By Paul Yates
It's a debate that I'm not sure will ever have an end and that's probably not a bad thing either. Before we go into the differences between the two heat sources let me declare myself a charcoal man, I have my reasons which will be evident below but let me also state that just because I'm a charcoal man, that doesn't make it right for everybody.
I think that there are inevitably subtle differences in the flavor of the results from a charcoal barbecue versus a gas barbecue because the source of the energy is different. Yes, I accept that if it were a laboratory environment and complete combustion was achieved then in both cases the bi products of combustion would be heat, light, carbon dioxide and water......but we're not in a laboratory.
There must be odor from the charcoal, after all it has been produced from the partial combustion of wood and we all know that different woods produce different flavors of smoke so there must be something in this whereas gas is odorless.
So my conclusion has to be that there is a difference but ultimately the question has to be that no matter how marginal the difference does it make one better than the other? I think not. Moreover the timely addition of other wood chips to the heat source during the cooking process can completely mask the difference and add further flavors.
So if flavor isn't the issue, what is it that would make you a gas man rather than a charcoal man?
Preparation time. If you are the sort of person who likes to grill on impulse then it's got to be gas. Many of my friends will tell me about how they get in from work in the evening, it's a warm night and they just fancy cooking outside without any fuss. They just light their (gas) grills and ten minutes later they are searing a steak. When it comes to making a decision and getting ready to cook, there's nothing more immediate than gas.
Conversely there's other out there (like me) that simply just love playing with fires and like to cook the way of our forefathers. There isn't the immediacy of gas, there's more preparation and there's no way to control the temperature or the flames.....but that's the way we like it.
To be fair there is slightly more clean-up with charcoal in that there's the ash to clear after each cookout but contrast this with having to regularly clear burner nozzles it's probably six of one and half a dozen of the other.
So what it really boils down to is who you are and not which heat source is better than the other. Have you worked out what you are? Are you a charcoal man, or are you a gas man? Maybe you're neither, maybe you are a woman?
It's a debate that I'm not sure will ever have an end and that's probably not a bad thing either. Before we go into the differences between the two heat sources let me declare myself a charcoal man, I have my reasons which will be evident below but let me also state that just because I'm a charcoal man, that doesn't make it right for everybody.
I think that there are inevitably subtle differences in the flavor of the results from a charcoal barbecue versus a gas barbecue because the source of the energy is different. Yes, I accept that if it were a laboratory environment and complete combustion was achieved then in both cases the bi products of combustion would be heat, light, carbon dioxide and water......but we're not in a laboratory.
There must be odor from the charcoal, after all it has been produced from the partial combustion of wood and we all know that different woods produce different flavors of smoke so there must be something in this whereas gas is odorless.
So my conclusion has to be that there is a difference but ultimately the question has to be that no matter how marginal the difference does it make one better than the other? I think not. Moreover the timely addition of other wood chips to the heat source during the cooking process can completely mask the difference and add further flavors.
So if flavor isn't the issue, what is it that would make you a gas man rather than a charcoal man?
Preparation time. If you are the sort of person who likes to grill on impulse then it's got to be gas. Many of my friends will tell me about how they get in from work in the evening, it's a warm night and they just fancy cooking outside without any fuss. They just light their (gas) grills and ten minutes later they are searing a steak. When it comes to making a decision and getting ready to cook, there's nothing more immediate than gas.
Conversely there's other out there (like me) that simply just love playing with fires and like to cook the way of our forefathers. There isn't the immediacy of gas, there's more preparation and there's no way to control the temperature or the flames.....but that's the way we like it.
To be fair there is slightly more clean-up with charcoal in that there's the ash to clear after each cookout but contrast this with having to regularly clear burner nozzles it's probably six of one and half a dozen of the other.
So what it really boils down to is who you are and not which heat source is better than the other. Have you worked out what you are? Are you a charcoal man, or are you a gas man? Maybe you're neither, maybe you are a woman?
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