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Charcoal Grill vs Gas Grill


heidiiiii

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Our gas grill pooped the bed last year so that was a WHOLE summer without any grilling outside. I think I have gone into withdrawl..LOL

Now it is time to replace it. Fred says get another gas grill. I say get a charcoal grill.

Give me your opinion.

We only do a bit of grilling during the summer..no hardcore stuff with big cuts of meat. Just simple stuff like chicken, burgers, and dogs.

Do any of you use things like Hickory in your charcoal grill?

Any ideas will be great because the debate is on our house. I say that the person who has to clean the grill (me) gets to pick it. He thinks not..LOL

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I've never used a gas grill, to be honest. I'm a country girl who grew up with a WOOD grill. We'd take a nice chunk of aged oak and some aged mesquite and have a delicious BBQ.

Now that I'm in the city, I use charcoal when I grill. Something just seems unnatural about using gas to cook outdoors.

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If you only do a bit of grilling and you don't want to shell out big bucks for a new grill, get one or two of the disposable ones that use charcoal. If you're careful with them, they'll last through several cooking sessions. Before we got our gas grill, I used the disposable charcoal ones for several summers. Now that we have the gas, I'm happy to cook on it, but I wasn't unhappy with the rinky dink models, either. :)

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I have only had a gas grill so I am no help on the differences between the two. But I agree with you Heidi, the person who has to clean it gets to pick it. Hopefully you are able to get what you want. Or else refuse to clean the one he picks, LOL!

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DH calls gas grills an abomination. He's a true BBQ'er. Spends hours making pulled pork, smoked turkey, brisket, etc, etc. We have 2 charcoal/wood cooking devices, 1 for grilling, 1 for smoking. He doesn't use lighter fluid either, that's another "abomination," uses a chimney and newspaper to start the coals and/or the wood. I just roll my eyes when somebody makes the mistake of calling grilling BBQing or vice versa and gets him started.

Will say though I've had both, gas and charcoal, and by far prefer the taste of charcoal grilled food.

Karen

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For flavor- charcoal.

For ease of use - gas.

You do still have to clean the gas grill. Although you don't have to deal with the ashes. I always threw the ashes on my garden unless they were the lighter fluid kind.

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I am do not want a table top charcoal but I do not want to splurge and buy a high end stand alone. I think I will go middle of the road. And you are right about the ashes..good for your garden beds. Just have to keep an eye on the Ph.

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We paid around $200 for ours last year and it is both. A charcoal grill on the right side and a gas grill on the left side so it is pretty big because they are both regular size grills. I believe Lowe's had these however we bought ours at our grocery store Kroger. I love it. I love the taste of charcoal but do not like to use it so Bill uses the charcoal side when he cooks and I use the gas side when I cook. Love it love it love it.

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I always hate waiting for the charcoal to heat up properly before I can start cooking, and then it seems to get too cool before I've finished my bbqed bananas, so I'd want a gas one. But flavour is probably better on charcoal if you want the smokiness. If it were me, i'd be going for gas. So quick to heat up - i'd use it much more often than I grill using charcoal.

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I prefer charcoal flavor, though gas is handy especially if you're just making a few burgers.

Have you ever tried the wood chips for smokey flavor? I use them occassionally, esp. mesquite.

The cook/cleaner should choose the grill.

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I think I just want a change of cooking pace. I have done gas grill for so long. I remember my Dad had a Hibachi..Remember those?

He would grill out on the back porch. We would have toasted marshmallows. Mmm!

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Charcoal all the way baby!

After having gas pretty much most of my life, we used a small camping charcoal one a few years ago similar to a hibachi.....Well after smacking my lips for about an hour after dinner, I told my husband WE WILL NEVER AGAIN USE GAS!

I find the charcoal to be more expensive (because we grill so much, even in the winter in the garage), but the food is SOOOOO much better. Gas dries everything out in my opinion.

S

Edit: we do use different kinds of chips in our grill. Not all the time, mostly for pork. If it is an especially long grill we use apricot sticks from our tree. If you have fruit trees you can use all kinds...peach, apple, pear to name a few.

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I guess it's all about personal taste.

I don't like the flavor of charcoal. But that IS kinda what bbq is all about. I do like the flavor of food cooked outside though, so gas has always been my choice.

When we had charcoal grills - I would wrap my meat in foil so it wouldn't get the charcoal taste to it. Funny thing though, I love corn on the cob done on charcoal.

Now I'm hungry.

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I go with MiniWendy & KathieB. We have the hickory chips that we sprinkle on the gas grill to add flavor. Hard choice to make.

Steve, how do you sprinkle the chips without them falling though? I usually soak the chips in water, put them in a long skinny pan made from folded aluminum foil at the back of the grill. They steam and flavor the food in that way rather than creating smoke.

Charcoal all the way baby! ... I find the charcoal to be more expensive (because we grill so much, even in the winter in the garage), but the food is SOOOOO much better. Gas dries everything out in my opinion.

Please tell me the garage door is wide open. Charcoal puts out a lot of carbon monoxide!

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