stories : Entertaining
Gas Versus Charcoal (cont.)
Grill a Little Greener
If either gas or charcoal grills were a clear environmental winner, the decision of what to use would be much easier. But it’s not that straightforward. Charcoal grills release about twice as much carbon dioxide per hour as gas grills do, roughly 11 pounds versus 5.6, says the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. But charcoal comes from trees, which absorb carbon as they grow, making the emissions net zero. Still, groups like the Sierra Club advocate gas grills because they are cleaner burning.
Though there doesn’t seem to be an obvious ecofriendly choice when it comes to what fuels your grill, there are still a few things you can do to lessen the environmental impact of your weekend barbecue.
Use Nontoxic Cleaners
It’s best to clean your grill with a heavy-duty grill brush and some elbow grease, but if you’re going to use a spray-on cleaner, go for one that’s nontoxic. Two options are SoyClean BBQ Grill Cleaner and Simple Green Heavy Duty BBQ & Grill Cleaner.
Buy Sustainable Charcoal
If you’re buying lump charcoal, look for brands like Wicked Good, Nature’s Own Chunk Charwood, and the Original Charcoal Company, which are made from sustainably harvested wood. Lazzari also produces a 100 percent mesquite lump charcoal made from prunings, dead and fallen wood, and selectively harvested wood.
If you opt for briquettes, avoid instant-light varieties—they’re soaked in petroleum products—and conventional briquettes that use fillers like coal dust and petroleum binders. Greenlink makes briquettes from waste coconut shells and a food-grade binder. Wicked Good sells a briquette made from the same sustainably harvested wood as its lump charcoal.
Grill Good Food
What’s on top of your grate is just as important as what’s underneath it. Try to use seasonal, local, and organic produce and meats. For ideas on how to shop for ecofriendly meat, check out our tips for environmentally responsible carnivores. And don’t forget, you can use your grill to make tasty vegetable-based meals out of things like Grilled Corn with Cayenne, Lime, and Cotija; Grilled Greek Salad; and Stuffed Poblanos with Black Beans and Cheese.
Put Down the Lighter Fluid
There’s no need to use toxic lighter fluid to ignite charcoal when you can use a chimney starter. They’re simple: Stuff some old newspaper in the bottom, fill the top with charcoal, and light the paper. At around $10 to $15, they’re also cheap. Plus, your food won’t have any off flavors from unburned lighter fluid residue. Check out this video to see a chimney starter in action. You can also make one out of an old coffee can by removing both ends, using a church key bottle opener to cut holes around the bottom rim, placing the chimney on top of your grill, and proceeding with the newspaper, charcoal, and ignition.
thank-just ordered a chimney starter-no more pouring a half a bottle of lighter fluid on the coals!
Between the two, I would pick charcoal, despite the extra trouble. Better flavor in general, but with either one, you must use hickory, mesquite, pecan, or some other wood-smoking chips. That brings me to my number one point: Gas or Charcoal? Neither!!! Wood-smoking is the best for flavor by far!!!
I don't agree when they say that you can't smoke on a gas grill, I do it all the time with mine...But I also love my little charcoal grill...between the two, I only choose between them depending on how much time I have to cook something...I agree gas on weekdays, and charcoal for the weekends...
I'm with you pnk.pr. Smoke for special projects such as brisket, charcoal for a nice steak, gas for getting it done. I was fortunate enough to buy a grill with an insert for burning charcoal. Simple, use the gas to fire up the charcoal sear over the charcoal and cook on the gas along with grilled veg etc.
In a perfect world, we'd all have at least one good example of each.. We do, and I thought my husband was daft to consider adding a gas grill at first, but now it's hard to imagine being without either one, and I hope I never have to.
Charcoal period. I enjoy the extra attention that the charcoal grill requires. I also enjoy smoking the meat and using indirect heat. If I do not have time to do these things...I do not grill.
I agree with Adam. Grilling is an art. I also think if you're going to use a gas grill, you might as well just stay inside and use your broiler. I love my Weber.
Charcoal, lump or regular, or wood beat gas hands down.
The chimney starter is a must, once you use one you will never go back to lighter fluid.
I grill or roast 4 times a week year round with a Weber Kettle rain or shine. The biggest enemy of the kettle is wind! Wind causes a wind shear which can greatly reduce temperature by starving the fire of air. To deal with this I use a second Weber lid (from my last 10 year old BBQ) and balance it on the top of the other lid.
