Charcoal or Gas

[Stogieninja]

I'm a huge fan of convenience... but charcoal, all the way.

[DWC]

Gas with wood chips. Best of both worlds. Then I can use different types of wood depending on what I'm cooking.

[Laynard]

Charcoal. Purely because my only grill is a weber kettle. And a small camping version.

[AbuAmelia]

I use my Lynx Gas when in a hurry, my webber when I have time, and my Traeger when I want to smoke. Tonight I'm using my Gas.

[mychetboy]

Both, depending on the type of meat. Here is what i prefer for steaks when I have the time.

Turn the grill up to 550 degrees sear the meat 1 min on each side ( 2 inch Filets) then transfer to the LUMP Charcoal for 6 to 7 min max. I get a the best of both worlds. When time is not on my side...I can put in wood chips in my mini smoker and transfer to the grill. And then I do about 10 min max depending on the steak and resting period. Yum..think I am going to do that later tomorrow!

[ZAZ]

I've had both. Prefer lump charcoal on a ceramic type grill/smoker. I personally have a large Grill Dome and love it.

[BigWill]

Charcoal or wood is the preference dur to the flavor that can be accomplished but for a quick steak after work I'll use gas. I have both grills so anything that takes longer that 30 minutes and I have time to cook will go on the charcoal grill.

[JHands]

I prefer charcoal but sometimes just don't have the time to dedicate to grilling. I follow a strict and clean diet consisting of lots of meat and vegetables. Therefore, grilling isn't just a weekend hobby for me - most of my meals are prepared on the weber q that resides on my balcony.

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[Babalouie]

Charcoal FTW. Got a few chimneys to get them started cause I really don't like using lighter fluid to get them going. Also, recently started using a small weber electric for when it's just me and a steak, works great. Just got to be mind full that a lot of heat gets drawn away from the grilling surface itself. So when I flip I move it to another spot on the grill that is still at full temp.

[LSUTiger]

Hardwood charcoal only for my Weber Kettle.

[Knilas]

Charcoal with hickory chunks. gas for convenience

[Skyfall]

Once again I want to point out this debate solely depends on what you are cooking!!!!

Gas for steaks , no excuses, no exceptions!!!!

If you want to cook a steak on charcoal or wood, then just buy a pork chop for a quarter of the cost. And God Bless your soul if you cook a prime grade steak on anything but gas!!!

"Forgive them fore they know not what they do."

[Fuzz]

I disagree. Comes to personal preference whether you cook over gas, charcoal or even an electric skillet.

[Skyfall]

I disagree. Comes to personal preference whether you cook over gas, charcoal or even an electric skillet.

There is no problem with disagreeing, to each his/her own of course, but in my opinion and experience, those that prefer a prime grade steak cooked over a fuel method that imparts a foreign flavor or flavors, don't like the pure flavor of good beef, minerals, fat and blood to begin with.

If that's the case, one probably should use a method that imparts a foreign flavor, but at the same time, if that's true , one probably shouldn't spend the extra coin on prime, waygau or kobe either. Prime and above, flavorwise, I actually prefer to just eat it raw.

[ptrthgr8]

C'mon, people. Don't you know that Texans are always right? LOL

Dude... "foreign" flavors? Please. Sometimes other flavors make things better. Sometimes those "foreign" flavors contribute to an overall better taste. Do you eat bakers chocolate? No. But that's more pure, right? LOL

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[Walt69]

Charcoal for flavor... like everyone else lol, but for quick meals when it's cold outside we stick with gas or the broiler!

[stargazer14]

I just aquired this vintage NOS (NewOldStock) charcoal grill, not sure if I should use it or not, its brand new out of its 1960 box,

may just fill it with ice and serve beer out of it during a gathering.

Or, I could turn it into a gas grill, I built my own a number of years ago

and this would be an easy conversion, but this peice with probably stay as is.

[worlok]

same story here - gas more convenient but charcoal has the better flavor

[saintsmokealot]

Never owned a gas grill and don't plan to.

[TypicalSituation]

I'm a charcoal user. Got rid of the gas grill since I was never using it. Now use my weber smoker and charcoal grill regularly. Just can't beat the flavor of a seared steak over charcoal

[Stogieninja]

Gas? No, no. No my friends. We are civilized people!

[Skyfall]

There is not one "famous" prime steakhouse in the modern world who cooks their steaks over charcoal.....just sayin'!

[ptrthgr8]

There is not one "famous" prime steakhouse in the modern world who cooks their steaks over charcoal.....just sayin'!

