When it comes to outdoor grilling, there’s two standard camps. You have your charcoal fans and then your gas fans when it comes to cooking with a grill. You will find almost everyone to have a preference one over the other. And for good reason. There are subtle for definite differences in terms of flavor, maintenance and performance. Exactly what side do you fall on? Charcoal Grill or Gas Grill?
Flavor
Most people on the charcoal side swear by the taste. They say it gives the food that extra little flavor that gas grills can not. Gas grill people argue that cooking on charcoal does not matter any more because there are a lot of ways to add that same flavor without cooking over charcoal. No doubt there has been improvements in both gas grilling and charcoal grilling. Charcoal grills now feature infused wood charcoal, and gas grill retailers have come out with ceramic flavors bars that act to catch what drips down from food and mingles with the surrounding smoke in order to enhance the overall flavor.
Our Environment
Recently saving the environment and being eco friendly has become very popular. In terms of what this means for your next barbecue, a gas grill is more environmentally friendly in terms of it being a renewable, clean burning resource, whereas charcoal pollutes the air through its carbon emissions. So if you want to reduce your carbon footprint, a gas grill is the way to go. Propane is the best gas to use as natural gas is not a renewable resource.
Which One Wins The Convenience Argument?
Some people do not have the time that charcoal grills take to start up. If time is a constraint for you then a gas grill is for you. Most come with simple push-button ignitions and keep a steady temperature throughout the cooking process. Charcoal is great for being able to vary the temperature of the grill.
Price
Hands down, charcoal grills are cheaper in general than gas. There are fancy charcoal grills and basic models in a range of different sizes. There are top of the line charcoal grills that can be the same price as a gas grill. The most expensive grills you see are gas grills. When thinking of a grill you need to think about costs in the future. Charcoal grills require bags of charcoal and lighter fluid as an ongoing cost. A propane gas requires refilled propane tanks every once in a while. Natural gas grill never requires buying a bag of charcoal or a propane tank. You are always tapped into the gas line from underground. This will affect your energy bill. When individuals look at the top gas grills out on the market these days many of them examine fire magic grills.