I always use hardwood lump, briquettes have too many toxic additives and you will have too empty your ash catcher much less frequently with lump as it almost all burns whereas briquettes are about half clay binder which doesn't burn.
Also I use an electric starter. Just plug in and set a cheap electronic timer to 5-6 minutes and pull the plug. The electric starter will last a lot longer this way and is way cheaper (about 1 cent per light) than fluid.
Raichlen is just plain wrong about not being able to smoke on a gas grill. I use a three-burner Weber, turning on only the front burner and placing the meat toward the back. A couple of shallow metal trays full of good pre-soaked hardwood chips placed directly over the lit burner give the food plenty of great smoke, and it's much easier to keep the gas set to a steady 250° than it is with charcoal.
Call me a heretic, but I serve up some MEAN back backs and brisket!
Er, baby backs that is!
I smoke all the time on my Napoleon grill. It's about as effective as a Weber Kettle, but less effective than a true smoker.
I want to see a Rainford vs. Raichlen celebrity death match.
I use a Weber Q propane grill for quick weekdays, tailgates and camping.
But when I really need to cook something I use my Weber kettle. Charcoal is the way to go when you need high heat.
I use kingsford charcoal with apple or cherry wood for flavor since I live in an area with lots of orchards.
I used to be totally devoted to charcoal and still preferred it even after I started writing a web log for Char-Broil (www.sizzleonthegrill.com) I liked the convenience of gas - when I was in a hurry to fix dinner or a small meal - but the overall experience of cooking with hardwood charcoal (not briquettes) was and is a substantial influence in my flavor meter. BUT I recently started cooking on the new Char-Broil RED - and found all the convenience of gas with the ability to actually and truly add chips to the infrared tray and honestly smoke a pork shoulder....at a constant temp of 220F degrees.....unparalleled in my experience. - CB
No preference here, I've owned both and they are both good in different ways. I have a really great Char-Broil gas grille that I got at Lowes's for $249 but looks like it should have cost ~$800. I like it because of its versatility, quick starting, doesn't stink up the neighborhood and it looks great.
I live in Seattle, famous for its rain, but I can grille year-round - I've turned steaks in the dead of winter while juggling an umbrella and a flashlight. My special Seattle-style BBQ recipe has a secret ingredient - rainwater!
Nothing beats the flavor of lump charcoal. I use a Big Green Egg. It doesn't take long to light - 20 mins or so. You can take that time to soak the wood chips. It's an investment up front, but think of how many metal grills rust out and need replacement. My BGE has been going solid for 7 years. It's a beast!
Why did you even bother mentioning briquettes? They are the worst material ever invented for cooking food. They produce much more ash than natural charcoal, cost more and contain potentially dangerous chemicals.
As for actual grilling equipment, I have one of each. The gas grill for quick burgers and for the spit. For real cooking I've got a Kamado, great for smoking and grilling. Another advantage of the Kamado is that it's very efficient for charcoal use.
I get the best of both worlds. I have a Home Depot version of a Vermont castings gasser that I use for grilling. If I want a bit of smoke, I add some soaked chips to a smoke box and all is well. For serious smoking I have a Weber bullet. I've made many fine meals on each. If I had to choose just one, it would be the gasser because for weekday cooking, it's perfect.
For people who enjoy smoking, go to www.webervirtualbullet.com It's a great site and the discussion boards are both useful and entertaining. I've found the people who contribute to be very helpful.
Hey, how come CHOW didnt evaluate the grills based on safety??
It just seems that Safety would be just as big an issue as all else, especially for families. I've never trusted Propane tanks with anything!!!
GrenadaChef
Hey, how come CHOW didnt evaluate the grills based on safety??
It just seems that Safety would be just as big an issue as all else, especially for families. I've never trusted Propane tanks with anything!!!
GrenadaChef
If you look and statistics you'll find that more injuries are caused by charcoal grills than gas grills. Propane systems are actually very safe while charcoal grills inherently have several safety concerns. Safety concerns come from the use of fuels to ignite a charcoal as well as the handling of the hot coals for the distribution as well as fires caused by the disposal of hot ashes. Also when you turn off a propane grill it's off, a charcoal grill does not have an off switch.
Charcoal is probably better if you like to smoke your foods. I don't. Gas is thus much better for me.
The gas flame has water vapor in it - it steams rather than sears. Charcoal is the best heat source. It provides a small amount of smoke that can be amplified and seasoned with soaked wood chips. All the tricks to make a gas grill perform like a charcoal grill are lame. Use a real fire.
Wow. Nothing but charcoal snobs here.
