subject: Gas Grills: To Sear or Not to Sear [print this page] Gas Grills: To Sear or Not to Sear Gas Grills: To Sear or Not to Sear
We'll start with the temperature ranges. A grill loaded with red-hot charcoal can et up to 700 degrees Fahrenheit, though the type of charcoal used will affect the actual temperature. If you want to be searing a lot, this is most likely the type of grill for you. This will also achieve the barbecue technique of cooking with smoke around 200 degrees. A gas grill has the potential to get that hot, but it's definitely a feature you'll need to check up on in the specific brand you're looking at. There's a lot of talk about the BTUs, but that's not necessarily a measure of actual cooking power.
As to the one-time assembly, gas grills will take about two hours since they're a bit more complicated, and charcoal grills about half an hour. The start-up time, though is the opposite. Gas grills light up instantly, and will be ready for grilling in about ten minutes. Charcoal takes time to light (a lot of time if you're like me), and 15-20 minutes to reach a high enough temperature. The real reason to own a charcoal grill is that they get hotter than standard gas grills, helping you get meat like steak and lamb crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. However, charcoal is dirty, can be hard to light, can cause flareups, and it's hard to measure the temperature you're cooking at. During long grills, you will need to continuously add charcoal, and there will be a lot of ash to clean up after.
While charcoal grills guarantee that smoky BBQ flavor, gas grills make it easy to grill delicate foods like fish, chicken breast and even fruit. You can also add a smoke box to achieve a charcoal-like smokiness. Gas grills heat up to cooking temperature quickly, and stay there for the duration of the grill. You can crank up the heat or turn it down as you require.
Price-wise, the fuel for a gas grill will usually run under a dollar an hour, where a charcoal grill can be significantly more. You might be interested to know that the vast majority of grilling restaurants use gas, though they definitely have enough income to use whatever fuel they want. Low to mid-range gas grills usually get up to about 450 degrees fahrenheit, but for a little more money you can get one that goes up to 700 degrees, more than enough for searing purposes. They radiate heat using metal plates, lava rocks and ceramics, so you don't have to worry about open flames or flareups. There is a wide range of accessories for gas grills, as well. You can find everything from a rotisserie to side burners to night lights to storage drawers and spice racks. For a beginner griller, gas is the perfect choice. It's fairly simple and doesn't require a lot of know-how.
Okay, so maybe this wasn't quite as unbiased as I had originally hoped it would be. It's a hot topic, so please excuse me. With that out of the way, we might as well cover a few tips on how to get the most out of a gas grill. Safe handling always comes first. Handle raw meat separately, and never let it come in contact with accessories or dishes you'll be serving the meat with, and don't let raw meat sit at room temperature for more than 30 minutes. It's always a good idea to have a meat thermometer handy to make sure the food is safely cooked. Use the right tool for the job- long handled brushes and tongs are a must. Sticking the meat with a fork will release the juices.
Use both direct and indirect heat. Sear steaks right over direct heat to crisp the outside, and then move to indirect heat to cook internally, and rotate each piece halfway through cooking to create those professional-looking grill marks.
