BBQ : gas vs charcoal?

Brocks

Brocks

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Info on the web is divided. So is the advice from salesmen/women.

We are going to have a bit of ado in 3 weeks and need a new BBQ. I'm looking at either a weber classic e310 (gas)or a weber performer( charcoal). What do you peeps think?
 
I have both, love the ease and quickness of the gas bbq for when we get home from work and want to have a quick bbq before we have to get the kids to bed, but if it's a proper bbq with plenty of time the charcoal one goes on without doubt.

Not much help I know :)

p.s. not both of the webber ones :)
 
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The weber performer is a great BBQ. A friend of mine cooked his Christmas turkey on it (he only has a combi microwave as an oven).
 
Charcoal is the proper way, but I have been on gas for 10 years + now. You have to faff around making sure you light bBQ at right time with charcoal and then have a set window to use it. With gas its ready to go in 5 mins, and can be used as an oven as temp can be up or down.
 
have both... weber charcoal - you'll never ever get the same taste and texture using gas... however gas is fairly instantaneous (<10 mins from cold to cooking) and easier to control............

I refused gas for 17 years and then relented one mad day.............. on average, will use the gas once a week throughout the year, and the weber once a month in summer....
 
Depends why you want it really. I see a gas BBQ as a way of cooking outside, whereas charcoal is if you want the experience of the smoke and the way it makes the food taste. Personally I much prefer charcoal, but there are times in the summer where I think 'I wish I could could this meal outside in the sun' and for that a gas one would be useful.

How many people is your event for? In can be hard to judge the amount of charcoal and the time it takes to get hot when catering for a lot of people, whereas with gas you've no real problems.
 
I've had both and several different model from several different makers, the one thing I would say about a gas bbq is they are the Devil to keep clean, not the griddle, but below that, in the body of the bbq. If you are like me and want it clean and I mean really clean (would you use a dirty oven indoors? then why do it outdoors?) then go for one that has no nooks and crannies below the rack. Most gas bbq that we have had were made from pressed steel etc and are a nightmare to clean, we usually dumped them after a couple of years as we couldnt get them clean, an expensive option though. We bought a Webber as bbq last year (not sure of model but its a smaller model, big enough to cook for 6 though and is oval in shape), its a brilliant example of how to make a bbq you can clean really easily, it dismounts from its stand easily, so you can take it indoors to clean. It also cooks really well (which is pretty important too :) ) and as has been said ready to go in minutes and will cook till the gas runs out.
I doubt I'd ever go back to charcoal with its seared outsides and raw inside type of eating experience (when I do it), gas may not give that authentic flavour (although I cant say I notice the difference at my mates place, in fairness he does a mean bbq, no searing/raw food on his charcoal one).
So for me gas wins every time.

Matt
 
Thanks every one.....I have this question on 3 forums now and its very much 50/50.....:shrug:


simon44 said:
That explains a lot :D
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:LOL::LOL::LOL: Great come back!

TopBanana said:
Depends why you want it really. I see a gas BBQ as a way of cooking outside, whereas charcoal is if you want the experience of the smoke and the way it makes the food taste. Personally I much prefer charcoal, but there are times in the summer where I think 'I wish I could could this meal outside in the sun' and for that a gas one would be useful.

How many people is your event for? In can be hard to judge the amount of charcoal and the time it takes to get hot when catering for a lot of people, whereas with gas you've no real problems.
Click to expand...

The do is going to be for 20-30+ peeps...Then after that we'd have 10 or so for other days. We have an Aga so I'd probably cook the food early and keep it warm in the Aga. I doubt any BBQ could cook 30 chicken, 30 steaks and 30 Burgers at the same time ;)

I've been told that the "modern" kettle charcoal doesn't flavour the food as it used to so the difference between gas and charcoal is not as great as one would think. Hence my confusion. I want the charcoal taste with the off and onable gas option.:thinking:

MatBin said:
I've had both and several different model from several different makers, the one thing I would say about a gas bbq is they are the Devil to keep clean, not the griddle, but below that, in the body of the bbq. If you are like me and want it clean and I mean really clean (would you use a dirty oven indoors? then why do it outdoors?) then go for one that has no nooks and crannies below the rack. Most gas bbq that we have had were made from pressed steel etc and are a nightmare to clean, we usually dumped them after a couple of years as we couldnt get them clean, an expensive option though. We bought a Webber as bbq last year (not sure of model but its a smaller model, big enough to cook for 6 though and is oval in shape), its a brilliant example of how to make a bbq you can clean really easily, it dismounts from its stand easily, so you can take it indoors to clean. It also cooks really well (which is pretty important too :) ) and as has been said ready to go in minutes and will cook till the gas runs out.
I doubt I'd ever go back to charcoal with its seared outsides and raw inside type of eating experience (when I do it), gas may not give that authentic flavour (although I cant say I notice the difference at my mates place, in fairness he does a mean bbq, no searing/raw food on his charcoal one).
So for me gas wins every time.

