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General Category => Food and Drink => Topic started by: Jor el on June 08, 2012, 12:40:19 AM

Title: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Jor el on June 08, 2012, 12:40:19 AM

What say You ?

Show your work.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: RAGER on June 08, 2012, 12:45:27 AM
Both.  for different things :)
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: I,Galactus on June 08, 2012, 09:16:45 AM
Charcoal for days.  Weber one touch 22.5" w/ chimney starter.

Steaks, chicken, pork, burgers, brats, kebabs, mostly direct heat stuff.  I'd like to get some of these and smoke more.

(http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/413Y8RRKSKL._SL500_AA300_.jpg)

I dunno if this counts as showing my work.  I've never photographed my food when I could be eating it.  Also my presentation ain't great, I leave that to the pros.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Chovie D on June 08, 2012, 12:50:47 PM
Gas for convenience and control and speed. charcoal has a flavor tho...probably bad for you flavor but a good flavor nonetheless.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: GodShifter on June 08, 2012, 01:19:27 PM
From my vast knowledge in grilling, the "pros" always use charcoal. I've always used it, too (I'm not a "pro" by any stretch of the imagination).

Gas does have its pluses in that the fire is ready immediately and you don't have to worry so much about carcinogens (not that I do, anyway).
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: MadJohnShaft on June 08, 2012, 02:24:58 PM
We have 5 grills, to help Fight the Power.


I like the Gas one for making dinner, and it's right out the back door. I put wood chips in it, to give that delicious smokey allure to everything cooked upon it.  I acquired a second propane tank, so I always have a full one and can run one out until empty. It is a good thing.


I have one of those Weber Rotisserie attachments - to spin a chicken. Everyone should get that.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: bitter on June 08, 2012, 02:44:31 PM
Quote from: Chovie D on June 08, 2012, 12:50:47 PM
Gas for convenience and control and speed. charcoal has a flavor tho...probably bad for you flavor but a good flavor nonetheless.

Taste the meat not the heat!
(http://kingofthehill.edogo.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/hank-hill.jpeg)


There was some recent research claiming that eating charcoal cooked foods was doing folks a lot of harm. Cancer causing carcinogens and such. While it does impart a greater flavor, it can be a little overbearing at times. We used to make charcoal grilled quesadillas and they were gross.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Chovie D on June 08, 2012, 05:21:23 PM
yeah , theres the charcaol and then the gallon of lighter fluid I used ot use to light it. cooking your food over those is probably not great for you. hell even good old wood smoke probably has some carcinogenic stuff...tar and shit. I bet a 100 thousand charcoal grilled drumsticks are as bad for you as one cigarette tho.

I use cedar planks, sometimes alder, when I want smoke flavor on fish.
I dont do alot of meat anymore.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: MadJohnShaft on June 08, 2012, 05:21:49 PM
I would be skeptical on reports that doing something we've been doing since evolution 101 (cooking over wood) is bad - the likelihood that food cooked over a wood fire is anything but aligned with us 100% is very low.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Chovie D on June 08, 2012, 05:37:15 PM
Quote from: MadJohnShaft on June 08, 2012, 05:21:49 PM
I would be skeptical on reports that doing something we've been doing since evolution 101 (cooking over wood) is bad - the likelihood that food cooked over a wood fire is anything but aligned with us 100% is very low.


you may be a farmer but now I am becoming skeptical of your status as scientist...
http://www.ehhi.org/woodsmoke/health_effects.shtml (http://www.ehhi.org/woodsmoke/health_effects.shtml)
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Lumpy on June 08, 2012, 05:52:32 PM
Yeah, that was like the least-scientific statement ever. That was like stating a hunch.

They say a lot of the 'grill' flavor comes from the drippings hitting the heat source and then vaporizing. Meaning that type of fuel is not as important as you might expect.

Maybe I read that here, it's all becoming a big blur anymore.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Chovie D on June 08, 2012, 06:45:26 PM
Quote from: Lumpy on June 08, 2012, 05:52:32 PM
Yeah, that was like the least-scientific statement ever. That was like stating a hunch.

They say a lot of the 'grill' flavor comes from the drippings hitting the heat source and then vaporizing. Meaning that type of fuel is not as important as you might expect.

Maybe I read that here, it's all becoming a big blur anymore.

