Grilling - Propane vs Charcoal?

[Gurkha]

Quote:

---

Charcoal and a weber for me. I used to do gas, but there is something primitive about wood charcoal.

As for all the carcinogens, propane and natural gas emit CO when burned. That stuff is fatal!

---

You forget, thats our caveman instinct, hunt meat and burn it over charcoal or woodfire, that has not left our tastebuds yet, no gas can equate that.

 

[Shannow]

Quote:

---

Shannow - just curious why you don't like mesquite? Did you have mesquite charcoal? Or wood chips for smoking?

---

Oz is nowhere as culturaly developed as the US in terms of real BBQ...we talk as though BBQ is everything, but it's typically marinated meat (and snags..sausages) cremated over propane, with a few sliced potatos and onions for decoration (tip on the onios is to add half a bottle of beer, as it caramelises really well).

So our supplies for real BBQ are limtied to what we can hunt/gather. Mum and Dad cut down their cherry tree, and it was a great moment for my BBQ. I discovered a source of actual charcoal rather than briquettes, and once again it improved.

So I searched for mesquite, and found a 2lb bag of chips for $12 (it WAS 5 years ago).

Mesquite smoking was a little too sharp and acrid for my liking at the time.

 

[acewiza]

Me kill deer make fire burn meat taste good.

Ughh. Grunt. Scratch.

 

[alreadygone]

acewiza,

whut part a Arkansaw you frum?

Bob

 

[Laminar Lou]

I do Salmon on wet cedar planks and it absolutely rocks. Easy, fast, and hard to mess up. Soak the plank in water for an hour before hand, throw it on the grill for 15 minutes and you are done. I add lemon, butter and capers. I also like the William Sonoma Potlatch seasoning on the salmon. It adds some spice and tons of flavor. The wife used to hate fish until I prepared it as described above.

Did some Chilean Sea Bass last week. The wife thinks I am the BBQ man, but most of the credit really goes to the weber. I've BBQ'd Turkey and even baked a cake on the weber. With the lid on it is basically a convection oven and with practice I can keep the heat within 25 degrees of what I need it to be. I've been to the Weber restaurant in Illinois several times - awesome prime rib. And yes, they cook it on huge weber grills.

 

[alreadygone]

Lou'

You eatin' the salmon, or the cedar plank?

Bob

 

[jmacmaster]

Carbonics said:

"What I've always wanted to try was the smokers, those barrel looking things you use to smoke meat - had a chance at one through the marlboro miles catalog way back when but they said I ordered too much stuff."

If you're talking about the ones that are a cylinder, about 3 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter, with a domed top that you take off to put in the meat or other items to be smoked, I've used one for many years and it works good, for meat, fish, and for even smoking cheese (you have to have the heat very low to smoke cheese). Mine has a pan at the very bottom that you put the charcoal in (there's a small door at the bottom of the smoker for adding charcoal to the pan), and it has a pan above the charcoal pan to put liquids in that the hot charcoal evaporates and the evaporated liquid flavors what's smoked. Above the liquids pan are two grates to put things on that are to be smoked.

All you need to do is read, study, and follow the smoker instructions, and exercise common sense.

In this unit my wife and I have smoked whole and half turkeys, chickens, pork roasts, various fishes, various cheeses, pork shoulders, unsmoked hams, various sausages, bacon, and etc.

 

[jmacmaster]

Carbonics said:

"What I've always wanted to try was the smokers, those barrel looking things you use to smoke meat - had a chance at one through the marlboro miles catalog way back when but they said I ordered too much stuff."

If you're talking about the ones that are a cylinder, about 3 feet tall and 18 inches in diameter, with a domed top that you take off to put in the meat or other items to be smoked, I've used one for many years and it works good, for meat, fish, and for even smoking cheese (you have to have the heat very low to smoke cheese). Mine has a pan at the very bottom that you put the charcoal in (there's a small door at the bottom of the smoker for adding charcoal to the pan), and it has a pan above the charcoal pan to put liquids in that the hot charcoal evaporates and the evaporated liquid flavors what's smoked. Above the liquids pan are two grates to put things on that are to be smoked.

All you need to do is read, study, and follow the smoker instructions, and exercise common sense.

In this unit my wife and I have smoked whole and half turkeys, chickens, pork roasts, various fishes, various cheeses, pork shoulders, unsmoked hams, various sausages, bacon, and etc.

 

[Chris Meutsch]

I prefer charcoal for burgers. Can't be beat. Everything else I'd say propane.

 

[BOBISTHEOILGUY]

I use a smoker myself. I have a burner that I put a small amount of charcoal in and then put black jack in on top to smoke with since that is all I have in fl.

I use a pan on the burner side for water or use a beer to keep the meat moist. I have one of those smokers that has two barrels, one for burner and then other for meat.

 

[Laminar Lou]

Quote:

---

Lou'

You eatin' the salmon, or the cedar plank?

Bob

---

The cedar smells good enough to eat!

 

[JavaMan]

"Charcoal and a weber for me."

Yep, me too. The 22" Webber. However, I don;t like the plastic handles on the new ones and wheels seem a lttle flimbsy. I want wood hadles and solid wheels..

 

[Mamala Bay]

I use mesquite wood and can get a fresh supply here. I like the thick cuts(trunks), sit out in the sun for 2 months. I would chainsaw the outer layer(2-3 inches) until all I have is the brown core. Air dry that for 6 months in cool area. Chunks should be moisture free with an oily feel to the wood. I give some to friends who use the wood with charcoal, they said it makes a difference.

I've notice store brand mesquite wood chips looks too dry, old, cheap part of the wood. Burns like match sticks and smells pretty bad. It maybe a reason they say to soak it in water. Soaking shouldn't be necessary and the oil in the wood gives the flavor in the smoke. I don't buy store brands!

 

[VaderSS]

Charcoal is what I prefer. I think that the main reason it tastes better is that it's a dry heat. With propane, it's almost like you are steaming the food.