Charcoal vs. Gas Grills: The Pros and Cons

There has been much debate for a long time over what is the best, Charcoal vs. Gas Grills, and what are the pros and cons. It is hard to argue with the diehard lovers of charcoal grillers who love the taste and smoky flavor that charcoal can give you. Plus the high heat the charcoal can provide if you want that char on your meat.

Then there are the gas grillers who love the convenience of cooking with gas and still getting that flavor. Plus it is easier to control the heat on a gas grill and the clean-up is far easier. But how do you decide? We are going to explain the differences in these two great outdoor grilling favorites and see what they are both all about. Then you can decide on which one is best for you – charcoal or gas – maybe both!!!

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The Pros of a Charcoal Grill

We understand that many of you are very serious about your love for charcoal grill cooking. So why do the lovers of the charcoal grill believe it is by far better than gas?

• For charcoal vs. gas grills, many say it is the flavor you get when grilling on that open flame, and it very well could be even though tests have shown that there truly is no difference in taste. I’m truly sorry to those of you charcoal fans to tell you this, but a lot of taste difference is in the way you season or grill your meat.
• Charcoal can get much hotter than a gas grill and you want that high heat to get your steaks and burgers charred and crispy on the outside with the pink color and juiciness you love on the inside. But be mindful of how hot your coals are getting. Char is good but too high of heat releases chemicals and we want you to be safe while enjoying that wonderful barbeque, smoky charcoal flavor.
• A charcoal grill can be very portable, whereas a gas grill really isn’t. You can take that grill with you on your camping trips or picnics so you are always ready to grill with family and friends.
• You can get high-end, more expensive charcoal grills, but the draw is how many charcoal grills there are that are great to use and are very affordable. So portable and affordable is a great combination.

How Does Food Taste on a Charcoal Grill?

In charcoal vs. gas grills, you are going to get that smoky, grilled taste that you won’t get as much on a gas grill. But it isn’t actually from the charcoal itself. That’s right, it’s actually from the meat.

How this works is when you are cooking, the meat is dripping its fat onto the coals below. This produces a vapor that will come back on to the meat and infuse into it creating the smoky flavor you love from this type of grilling.

You do want to be careful of the meat dripping too much. If this happens you actually end up with smoke instead of the vapor and when this happens you have flare-ups and the chemicals from the coals that you really don’t want to happen.

One thing about using charcoal is that many people don’t like it due to the lighter fluid taste you can get in the meat. When using charcoal, instead of lighter fluid opt for a charcoal chimney or an electric starter. You can even use a click-type hand starter that you can find at your local grocery store. It has been found that many don’t notice a difference in the taste of meat cooked either on charcoal or gas. However, the charcoal community will highly disagree!

It depends on the taste you are looking for. If you use wood chips in a charcoal grill and even in a pellet tube on a gas grill, you are going to get the flavor of a typical southern barbeque. So it does depend on the flavor you are trying to impart on your meat.

The difference in the flavor between charcoal and gas is that gas actually produces more steam than charcoal does keeping the meat moist. Which isn’t bad unless you prefer the crispier skin on your meat that charcoal will produce.

You will also create a “flavor” in your meat using charcoal if you use self-starting charcoal or lighter fluid to get your coals going. This will create that lighter fluid taste in your meat that is not something we want our meat tasting like.

So actually if everything is equal between the charcoal grill and the gas grill, there really isn’t a noticeable difference in the taste from each.

The Downside to Using A Charcoal Grill

As far as time goes, charcoal does, of course, take more time to get the grill ready. You have to light the coals and wait for them to turn white. Be very aware of the flame as you can’t turn the fire up and down as you can with gas. You do have to get good at utilizing the vents provided on charcoal grills. They do help in some of the heat regulation.

Charcoal also loses its heat quickly once it reaches maximum temperature. Then you may have to add more briquettes and you are waiting again for them to heat up. This can make a difference to many people when it comes to charcoal vs. gas grills?

As far as the cost, charcoal has gas beat, initially. You can get a good charcoal grill for less money, but keep in mind the cost of the briquettes, lighting tools, and other items required.

Charcoal is a tough cleanup due to the ashes it creates. You have to dispose of the ashes and charcoal properly along with cleaning it all off of the grill itself. This can take some time but has to be done if you want to keep your grill in top shape.

There are also more chances of fire flare-ups when cooking on charcoal so keep that water close by. You can’t really tell what the temperature is on your charcoal grill unless you have one with a thermometer, but they aren’t considered very accurate. Also, there is no turning down the flame quickly to keep from burning the food.

