One thing that makes grilling great is that you have so much choice. Regardless of your cooking style and preference, there is likely a grill out there to suit your needs. But what is the best method? The truth is, there isn’t one.
When it comes to the subject of charcoal grills vs gas grills, in terms of performance, there are similarities and differences. Today we will look at areas in which each ‘discipline’ excels, how you can perhaps get the best of both worlds, and even give you some handy hints so that you can get the best out of your portable grill.
Charcoal Grill vs Gas Grill what’s the difference?
OK, we know it might seem kind of intuitive, but let’s run through the basic concepts of each grill before we get into more detailed areas of portable grilling.
The Charcoal Grill
Charcoal grills could be considered to be the ‘original’. They are straightforward in concept. Most consist of a single, two-tiered cooking chamber. The bottom tier houses the coals, which are ignited to provide a heat source. The upper tier is usually a grill or plate. The food is placed on the upper tier, then positioned over the heat source to cook the food. We’ll discuss the merits of this cooking method shortly.
Pros of the Charcoal Grill: –
- Basic design
- Great flavor
- Numerous cooking styles
Cons of a Charcoal Grill: –
- Quite messy
- Difficult to light
- Limited heat control
The Gas Grill
While portable gas grills are not a ‘new’ invention, they are certainly considered more modern than their charcoal equivalent. The gas grill is also simple to operate. Instead of charcoal, the gas grill uses an aspirated flame as its heat source. A grill or grate is placed above the flame to cook the food.
Pros of the Gas Grill: –
- Reliable and easy to light
- Clean
- A high degree of heat control
Cons of the Gas Grill: –
- Potentially muted flavor
- Not traditional
- Gas bottles can be heavy.
As with anything, when it comes to a charcoal grill vs gas grill, there are merits to each method. Now that we have seen the basic concept let’s dive in and look at some areas in greater detail.
Charcoal Grill Vs Gas Grill Temperature control
Successful grilling is all about consistency… “If I do something for a certain amount of time, over a given heat, I can expect this result”… Timing is easy to master. The heat, on the other hand, can be a wild beast to tame.
We’ll put it out there right now. Gas grills make it easy to control the temperature. If you can manage your oven at home, you can maintain a gas grill’s temperature. It is that simple.
Charcoal is a different thing altogether. Essentially charcoal has two settings. Burning or not burning. However, you still get a degree of temperature control. When you cook and how you cook are the two deciding factors. There are levels of complexity of cooking over charcoal. To get it right, you are going to have to know your grill. However, remember we have just talked about consistency? It is possible with a charcoal grill, but it will take lots of time until you find your grilling groove.
Charcoal Grill or Gas Grill, Which Gives the Best Flavor?
Now, this might be a controversial point among the grilling community. But we will go out on a limb and say that charcoal grills give the best flavor… But with a disclaimer, gas can come really close. Here’s our reasoning behind our decision…
As we said, charcoal can be considered the ‘original’ with regards to grilling… While gas does give really great flavor, many aspects of gas grilling technology are designed to replicate the taste produced by charcoal. If it is that charred and smoky taste that you are seeking, the original will always be the best.
The flavor produced from charcoal comes from fat and juice dripping down onto the hot coals, which then vaporizes into hot and fragrant smoke. This smoke rises and flavors the meat. Without this process, you won’t get that taste. So how do Gas grills achieve this?
Well, gas grills don’t have coals to give you the ‘spit’ of smoke. But good portable gas grills will often have features that will still cause fat and juice to be vaporized and flavor your meat. Many grills feature things such as ‘flavor strips’. These are metal areas that are designed to get seriously hot and create smoke. These can feature in the grill body or be an integral part of the cooking grate. Cast iron grates, in particular, give a really lovely ‘char’ and taste.
You can also think outside the box. Lava rocks are lumps of pumice that you can place in the bottom of your cooking chamber. These absorb heat from the gas flame and will perform a very similar function to charcoal. They are also a great way to ensure stable temperatures.
Gas Grill or Charcoal, what cooking styles?
