charcoal or gas??? the eternal bbq question

[johnzxr750]

:silly: well well well....it is the eternal question? gas or charcoal? i have always been a traditional charcoal man.when we have friends over it is still the way to go, but have recently bought a nice twin burner griddle and plancher bbq. which i have to say i love.its been used alot since getting on the bank hols.when we have had nice weather its been used for general cooking to as its fast and conveniant and great for flicking on as soon as i get in from work....so i am a convert to gas... but like i said when friends are here charcoal will still win hands down....and remember the golden rule never mess with another mans bbq lol :woohoo:
cheers j

[Tonibe63]

Agree with you
Gas is quick, convenient and great for last minute outdoor cooking
but for true taste can't beat charcoal.

[special one]

Tbh, I'm amazed you have to ask

Gas isn't a BBQ, it's an outdoor burner/cooker

A BBQ is a fire using coal or wood.

Hope this has cleared up any confusion

[Orlando_Orange]

got a gas bbq a couple of months ago to replace the old charcoal one and it's miles ahead in terms of functionality and ease of use.. and with decent lava rocks it's hard to taste any difference. plus add a smoker box and some woodchips and you can get fantastic smoked food.. definitely a convert

[mrdelmonti]

But a gas one is just an outdoor oven whereas a proper bbq is a fire in a tray.

It's not just about the taste it's also about man bonding with fire.

I like fire :woohoo:

[suzivstrom650]

I like fire too! :woohoo:

Thats why the wife makes me use the gas one

[Road2Manchester]

gas cooker or charcoal BBQ never th etwain shall meet BUT the latest mustafa is a wood burning oven, 10 x the price, 3 times longer to light nd get hot, cooks very fast, and is ever so posh in you want brownie points.

Pesonally Charcoal is best. but never put is on your gas cooker, as I once did at a friends. Burnt straight thru the bottom of the tray, almost blew the bloody doors off.

[johnzxr750]

B) as a new convert to gas i love its ease and speed but with charcoal with friends when time is not an issue. like tonight i get home and the wife is stood with a chilled cider for me as i walk up the path(she's defo a gooden)i get changed in me shorts and get my scarey white legs out and fire up the gas bbq put on the shrooms make some mojito's put on the marinaded chicken that the wife did mmm very nice too ate food and have now made more mojito its hard this summer lark have mate coming over sat so will be a charcoal bbq as no rush to cook just friends beer mojito and bbq
cheers j :woohoo:

[Grey Beard]

I normally use a gas BarBQ as it is quick.

I think Ainsley Harriot says in one of his books on BarBQing, that there is no difference between coals and gas in the final cooked food flavour.

If you cook with charcoal, the coals have to be just glowing with a thin film of grey ash. i.e. no volatiles coming off the charcoal.

The flavour is going to come from the fats dripping off the meats being BarBQ'd. On that basis, there isn't going to be so much flavour difference. As said, you can always add a smoke box to generate some additional smoke flavours.

The only proviso to this, is that the BarBQ needs to be pretty hot and maybe charcoal can be hotter than some gas BarBQ's.

Grey Beard

[Orlando_Orange]

last night at about 8ish we were about ready to have dinner, a beer already in my hand after a long sweaty slog fixing the loft stairs... spanish russian salad and steaks... such a nice day we decided to have dinner in the garden and use the bbq - 15 minutes later the steaks were done, dripping with juice and tender inside.... try that with a charcoal bbq and you'd still be there at 9!