Grilling over charcoal is objectively, scientifically better than grilling over gas


 
Cooking over gas is so much easier and convenient than cooking over coals. That is a fact that would be hard to dispute. And I am pretty sure, significantly less expensive and messy.
 
This conundrum is one reason pellet grills are gaining popularity. You have a wood fire with almost as easy cooking as with gas. So far, though, you can’t achieve full high heat searing like you can with a gas grill.
 
One thing for sure. 99% of my grilling is done on a wooden deck. My issue with charcoal/wood/pellet is the possibility of live embers making it to my deck. Happened to my bro a couple years ago. Really gave him a scare
 
Of course, even food cooked on a gas grill gives off aromas—all food does. But food grilled over a charcoal flame has a special one: guaiacol.

Guaiacol is an aroma compound produced when you use heat to break down lignin, the resin responsible for holding strands of cellulose together to form wood. “It has a smoky, spicy, bacony aroma,” Sacks says. “In fact, the flavor that most people associate with bacon is largely degraded lignin.”

Translation: Cooking over charcoal makes your food taste like bacon.


Let me repeat that: blah blah charcoal blah blah BACON.

So if you have two identical steaks, cooked at identical temperatures, for the same amount of time, where the only difference is that one is cooked over charcoal and one is cooked over gas, what will be the end result? The charcoal-cooked steak will taste more like bacon.

Case closed.
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this part caught my eye :D
 
LMichaels said:
One thing for sure. 99% of my grilling is done on a wooden deck. My issue with charcoal/wood/pellet is the possibility of live embers making it to my deck. Happened to my bro a couple years ago. Really gave him a scare
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Good point. I had a weber kettle for a while and worried about the same thing. I liked the grill but I honestly could tell very little difference in taste between has and charcoal. There is however a huge difference in convenience.
 
My buddy had a coal burner and a couple coals actually burned through the floor of his deck. He had to replace a couple boards, which he was happy to do since the deck didn't go up in flames (which is attached to his house.
 
While this doesn't directly address the gas vs coal debate, it does temper some of the "Bacon flavor" talk about coal.

"Harry Soo of Slap Yo Daddy BBQ, one of the top 10 competition teams year in and year out once told me "I buy whatever is on sale." Mike Wozniak of Quau, the 2010 Kansas City Barbeque Society Team of the Year and winner of scores of big money championships told me "Charcoal is for heat, not flavor. Wood is for flavor. I cook on whatever brand the competition sponsor is giving away for free." Let's find out why."
https://amazingribs.com/more-techni...firing/science-charcoal-how-charcoal-made-and
 
Having two smokers, five gas grills, three charcoal grills all of them are Weber's. I choose the one that will meet my expectations with what I want the end product to be and how long the cook will be. A simple steak I will go with gas for the convenience as I really can't detect any flavor difference. Chicken I'll use the performer or the Jumbo Joe with a vortex as they always produces a better chicken than any of the gassers. For the most part I can't see firing up a charcoal grill for a five minute cook. A brisket on the other hand which takes long hours the WSM to get that nice low and slow smoky flavor.
I just got a rotisserie for my E320 I have one for my gen 2000 but the E320 is NG so no worries about running out of gas.
The debate will go on forever, I just like having the choice.
 
I like the choice also have a performer a UDS smoker and a 1000 as well as a Silver C. Each has a place, I do my chicken wings on the performer, steaks on the 1000 and of course ribs on the UDS.

The performer is the weekend grill as I am in no rush chance to have a few extra beers but I really don't find the charcoal a lot more work when you have the time.
 
When I have some time to relax:confused:, charcoal and wood chunks is still my favorite. Pellets on a pellet grill are a close second for low and slow, especially with a quality brand and good flavor blend of woods. Gas can also do some amazing things with a smoker tube filled with wood pellets or a smoker box with wood chips. But since I have the other two options available, I generally use gas for higher heat grilling only, augmented with wood smoke when my wife lets me get by with it.
 
LMichaels said:
One thing for sure. 99% of my grilling is done on a wooden deck. My issue with charcoal/wood/pellet is the possibility of live embers making it to my deck. Happened to my bro a couple years ago. Really gave him a scare
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This is not a remote possibility with a charcoal grill, but I don’t believe a quality built pellet grill would be at all likely to present this risk. Using any source of high heat requires caution and safety plans that we probably could all improve on.
 
Agree Jon and Larry never would it enter my mind to use my smoker or performer on my deck which I don't have to worry about since I have an area down below with pavers so its not a worry for me. The gas grills are the only ones on the deck.
 
And if I leave my elevated deck to do something in the yard the mosquito attack is sudden and furious. So trying to "relax" by a smoker is not in the cards here. Here it looks like those documentaries on Alaska with all the skeeters clogging the camera lenses and such. Yeah..............................it's that bad. Just came in from out front rebuilding my little buddy's basketball hoop and I look like I have been attacked. Welts all over
 
Larry: This wet spring is going to lead to a nasty summer of mosquitos in our area.
 
Yeah yesterday I thought I saw a cardinal flying nearby but it was just a skeeter that had just had a meal :D
 
That's why I moved out of Illinois, didn't want to live in a state that the mosquito was the state bird.:p
 
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