Choosing Gas or Charcoal for your Outdoor Grilling

 

Whatever the type of outdoor grilling that you choose really depend on your choice whether you feel comfortable using gas grill or charcoal. Some people prefer to use gas grill due to it is easy to use, versatility and also flexibility when you are cooking outside along with the ability to cook your food without burning them. For instance, you would be able to cook burgers along with vegetables at the same time and able to control the heat without burning the food. In addition, gas grills are normally designed with a knob which you can simply twist it on when you want to start your cooking. As for charcoal, you need to firstly heat the coals or wood chips before you can do any cooking.

To use gas or charcoal for outdoor barbeque, you need:

  • Gas grill
  • Charcoal grill
  • Pair of tongs with long reach
  • A sturdy spatula
  • A nonflammable grill pad
  • Grill brush suitable for your grill surface (brass bristles for porcelain and cast iron, and stainless steel for stainless steel)
  • A fire extinguisher (for emergency usage)

Choosing Gas or Charcoal for Outdoor Grilling

Using Gas or Charcoal for Outdoor Grilling

  • Even though gas grills are easy for you to use by simply pressing the button, it will take you at least five or ten minutes to heat up before any grilling can be done.
    • The level of flame for gas grill can be easily adjusted than charcoal grill. The flame can be control by turning its dial. This feature can definitely help you especially when you need to cool different types of food according to different temperatures.
    • The charcoal grill is suitable for doing cooking at an outdoor area where you can use a combination of wood and charcoal bricks. It always provides you with a lovely smoky flavor from your food. However, you cannot control the temperature using a charcoal grill and need a lot of cleaning after you have finished cooking.
    • Most of the gas grills are more expensive than charcoal but you can still look for one which is affordable at your local household stores or hardware stores. Gas grill provides more cooking stability and convenience where you do not have to deal with the usage of briquettes, stacking, along with smelly starter fluid and waste your time to wait for your charcoals to glow.
  • You can cook your food in a versatile way by using charcoal grills and also easy for you to toss in flavor with enhancing wood chips or herbs on the coals.
    • Charcoal grill can also be unpredictable especially if you are cooking outdoor during windy condition. It will be hard for you to control the heat. As for cooking that takes longer hour, you need to replenish the coal to be able to control its flame.

Whenever you have finished cooking, always make sure that you turn off the gas grill at its source. As for charcoal, you need to close the vents in order to kill the oxygen and cool off the coals.

  • The latest version of gas grills are equipped with dedicated smoker boxes enabling you to easily add your favored smoky taste onto your food.
    • Gas grill that uses a gas tank can last for at least 12 to 18 hours of outdoor cooking while charcoal grilling needs constant refueling for every hour when you are cooking for a long period of time.
  • Apart from that, your gas grill needs to be clean regularly and it also has delicate parts that need to be replaced and maintain so that it can last longer.
    • Charcoal grill is much easier to maintain and can last forever because you only need to get some new charcoal whenever you want to do your barbecue and place it on the grill. You only need to clean the grill with a little scrubbing on the grate and discard all the ashes before starting to do your cooking.
  • Charcoal grill requires extra time for you to prepare than using gas grills.
    • However, there ways to speed up the heating process of your coal for instance by using lump charcoal. It is much easier for you to light it up rather than using the traditional charcoal briquettes.
    • One more method is to use a starter chimney that can help you start to coal quickly. It is a large cylinder that you can fill up with coals before placing it inside the grill in order to contain the heat and at the same time protect the coals from the wind.

    Always remember that whenever you are using either gas or charcoal grill

    • You must make sure that you never do your cooking especially charcoal grill on your wood deck. This is because the coals can easily fall through which in the end cause fire to the area.
    • For those of you who live in an apartment building, make sure that you check with the building manager regarding their barbecue procedure because most of apartment building only allows the usage of electric grills. This is because it is much safer than gas grill or charcoal grill.

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