Thinking BBQ

[puddle jumper]

I am thinking of getting a new BBQ. Don't relay need input on brands but whether to go gas or charcoal. I,m not realy that impressed with the new gas setups and love the flavor of charcoal.
But I like the conveance of a gas and charcoal need,s more set up time.

Have any of you have one of those gas/charcoal setups and how do you like it.

 

[Eric 3.7LX Alpha 1]

Re: Thinking BBQ

Im a charcoal man myself. Have a 5 year old gas grill that's been used a couple of times. The extra time to get the grill doesn't bother me, I just plan accordingly. I will load one side of the grill and leave the other empty so there's a cold area to move to if larger things get going too quickly on the outside. It will still cook over there but much slower.

A friend has the dual grill think its a Weber. He likes it. I think it might have a smoker attachment as well.

 

[Boomyal]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I have 3 sizes of Weber Kettles and a Traeger Pellet grill for my long slow cook jobs. Wouldn't touch gas with a ten foot pole. Been there, done that.

That being said, charcoal has taken a big price hit. A couple of years ago I would buy twin 22 lb bags from Costco for $10.99. Today it is twin 18 lb bags for 18.99. All the more reason that I choose the size of the grill I use based on the size of the cook job. I also use a starter chimney with a wad of newspaper and a squirt of kerosene to get it going.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Thinking BBQ

The more I think about it more I like the idea of a charcoal grill like the old days. Have you guys done like roasts and turkeys on the rotisserie. I could only imagine the taste it would give.

 

[rbh]

Re: Thinking BBQ

In my books the best way of doing a rotisserie dinner,
(Chicken, turkey, pork, beef, bison, moose ETC)
is to cook it over the cold side of the Q, put your smoker box on the hot side and a drip pan filled with juices/water to catch the drippings, then make gravy from it MMMMMMMMMMM

 

[aspeck]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I like the taste of the charcoal, but the convenience of the gas. So what I do with my gas grill is I have an old pie pan the wife was willing to part with. Soak some wood chips ... mesquite, apple, cherry, etc ... in water and place the wet chips in the pan. The pan goes under the grills and above the flame guards. Get the smokey flavors of the wood/charcoal without the wait time and can control the temp better than I can with charcoal.

 

[cgd7777777]

Re: Thinking BBQ

Charcoal!!! Little more work than gas but worth the time!

 

[JRJ]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I used briquettes and or wood for 40 years. I've used gas for 7. Rotisseried game hens the other day and they were tasty. I use wood chips for smoke too

 

[mommicked]

Re: Thinking BBQ

Ive had a Chargriller charcoal grill/smoker for years, they work well for all kinds of grilling,smoking, bbq etc. They now make a dual gas/charcoal grill that has good reveiws and not too expensive.

 

[Cofe]

Re: Thinking BBQ

Best of the Best is smoking........Tell you what,,,,,contact Keneyfam on here and request his rib recipe. Cook your ribs according to Mrs. Kenny"s, recipe, and then smoke them in your favorite fashion. I am telling you.... your cannot get any better.

 

[bellhop]

Re: Thinking BBQ

As a side note to save a little money on charcoal, a trick my Dad showed me a long time ago. When you're done cooking on the grill put the top on and close all the vents. The coals will go out due to lack of oxygen and you can re-use the coals 1-3 more times depending on how much you're cooking.

 

[DJ]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I like the taste of the charcoal, but the convenience of the gas. So what I do with my gas grill is I have an old pie pan the wife was willing to part with. Soak some wood chips ... mesquite, apple, cherry, etc ... in water and place the wet chips in the pan. The pan goes under the grills and above the flame guards. Get the smokey flavors of the wood/charcoal without the wait time and can control the temp better than I can with charcoal.

Myself included. I have a cast iron "Smoker Box" that sits under the grates.

If you did not see the end result come off of the grill, you would swear it was charcoal.

 

[Philip_G]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I run a pellet grill.

