There is a difference between charcoal and gas/propane.

[Bamabuzzard]

I'm not going to say I'm an "expert" griller or bbq'er but I'm pretty seasoned. I've cooked on both charcoal and gas/propane grills for quite some time now. I got a dude at the office that insist that a gas/propane grill can "flavor" food just as good or better than cooking with charcoal/wood.

I've tried to explain to the tool bag that the "flavor" he's tasting isn't coming from the heat source (propane/gas) but the season/marinade he's flavored the meat with. Propane/gas doesn't give off or impart flavor like charcoal or wood. It is a heat source ONLY.

Personally I do not like to saturate my cuts of meat with marinades and seasonings, especially my hamburgers and steak cuts. I like to LIGHTLY season them and have the charcoal and pecan, hickory or oak wood impart the rest of the flavor. Of which a propane or gas grill cannot do. I have nothing against a propane grill. It is great when you need done burgers and dawgs in a hurry. I cook on both and enjoy both. But when I'm grilling or Q'ng for just me and my immediate family I take the extra time and put on the charcoal and wood and get some premium flavor that cannot come from propane.

 

[bayoutider]

I like to LIGHTLY season them and have the charcoal and pecan, hickory or oak wood impart the rest of the flavor. Of which a propane or gas grill cannot do. I have nothing against a propane grill. It is great when you need done burgers and dawgs in a hurry. I cook on both and enjoy both. But when I'm grilling or Q'ng for just me and my immediate family I take the extra time and put on the charcoal and wood and get some premium flavor that cannot come from propane.

I beg to differ with just a couple of points. I am neither a competition BBQ cook or what I would call a pitmaster but..........

There are some propane grills that can carry flavor and be more than a heat source. Some of the newer gas grills have what are called flavor trays above the burners which when seasoned like cast iron cookware do carry over flavors. Gas grills can make smoke adding some wood flavor. What a gas grill cannot do as well is smoke meat but there are even some gas smokers on the market now that do a decent job. Gas Smoker
I also have an offset smoker built by David Klose, Houston Texas. When I have a lot of meat to cook this is the only way to go but for just the two of us, the gas grill gets the most work. Depending on what I am cooking I will either start up my Holland Classic or my built in Lynx.

The extra time it would take to fire up the David Klose pit to cook 2-4 steaks, one chicken, one fish or one rack of ribs simply isn't worth the time, effort, expense and difference in taste to me but to cook a dozen chickens, couple of briskets, whole pig, several racks of ribs or a couple of pork buts I will take the extra time.

I know Emeril has a big Viking gas grill in his back yard that is gas fired, same for Bobby Flay. Alton Brown uses a cardboard box, battery powered fan and a hot plate

 

[ddsmit]

I have a gasser that I use occasionally with a 2 compartment cast iron smoker box placed on one end of the burner. One compartment for water and one for wood chips. This really helps with the smoke flavor.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I beg to differ with just a couple of points. I am neither a competition BBQ cook or what I would call a pitmaster but..........

There are some propane grills that can carry flavor and be more than a heat source. Some of the newer gas grills have what are called flavor trays above the burners which when seasoned like cast iron cookware do carry over flavors. Gas grills can make smoke adding some wood flavor. What a gas grill cannot do as well is smoke meat but there are even some gas smokers on the market now that do a decent job. Gas Smoker
I also have an offset smoker built by David Klose, Houston Texas. When I have a lot of meat to cook this is the only way to go but for just the two of us, the gas grill gets the most work. Depending on what I am cooking I will either start up my Holland Classic or my built in Lynx.

The extra time it would take to fire up the David Klose pit to cook 2-4 steaks, one chicken, one fish or one rack of ribs simply isn't worth the time, effort, expense and difference in taste to me but to cook a dozen chickens, couple of briskets, whole pig, several racks of ribs or a couple of pork buts I will take the extra time.

I know Emeril has a big Viking gas grill in his back yard that is gas fired, same for Bobby Flay. Alton Brown uses a cardboard box, battery powered fan and a hot plate

I agree with the bolded statements. But the propane/gas itself doesn't impart flavor as I was trying to explain to my co worker. If a person cooking on a propane/gas unit wants to impart flavor they must either do it via seasoning of the meat or have addition such as that of a flavor tray.