Matt
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Thanks Matt some good stuff there. The gas one I mentioned is designed to channel the fat to a catch tank and is meant to be easy clean. Its also enamelled steel so should be easy to clean.

I see Weber do Smokin boxes that you fill with wood chips and put on the BBQ with the food. It is meant to flavour the food. Could be a compromise?
 
Lynton said:
have both... weber charcoal - you'll never ever get the same taste and texture using gas... however gas is fairly instantaneous (<10 mins from cold to cooking) and easier to control............

I refused gas for 17 years and then relented one mad day.............. on average, will use the gas once a week throughout the year, and the weber once a month in summer....
Click to expand...

Your post has answered my questions and made up my mind - thanks Lynton !

Just one thing - can you use smoke chips or whatever they are called on a gas BBQ ?
 
Brocks said:
Thanks every one.....I have this question on 3 forums now and its very much 50/50.....:shrug:




:LOL::LOL::LOL: Great come back!



The do is going to be for 20-30+ peeps...Then after that we'd have 10 or so for other days. We have an Aga so I'd probably cook the food early and keep it warm in the Aga. I doubt any BBQ could cook 30 chicken, 30 steaks and 30 Burgers at the same time ;)

I've been told that the "modern" kettle charcoal doesn't flavour the food as it used to so the difference between gas and charcoal is not as great as one would think. Hence my confusion. I want the charcoal taste with the off and onable gas option.:thinking:



Thanks Matt some good stuff there. The gas one I mentioned is designed to channel the fat to a catch tank and is meant to be easy clean. Its also enamelled steel so should be easy to clean.

I see Weber do Smokin boxes that you fill with wood chips and put on the BBQ with the food. It is meant to flavour the food. Could be a compromise?
Click to expand...

We've had all sorts, all prices, just beware of nuts/bolts/clips etc inside, the fat goes everywhere not just down the catchment area, up the sides of the cooking area then it drips down into the base and gets burnt on etc, for inherent cleanliness you cant beat a charcoal one as they are just so much tidier inside. The latest one we have is like a charcoal bbq (from a construction point of view) that uses gas to cook the food but they dont do a realy big version (yet?) so its really only a "family" bbq. Dont bother lining with tinfoil either, another mate did that and the meat juices/fat caught light.
I think its really difficult deciding what to get if you want everything in one bbq (bit like cameras :) )

This is what we have
http://www.bbqs2go.co.uk/weberq_gasgrill220.htm


This one has a much bigger cooking area, bigger than the e310 you mentioned above too
http://www.bbqs2go.co.uk/q_gasgrill320.htm
Matt
 
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Gas here.
The bbq flavor comes from the fat dripping off the meat, burning and smoking back up, not from the coal itself.
So as long as you get a gas bbq that has lava rock trays, the only difference is convenience.
 
Gas for indoors and charcoal for outdoors.

But, not everyone has the ability to cook with charcoal, its something you have to learn! Just like cooking a meal indoors, some people are very good and some can't cook to save their life.

So to answer the OP question, charcoal is in a difreant league to gas, food will always taste better, and its nothing to do with fat dripping on the coal. If you are confident and able to use a charcoal BBQ's, that's the one to buy, if not, play safe and go with gas.
 
MatBin said:
<snip> Dont bother lining with tinfoil either, another mate did that and the meat juices/fat caught light.
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:D


My parents have a gas BBQ,

I tend to use anything that burns, but there again I use a blow torch to boil a kettle.
 
I prefer charcoal BBQ's. I can see why the convenience of a gas barbecue is tempting but for me the whole prep and waiting time (drinking time) is all part of the ritual.

DIY 45 gallon drum BBQ's are very hard to beat and a lot cheaper and more durable than the fancier shop-bought models.
 
interesting that everywhere is 50:50.... give or take.

