Topic: Grilling: Gas or Charcoal?

[AlienLXIX]

Quote:
I use hickory or mesquite wood in an iron smoker.  Occassionally, I toss in some Jack Daniels old #7 smoke pellets.  Yummm...  

Charcoal in our large Webber grill here.  Ferret even got his rotisory (sp?) this past x-mas and we have used it for hams, chicken, salmon, and even a full turkey!  MMMMMMMMM  Kiawe (kay-a-vay) or Hawaiian mesquite in chunks is awsome but it burns a hella lot hotter than brikets.  I love it when we have a BBQ and we can have 'em year round!  wOOt!
 

[CaptStumpy]

I grilled some T-Bones last night and got to wondering what people think about grilling? Do you use Propane or Charcoal?

What do you prefer for grilling, Gas or Charcoal?
Propane or other gas
Charcoal, all types

I've cooked on both and I know that Gas has become very popular but I'm old fashioned when I grill. I still use the old Weber original type non-gas kettle grill for my grilling and slow cooking. I have two, one tiny for when cooking just for my wife and I and one large one for slow cooking roasts, chickens and for serving more people. I typically prefer real wood (Mesquite) charcoal and stay away from brickets which often contain nasty ingredients (LIke petroleum products) to bind together the brickets. I also don't use lighter fluid as I think it affects the taste and never seems to light well without using a ton of it. Instead I use a chimney style charcoal starter.

BTW if you haven't used a chimney style starter, they are great! Just put the charcoal in and a couple of wads of newspaper, light it and go away for a few minutes and you have perfect coals everytime. Without fluid. You can buy them but a do-it-yourselfer can easily make one.

 Chimney style starter example
   

[DH123]

Charcoal tastes better but is a pain for casual use.

last night's dinner was lamb chops with a dry-rub made of salt and garlic powder grilled over propane.   Good food to eat before killing Klingons  

Would have tasted better with coal, but would have been too much work.

[Kaenyne]

Ideally, I like charcoal the best.
Practically, I would prefer electric. (ducks)
But that's the past. Now I don't red meat or poultry anymore. (ducks again)

[JMM]

Charcoal rules, even though in my Microbiology class from years ago in college we learned that barbeque that is charcoal grilled is pretty cancerous, like I give a rat's booty? I LOVE GOOD BARBEQUE COOKED ON CHARCOAL! If ya propane, ya might as well just throw it in the oven.

BTW, a lil fact for all you people, do you know why restaurants that cook or grill meat in an oven always seem to taste better than what you get at home? The grade is one factor, but also industrial ovens are MUCH hotter than our home ovens, therefore they cook meat better and faster.  

[CaptStumpy]

Quote:
Charcoal rules, even though in my Microbiology class from years ago in college we learned that barbeque that is charcoal grilled is pretty cancerous, like I give a rat's booty? I LOVE GOOD BARBEQUE COOKED ON CHARCOAL! If ya propane, ya might as well just throw it in the oven.

BTW, a lil fact for all you people, do you know why restaurants that cook or grill meat in an oven always seem to taste better than what you get at home? The grade is one factor, but also industrial ovens are MUCH hotter than our home ovens, therefore they cook meat better and faster.  

I heard somewhere that blackened charred bits and well-done red meat pose a cancer risk. I always watch the grill carefully and have a spray bottle of water on hand to knock down the flames when the fat hits the coals and I never "brick" what I grill. If anyone "bricks" a T-Bone they need to have their head examined. 3 minutes flip/3 minutes flip/ 3 minutes rest is my rule of thumb.

Also I heard the type of charcoal used makes a difference in cancer risk. Those molded bricketts just can't be good for you, just look at what they put in those things.

I'm also not sure if the cancer risk is isolated to charcoaling but also any open-flame cooking...

 

Quote:
 In explaining the increased risk from barbecuing, Ward and her colleagues point to chemical substances called HCAs (heterocyclic amines) and other heat-related compounds that form in meat cooked over an open flame, charcoal, or ceramic briquets. Studies have shown that HCAs cause cancer in animals and trigger cellular mutations. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, another compound formed during such meat cooking methods can also produce tumors in the gastrointestinal tract of laboratory animals.

http://www.personalmd.com/news/a1997041101.shtml

So is the risk from the charcoal itself or just well-done red meat?

