Quick cooks: Why start up the charcoal?


 
D

Dave Ontario

New member
I'd love to hear what everyone thinks:
When charcoal briquettes can take a half hour just to get ashed over, why fire it up just for a quick cook?

If you've got a gas grill that's fast and easy to use, why do you go to the extra time and effort of firing up your charcoal grill?

Is it your only grill? Is it the more flavorful taste that makes it worth it to you? A higher steak searing temperature is worth it?
Do you combine cooks to make it worthwhile by cooking up some appetizers first, then grilling steaks and other foods?

I started out on gas and am just getting into charcoal for the past year or so. Much to learn!
So far I've done a few 'low and slow' cooks over an hour and some smoking over charcoal.
These are definitely worth the extra time and effort to me to get the charcoal BBQ going.

I still find I keep going back to my gas grill for quick cooks since it still seems faster and easier.
But I figured I'd ask you guys who have more experience with cooking over charcoal about it.
 
Why? Because in my mind the end result's worth it. And for many years my workday ended at 3pm so having the time to wait for the charcoal to be ready on a weeknight was never an issue, regardless of how much or how little I was actually cooking.

I have multiple Webers and every one's a charcoal model.
 
Really it's all about convenience and what you want as far as time.
I have a gasser that I bought for my wife, she prefers that over charcoal for her quick cooks but never complains when I do the same over charcoal.
I think by the time you preheat a gasser compared to lighting up a chimney is pretty comparable.
 
I have a Weber 3 burner gas grill and a performer with gas lighting, no 30 minutes for me to start cooking with the performer, gas is quicker but not by much, it tastes better by far imo. I wont ever be without either for cooking while I am in charge of this house lol
 
I've got both, but I gravitate to charcoal unless I'm just really in a hurry trying to get something on the table after work. A chimney usually takes about 20 minutes. To properly pre-heat a gas grill it takes about 20 minutes. The charcoal grill requires more cleaning, and more fussing around, but not much. It just depends. With time not a factor, it's charcoal for me. It's just more fun and the food tastes better.
 
There are always reasons to have as many grills as anyone wants, current stock here is somewhere around eleven and they all serve proudly! One gas, the rest charcoal!
 
I use gas. But I also use charcoal often, regardless of the cook time. In my mind, using charcoal is an approximate 2 minute cycle time; while the coals are forming their ash layer I'm prepping our meal. So getting the charcoal ready is not idle time. I estimate 2 minutes for dumping them in the chimney, ignition, gloves, and then dumping the lit coals on the charcoal grate.
 
I have both, S-310 Gasser With East / West burners, a Blue SS gas assist Performer and a 26R. Thinned the heard to 3.
I like to cook my choice of meat on charcoal and do the vegetables and spuds on the gasser in the weber grill trays.
The gasser was used for some Claro's in Tustin Hot Italian sausages and some Jalapeño Poppers last weekend.
Whatever gets the job done.

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Here's a good point/counter-point on why people use gas vs. charcoal.

For a short cook, I almost always use the gasser. Just faster and easier and cleaner -- especially on the back end. With good results -- so long as you can get your gasser hot enough to sear. And the quick cook time means the smoke impact from charcoal is faily modest.

But if I feel like playing with fire (which is fun!) and have the time, I will grill over charcoal.

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I'm usually prepping food while the coals get hot/grey (with a cold one, of course!) so time is not an issue for me.
I have a portable table top gasser that I only use while camping due to fire restrictions. Me & that thing don't get along lol.
 
I probably grilled more over charcoal this year than ever before, even though my Genesis works great. Charcoal definitely burns hotter, and gets a better sear than most gas grills, its also a lot easier to drop a wood chunk in a charcoal grill to get a little smoke on your food vs. creating smoke on a gas grill. I agree with everyone, the time required to cook on charcoal is just a little bit longer than gas, but it's worth it. Use the charcoal preheat/lighting time to prep your food/ingredients and you're doing it right on a week night.

If you're grilling on a weber kettle, I highly recommend the vortex and a high temperature 304SS or cast iron grill grates if you like to sear steaks. You'll never do steaks on a gas grill again. A lot of people folks like the slow n' sear, but I was less happy with that for searing.
 