If you had asked me 2 years ago, i would have gone 100% charcoal, despite having cooked on them for best part of 2 decades.

it was fun though making up the large gas one, whilst confined to a wheelchair..... My dear wife learnt some new words that evening....
 
I love charcoal, best flavour, but, I bought a gas one for our wedding (we had a big barbie rather than catering) and we use it much much more. In summer we cook most evenings as well as breakfast and lunch on the weekends.

Charcoal does have that taste, but for convenience you cannot beat gas.

For me, invest in a decent gas BBQ, and pick up a cheaper charcoal one for when you have the time and fancy something a bit special. Best of both worlds.
 
Lets factor in the environmental or social costs... :nuts: ;)

Both burn stuff, one uses added wood chip for flavour which is bad poisons wise....otherwise they probably about the same, given thermal dynamics, and burgers needing the same amount of energy to cook etc.

Construction. Charcoal burners are simple layered tray arrangements and probably mostly made super cheep, which means sociality and economically some people are being underpaid and overworked in a non-sustainable manner to find the materials, manufacture and assemble them.

The gas burner is a little more complexed in construction, although probably priced similarly as cheep, Certainly not priced relative to the real costs... which again adds more stress to the non-sustainable business model and in fact probably means a child did actually die (at the end of a very long ripple of cause and effect) in order to provide us with a cheep gas BBQs.

Hmm, really I suppose then charcoal BBQs just mean we kill less children, or not so quickly...

Seems as good a reason as any to buy charcoal I think.... (y) ;)
 
Gas != BBQ as far as I'm concerned. Unless you are using charcoal or wood you don't get that same smokey flavour. I feel with Gas you may as well use an electric grill.

Have a couple Weber Charcoals and they are just the dog's licky-bits as far as I'm concerned. Ash collector, easily adjustable air flow for heat control, the grill sides fold into the middle to make it easy to heat and clean it over the coals.

Throw in a BBQ Chimney Starter and you can have the charcoal ready to go within 20 mins. Best of every world. http://www.johnlewis.com/230196998/Product.aspx

Works fast every time, always the right amount of coal for a Weber BBQ. Great addition.
 
JCoquillon said:
Throw in a BBQ Chimney Starter and you can have the charcoal ready to go within 20 mins. Best of every world. http://www.johnlewis.com/230196998/Product.aspx

Works fast every time, always the right amount of coal for a Weber BBQ. Great addition.
Click to expand...

I've never seen one of those before - looks like a genius invention. Is it just a cylinder with vent holes at the bottom? Do you use firelighters at the bottom?
 
It is just a ventilated cylinder with a disk an inch or so from one end that is also perforated.

Just fill the main chamber with charcoal and the bottom with newspaper and hey presto. The flame burns straight up through the coals nice and even (better than the conventional method of forming a careful mound over the firelighters.

Time saving, less messy hands handling charcoal, no firelighter smell to the coals, you always use the right amount of coal, you can also easily set it going to prepare more coals should you need to cook for longer. Simple, clever, and elegant solution.

You also get other brand ones available for a little less:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Landmann-Lt...WC22/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1333450677&sr=8-3

http://www.amazon.co.uk/BBQ-Master-...N0DA/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1333450677&sr=8-2

A must have for any BBQer
 
Charcoal for me as said before more drinking time getting it all ready I feel its all part of the event getting the bbq ready. Just as so many people have said its just down to personal taste.
 
we use our grill once a week during Winter and 2-5 times a week spring/summer/fall, mostly for cooking dinner (chicken, steak, burgers, ribs, etc). I couldn't use it that much with Charcoal as I'd be constantly emptying ash and refilling with fresh charcoal. I've used one large patio gas canister in the past year. I don't find any problems with the taste (or lack there of) since everything is well seasoned when it goes on the grill. I'd never go to charcoal unless I'm forced to.

I didn't check your specific webber, but I suggest that anyone looking at buying a gas grill to consider the number of burners and BTU output. Ours currently is a 2 burner and lower on the BTU scale. I find it gets just hot enough for fast grilling for up to 4-6 people or so. I'd like it to get 50% hotter than it does as I have to max it out on both burners to get it hot enough. The key for the way I cook on a grill is hot and fast. Our 3-burner previous to this was much better in that regard. The extra heat also helps with heat up time and cleaning.

Thanks,
Rick
 
All this talk of Barbeques is what turned the weather bad, I hope you're all ashamed of yourselves!
 
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