 

[E_Look]

Carbon, when formed on food by charring, etc., is supposed to be carcenogenic.  This may be due to the reactivity of carbon with respect to other elements when the food is mashed and smooshed and churned around by the hydrochloric acid of your stomach.

Also, small particulates can be highly carcenogenic, even if they are chemically inert, for example asbestos.  That stuff is so "rock solid" it's good for very high temperature insulation, so by itself in large pieces, it's quite harmless.  But if you breathe it's dust, you get lung cancer, all because of the size and shape of its small particles.  This goes for anything else, too, including carbon.

Furthermore, when food, just about of any kind is cooked, there is always the potential that the heat may change something naturally not harmful into something else that might be.

But we should get all stupid about it; the watchword is moderation!  We can eat just about everything cooked every which way (sometimes even not, if you like it really rare... but that poses its own different risks) but let's not overdo anything!

Years ago, there as a villiage in Northern China that had an abnormally high incidence of esophageal cancer.  After doctors looked into it, it turned out that the residents had for generations traditionally eaten lots and lots of pickled vegetables... per day!  And the high acid and salt, among other probable chemical transformations involved in the pickling probably irritated their throats so much that many, many people developed cancer.

I plan on using BOTH my TOS (no bloody A, B, or C) charcoal kettle and the fancy post-TNG (probably E) propane drive system, complete with thermal sensor and flux control disks tomorrow afternoon... and I'm a TOS guy.  I guess that answers the original thread's question.  

[JMM]

You do not know Texans and New Mexicans very well, half our diet is meat based products! Fluck it, there are far more dangerous foods and chemicals we use everyday in our lives, so who cares? I do NOT want to live forever anyways, I much prefer having my spirit roam free.  

[Scott Allen Abfalter]

Texans would just whup cancer's damn ass anyways.

So far I'm the only one who voted for propane.  I think charcoal grilling tastes better, but I'm lazy so I had to vote that way...
 

[JMM]

At least ur honest Scott, and propane is much easier to clean up after! I'm just used to the big black barrels cut in half with a big firebox on the side for smoking meats like brisket, 10-12 hours, mmmmmmmmmmm! I bet the Mexicans go crazy over it when I get mine from El Paso and start barbequeing here, God knows they love my chili.    

[JMM]

What kills me is Stumpy did NOT invite us dregs of society over for the party!    

[Stormbringer]

Charcoal is better but it takes some knowledge and patience to get it right. With charcoal you should wait until the brickettes arrre 2/3 or less thier original size to ensure that the meat is not cooked so fast it dries out or chars excessively. And for smaller grills this requires careful timing or you run out of fire before you run out of cooking.
a good thing to do is do hot dogs and then burgers if you are doing them before the main meat course. It allows you to let the coals burn down to the proper level and keeps guests from starving while they wait for steak or whatever is served. At cooking contests the more experienced BBQers all say charcoal beats gas cooking. At least thats what I have seen.  

[JMM]

Jerry has a "Star Trek" grill, ask him about it!  

[Dogmatix!]

Quote:

Texans would just whup cancer's damn ass anyways.

So far I'm the only one who voted for propane.  I think charcoal grilling tastes better, but I'm lazy so I had to vote that way...
 

Same here.  I think charcoal grilling tastes better, but I haven't grilled on charcoal in 12 years.  That ought to tell ya something...heheh.

[E_Look]

Hey, JMM, you're preaching to the converted!  I eat lots of meat, mainly beef, pork, and chicken... and I LOVE a good barbecue.  Yeah, we do that in New York, too.  It probably doesn't compare to yours, though.

Anyhow, I was just answering a question...

[Stormbringer]

Yeah. I got this one.it's just to clever to pass up.

 The president is still looking for this thing...  

[Tremok]

This Texan considers barbecuing with gas to be the 8th deadly sin.    

[Dracho]

I use hickory or mesquite wood in an iron smoker.  Occassionally, I toss in some Jack Daniels old #7 smoke pellets.  Yummm...  

[TheJudge]

Wood or charcoal.  Even I know that.

[Ravok]

Quote:
This Texan considers barbecuing with gas to be the 8th deadly sin.    

 Hank Hill is going to have a heart attack when he hears this. Boy i tell you what,