I grill on a 4 burner Jenn-Air. I do a hybrid of both gas and charcoal, I use pecan wood pieces and put them under the grates to get some smoke flavor, and also to help sear the meat.
For those of you that use charcoal, the charcoal doesn't add any flavor (other than carcinogens), it's the burning of the fat dripping onto the burning coals that creates the smoke, which happens on a gas grill also. It's just the higher heat that helps you out.
I prefer gas for convenience and cleanliness of the food (no ash). The gas grill is also more versatile controllable and consistent in its heat so slow roasting delicate meats and vegetables works better.
I also keep another small barrel type grill to use with charcoal for smoking occasionally but only with real wood or charcoal. I also use both occasionally searing off thick steaks and chops on the chracoal and moving them to my gas grill to finish if I'm doing a big feed.
Commercial "charcoal" briquettes make everything taste like an oil refinery and I can't believe the residue they leave is healthy to eat.
Not much to add to the debate, but we love our cast-iron hibachi, and yes, use briquettes. While camping, it's local wood on the fire pit. Both impart great flavours, and we're just happy to be outdoors. If that makes me an unsophisticated pagan, so be it. I'm there to enjoy and experiment and make good things even if they sometimes turn out less than picture perfect.
I've actually used a hibachi several times in the past and they aren't a bad grill for small quantities. I can't believe you use briquettes! You know what's in those things? Regular hardwood charcoal burns much cleaner, starts quicker and produces less ash. I can't see any reason not to use it instead of briquettes!
For everyday grilling, gas makes a ton of sense. Starts fast, turns off just as fast, great temperature control, no worries on a wood patio deck with hot ashes, and minimal cleanup. Oh yeah, and with a little preparation, great taste.
When not using my gas grill, I prefer briquettes. Why use briquettes? Easy!
1) Availability -- maybe different in your neck of the woods, but can't usually find lump charcoal at the local supermarket. No, I'm not driving cross town for charcoal.
2) Cost -- when you can find lump charcoal around here, boy, do you pay for it!
3) Steady consistent heat -- lump burns hotter, but, for me, control is way more important
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I stay away from the fast-lighting stuff -- not a fan of lighter fluid.
This web page has a pretty good discussion on the subject
http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cha...
The poster that mentioned that the smoke really comes from the fats and juices dripping is 100% correct -- charcoal (or propane)should produce almost no smoke on it's own. That's the whole point of charcoal -- by driving off extraneous water and volatile compounds, the combustion is very efficient.
Don't believe me? Check out your chimney starter once all the charcoal is lit -- if smoke is pouring out, you have a problem! If you want wood smoke, you have to use wood.
> The gas flame has water vapor in it - it steams rather than sears
All hydrocarbon combustion produces water vapor as a byproduct.
CnHn + O2 -> CO2 + H2O (+ CO, +Cn, +NOx in reality)
The cellulose in wood is not significantly different from methane or propane in this respect, and for many people the largest fraction of heat transfer occurs at the hot, dry interface of the grill grates.
The 'gas steams' argument is a tired canard. An insulated, wood-fired refractory oven is far more useful than either a gas grill or a charcoal grill, albeit a good deal less portable in most cases.
The past two years, because of sponsor promotions, I've been using infrared grills. These aren't the older and costly models. All under $600 and the latest is about $250. Man - the heat I get at the cooking surface is excellent - perfect for searing fish, steaks, burgers, etc. - about 650+F degrees.
From what I understand a well made charcoal or wood fire for cooking and grilling generates about 35 infrared - and that is one of the primary features we who like to grill enjoy about cooking over open fire of this nature. Yes, with good hardwood charcoal (not the briquettes, thank you) the flavor of smoke does attach to the surface of the meat - but the infrared energy is also an important factor.
Traditional gas grills do not generate any infrared to speak of - and while they can get the grates pretty hot, hot enough sometimes to actually 'grill mark' the food - essentially they are a hot air convection oven with grates. The fat drips onto 'flame tamers' which burns and creates a nice fat burning odor - we enjoy.
The infrared grills cook with all of the heat of natural charcoal or wood fire, and then some. So as for the question: Gas or charcoal - I'd like to re-phrase that into "no infrared, some infrared or lotsa infrared?"
There is a great website that reviews lump charcoal, nakedwhiz.com that folks here might find interesting, and also a charcoal briquet that is close to lump charcoal in terms of burning hot and clean...wickedgoodcharcoal.com. Nakedwhiz did a special review of it on their website.
And count me as one who likes the woody smell of charcoal vs gas...