Charcoal or Propane?

[EdWort]

Dang, just went and priced some of those eggs. Those things are expensive!

Yeah, they can be, but considering that they have a life time warranty, they will outlast any gasser and you'll spend almost as much on a new good gasser.

The time to get one is during the Texas Eggfest!

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

Think the $500 medium size one will work? How much meat could I cook on it?

 

[Alamo_Beer]

Electric

I've got one of these:

And I really like it. I did a whole chicken and some Elgin sausage this weekend and it was AWESOME! Just add a chunk or 2 of wood (I used hickory this weekend) every hour or so.

 

[zoebisch01]

Some people will literally try to cut your nuts off if you even say that propane is good for grilling

Personally, I have several methods. I switch between them depending on a variety of reasons. Propane, no brainer for convenience. Fast, hot and produces great results but isn't suitable when you want the smoke unless you set a tray in one side.

Charcoal, well if you have the time it is hard to beat but instead of charcoal I usually just make a wood fire if I am going to go that far. Also there is the smoker which is wood fired but I'm not getting that rolling unless I have a few picnics, some sausages, etc to fill the thing (or unless I am doing a brisket).

Also, SWMBO uses the grill and she won't mess with charcoal so that is another possible consideration. The purist in me says "wood fire" but the guy working all the time and has to grill stuff for a family of five says "Propane" . The total purist in me says "Eat that stuff raw son"! haha

 

[Cheesefood]

Why isn't this a poll?

I used to be millitant charcoal until my BIL gave me his old LP Webber and I ran out of charcoal. I'm hooked on the convenience. No more bags of ash or waiting 40 minutes for the grill to heat up.

I still like cooking on coal, but I gotta say that there's nothing more frustrating than waiting 20 minutes for a grill to heat up so you can cook a 4 ounce filet.

 

[EdWort]

I still like cooking on coal, but I gotta say that there's nothing more frustrating than waiting 20 minutes for a grill to heat up so you can cook a 4 ounce filet.

My mini BGE takes about 10 minutes to get to 700 degrees for an amazing sear.

I sear em' for 60 seconds a side then pull them off to rest for 15 minutes while the egg cools down to 400 degrees. Then I put them back on for a few minutes a side with some Jack Daniels wood chips.

Hmmm. Can't get a better steak machine than this. Ready for lunch anyone?

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I cook a pretty good ribeye on the propane grill Doesn't look as sexy as those you got there, Ed, but they taste pretty damn good.

 

[Cheesefood]

Ed, if I didn't already own three grills (Full size Webber Silver, Webber LP, and Homer Simpson Smokey Joe (also Webber)), I'd buy an egg.

 

[Klainmeister]

I think this is a very interesting discussion on this forum because many, if not all of you, go ahead and spend the extra hours and times preparing your beer for flavor but with another food entity for some, the extra effort aint worth it.

I for one have used charcoal as much as possible and will usual toss in some specific wood chips, i've been known to throw in some spruce when cooking up elk or deer to give it a real Oregon foresty flavor. Seems to go over well and remind people of camping.

 

[brewt00l]

Yeah, they can be, but considering that they have a life time warranty, they will outlast any gasser and you'll spend almost as much on a new good gasser.

The time to get one is during the Texas Eggfest!

A few of my co-workers and I have been talking about the egg.....we are waiting to see who will be first to grab one.

Typically, I am grilling for 2-4 people. What size do you think would be the ticket?

 

[Ó Flannagáin]

I think this is a very interesting discussion on this forum because many, if not all of you, go ahead and spend the extra hours and times preparing your beer for flavor but with another food entity for some, the extra effort aint worth it.

I for one have used charcoal as much as possible and will usual toss in some specific wood chips, i've been known to throw in some spruce when cooking up elk or deer to give it a real Oregon foresty flavor. Seems to go over well and remind people of camping.

It's a little different when you grill everynight for 1 meal. Brewing 1-2 times a week for a couple weeks worth of beer is completely different.

 

[EdWort]

A few of my co-workers and I have been talking about the egg.....we are waiting to see who will be first to grab one.

Typically, I am grilling for 2-4 people. What size do you think would be the ticket?

Go with a large. It's the most versatile. It has an 18" grid and there are loads of eggcessories for it whether you want to slow smoke ribs, pork, brisket, grill burgers, brats, pork tenderloins, fish, or bake pizza & breads. It's pretty amazing at the quality of cooked food that it turns out.

