subject: Which Outdoor Barbeque Grills - Gas or Charcoal? [print this page] Which Outdoor Barbeque Grills - Gas or Charcoal?
If you're considering purchasing a barbecue grill, are you wondering whether gas or charcoal barbecue grills are best? In fact, it's a matter of your own personal taste, and the convenience you may or may not want to embrace. Both gas and charcoal barbecue grills have their advantages and its advantages, and it's up to you to pick the right one for you based upon your own personal needs and wants:
Convenience, or flavor?
It really does boil down to this (or should we say, "grill down to this"?) single question. If you are a grilling "purist," such that your barbecue grill's results have to have that authentic, smoky flavor, you'll want to go with charcoal.
If, however, you're not really into "smoky" barbecue flavor all that much, or you'd rather have the convenience and are willing to skip the flavor, gas barbecue grills are the way to go.
Advantages of charcoal barbecue grills
Again, nothing beats the authenticity of authentic charcoal taste. Charcoal briquettes also light very quickly and easily, especially if you use an electric starter. There is virtually no open flame, so they are relatively safe to use (although you should still use charcoal grills only in the out of doors). They also provide a nice, even, slow cooking kind of heat that won't flare up.
Disadvantages of charcoal barbecue grills
The major disadvantages of charcoal barbecue grills are the mess and fuss of the charcoal itself. Charcoal is messy, and you'll need to be willing to put up with it and clean up after the fact. Still, if nothing but good "home smoked flavor" will do for you, this is a small price to pay.
The other thing about charcoal barbecue grills you should keep in mind is that although they're generally less expensive for the unit itself as opposed to gas, they're actually MORE expensive to run, because you are constantly having to buy charcoal briquettes to fuel your cookouts. Expect to pay about five dollars per cookout with charcoal briquettes, versus about $.20 per cooking session with gas. Again, this is a small price to pay if charcoal is the only authentic flavor for you, but it is something to consider if you're worried about cost.
Advantages of gas barbecue grills
Gas grills are perfect for authentic grilling (no smoky flavor, but still a similar heat as compared to charcoal), and they are easy to get going. All you generally have to do is to flip a switch and change out the grill's gas tank every once in awhile once you begin to run low on fuel.
Disadvantages of gas grills
In general, gas grills aren't any safer than charcoal grills if you're trying to grill in small spaces. (For that, choose an electric grill.) Gas barbecue grills are also quite a bit more expensive than charcoal, although with charcoal, the cost of the gas grill is offset by not having to invest in charcoal briquettes every time you want to grill.
The bottom line? For that authentic charcoal broiled taste, choose charcoal barbecue grills. For convenience without the hassle of charcoal grill clean up, choose gas barbecue grills.
