Charcoal/Smoker Grill vs. Gas Grill
 

I searched some threads and found ones that just discussed gas grilling, but nothing on comparing both types.

My wife and I have everything we need for the upcoming twins, so we are wanting to take some money and buy a grill. We figure since going out is now over, it might be nice to have something better than the small metal ball I call a grill right now.

My wife and I are at odds though...

She wants a gas grill. Her arguments are it's easier to light, cheaper in the long run, and just plain easier.

I prefer the smoky taste from a charcoal grill and I've seen some affordable charcoal/smoker combos that sound appealing.


So who does what and why is that the way to go? Thanks.

Get both! I have both a Weber gas and a Weber charcoal grill/smoker. For lazy weekend days, I pull out the charcoal grill and enjoy grilled food the way it was made to taste.

For nights after work, quite honestly I don't have the time or inclination to deal with charcoal, so I fire up the Weber gas grill and it produces really nice food as well, but nothing can match charcoal in my opinion.

I understand that most people don't want two grills on their deck, so if I had to pick one, I'd go with my Weber gas. In any event, do yourself a favor and get a Weber, they're really solid.

Charcoal all the way. Tastes way better. Get a charcoal chimney and it simplifies it immensely.

I like a gas grill for the ease and convenience. You can also by little smoker boxes that you set on the bars beneath the grate that do a decent job smoking. You can also use the gas grill all year round even in cold climates (I live in Michigan) because it doesn't need as much attention (cooking temp is more consistent).

I won't argue that gas tastes better than charcoal, but it is definitely more convenient.

Yea, I guess if you can only have one I would go with the gas grill. However, you can pick up a decent charcoal grill for a good price.

Gas is quicker and easier on those nights after work, but I dont know how you can not have the charcoal for cooking steaks on a nice weekend.

Right. Gas is for quantity, Charcoal is for quality.

If you can only get one or the other, follow this simple logic.

If you grill a lot and don't have a lot of time = gas
If you grill a lot and have lots of time = charcoal
If you don't grill a lot = charcoal

Thanks all. The debate between my wife and I can continue. The time element doesn't faze me with charcoal to much (though, admittedly, I'll have to take the 4 kids thing into consideration)...my wife thinks it's cheaper with gas in the long run, but it seems to get a really good reliable gas grill, it's going to be a lot more expensive than a good charcoal one.

If you do get gas... make sure to spend the extra cash and get a good one.

I've had my Weber charcoal grill for 6 years now, but before that I had a cheap gas grill that lasted only 2 years.

I grill alot and still prefer my charcoal.. although a gas grill in the winter would be ideal.. and probably my next purchase when the weber is retired.

Your first mistake was letting your wife have any say in what kind of grill you're getting.

If she is never going to grill with it, get what you want.

If she is going to grill with it, get what you want.

I'm not sure I believe that the operating costs for a gas grill are less than charcoal.

Anyway, if you're going to go gas, the Weber "Q" line are supposed to be very good. We're going to get one this summer to supplement our charcoal grill for quicker grilling (i.e. weekdays, or when doing a thin piece of fish).

Charcoal all the way. I have been waiting to get a pit smoker with a firebox. When I grill, I grill a lot of food because it's usually 6 or more people. I grilled 10 pounds of chicken legs, or 5 pounds of b/s chx, or 5 pounds of burgers and two packages of dogs. Whatever, I like the time that it takes, and the food tastes fantastic. My wife doesn't grill, ever, just me, so it is that one thing that I do really well in the kitchen. I say charcoal.

And honestly, if you get a chimney starter and use 3 or 4 "Match Light" briquettes at the bottom of the starter (a tip from America's Test Kitchen) you'll get a hot fire ready in very little time. About 1 beer's worth of time, to be honest.

Charcoal wins. I've lost pretty much every room in the house to her or the kids, at least I have the backyard. Morale victory.

It helps that I'll do 100% of the grilling and I generally enjoy cooking more than her anyway.

Definitely getting a smoker. Going to be great summer.

I just use newspaper in my charcoal chimney. Either way, it is a must have IMO. Quick and easy.

Oh, I use newspaper too, in the very bottom. But I do find that dropping in a few Match Light briquettes, and then dumping the "regular" charcoal on top of that means an even faster route to good and hot coals.

Ok, I'm interested in getting into smoking my own meat and such. So I've been looking into getting a smoker. I see that Lowes has two gas smokers that you use wood with. Anyone have much experience with these types?

Master Forge Double Door Propane Gas Smoker

Char-Broil The Big Easy Smoker, Roaster & Grill
Never mind the second one, looking at that one more, I'm not really into it's design.

Not one Hank Hill joke? You guys are slipping.

The other option is getting a Weber Kettle 22.5 and just using that to smoke.

Big Green Egg. Done.

Sorry, too expensive for my 1st endevour into smoking.

All of my smoking has been with a 22.5 kettle style grill. But I am a charcoal nut, and that has taken some practice and time to get right.

Gas for time, charcoal for flavor. The food you eat from both will kill you equally as fast.

eg: get both

Glad you went charcoal. I had a gas grill and never used it because it was just about as exciting as cooking inside. Bought a cheap charcoal grill and I use it whenever I can. My wife gets so excited when it's warm enough for me to start volunteering to cook!

I already have a gas grill. I want something just for smoking.

Walmart.com: Char-Griller Smokin' Pro Grill & Smoker: Grills & Outdoor Cooking

$170

It's cheap and a perfect griller when you aren't smoking anything. Probably as good as any for starting.

Another tip for the chimney is to spray vegetable oil on the newspaper before you crumple it up and put it below the charcoal.

I echo the statements on the charcoal grill. I've been a grilling machine for years now. The place we rented and are living in now came with a gas grill for us to use whenever we liked. A week after moving in we went out and bought a charcoal grill. There's just nothing like a ballgame on TV, with the smell of charcoal and burgers in your nostrils.

Plus, if you decide to go to a football game, it's much easier to transport a charcoal grill for tailgating purposes than it is a gas grill.

Not necessarily! :)

lol good call. I saw a lot of those at 49ers games actually. I don't know that I'd be down for installing something like that for only 8 uses per year, but if you went to a lot of baseball games too I guess it might be worth it.

Either way, it is pretty awesome, and definitely hits the right spot in my testosterone laden heart.

I used to subscribe to the charcoal is so much better theory and that is all I cooked with. I finally bought a gas grill so I can grill something quickly when needed, thinking I would still use the charcoal mostly. I used it one more time, and frankly, I think most things taste the same or even better on the gas grill. I believe it is in the way you prepare the food and what you are cooking, not what type of fuel you are creating a flame with.

So suck it all you charcoal worshipping people who fool yourselves into thinking it is better because you get a charcoal flavor. If charcoal flavor was so good, we'd all be munching on bricks of charcoal! :p

DanG:

I have this grill:



If you get one like this, you can smoke pretty easily--just put your coals and wet wood on the sides and the meat in the middle.

Taste the meat, not the heat.

If you're looking to do some smoking, and you don't want to spend the money on the egg, I would also recommend getting a Weber "Bullet" smoker. Really nice product and does a great job at keeping a nice, steady temperature, which is just as important as anything else. I can't speak for the other smokers being discussed, but I know you can't go wrong with a Weber.

Is it wrong I got a little sexually excited about that?

I got a Brinkman Smoke n Pit from Home Depot, it's like that one from Wally World, but not at Walmart, which is a plus. It's pretty respected for what it is on the grilling boards, which is a cheap side box smoker. With some minor modifications it's solid grill from what I'm reading.