I've competed with mine and won trophies & cash, I've traveled with the small ones, but now they are all home on the newly stained deck.

I'll be doing Tri-Tip steaks on it tonight.

 

[landhoney]

I'm a charcoal guy. Small Weber and a smoker I made out of a 55 galon oil drum(didn't have oil in it though) that can smoke/grill big or large quantity stuff.

My dad just bought this:
http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/2007/charcoal/Performer.aspx
Its pretty much a Weber with a gas assist to get the coals going. I haven't seen it in action, and he's only used it a couple times so far but he likes it.

 

[brewt00l]

Go with a large. It's the most versatile. It has an 18" grid and there are loads of eggcessories for it whether you want to slow smoke ribs, pork, brisket, grill burgers, brats, pork tenderloins, fish, or bake pizza & breads. It's pretty amazing at the quality of cooked food that it turns out.

I've competed with mine and won trophies & cash, I've traveled with the small ones, but now they are all home on the newly stained deck.

I'll be doing Tri-Tip steaks on it tonight.

Thanks for the recommendation. I have four dealers close by and I happen to be stopping into the closest one this evening for something else. Sounds like I am going to have to take a close look

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I think this is a very interesting discussion on this forum because many, if not all of you, go ahead and spend the extra hours and times preparing your beer for flavor but with another food entity for some, the extra effort aint worth it.

Apples and oranges. One afternoon of brewing produces enough beer to last me two months, but I've got to cook nearly every night. If I had to brew EVERY time I wanted a beer...well, I'd quit drinking beer. Besides, brewing is an elective hobby, not a daily necessity.

When cooking in itself becomes the "event," I fire up the charcoal grill or smoker, pour a cold one, light a cigar and relax. If I'm smoking a brisket for ten hours (as I did this past Sunday) the 1/2 hour to light the charcoal is insignificant, and is actually an enjoyable part of the routine. But Monday through Friday, a different set of rules and priorities takes over. When I get home hungry from work at 7:30 I want the meat to hit the heat in 5 minutes, not 30. I also don't want to deal with the mess of charcoal and ashes on a daily basis...I've got enough to do already.

FWIW, I have no trouble turning out spectacular food on whatever grill I'm using.

 

[joshpooh]

Charcoal all the way. I would rather cook indoors than on a gas grill so even the convenience factor of propane is not attractive to me. IMHO grilling is supposed to be for special occasions when you have time. As for regular dinners, that is what stoves are for. Propane is great for brewing and frying though.

 

[Orfy]

How much do you pay for charcoal?

I pay £1 a kg for prebagged lightable stuff
Or £4 for 10kg bulk ($8 for 22lb)
~40c/Lb

 

[zoebisch01]

I think this is a very interesting discussion on this forum because many, if not all of you, go ahead and spend the extra hours and times preparing your beer for flavor but with another food entity for some, the extra effort aint worth it.

I do everything from cheese, to salami, blood sausage, wursts, bread, etc. I also have about 5,000 sq. ft. of garden space from which we can, pickle and store lots of food. I am very much into 'doing it right'. The difference between propane grilled food and charcoal grilled food is not huge, imo. Different, yes. Better, probably (there are some times I want the searing but not necessarily the smokiness).

Now if I am going to do something like Jerk Pork or Jerk Chicken (we can't get Pimento wood here in PA , I'd have to grow it) I will absolutely start up a wood fire for that. Or Brisket, well the smoker gets turned on for that. What I am getting at is if the dish has to have that smoky flavor, there really is no substitute. But if I am just grilling burgers, steaks, chicken etc. I can do without the added smoke in place of convenience.

And, as I mentioned earlier, it isn't only me using the grill. :fro: One day I hope to have the time to build a real giant outdoor wood fired oven for things like whole pig roasts. Now that would be awesome. Not for bragging rights, but because the whole act in itself is just awesome. Roasting a big ole pig in a wood fired oven, drinking homebrew....that's livin

 

[EdWort]

When I get home hungry from work at 7:30 I want the meat to hit the heat in 5 minutes, not 30. I also don't want to deal with the mess of charcoal and ashes on a daily basis...I've got enough to do already.