With a charcoal/wood heat source the heat source serves dual purposes. It cooks and imparts flavor. Where as the propane/gas only cooks. The flavor has to be attained by other means.

With regard to the flavor difference. It boils down to preference and to some level taste buds. My dad has an Aussie propane grill with flavor trays. It definitely imparts more flavor than a propane grill without one. But it doesn't seem (to me) it comes close to the flavor that a bed of coals with pecan wood chunks puts into the meat.

 

[LCN]

I know Emeril has a big Viking gas grill in his back yard that is gas fired, same for Bobby Flay. Alton Brown uses a cardboard box, battery powered fan and a hot plate

What wouldn't AB try ? :smile:

Some might find the question to be a little funny but , I'd say they don't know too much . Either "tool" works just fine in the right hands . It's really whatever you are best with . I would like to say charcoal or wood all day but , I get more consistent results from gas .

Bayou mentioned "seasoning" your grill , it's the same with the briquets and/or rocks . IMO , as long as you have more than burner and double or triple the # of briquets that come with your grill , there are no limits when cooking with gas if you're an experienced "grill-master" . :cool2:

 

[Bamabuzzard]

What I like about the charcoal/wood is the versatility of changing flavors by adjusting the heat source. You can drastically change the flavor of a cut of meat by mixing a few chunks of hickory with your pecan or cutting back on the charcoal and using more wood. Hickory imparts a more "smoke" flavor than pecan. Pecan imparts a sweet mild flavor. Mix it with hickory and you get sweet and smoky. BBQ heaven!!!

We rigged up my dad's propane Aussie where he can burn wood chips (not chunks) while still using propane.

 

[LCN]

I'm going to pass along a killer smoking secret ....

When you have corn on the cobb , save the cobbs and allow them to dry in the sun for a few days and use them for your "wood" . Excellent for smoking .

 

[Bamabuzzard]

I'm going to pass along a killer smoking secret ....

When you have corn on the cobb , save the cobbs and allow them to dry in the sun for a few days and use them for your "wood" . Excellent for smoking .

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it.

 

[LCN]

Thanks for the tip. I'll try it.

You're welcome . I was skeptical when I heard about it but , it really works .

 

[Bamabuzzard]

You're welcome . I was skeptical when I heard about it but , it really works .

Do you use them as your main heat source or do you put them on top of the coals?

 

[LCN]

Do you use them as your main heat source or do you put them on top of the coals?

Dampen - not a long soak - and add to charcoal or , pan for gas .
Try to have at least 8-10 at the minimum . Good stuff . :cool2:

 

[bayoutider]

I'm going to pass along a killer smoking secret ....

When you have corn on the cob , save the cobs and allow them to dry in the sun for a few days and use them for your "wood" . Excellent for smoking .

In a previous topic I listed corn cobs as an excellent source of smoke, also dried grape vines. IMO the corn cobs work best with fowl, bacon and hams while the grape vines are best with fish and venison.

Somewhere in these archives I have a serious list of different woods, working temperatures and what foots they accentuate.

I agree with LCN, either type of grill works as a tool in the hands of the right person and the person should select the right grill for the job. My opinion is still the Webber Kettle Grill is probably the most versatile grill for the weekend backyard chef. Master one of those before you advance to anything more serious. The easiest to use gas grill is probably the Holland Grill. It is actually an outdoor oven and cooks by time. Put the meat on, set the timer and it gets done. Holland's motto is "If you're lookin' you ain't cookin'" Keep the dang lid closed.

 

[bayoutider]

I'm going to pass along a killer smoking secret ....

When you have corn on the cob , save the cobs and allow them to dry in the sun for a few days and use them for your "wood" . Excellent for smoking .

In a previous topic I listed corn cobs as an excellent source of smoke, also dried grape vines. IMO the corn cobs work best with fowl, bacon and hams while the grape vines are best with fish and venison.

Somewhere in these archives I have a serious list of different woods, working temperatures and what foods they accentuate.

I agree with LCN, either type of grill works as a tool in the hands of the right person and the person should select the right grill for the job. My opinion is still the Webber Kettle Grill is probably the most versatile grill for the weekend backyard chef. Master one of those before you advance to anything more serious. The easiest to use gas grill is probably the Holland Grill. It is actually an outdoor oven and cooks by time. Put the meat on, set the timer and it gets done. Holland's motto is "If you're lookin' you ain't cookin'" Keep the dang lid closed.

