To Charcoal or To Propane - I BBQ Therefore I Am

[nvestysly]

Oops! Did I say that? Well... it's true - I have a gas grill and love it. Convenient - turn it on when I want it, then turn it off when I'm done. Just smoked a brisket yesterday, smoked pork, chicken and ribs. Gas works for fast and slow cooking.

If you live in an area that has natural gas piped into your house it's even more convenient. Simply connect the natural gas to your grill and you never have to buy/exchange any propane cylinders.

We bought our Kenmore over 20 years ago and it's still kicking. We just change out the burner and cooking grates every 5 - 7 years and just keep going. We keep the grill covered with a good quality cover when it's not in use.

[bright eyed]

hey danny - good to see you around...

i was going to post the exact same thread! guess gas is the winner...

anyone have thoughts on cast iron grills?

anyone use the hardwood they have at trader joe's or other places? similar to using charcoal or different technique?

[Rambler]

Quote:

Originally Posted by bright eyed hey danny - good to see you around... i was going to post the exact same thread! guess gas is the winner... anyone have thoughts on cast iron grills? anyone use the hardwood they have at trader joe's or other places? similar to using charcoal or different technique?

I have one with cast iron grates, that I really like. It puts a professional looking sear on the steaks. I turn mine 30-45 degrees after 2 minutes for a beautiful cross hatch...I have a stainless grill as well, with stainless grates. It doesn't seem to do as good a job at the sear as the cast iron, and was so much more expensive.

R

[dizzy]

+1 for both. Gas for quick and easy, weber kettle for low and slow. (including our traditional t-day slow smoked turkey.)

dizzy

[rocketdog]

I've never used a gas grill, I've always used charcoal. I like the time it takes to get the coals ready. It's nice to hang out and drink beer with buddies while the coals heat up. I guess it is part of the "barbeque ritual" for me.
rocketdog

[DblDoc]

+1 on charcoal. I can see the speed advantage of gas but have always used charcoal. I save the propane for brewing beer.

DD

[TromboneAl]

Quote:

But I cant see Al spending $200-300 for a small grill unless the gods of LBYM dropped dead in their sleep last night

Well, I got the current one out of the shed, and I think I can get a month or two more out of it. I could break the rusted flavorizer bars with my pinky, but if I'm gentle, they'll be OK.

The trick will be to freecycle it before it's too far gone.

Two questions on the Weber Q grills: Concerning the little 14.1 ounce propane tank. How long does it last, and can you have it filled at the gas station just like with the regular tanks?

[cute fuzzy bunny]

Al, I freecycled an old gas grill with no burners, no cooking grates, a broken igniter and one wheel ready to fall off. So no worries.

I believe those little propane tanks are disposable. Having said that, I now fear you're going to try to figure out how to fill them yourself. If I should see a little mushroom cloud somewhere to the northwest, I'll know what happened.

I think someone makes a coupler to hook a big gas bottle to the weber q, but I think its expensive. At a few bucks a bottle for the throwaways its a long payback period.

As far as how long it'll last, roughly a little less than 1/20th the time a regular gas grill 20lb bottle lasts...

[TromboneAl]

OK, thanks. One more season with the big Weber, then I'll get a Q. Just the right size for cooking a "fattie."

The adapters cost $20

[Danny]

Is the Weber Q a charcoal grill with a propane startup to get the coals red hot quickly - hence the small propane canister?