To help combat some of these cooking zones, you might want to consider creating an indirect heat portion with your charcoal to be able to move the meat over if you need to.

We know even with this information for those of you who love your charcoal grills, and we really can’t blame you, it is well worth what you have to go through to get that charcoal grilling experience.

The Pros of a Gas Grill

For those of you who love cooking on a gas grill, there are many reasons. Among those below it is easier to do a quick meal if you are short on time and the use of a gas grill is very similar to using your kitchen stove and still getting that outdoor grill flavor and experience.

• There are many pros to opting for a gas grill. In the debate of charcoal vs. gas grills, you will find that gas grills are very convenient in their use with their easy start-up, fast heat up, steady temperatures and easy to set up the indirect heating zones. The length of time to get to peak heat is shorter than a charcoal grill.
• The sear you get from a charcoal grill is different than that of a gas grill due to the difference in heat. If you go for a very high-end gas grill, they will come with a special sear burner to do the job. But if you are a fan of gas, you can still get a good sear on your meat.
• With a gas grill, there are no briquettes or having to light the charcoal or use lighter fluid and wait for the coals to heat up. Also no cleanup of the briquettes. Just switch the knob to off and you are just about done. You just have to brush the grate and when it is cool, be sure to wipe off any food that may have fallen underneath the grates.
• Unless your grill has not been cleaned, you shouldn’t have a problem with flare-ups. Cleaning the gas grill is definitely a lot less messy than having to deal with the burnt up briquettes.
• With gas, you do have choices of the type of grill you purchase. You can choose between ones with propane tanks or a natural gas grill. Just be sure you know what you are getting when purchasing because if you purchase a natural gas grill, it will need to be installed by a certified contractor and is permanent.

How Does Food Taste on a Gas Grill?

Lovers of charcoal grills believe that you just can’t get the same tasting food by using a gas grill as you get with charcoal. That is true if you don’t do a few things with the gas grill to make sure you get that same outdoor cooking flavor.

You want to make sure you preheat your grill to screaming hot before cooking. When ready to cook, then lower the heat to where you want it to be when cooking. This will ensure that your meat will cook evenly and thoroughly. If you don’t preheat, basically the same as you would waiting for the charcoal to heat up, your burgers will be burned on the outside and not cooked on the inside. This we definitely do not want.

You also want to keep your grill clean! Be sure to read the instructions for your particular grill so you know the components that should be cleaned regularly. If your grill isn’t maintained, you run into bad tasting food and fire issues due to the debris on the components.

When meat drips down in a gas grill, it drips on the metal plates that cover the flame holes and still creates a vapor back up through the meat acting very similarly as charcoal. The flavor you get from gas is very similar to that of charcoal. However, due to the steam produced by propane that radiates up into the meat, some argue that you might get a flavor, but you also lose the crispiness of the skin on the meat you are cooking.

The taste of your food on a gas grill, or any grill, is due a lot in part to how you flavor it. Be sure to season your meat so that the steam from the drippings onto the metal below the grates will infuse that flavor. You can also use wood chips in a smoke tube on your grill if you want to add that extra flavor.

The Downside to Using a Gas Grill

You do have to be aware of the temperature dials on a gas grill. They are helpful, but not always accurate. You have to get to know your grill. But this is also the same with your stove – the temps on those can also vary.

Just because it is easier to clean doesn’t mean you can let it go. You have the gas holes that need to be cleaned as they can easily clog. You also can’t get the high heat that you can get with gas. Depending on your grill, some can get high heats, but you have to pay for it.

Gas grills are more expensive than their charcoal counterpart and definitely not as portable. So you won’t be taking your propane grill along on that campout.

While it has been shown that the flavor is no different on gas than charcoal, there are many that would highly disagree. The flavor does come from the meat dripping below and vaporizing up back into the meat. This does work better on a charcoal grill as long as you have a handle on the heat. With gas, you won’t get as much of the outer crispiness on the meat.

Conclusion – Charcoal vs. Gas Grill

Well, we are sure we didn’t change the minds of either the charcoal or gas grill lovers, but you have some more information about both that you can consider about the pros and cons of charcoal vs gas grills.

There are definitely plenty of pros and cons to both so it is up to you to make the determination on which you prefer. And there is nothing wrong with using both for different cooking situations!

We do want to point out some health benefits and concerns for you to consider. Check out this article from healthyway.com so you have some more information and can cook safely.

Let us know what you think and if you have thoughts on this never-ending debate of charcoal vs gas grills. We always love to hear your thoughts.