both, of course. I actually have three grills on my deck.

I prefer a good Weber charcoal grill over a gas grill. I grew up with both of my parents loving to cook on the Weber grill, and that hickory taste I grew up with is something I really love. I have had good meals that were cooked on a gas grill, and they warm up quickly for quicker cooking. However, given my choice, I will always go with a charcoal grill.

You're asking about getting the gas grill fixed. If you are going to use it a lot then it could be worth it. Otherwise, how important is the taste of charcoal?

I hate to claim Dewey defeats Truman here, but it looks like projections of this poll are going the way of charcoal.

I definitely prefer charcoal (and that's all I currently use), but I sometimes miss the convenience of propane for grilling after getting home from a long day at work.

Today was a good day. I bought a Slim off of the B/S/T and a Weber One-Touch Silver 22.5" off someone on Craigslist. I've still got the gas grill. A friend of mine is saying it would be worth it to clean it up and get it going. Seems a little much to have both, though I can certainly see the logic. Great, now I have Grill AD!

So, the Weber was pretty well used. Is a well used cooking grate akin to a well seasoned cast iron skillet? Or should I get in there and get it good and clean?

If the grate is structurally sound, I would run a chimney-full of charcoal (5-lb), open the vents, cover with lid, and let the coals run their course. The result is a perfectly seasoned cooking grate.

If the grate is not structurally sound, I would simply replace it. Parts for Weber grills are readily available.

Thanks,
Mike

PaqDan said:

...So, the Weber was pretty well used. Is a well used cooking grate akin to a well seasoned cast iron skillet? Or should I get in there and get it good and clean?

Click to expand...

I use charcoal with the chimney for quick grilling like steaks and things, but I cannot say enough about my Orion cooker for smoking. I can smoke 6 racks of ribs in less than 2 hours, a brisket in around 4, and a pork shoulder for pulled pork in around 3. This thing is simply outstanding and I don't think I'll ever be without one. It's super structurally sound and still holding up much better than I ever thought after over 2 years of almost weekly use, but I'm considering buying another just in case something happens to it. The grates are made of industrial grade stainless steel and really easy to clean. I recommend these to anyone.

I prefer charcoal.

I use and prefer Charcoal when I have the time. But the convenience of gas makes it the most used grill in the household.

I had to vote gas since that is all I have used - other than smoking - for probably the last 10 years, until this past weekend anyway. Now I have both, a Weber Genesis and a One-Touch Gold 22.5. I can tell you that I flat-out love the Genesis, but now I am learning my way around a charcoal grill also.

Personally I think that there is a bit of a stigma attached to people that say they prefer gas & your poll is going to reflect gasser's reluctance to speak up, IMO. I'm down with both, but there are a lot of charcoal snobs out there that love to show their "ash" in these types of discussions.

professorchaos said:

Easy choice: charcoal. When it comes to flavor, gas just doesn't compare.

Click to expand...

This was the argument I made to my wife when she complained that I bought charcoal over gas. I told her that you can get the same taste out the broiler in your oven as you can with a gas grill. She still didn't like it...until I showed her what charcoal could do side by side with gas. She doesn't complain anymore.

73mountaineer said:

I had to vote gas since that is all I have used - other than smoking - for probably the last 10 years, until this past weekend anyway. Now I have both, a Weber Genesis and a One-Touch Gold 22.5. I can tell you that I flat-out love the Genesis, but now I am learning my way around a charcoal grill also.

Personally I think that there is a bit of a stigma attached to people that say they prefer gas & your poll is going to reflect gasser's reluctance to speak up, IMO. I'm down with both, but there are a lot of charcoal snobs out there that love to show their "ash" in these types of discussions.

Click to expand...

I understand this. I used to use a gas grill with smoker chips. It worked well. It eventually wore out, and I replaced it with a Weber kettle. I use lump charcoal, which starts faster than cheap brand-x brickettes. All it takes is 15 minutes of prep on something else, and the fire is ready. I am not a snob, though. If your gas grill works for you, grill on it!

Well, my gas grill quite literally isn't working for me and with the 4th coming up I needed to make a quick decision. Having had a Weber kettle style charcoal grill in my early 20's I decided to go back to it. I might not get as much cooking in as I might with the gas, but rather than dump more $ into my gas grill or mess with getting in there cleaning it, I think I made the right decision. I'm hoping my friend will come and clean the gas grill at some point and I can do a one to one comparison and then dump whichever one I don't intend on using on Craigslist.

Just started reading some of the Thin Blue Smoke thread - holy cow. Now I'm wanting to do some slow cookin'! It's clear I gotta do a little more exploring around this area of B&B.