Natural gas vs. propane

[Matthew Appler]

I am a lifelong charcoal grill guy. As such, I know very little about cooking over gas grills. I know even less about cooking over natural gas. I don't know that I have ever done it.

I am considering remodeling out deck. We are having some gas work done as part of a kitchen remodel and could have a gas line pulled out to the deck as well. How is it cooking over natural gas? Does it produce good heat? I understand the energy differences between natural gas and propane (BTUs available per volume), however, I don't understand what this means when cooking on it on a modern grill.

Thanks for any advice,
-Matt

 

[Mike Hawkins]

I did a kitchen remodel a few years ago and kick myself for not extending the gas line outside while I had the "pipefitter" here. My gasser is propane but I don't know of any problems associated with changing to nat.gas other than the cost for a new manifold for the grill. I know some with natural gas and have not heard any negatives - all they say is it is great not having to worry about running out of gas. Sorry no technical info included.

 

[Brad Rosenberg]

If you can run the gas line to your grill, I would highly recommend it.

We have a Weber Summit Silver gas grill (a 4-burner grill) hooked up to a natural gas line. We ran the line as part of a larger gas project (including installing a gas fireplace). The cost is worth it. You will never have to worry about changing a propane tank again. As for the heat, it is--as a practical matter--identical to propane. (Someone else can correct me here, but I think you have to burn more natural gas than propane to get the same amount of heat, but the grills are adjusted accordingly so that a natural gas grill will ultimately have the same BTUs as a propane grill.) Also, the bigger your gas grill, the bigger the advantage of not having to change propane tanks (since bigger grills burn through propane more quickly)--a real advantage if you are looking at grills with side burners, an infrared rotisserie, etc.

I love charcoal (I have a 22" OTG and an 18" WSM), but I do alsolove the convenience of weeknight cooking on the natural gas grill without ever having to worry about running out of propane.

 

[Brad Rosenberg]

One other point on gas grills (natural or propane). One big advantage -- aside from the convenience -- is that gas grills tend to have a larger cooking area, which gives you more surface area in which to cook. That said, even the hottest gas grills are not quite as hot (at least in my opinion) as a hot charcoal grill. While many people say they prefer the flavor of charcoal grills, I have to say the biggest advantage of charcoal is the ability to get a really good sear on a steak (gas is good, but charcoal is better).