You are correct aboot the drippings, I read that in Modernist Cuisine. I also read in another location that the drippings release carcinogens as well. Like I siad tho one ciggy is probably more damaging than a million char grilled bratwursts.
(http://www.desertlivingtoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ModernistCuisine1.jpg)
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Metal and Beer on June 08, 2012, 07:46:33 PM
I think when some amino acids or enzymes or such encounter creatine they convert to a suspected carcinogen, and that bullshit they inject to keep meat red for long periods also doesn't take kindly to being burnt and converts to a nasty carcinogen (I can't remember the substance name but I believe it's being litigated over)

/shitty grammar shaky science
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Jor el on June 08, 2012, 07:48:06 PM

What about the Pink Slime ?
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: RAGER on June 08, 2012, 07:59:45 PM
Wood fire is the shit to cook over.  I mainly use gas for the convenience.  once in a while I use charcoal.  I mainly like cooking over fire.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: mortlock on June 08, 2012, 08:23:22 PM
i used to be like all charcoal. then i liked the ease of gas and was all gas and shit..now i like both but prefer gas when im drunk.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: I,Galactus on June 09, 2012, 08:20:51 PM
My grandpa charcoal grilled damn near everything except eggs all year round (north Iowa winters be damned) and lived to the ripe old age of 91 without a spec of cancer.

That being said, I'd rather die of cancer from eating charcoal grilled meats that live a life devoid of their deliciousness.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: MadJohnShaft on June 09, 2012, 09:27:38 PM
I rotated an ultra brined chicken tonight.  With some thick assed bacon wrapped around it. 
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: joyce on June 09, 2012, 10:13:02 PM
m.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: RAGER on June 09, 2012, 10:20:05 PM
Quote from: MadJohnShaft on June 09, 2012, 09:27:38 PM
I rotated an ultra brined chicken tonight.  With some thick assed bacon wrapped around it. 

this is a great way to kill the kids off before having to pay for Harvard
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: mutantcolors on June 10, 2012, 02:52:31 AM
I have a fire pit in my back yard in Boise. Got a folding cook grill to go over it and everything. One big ass bed of coals will deliver mightily on stuff like ribs or burgers, or a mess of fish. Cooked about 9lb of trout on that sucker one night. Fucking FEAST.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: tossom on June 10, 2012, 06:12:05 AM
Charcoal, gas is cheating.  Plus, managing to set anything on fire outside in Scotland is a hell of an achievement!
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: mortlock on June 10, 2012, 10:39:03 PM
fuck cooking meat..real men eat it raw.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: khoomeizhi on June 11, 2012, 08:41:20 AM
Quote from: mutantcolors on June 10, 2012, 02:52:31 AM
I have a fire pit in my back yard in Boise. Got a folding cook grill to go over it and everything. One big ass bed of coals will deliver mightily on stuff like ribs or burgers, or a mess of fish. Cooked about 9lb of trout on that sucker one night. Fucking FEAST.

yup - wood coals>charcoal briquettes>gas  for flavor and effect
gas>charcoal>wood for ease of use.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: MadJohnShaft on June 11, 2012, 08:58:11 PM
If I had to cook a whole baby, I would use the rotisserie and wrap the baby in thick bacon.

Maybe a maple syrup marinated pineapple instead of the head.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: Ayek on June 12, 2012, 06:42:06 AM
I used to dismiss gas BBQs as nothing more than outdoor gas stoves, but then I discovered that I am far too lazy and unorganised and impatient to go about it any other way.
Title: Re: Gas or Charcoal ?
Post by: peoplething on June 13, 2012, 03:24:40 PM
Grilling - Kingsford, maybe some lump wood charcoal

Smoking - 30% Lump Wood/50% Kingsford/20% Soaked Wood Chunks

I don't own a gas grill, but I do admit that if you really want two 'grilled' hotdogs, then gas is perfect. Why go through all that charcoal prep for anything less that 37lbs of meat?

The known carcinogen thing is accurate, and it has been a while since I've looked at research, but the carcinogens formed are (aromatic hydrocarbons and such) all over the place (soil, water, air) and have been for years. They don't degrade very much, and there's not much we can do about it.... so eat some grilled and smoked food once in a while, it won't hurt you anymore than living on this planet.