It’s been a debate for the ages…well, the last decade or so, anyway. When it comes to grilling, which is better―gas or charcoal? This may have been a close race before, but with the latest technologies in gas grills and accessories, there’s a clear winner.
Gas is better. And the reasons are many.
It’s faster.
Charcoal takes a lot of time to get the coals hot enough to cook on. By the time you get your charcoal grill heated, your food would be finished on your gas grill.
It’s convenient.
With a gas grill, you just turn it on and in a few minutes, you’re ready to go. With charcoal, you have to pour it in your grill (assuming you cleaned out the ash from last time), add lighter fluid, throw in a match and hope you don’t singe your eyebrows off. Or you stuff a charcoal chimney with newspaper, pour in the briquettes, and light the paper, hoping it ignites the charcoal the first time.
It’s less of a fire hazard.
Many apartment buildings have fire codes that ban the use of charcoal grills because they pose more of a risk of fire than gas grills. In an emergency, a gas grill can merely be shut off, but a charcoal grill has no shut off button, and they’re often top-heavy and can be easily tipped over.
It’s easier to control.
If your gas grill gets too hot, you can easily turn the burner knob down and your grill will cool to the right temperature relatively quickly. Charcoal grills don’t give you this kind of control and it’s difficult to regulate the temperature.
It’s cleaner.
While the grates and heat shields do need to be cleaned regularly on gas grills to avoid flare-ups, there’s no ash to clean up. Charcoal grills need to be cleaned of their ashes every time you grill, and the briquettes themselves are dirty. If you don’t give your charcoal grill enough gas while you’re cooking, you could get soot all over your food.
It’s better for long cooking periods.
When cooking items that require extended cooking times, your charcoal grill may cool down and you may have to add briquettes and get it going again. With gas grills, you’re only limited to the amount of gas in your tank, and you can easily check this before you begin a low, slow cook.
Gas leaves no taste.
Cooking with gas allows your foods to taste as they should. One of the biggest complaints about charcoal cooking is that the food tastes like lighter fluid, whereas propane is completely combustible and leaves no gas flavor behind.
You can use rotisseries.
Most charcoal grills are not equipped with the option for rotisserie cooking whereas gas grills are. Rotisseries are a fantastic way to evenly cook meats to be tender and juicy.
Many people worry that they won’t be able to get that smoky flavor that charcoal gives to food if they use a gas grill, but nothing could be further from the truth. Woodchip and charcoal smoker boxes turn your gas grill into an imitation charcoal grill to infuse your foods with that delicious smoky flavor. You’ll never know the difference.
Another concern with gas grills is that it’s harder to get a good sear on a steak. Most of the world’s greatest steak houses grill their steaks with gas! They use high-heat gas grills that allow them to have a dark sear that is achieved with only the highest heat. Today’s grills by Paradise Grills Direct not only reach more than 1000°F, you can get a searing station accessory that’ll give you perfectly seared steak every time.
At Paradise Grills Direct, there’s no need to worry about missing your charcoal grill. With our grills, you can have the best of both worlds. Smoker boxes, sear stations, and ceramic briquettes will give you everything you love about charcoal grilling without the many things you don’t.
Hank Hill would be proud.
Call Paradise Grills Direct today at (800)691-7155 and let us show you what real gas grilling is all about!