 

[sswheeler]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I run a pellet grill.

pellet? More info please

 

[Philip_G]

Re: Thinking BBQ

pellet? More info please

it's similar to boomyal's traeger, I actually had a traeger but moved on to other brands, there are many.
it runs on solid hardwood BBQ pellets not unlike those in a pellet stove minus any glue or additive, you dump the pellets in a hopper, turn it on, set the temp, and it lights and feeds them into the firebox to control the temp. Mine will run anywhere from 150F to 600F. It'll BBQ low and slow or grill a steak, bake a pizza or bread, basically it'll do about anything. The memphis grills are pretty good, traeger used to be OK, the new ones are made in china. Green mountain grills are OK, fast eddy cookers (FEC) are awesome but $$$. Mine is a yoder, they're new to the pellet market and I'm less than thrilled.. to say the least.. with mine.

I pay about $30 for a 40lb bag of pellets, 40lbs will run me better than a month depending on what I'm doing.

 

[kei9th]

Re: Thinking BBQ

i use a gas grill 6 days a week. i have a small apartment in S.Florida, and the oven makes our place hot. since my electric bill was 217 this month, i think ill be using the gas everyday. i have a weber for using charcoal with. i only use that grill for good cuts of meat when i want the low and slow. i also use a chimney to start the charcoal. i would never put anything on the newspaper to get it started. i suggest getting both a good propane grill, and a nice webber grill, (only for charcoal)! and a chimney is the only way for starting the fire. i have a 4 burner from a big blue box store, and the webber is from the big orange box store. worth the price, and nice for what i need, at the price i can afford.

 

[Bamaman1]

Re: Thinking BBQ

If you're interested about barbeque grills, pull up AmazingRibs.com. Great tips and recipes.

You know that just about all the great barbeque restaurants in Memphis are now using gas/wood cookers. Most of the heat comes from gas, and they have a couple of logs smoldering over a small gas burner. The temperature is consistent, they don't have to feed the fire every hour and they can cook shoulders in 8 hours--what used to take 14 hours.

Most real barbeque people use gas grills for day to day broiling of hamburgers, chops and steaks due to the ease of operation. They'll also have charcoal smokers (Webers) for weekends when they have more time. Then, they'll have real large bbq smokers or Green Eggs for use on holidays or parties.

I use the gas grill when cooking any meat, except for roast beef which goes in the crock pot. The kitchen is used to cook veggies and re-heat leftovers. I also have 4 charcoal grills to use on weekends. Southerners cook outside all year round in all weather.

 

[WIMUSKY]

Re: Thinking BBQ

Had a charcoal grill for many years. Swore I'd never get a gas grill. Decided one year to try something different. My wife bought me a real nice stainless gas grill for Father's Day about 6/7 years ago. I thought my dad was going to have the big one! At first the food tasted like crap. Basically, no taste. Once it got dirtied up, it tastes like it was cooked on charcoal. And you can't beat the convenience. Charcoal was good for at least one cold one, if not two, while waiting for the coals to get ready. But, since I pretty much stopped drinking adult bevys, there went that fun! So from here, until I'm not, it will be gas for me..............

 

[Philip_G]

Re: Thinking BBQ

If you're interested about barbeque grills, pull up AmazingRibs.com. Great tips and recipes.

You know that just about all the great barbeque restaurants in Memphis are now using gas/wood cookers. Most of the heat comes from gas, and they have a couple of logs smoldering over a small gas burner. The temperature is consistent, they don't have to feed the fire every hour and they can cook shoulders in 8 hours--what used to take 14 hours.

Most real barbeque people use gas grills for day to day broiling of hamburgers, chops and steaks due to the ease of operation. They'll also have charcoal smokers (Webers) for weekends when they have more time. Then, they'll have real large bbq smokers or Green Eggs for use on holidays or parties.

I use the gas grill when cooking any meat, except for roast beef which goes in the crock pot. The kitchen is used to cook veggies and re-heat leftovers. I also have 4 charcoal grills to use on weekends. Southerners cook outside all year round in all weather.

why when a pellet grill will do all of it?

 

[Woodnaut]

Re: Thinking BBQ

I understand what you're saying about charcoal and I agree. However, I use my gas grill so much more now than I ever did a charcoal unit. I grill a lot now - especially fish. And it doesn't take long to grill a tuna steak or brats for that matter. Light that baby up and put it on max, burn off the crud, pass the brush, slap on a little non-stick, throw on a slab of fish and five minutes later I'm shutting it down and heading inside. Really convenient and economical. I don't know, maybe I'm just developing a lazy streak.