 

[bayoutider]

BBQ isn't as complicated as some people want to make it out to be. It's so easy a cave man can do it and they were the first to cook over an open fire. There is a learning curve to it though. Learn to buy meat about the same thickness each time. Have a means to check the temperature of your pit. Know the weight of your food. Know how long it takes to cook the weight of the food you have on the pit. If you have a lid or hood keep the dang thing closed, every time you lift it you add time to the cooking. Stop flipping the food from side to side you are drying the meat out. Stop poking and scooting things around on the grill, leave it alone so it can cook. Learn to do a few things well before trying to be a do it all cook. Most important, keep a fire bottle handy.

Not many things get under my skin at a BBQ more than someone lifting my hood and start flipping, poking and scooting stuff around on my pit. I want to stab them with my kitchen tongs.

 

[moorav]

I do quite a bit of smoking meat on a propane smoker - prior to that I used an electric smoker. While I think charcoal/wood would be best, I still get great results. I am not concerned so much with the heat source as I am the wood and technique. I smoked 4 chickens yesterday for a party & I guarantee you there will be no complaints. I smoked about 9 or 10 pork butts for my daughters wedding reception one of the guests is a bar be que expert he was blown away, I did not tell him it was done with an electric smoker. I know it's not ideal but I have been getting great results for many years and my meat is popular with party guests. Several people said I should compete but I really think charcoal/wood would probably out do me.

We are having a big pool party - jam today hence the 4 chickens - I was not in the mood to deal with the messy pork

 

[Bamabuzzard]

Learning how to smoke meat might have been easy for most but it was a lot of trial and error for me. The concept of it is quite simplistic but actually doing it and producing a good finished product at times can be anything but easy. I learned by using charcoal and wood so the biggest obstacle for me was learning how to build a good fire and learning how to control it. Also figuring out the best cook time per lb for differing types and weights of meat wasn't a walk in the park either. I've actually had heavier cuts of meat get done before smaller cuts.

Now once I learned how, putting out good Q is quite easy. But the initial was a lot of messed up spares and briskets. I ate it though. :biggrin2:

 

[bayoutider]

David Klose told me one of the most important parts of an offset smoker is the placement of the smoke baffle. Since I had no idea what he was talking about and he was talking about ten feet over my head all I could do is smile and nod my head. I kind of sort of know what he was talking about now but am challenged to 'splain it to anyone else. I have had good smoked meat off several different types of smokers. Anything that tastes good to me is acceptable no matter how it was done.

 

[Bamabuzzard]

David Klose told me one of the most important parts of an offset smoker is the placement of the smoke baffle. Since I had no idea what he was talking about and he was talking about ten feet over my head all I could do is smile and nod my head. I kind of sort of know what he was talking about now but am challenged to 'splain it to anyone else. I have had good smoked meat off several different types of smokers. Anything that tastes good to me is acceptable no matter how it was done.

David Klose is a man that KNOWS bbq and bbq pits. Very nice dude as well. I've got a Backwoods Smoker made my Mike McGowan of Backwoods Smokers in Dixie Inn Louisiana. When I first got into bbq'ng Mike told me that he competed on the circuit for ten plus years but got burnt out and it had become no fun. He said people take it too serious and there are many ways to cook good bbq. Especially considering people's taste buds are different. Good bbq doesn't have to be cooked the same nor taste the same. There are many tastes of "good".

 

[silentsam74]

Not many things get under my skin at a BBQ more than someone lifting my hood and start flipping, poking and scooting stuff around on my pit. I want to stab them with my kitchen tongs.

Thats why I don't do the cooking unless its my house and my grill. If I go to someone's house I dont expect to have to do the cooking and if I invite someone over I don't want or need help unless I ask for it. I did have to help a friend cook some things and show him some tips when he first got his grill but thats about the only time.

Back to the thread topic, sort of, :smile: My dad can cook a mean rack of ribs and he uses a gas grill but I really only like charcoal, although I don't cook huge pieces of meat that might take more than an hour. Just enough for my wife, myself, and our two li'l ones. :biggrin2:

 

[LCN]

Not many things get under my skin at a BBQ more than someone lifting my hood and start flipping, poking and scooting stuff around on my pit. I want to stab them with my kitchen tongs.

Yeah , that's a good way to get whacked . They are no longer welcomed . _evil: