Registered: Aug 2001
Location: Hilbert Space
Posts: 35776

So, I have a deck and clearly, every deck should house a barbequeue (what you people call a 'grill').

It seems that charcoal tastes better and propane is easier to use. I'm thinking that I might use it quite a lot, particularly over the Summer.

I have no idea how fast one would expect to go through propane and, therefore, how much I'd be spending. The extra burner next to the main grill could come in handy, I'm thinking.

Anyhow. What experiences have you people had in terms of grilling with charcoal and/or propane?

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: seattle-ish
Posts: 11530

with propane, wouldn't you have to worry about leaks and such? I wouldn't know personally, but I've heard that.

Anyways, I like my charcoal grill a lot. It's cheap, it's simple, and it tastes good.

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Registered: Apr 2005
Location: wookin pa nub
Posts: 10792

It really depends on whether you prefer flavor or ease of use. I had a nice, big stainless propane grill that was great because I could fire it up and be grilling in just a few minutes. That was great, but the grilled flavor just wasn't there.

I started using my old Weber, and the flavor came back. The only problem is that it takes 30-45 minutes to get a good fire going.

In short, I prefer my $60 Weber to my $600 Vermont Castings.

charcoal > propane

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Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Cwesting
Posts: 9082

I ask you.
What's more fun than over dousing your charcoal with starter fluid and watching those beautiful flames lick your eyebrows off?

Oh yeah, the food tastes better too.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location:
Posts: 4501

I've never cooked with propane, but I grill pretty frequently with charcoal. Also, toss in some sticks to get a wood-smoked taste when doing chicken breasts in olive oil. Very tasty.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: is futile
Posts: 5076

get both... and then build a firepit in the yard, for when you want to really get a large flavorful piece of meat going.

wood-fired is the best IMHO, followed by charcoal and then the "others".

nothing beats a 15 pound pork roast cooked in a firepit for 6-8 hours. NOTHING, I SAY.

cheers
-m

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Registered: Mar 2004
Location: Behind this monitor.
Posts: 6470

i've never done a 15 pound roast, yet, but I agree with mud that wood is the best. This is cool and will look nice on your patio.

http://www.eurocosm.com/Application.../patiodd4GB.asp

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: is futile
Posts: 5076

firepit cooking recipe:

1) dig a hole 3 feet long, two feet wide and at least two feet deep. Make sure to keep the grass turf intact
2) Line the walls and floor with rocks that are at least 8 inches thick.
3) Start a good-sized fire in it as if it was a large fireplace
4) Take a large slab of meat, at least 10 pound of whatever cut you like. Smear it in hardy spices (dry rub). cut deep pockets in the meat and make sure the rub gets in there as well.
5) Pack the thing in leafy greens, like kale, lettuce or even palm leaves. sprinkle some spinach in there for good effect. give it at least 3 layers.
6) Wrap in at least two layers of thick tin foil.
7) Once the fire is mostly reduced to embers, make a hole in the center of the embers for the meat. Place the meat package directly in the embers and pile the embers along the sides of the package.
8) pack the hot wall rocks closer to the embers to create a solid capsule of embers and hot rocks around the package.
9) fill in the outside of the firepit with dirt to remove air pockets, and put the grass turf back on as a final lid.
10) wait 6-8 hours depending on cut of meat.

the results are orgasmic.

cheers
-m

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Ducktown, GA
Posts: 1429

I use propane, as during the warmer 6 months of the year, I grill almost daily. Usually fish and chicken. I use 2-3 regular size tanks of propane a year, even at that quick grilling rate. I keep an extra handy, just in case today is the day. You need to get the flavor into your gas grill by using a bunch of those lava rocks, and never, ever changing them. You will get a ton of dripped grease, seasonings, oils, and beer down in them, and you can toss in mesquite, hickory, and cedar chips once in a while to keep it going. The germs burn up, but the flavor stays. Charcoal tastes a little better than a seasoned gas grill, but I'm not screwing with waiting almost an hour to grill every day. I want to light it up, and get grilling in 5 minutes.

Huge meat can be done in a pit made of cinderblocks with a rebar grill about halfway up. Put piles of charcoal in the corners, and cook a whole damned young pig if you like. You can do a gutted, head and skin off split 150 pound pig in 5-6 hours if you keep foil over the top of the pit, and check the charcoal piles every hour.