I hear ya. That's one of the neat things about the egg. It's ready to cook in 10 minutes like most gassers. When you are done, close the lid and vents and it goes out and the left over lump chacoal can be used again.. The next time, knock of the little bit of ash with your ash tool and go to town. Lump charcoal produces very little ash compared to briquettes.

Did Tri-Tip steaks last night. It's pork tenderloins tonight!

 

[BlindLemonLars]

The egg sounds great, I'll have to look into those.

It's pork tenderloins tonight!

Outstanding! I do mine with a dry rub...basically it's brown sugar, ancho chili powder, salt, cumin, onion powder and a pinch or two of habanero powder. (I make the habanero powder myself, using a process that might be too hazardous to share here!) After rubbing the tenderloins down, I use a food syringe to inject them with garlic infused olive oil and let them rest in the fridge overnight.

I prefer to slowly smoke them with apple wood, but they can be grilled as well. If using the smoker, I'll mop them every half hour or so with a mixture of beer, vinegar and apple juice. (Actually, I use a spray bottle rather than a mop.) Slice thin on a bias, and drizzle with a orange juice, honey and habanero reduction sauce and some diced chives.

Oh yeah...break out the BIG beer glass with this one.

 

[EdWort]

Wow! Sounds good and with some heat too!

I basically drizzle some olive oil on the tenderloin and give it a good rub with some Dizzy Pig Ragin River rub. I cover with plastic wrap and let it marinate overnight.

I fire up the egg to about 350 and just turn it every 5 minutes or so for 30 minutes and pull it off when the internal temp hits 145 degrees. It's then served with Raspberry Chipotle sauce.

Pork tenderloins are a family favorite and a quick meal when done on the egg.

Rule of thumb when dealing with lean meats is hot and fast. With fatty and tough meats, it's low & slow so the fat and connective tissue can render out.

 

[IBENAK]

I used to have both propane and a charcoal grill. I have since bought a traeger and will never go back to either. The Traeger is a smoker/grill/oven. It uses all natural wood pellets as fuel source. The only draw back to it is that it is electric, so it must be plugged in to use it. They are expensive, but well worth every dime. People that have eaten the food off of my grill want to know the secret, there isn't one with this grill. Even if you don't know how to grill/cook, you can on a traeger.

 

[rustang64]

Always and only natural lump charcoal... lit the good old fashioned way. I cant stand the taste and smell of lighter fluid in my meat.

BTW fired up some antelope loin chops this afternoon with a light salt, chilli and oregano rub... delish.

 

[zoebisch01]

Always and only natural lump charcoal... lit the good old fashioned way. I cant stand the taste and smell of lighter fluid in my meat.

BTW fired up some antelope loin chops this afternoon with a light salt, chilli and oregano rub... delish.

Missoula, eh? My dad lives in Darby.

 

[Beertk]

I have an electric smoker, a propane grill, and a charcoal grill. I would say it all depends on what I am cooking. If it is a fillet then I can only use hot hot gas flame. Pork Butt gets smoked in the electric water smoker with chunks of crabapple wood. But hamburgers and hot dogs use charcoal if I have the time and motivation. I would guess that the charcoal gets the least use.

 

[fiddup_is_a_middup]

Charcoal only, propane is for pansies

 

[SuperiorBrew]

I have a Weber gas, Cook Shack Smoker, La Caja China & a Traeger Pellet Grill.

I use the Traeger the most, I describe it as halfway between a smoker and a charcoal grill.

 

[Turkeyfoot Jr.]

I'm charcoal all the way. Just bought one of these a couple weeks back:

http://www.chargriller.com/shop/grills/smokin-pro.html

One of these days I'll have the money to get a really nice charcoal grill but for now this little baby is great. For the OSU/UM game I fit 6 racks of baby backs on her with a nice hot fire in the smoke box. Kept it around 200-225F for about 5 hours, they were delicious. I also have a Weber kettle I bought almost 5 years ago and I still use it, great for when I just need to cook a couple steaks for the wife and I.

If anyone's looking for a good deal on natural lump charcoal one of the best I've found is Ace Hardware, providing you have an Ace near you. You can order it online for $0.50 a pound and have delivered to the store for no charge.

 

[zoebisch01]

Charcoal only, propane is for pansies

No, you got it wrong. Charcoal and propane are for pansies. Us real men use wood.

 

[Orfy]

I used to use wood exlusivley in Africa but over here I tend to add a log near the end of cooking to keep a social fire going into the night.