Is grilling over gas better than charcoal?


 
Like many here I use both gas and charcoal. It depends largely on what I'm cooking and how much time do I have to do it. I don't use charcoal much on weekdays unless there's a holiday, etc. So on busy weeknights the Genesis gets the nod. On weekends when I have more time it's charcoal all the way. For things that cook really fast (shrimp, veggies, etc) I do those on the genesis since when it comes to cooking things really fast, any flavor increase in cooking over charcoal is going to be pretty minimal anyway.


Sometimes I'll use both at the same time. When I'm cooking burgers, the burgers go on the Performer and I toast the buns on the Genesis.
 
I like the taste of charcoal better, but generally grill on gas for convenience. It's faster to get started (important for grilling during the week when my wife and I usually don't get home until 6:30-7:00), and for the ease of temperature control. I also enjoy the minimal cleanup required with gas... I usually just preheat the grill and scrub the grates with a wire brush before, and wipe down the outside with a wet rag after.

That said, I got a WSM for my birthday last week, and I'm excited about grilling/smoking over charcoal again!
 
I've always preferred coals and wood. Here in South Texas we smoke a lot with just wood only. I enjoy both.

There are things aside from great taste that coals give me that I prefer and love like a hot stinging eye, I love that, I love getting charcoal eye from getting caught off guard from a smoke current, love it and that just doesn't happen with gas. I've cooked on propane and I love Hank Hill but propane just lacks a primal instinct that sparks inside me when I'm starting my fire before a cook.

I love the coal company. Propane/gas is predictable also and grilling and Smokin on wood and coals, we'll just anything can happen. It's a lot of fun, I really enjoy it. And there's just so much more to starting a fire than lighting a chimney starter; it's a feral need to take something raw and dangerous and put the sear of God into it until we stand back and say, medium rare perfection. And you've realized that you've controlled fire. Because anyone can control temperature, it's controlling fire that has had me hooked for life.

That's the real difference between gas and charcoal. It's about fire and temperature.
 
I have both and we prefer and do most our cooking over charcoal. The flavor alone is worth the few extra minutes you spend lighting the charcoal.
 
Charles H. said:
Back in my charcoal grilling days if I had known about starter chimneys and if bought a Weber kettle instead of the cheap charcoal grills I was going through every season I may have never switched to propane.
However once I moved to a propane grill (25 years ago) I have never seriously considered going back to charcoal and now that I have the Genesis (absolutely awesome grill BTW) it's like having an outdoor kitchen.
I love grilling on the Genesis and before I got the WSM I was using it to BBQ ribs, butts, and briskets too.
I have a BBQ brother at work who is a devout kettle cooker, he grills and BBQs everything in his performer.
We have never once argued/discussed charcoal/propane in the context of 'better' only in what we are cooking and the techniques we use to get to the end.
Since I have had the WSM my mind is more open towards (high quality only) charcoal grills than it has been for a very long time.
If I had bought the WSM first (instead of the Genesis) I think I would have opted for one of the Weber kettles for grilling.
That being said I used the Genesis as an extra oven at Thanksgiving and Christmas, not so sure a kettle could really pull off that trick.
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I was just the opposite. When I was young and newly married we received a nice gas grill as a gift. Man I did everything I could to learn how to cook good food on that thing and got pretty good at it. Then in 2002 my wife bought me a Weber One Touch Silver because I always talked about how my grandpa cooked really good food on charcoal. And then I learned as much as I could about cooking on charcoal. Then in 2011 I bought a Weber Smokey Mountain and found this site and I never looked back. Don't even have a gas grill now. Both are good at preparing great food. But for me it's just much more rewarding cooking on charcoal. And honestly, In my experience, food prepared on charcoal is always better than gas.
 
A job promotion led me on a 45 minute daily commute, and on the way I would pass this really spartan, fenced in mobile home. On the porch was a 18.5 OTS. I never saw people or cars there, the grass was never long, but that grill sitting there under the awning always drew me in. When my Dad flipped my Kingsford barrel grill off the back of his truck in traffic, and I needed another grill, I knew that I wanted a kettle immediately from passing that home everyday. I bought an OTG, a rotisserie, then the GBS. I loved it, but it wasn't convenient. After working 12-14 hours third shift, then driving home, hungry, firing up a chimney wasn't exactly fun, but I was a charcoal guy. My memories of gas grilling came from my best friend's parents growing up. The awful taste of gas in the food made a bad impression on me. Then, about a month ago, we had a cookout for my team to celebrate their quarterly bonus, and no one else could cook. So I did. On a Weber Q3200. The food tasted good, and I loved the convenience. I was able to have food ready by lunchtime after getting a really late start. A day or so later I bought my first gasser, not a Weber, but stilll. I grill almost every morning after work now. I still cook my ribs over coals, but propane has a definite place in my arsenal. Thanks.
 
