SJ_Skyline

Gas or Coals - Which is better?

sti-04!!

Gas with coals

SJ_Skyline

There's always one....

jasey

Coal for young crazy fools.

Gas for people who can't afford to spend the following day with the ****s.

EXSCOOBY

it all depends on whether you want to eat the meat or not
if you want a mess about with matches, petrol and lighter fluid go the coals route
if you want well cooked tasty food gas is the only sane choice
plus you cant sear a steak unless you have a good gas grill
coals just dont go hot enough

ajm

I wonder when someone will market an outdoor dishwasher for lazy gas barbeque owners?...

jasey

Isn't that what the jacquzzi is for

Account deleted by request

Never understood people who say it is hard to cook with coals. Its very simple main thing is to make sure that the coals are left for 20 mins maybe even 30 after lighting. They wont flame then, yes gas bbq's are very easy to use but as said before you might as well do it under the grill then eat in the garden.

chopper

OllyK

Searing a steak is no problem. Did one at the weekend 2 mins per side, nicely lined and medium rare, spot on. Never burnt anything, never served anything that wasn't cooked as desired.

I admit it does take a bit of skill (remembering to light the BBQ half an hour before you need it) to get the coals burning nicely before you cook, if you can't manage that, maybe you'd be better with something from Fisher Price?

Apparition

Nothing lazy about gas. Just gives me more time to attend to marinating, and preparing a right royal feast.

jasey

2 Guesses;

Most people voting coals have never used gas.
Most people voting gas have used coals.

We know what we're talking about you whipper snappers .

Account deleted by request

I have used both, infact I am the proud owner of a 300quid gas barbie and no doubt its great.

Think my primal side just prefers the taste when cooked on coals.


chop

SJ_Skyline

I've used both, gas just didn't do it for me. Besides, it felt like I was cheating

Bacon chops on coals for me tonight

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Used both and would choose coal. Somehow using a gas BBQ feels like cheating.

jasey

Whenever I go to someone else's BBQ I much prefer to see them using a Gas one. Too many people **** up the cooking on coals.

Never had a bad Gas BBQ.

I can (and do) use both - The Gas option leaves more time for drinking beer as you don't have to watch the food like a hawk for the whole cooking process .

sti-04!!

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

stand round BBQ with fellow men drinking beer and commenting on the fine meat as it cooks. Let the women sort any salad etc. Simple!

OllyK

Used gas once, had to take over when the muppet who owned the BBQ was burning everything due to being 2 sheets to the wind. It was no quicker, easier or better than cooking on a coal BBQ, not much to tell between them in that respect, it was just the bland flavour that got me, tased the same as griddled on the hob inside, that distinctive smokey flavour was just not there.

Dream Weaver

Logs produce an even tastier feast

We moved to gas 2 years ago, but will be going back to coal soon. Just prefer the taste of coal cooked food and we had a really good coal BBQ on hols last week.

ajm

My first BBQ was an old gas jobbie I was given by a relative.... I tore out the burners and converted it to charcoal using the bottom half of a shopping basket to make a shelf for the coal to sit on! It did me well for about 5 years until rust eventually took its toll!

EXSCOOBY

well its this simple
a gas bbq with a hood will produce that distinctive smokey taste
plus its infinitely adjustable and no matter what you say you cannot get a coal bbq hot enough to really sear a steak
it wont go hot enough, no way no how
and i completely agree with the poster about the nay sayers on gas never having used a gas bbq
i

Jap2Scrap

I agree with whoever it was said they'd rather cook on coal but see a gas bbq being used if they're invited to one somewhere else. Gas bbq's are the scoobies of the bbq world. They'll flatter the 'operator' without ever being that good


*runs away

SJ_Skyline

Flame suit?

Chip Sengravy

I am building one myself soon enough.....the mesh bit that you throw the food on, does it need to be stainless, or can I get away with standard mild steel weld mesh?

TIA

Jap2Scrap

Only real downside is that it'll rust like a b*stard

EXSCOOBY

mesh???
steel???
you jest surely
you need it to be cast iron if you are doing it properly

ajm

again, tommyrot!

I don't know what charcoal barbeque you've tried, but I could forge horseshoes on mine if I wanted to!

By adjusting the air vents and the type of charcoal (briquettes cooler burning but last longer, lumpwood hotter burning but burns out quicker) you can vary the heat to suit. Also, spreading the charcoal thinner at one side gives you a range of cooking temperatures depending on where you place the food on the grill.

If you want your barbeque to be "easily turn off and on-able" then go back into the kitchen and use the cooker!

Chip Sengravy

BBQ snob eh?

ajm

I've seen purpose made stainless BBQ grills for sale in B&Q Im sure, as in just the grill... what size is it going to be?

Markus

Coals.
Why? Well, to me there is always more flavor with coals. There is an art to cooking things correctly.

There are various big "cook out" competitions over here and I've yet to see any of the top ten cooks use anything but coals.