Charcoal only griller


 
B

BrianD

New member
Hello folks,

Do any of you use only charcoal grills? I'm considering switching from my dilapidated gas grill to a Weber Performer. But I'd hate to give up the convenience of the gas grill, especially when just throwing on a couple of hot dogs or hamburgers. Any of you out there only use a charcoal grill? If so, do you miss the convenience of a gasser? I don't have room for both, so it has to be one or the other. Thanks in advance for your replies.

Brian.
 
I did exactly that. I owned a dilapidated gas grill that I replaced with a new Performer a little over a month ago and not once have I missed the gasser.

The gas assist on the Performer fires the coals up in a hurry and if I'm just tossing on some dogs and a couple burgers then I just use less charcoal.
 
Yes and sometimes. Like you said, with the gasser, it's ready in a touch of a button. Regardless of which fuel you use for the Charcoal, it'll take 10-15 minutes to warm up.

So, if I want to grill something quicker, it's up to my stove top and a cast iron pan.

But to answer the question, I prefer my charcoal grill over a gasser.

Of course, if cost isn't an issue, look in to pellet grill....or stick burners as some people call them.
 
I use my kettle 99.999999% of the time. Once in awhile I will do hot dogs or reheat smoked sausages for a quick lunch.

Mostly I just use the gasser to rest stuff on
 
A few years ago my POC gasser was failing. I went to HD to buy replacement parts. As I added up the expense of what was in the cart, I realized I could purchase a charcoal grill.

I trashed the gasser and am now up to three charcoal grills not counting the smoker.
 
I'm a charcoal only guy, too. In addition to my WSM, I have a Weber Platinum On-touch which I fire with a chimney. I had a Performer for 10+ years, but found the gas starter no more effective or any faster than a chimney. It became more of hassle than anything, esepcially once the sparker wore out . . .

Bill
 
I grill/smoke on charcoal 99.8% of the time. I have a portable gasser that has two coolers built into it for portability (although it only works sporadically), and another multi-purpose gas cooker that is very versatile, which compliments my two main charcoal fired Webers. I have more confidence in cooking over charcoal, and I like the flavor of everything cooked over charcoal more than cooked over gas. The little bit of extra time & effort required for cooking over charcoal is well worth the result
 
Bought my first gasser this year. I use the side burner under my chimney starter. $200 chimney starter.
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It is nice for the quickie dinner when time is short.
 
I ran out of propane about 4 months ago and haven't missed the gasser. Just last night, we decided not to go out to eat and did brats on the Smokey Joe. just an extra 15 minutes to start the coals.
 
Originally posted by Dave/G:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Bill_W:
Never had a gasser, been grilling for 41 years.
Click to expand...
+1, but I'm older </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

+2, but I'm prettier!
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I stopped using my gas grill over a year ago and started using a Chargriller exclusively. Over the year I never found the need to use the gasser so it went out to the street with a "free" sign on it. I just picked up One-Touch and now the only thing connected to my propane tank is my turkey fryer.
 
The only gas grill I have is a new Weber Gas Go Anywhere. Bought it at HD for $27.35+tax. I haven't used it yet. I bought it only for fire restrictions in campgrounds during fire season. Otherwise, it's my SJP for camping and my Weber kettle or WSM for everything else.

If I don't have time to grill, I reheat something I've already grilled, or bite the bullet for one night and cook something in the kitchen.

I've discovered that life is too short to drink bad beer or to hurry barbecuing
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I got rid of a cheap gasser for my Performer. I have never considered getting another gas grill after the switch. It's a Performer or a WSM for me (or a crazy hot wood fired oven, but that's a different beast).

It takes me less than 20 minutes to go from a covered grill to a 550 degree grilling machine. I said this in another thread, but I do the grill heating while I'm prepping food, and the grill often beats me.

Stan
 
I had a gas grill about 15 years ago. Came with the house when I bought it. Used it til the gas ran out in the middle of a cook. After that I had a couple off brand charcoal grills then my Webers. Once you go coal you won't go back.
 
Brian, When I was younger I had a gas grill in addition to my Weber only because I didn't understand how to manage the heat in the winter and thought I needed the gas for winter heat. I also mistakenly thought getting the charcoal to temp was too time consuming. With practice and patience I learned how to grill as well in the winter as the summer on my Weber, and now I have learned how to manage my time and appreciate the difference the charcoal makes, so needless to say I was glad to surrender my gas grill to a more than thankful person willing to pay a fair price. Good riddance, I said! Charcoal, and Weber, all the way!
 
I have a performer that I love and use most of the time, several times a week. It takes almost as long to get a gasser hot and ready to do steak properly as it does to get a charcoal grill hot. I also have a Genesis that I still use some. To simply do a couple of hot dogs quick it is fine. I also like it if I want to keep a set temp for an hour or so for a chicken or pork loin.
If I had to do with just one it would be charcoal.

Mike
 
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