People that feel the need to hate on charcoal, are just trying to justify their laziness. They always say it takes too long. That's only true if you're a newbie and don't know what you're doing. I say that from experience. I had both and would never hate on either gas nor charcoal. I prefer charcoal. To me it does taste better and is easier to set up different ways. I too can have my Jumbo Joy going and grill some flattened chicken breast in 30 mins. For those short quick cooks I use a small amount Kcomp, since they start faster.
 
Tyson said:
People that feel the need to hate on charcoal, are just trying to justify their laziness. They always say it takes too long. That's only true if you're a newbie and don't know what you're doing. I say that from experience. I had both and would never hate on either gas nor charcoal. I prefer charcoal. To me it does taste better and is easier to set up different ways. I too can have my Jumbo Joy going and grill some flattened chicken breast in 30 mins. For those short quick cooks I use a small amount Kcomp, since they start faster.
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Can't say that I've seen anybody here hating on Charcoal. What you call "laziness", others might call a lack of time in a busy schedule. One of my gassers sits uncovered on my back deck right by the back door. Most the time, since the valves on the Weber work just fine, I don't even bother shutting the propane tank off. On the way into the house, I can lift the top of my grill, turn the burners on, hit the igniter to start the grill and close the lid to let it warm up. Once in the house, I throw some bakers in the microwave and pull some 1 1/4in thick salted NY Strips from fridge. Head outside, throw them on the grill and about 15 mins later (give or take), the steaks are coming off the grill. All told, it's about a 20 minute process from when I first touch the grill.

It takes almost that much time to get my chimney, fill it with charcoal and get it going nicely on my gas assist Performer. Another plus is that I don't have to worry about closing the grill down. When I pull the steaks off, I turn the three valves off, shut the lid and it's done.
 
For me, my preference is to cook over charcoal, but there are days when it's about just gettin some food on the plate and on those days it's gasser time. My gasser is not a weber but it is showing signs of age and I'm already researching it's replacement, which will be a Weber.
 
Why throw lazy out there?

I have seen the "laziness" accusation applied to so many different activities when one method of doing something takes less time/effort than another it's ridiculous.
If you are a charcoal cook are you lazy compared to a wood fire cook ?
I have seen that accusation on other forums, as well as constant references to 'nasty' charcoal flavor.
Gas grill cooking and charcoal grill cooking are both very good methods of cooking (so is wood fire cooking).
It's not about 'laziness' it's about doing a fun activity the way you want to do it.
 
I really only cook on my summit when I am using my rotisserie or I'm in a hurry. Other wise I take my time and use charcoal....

Serious question,

If you are making hot dogs for supper do you crank up the coals? I for one think that is a waste of good coals and not worth my time or energy!
 
I seriously questioned why I was firing up my oven to cook nachos for dinner tonight. Options are good. I fired up the coals for lunch today to cook 18 wings.

It's all good.
 
Charcoal all the way for me. Coz I have the luxury of not having any time constraints. I can fully understand someone coming home from a busy day at work, & not wanting to mess around getting coals ready, but wanting a quick grilled dinner.

Plus, I'm a bit of a pyro...I think. (Maybe I'm a distant relation of one of those pesky Brits that burned down the Whitehouse in 1814...;) )

(Puts tin-hat on waiting for incoming..:D ).
 
My wife only cooks on a gasser and I only cook over charcoal/wood. They both have their place in the world I suppose. I do about 90% of the grilling and 100% of the smoking in my house, but...................I no longer cook the steaks, my wife does. Her ribeyes are the best I've ever had anywhere and she does them on the Genesis, (a Kenmore before that). IMHO everything tastes better when cooked over charcoal/wood, except.............my wife's steaks! The quote below from this guy's article sort of removes any hint of credibility he may have had previously.


"Charcoal purists will try and tell you that their preferred fuel leads to better flavor. This is, well, nonsense."
 
I prefer the taste you get from charcoal over gas. We used to use a small gas grill, then I switched to a charcoal grill once I learned you can grill with charcoal without the lighter fluid taste by using a chimney to light the charcoal.
 
I don't have an answer to that question directly except I'm impartial. I fully understand the raging debate and I'm willing to fall into either camp if I could be convinced. Admittedly, my grilling method at home is on gas. Perhaps I've just not experienced the best that charcoal has to offer. With that, I will admit that the best, most tantalizing, delicious, juicy, smoky, most flavorful burger I've ever had in my 52 years was cooked over gas, and it wasn't cooked by me. I've yet to experience this flavor anywhere and I seriously doubt that I'll ever be able to recreate it at home.
 
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