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Registered: Dec 2001
Location: Ducktown, GA
Posts: 1429

quote:

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Originally posted by mudded
firepit cooking recipe:

1) dig a hole 3 feet long, two feet wide and at least two feet deep. Make sure to keep the grass turf intact
2) Line the walls and floor with rocks that are at least 8 inches thick.
3) Start a good-sized fire in it as if it was a large fireplace
4) Take a large slab of meat, at least 10 pound of whatever cut you like. Smear it in hardy spices (dry rub). cut deep pockets in the meat and make sure the rub gets in there as well.
5) Pack the thing in leafy greens, like kale, lettuce or even palm leaves. sprinkle some spinach in there for good effect. give it at least 3 layers.
6) Wrap in at least two layers of thick tin foil.
7) Once the fire is mostly reduced to embers, make a hole in the center of the embers for the meat. Place the meat package directly in the embers and pile the embers along the sides of the package.
8) pack the hot wall rocks closer to the embers to create a solid capsule of embers and hot rocks around the package.
9) fill in the outside of the firepit with dirt to remove air pockets, and put the grass turf back on as a final lid.
10) wait 6-8 hours depending on cut of meat.

the results are orgasmic.

cheers
-m

---

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: is futile
Posts: 5076

quote:

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Originally posted by torque
We used to cook like that sometimes in New Zealand. We called it a haangi. You could do meats, veggies, and whatever else at the same time, dig it up, and enjoy the hech out of it. We would have a haangi with maori neighbors for many of life's little celebrations.

---

Humans have been cooking like this for at least 8000 years.

It is damn good eating, too

cheers
-m

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Registered: Oct 2002
Location:
Posts: 1282

hank hill swears by propane and i believe him!

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Registered: Jan 2002
Location: Shreveport, LA
Posts: 3840

quote:

---

Originally posted by mudded
Humans have been cooking like this for at least 8000 years.

It is damn good eating, too

cheers
-m

---

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 26669

I'm also a charcoal fan but if you go propane you have less to clean later...although sometimes it's cool to leave the charcoal dust for another day.
Now you can still get good taste with propane if you use good lava rocks and some maple or hickory wood in there. Different woods yield different flavors.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4546

I have both. I cook on the propane if I'm in a hurry or having a party and the charcoal if I have time to kill. I use about 3 tanks of gas per year. Find a local fill staion and pay $8 bucks to have a tank filled instead of going to HD or the grocery store and paying $20 for an exchange. ALWAYS have an extra tank on hand.

Here's a hint on getting a deal at the local HD. Go find a propane grill that is missing parts or is dinged up a bit. You will get it marked down for sure so they don't have to hassle with it. Let me know which grill you buy and I can either get you in touch with the manufacturer or will call them for you and get the parts for free!!!*

*Do not get caught sabotaging a grill for a discount. They seem to frown on that for some reason.

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Registered: Jan 2003
Location: mediocre apartment
Posts: 2651

I've never found propane any easier to use, but then I've never had a good propane grill, either. It's always something, either the starter won't flick or the tank is dry or I can't figure out how hot it is going to be. Coal is just more intuitive, but maybe that's years and years of camping experience. I also find cleaning a coal pit to be much easier; lay some foil in the bottom before you start and it takes two seconds to empty the ash pan and pull out the old, crappy coals. I also like having to wait before cooking. From flames to coals is a good time to throw around the football or shoot the shit or just drink a beer and swat at skeeters. This, to me, is why you grill. It's not a hurry up and eat sort of thing. You can do that inside. And if you're cooking with gas, why even bother leaving your kitchen? The effect is the same. Lame.

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Registered: Aug 2001
Location: is futile
Posts: 5076

quote:

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Originally posted by SatansLeftHand
except for the aluminum foil, unless i miss my guess.

---

nuh-uh

-m

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4546

I've progressed up the propane ladder to a "cadillac" of propane grills. I have a Weber stainless model with the three internal burners. I opted out of the sideburner because the last one I had, I never used. When I stepped up to a 3 burner unit I noticed a considerable difference in cooking quality. I can sear, slow cook, rotisserie or convection cook. My last grill had cast iron grates which were a little more maintenance but I liked the way they heated. My new grill has stainless grates which cook okay, too.

In other words, I'd avoid the $99 special when it comes to propane grills. You can get a good grill around $249 and a great grill starting at the $299 mark. Always buy a cover and protect your investment. If your looking at the Weber kettles, they're around $90 and worth it. The knock-offs just aren't the same.

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Registered: Jul 2000
Location: Beyond Mason-Dixon Line
Posts: 16497

I have both, but I far prefer charcoal. Propane is flavorless.

Yes, wood-pit smoking is quite another thing, entirely.

Amen.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 26669

I want....FOOD.

I also want...THIS.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 26669

That's a dishwasher,man. A dishwasher for the great outdoors.
Wait. No. That's a fridge. A fridge to store all the MEAT.

MEAT.

....MEAT.

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: in colorado somewhere!
Posts: 26669

meat.

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Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Den
Posts: 11721

A good firepit can also hold the obligatory girl who brings fucking salad.