That may be true, but I've yet to eat a steak from any steakhouse that I enjoyed more than what I can do at home. I'm sure you've been to all the famous ones, while my experience is limited to places in Seatte like Morton's, Ruth's Chris, and the Metropolitan Bar & Grill. Good stuff for sure... but nothing tastes as good to me as a steak cooked over wood or charcoal.

It's interesting that over 70% of the people on this thread (who voted anyhow) indicate a preference for charcoal. Why do you suppose that is? If those famous steakhouses were so awesome, why wouldn't more people try to replicate that at home? Interesting...

[Skyfall]

That may be true, but I've yet to eat a steak from any steakhouse that I enjoyed more than what I can do at home. I'm sure you've been to all the famous ones, while my experience is limited to places in Seatte like Morton's, Ruth's Chris, and the Metropolitan Bar & Grill. Good stuff for sure... but nothing tastes as good to me as a steak cooked over wood or charcoal.

It's interesting that over 70% of the people on this thread (who voted anyhow) indicate a preference for charcoal. Why do you suppose that is? If those famous steakhouses were so awesome, why wouldn't more people try to replicate that at home? Interesting...

I think most people voted on this based on BBQ, and do not differentiate that different foods being grilled (i.e ribs, chicken, brisket, pork, sausage, burgers,steaks ect.) all lend themselves to be highlighted by different cooking methods, not just one blanket , generic fuel. Most people who do buy prime grade steaks try to replicate the high temp, pure beef flavor at home that they get from Steakhouses. I've spent a lot of time and money replicating high temps, and no foreign fuel flavors for when I cook steaks, and have it down to they way I like it and wouldn't want it any other way.

Which brings up another point you brought up regarding wood. After a high temp gas/infrared style of steaks, wood fire is my next favorite method, but that is still not the same as charcoal. and When I cook a steak on a wood fire, I actually put the steak directly on the wood, no pan, nor grate, just place the steak directly on the hottest part of the wood. It's pretty dang good!

I recently have converted one of my best friends who is a charcoal nazi, and up until recently would refuse to listen to reason when it came to steak. After he tasted my steak, he was convinced. I gave him an old Webber gas grill I had sitting in storage that had barely been used, and we spent the weekend drilling out the burner holes to increase the BTU's , changing out the grates to cast iron and putting a high temp coating on the inside. It's not purely just his "steak grill" and claims he will never cook a high quality steak on anything else again. He went from smoking and BBQ'ing 4-5 days a week on a smoker or Green Egg, to cooking steaks 4-5 times a week and Brisket/Ribs/Chicken only once a week now.

To each his own, but I just have no clue why someone would pay the premium for a Prim Grade Steak, just to mask the flavor that they paid extra for with a charcoal taste or smoke taste. That's my 2 cents. I don't mean charcoal doesn't have it's place for all steaks, because it does, I simply preach that if you are spending the extra coin on Prime Beef, keep it pure , and let the reasons why it is more expensive and flavorful shine through,

That's all I'm saying, it's more of a meat::cost::efficiency:: beef purist - argument. I think when you cook over charcoal, you could line up a prime, select and maybe even choice grade cuts next to each other, and without looking at the gains, marbling and color, most people couldn't tell the difference in quality solely by taste. Prepared without foreign flavors, you absolutely can pick out the difference in all 3. Which is a conclusion that lends itself to encourage people who like the taste of charcoal on their steaks to not spend the extra money for prime or waygu grade.

I've never said you can't have a great steak on charcoal, just not the best steak (In terms of taste, tenderness, and pure beef flavor).... Some people don't like pure beef flavor and blood/iron flavor to begin with, which is fine, and why some choose to prefer charcoal and medium, medium well or well done cooked steaks, and wet marinades, and over-powering rubs and seasonings.

To each his own.

Greg I formally invite you to come visit anytime you wish, you always have a place to stay, We can shoot guns, drink smoke cigars, hunt, fish, and I will ,of course, cook you as many Prime Steaks as you can handle!!!! This is a promise.

[ptrthgr8]

Greg I formally invite you to come visit anytime you wish, you always have a place to stay, We can shoot guns, drink smoke cigars, hunt, fish, and I will ,of course, cook you as many Prime Steaks as you can handle!!!! This is a promise.

You had me at steak and guns. LOL

Are you anywhere near Los Colinas? We've got a games testing lab down there and I bet - if I wanted to put myself through the pain of working with that group - I could probably finagle a trip down there for work. We've sent three people down there so far this year for an average of 2 weeks each trip. I have a sneakling suspicion we'll need to send more people in the 2nd half of this year (since July marks the new fiscal year for us).