Bob Bass said:
Why ?
Because the only use my Weber Genesis S310SS gets is as a place to rest my charcoal chimney while prepping for a WSM or Kettle cook ;)
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Bob - that's hilarious, my poor neglected genesis wound up holding stuff for my charcoal grill for about 80% of my outdoor cooking this year! I finally "felt sorry for it" and replaced the grill grates and cooked a few meals on it in September.
 
The front end of charcoal is pretty simple -- especially when using the Weber lighter cubes. One match to light, walk away, come back and it is ready. The back end though is where the pain is. With the gasser -- take the food off, turn off the knobs. Done.

But if you don't cook on the gasser, it still makes an excellent work station and chimney holder for your charcoal grill.
 
I grow up a gas grill family and used gas at my own house for about 15 years until about 2 years ago now when I started using charcoal for low and slow. Now, I went completely charcoal and I don't see myself getting a gasser anytime soon. For me there is some prep time to all meals, so as long as the first thing I do is get the charcoal in the chimney going and I remember to do that, I have no issue with time management to ever get quick meals or tight dinner deal lines done. As for using too much charcoal for quick meals, once I am done cooking I shut down all the vents and then later clean out the grill and save the charcoal to re-use in a later cook.
I love the higher heat for the quick sears, the two zone cooking setup that let's me cook multiple items at different temps as the same time, and I love everything I cook with charcoal.
 
Bob Bass said:
Why ?
Because the only use my Weber Genesis S310SS gets is as a place to rest my charcoal chimney while prepping for a WSM or Kettle cook ;)
Click to expand...

Sounds like the same thing I do. The speed up the charcoal prep time I set my chimney on the side burner of my Weber gasser. Coals are usually ready in 15 mins.
 
For me, it’s all about the cook. I enjoy getting my WSM or kettle all set up. I enjoy loading up my cooker with briquettes or lump depending on what I decide to use. I enjoy firing up a chimney full of fuel and dumping it on. I did have a gasser about 10 years ago, got rid of it and have no desire it get another. Cooking on it felt a bit to “suburban “ for my tastes. But I do feel, to each their own, and will not look down on anybody that owns, uses, and enjoys their gasser.
 
Chris S in YEG said:
Sounds like the same thing I do. The speed up the charcoal prep time I set my chimney on the side burner of my Weber gasser. Coals are usually ready in 15 mins.
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Not the same. I do not use the gasser's burner, just the cooking grate... ;)
I truly do not remember when the Genesis's burners were last used.
I'm guessing 10 years.
 
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I have a '99 SS Performer, Q1200, 14 WSM, Smokey Joe, Charcoal Go Anywhere, and my original 22 Kettle that is now a fire pit that I use also for my rotisserie.

90% of all my cooks are done on the Performer. Number 1 reason is flavor and method. I love the process of cooking over charcoal cooking and I even use the Performer for normal smokes like a couple of racks of ribs, wings, or a small pork butt.

Like others have said, with the gas assist it takes roughly the same time to get the coals ready as it does to warm up the gasser. And, I'm not sure I agree with others about taking more effort "on the back end." When I'm done cooking I pull the food and close all the vents. For the next cook, I shake the baskets to drop all the ash but leave any usable coals, take a plastic putty knife and do a quick scrape of the kettle into the range of the sweeper vents, then sweep it all into the ash bin. I leave the old coals in the basket and fill up a full small chimney and light it up with the gas assist. After about 5 minutes I turn off the gas and let the coals finish for about another 10, then dump them in the baskets over the old coals. Put the dirty grate on the kettle and put the lid on, with vents open. By the time I come back out with the meat, the grate it hot so I give it a good scraping while hot, then grill the meat. Takes roughly 15 to 20, tops from cold-lid-up to cooking.

I do have the Q1200 and it's a great grill that will sear a steak like Satan's butthole. But, the flavor just isn't like cooking over charcoal. And, when you include the old charcoal you get the added flavor from your previous cooks which is always nice. Add in that I now have:

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Not only do I find myself not using my gasser or WSM very much, but I also find myself not using the kitchen very much.

The Weber gas assist Performer is the single best grill you can own, and not only can it replace just about any other grill, it can pretty much replace your kitchen, when you know what you are doing.

But, hey, if saving 5 or 10 minutes each cook is really that critical then Weber makes great gas grills too. Lol. To each their own.
 
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