Here is where it gets really interesting. There isn’t really a grill that does every single cooking style entirely. For straight-up grilling, gas, and charcoal both perform pretty well, but gas probably has the advantage. Turn on the gas, press the ignition switch, you are good to go…
Reverse searing has become all the rage recently. This is where you ensure your meat is cooked through on a low temperature before giving it a red hot blast right at the end of the cooking process to produce a nice sear. This would be difficult to do on a traditional charcoal grill but easy on a gas grill. Reverse searing is a wonderful technique to use, especially with cuts of beef. To see an example, check this guy out… These Tomahawk steaks look amazing.
When it comes to things like cooking ‘low and slow’ to impart maximum flavor, the more traditional solution, using charcoal, might actually be better.
You can use techniques to ensure that your grill doesn’t get too hot when cooking on charcoal. Some are super innovative. Check out this video on creating a ‘coal snake’, this is an excellent method to use when looking to slow roast meat, and if it works, you get a real sense of satisfaction. It’s positively primal!
Ease of Cleaning
Ah, it’s that time of the day (we hate it too). The guests have gone, and there isn’t a morsel of food remaining. Cleaning up is the downside to every great BBQ. Therefore the easier it is, the better.
Charcoal grills are really great for producing flavor. They are also great for making a mess. As the coals burn, they reduce to embers, then ash. This, of course, doesn’t take into account the soot and char created by ultra-high temperatures and flames. Ash and embers can be a real nuisance to clean, especially when you have to let them cool before you dispose of them.
Gas grills, on the other hand, are much less hassle. They still need to be cleaned, but generally, they are no more complicated than your home oven. The absence of ash and embers makes all the difference.
Where to use different types of grill…
Where you intend to use your grill may dictate which is best when discussing a charcoal grill vs gas grill. It can vary depending on the model, but you will find that charcoal grills are marginally lighter and more straightforward in their construction. Let’s look at some places where you would want to use a portable grill…
Best portable grill for RVs?
If you are in an RV, then the weight isn’t going to be a huge issue. But what will be is the cleanup. Nobody wants an RV full of ash and soot, which is unavoidable with coal grills. Don’t forget water will be in limited supply too. We would probably recommend that a gas grill would be the best way to go for an RV. You can find a great roundup of some great portable grills just here.
Best Type of Grill for Camping?
Weight and size are going to be the biggest issue for you if you are camping. Gas grills can be light, but they also rely on bringing a gas bottle, which reduces storage space and adds weight. Charcoal grills tend to be lighter and more dynamic when camping. Besides, sitting around ‘the fire’ is what it is all about. You could consider using either lightweight and highly portable versions of both, but generally, a portable charcoal grill will be much more manageable.
Best patio grill?
If you are looking for a portable grill to use purely on your patio or in an outdoor home area, then you have a range of options. Size and weight aren’t so much of an issue. You could go for a bigger gas grill or a larger coal grill that is packed with features.
Some grills are a jack of all trades and would be ideal for a ‘patio’ grill and are pretty portable. If you want to see an example of such, head on over to this article, where you can see a perfect example of what we are talking about.
Safety | charcoal grill or gas grill?
With grills, there is always a risk of fire. It’s one of the reasons why you should never leave a grill unattended. So what makes a grill safer? We would suggest that the safest grill is one that you can control easily.
When viewed in this light, gas grills could be said to be safer. If there is a situation developing, you can turn the grill off, or alternatively, isolate the gas at the source. As we said before, charcoal has two ‘settings’… Burning and not burning, if your coals are truly ablaze, you may be out of options.
Coals can often ‘run away’, even when you think they may be ‘spent’. If you have ever grilled a steak on white coals, only to come back a moment later and find the grill is flaming away, you’ll no doubt appreciate how quickly you can lose control.
It is always worth having a fire extinguisher to hand when grilling. It may seem like overkill, but fat and juices from cooking can sometimes discretely pool in your grill. The first time you’ll realize they were there is when they have got too hot and are flaming away.
Is Cooking on Charcoal Bad for You?
Grilling is healthy, right? Well, of course it is! When you grill over either coal or using a gas flame, you cause fat to drip from the meat, and while fat can be just a little bit tasty, it can also be harmful in large quantities. Anything that reduces fat is a good thing… But the story doesn’t end there.
What if we were to tell you that grilling on gas is healthier than grilling over coal? It’s true! When grilling over coal, you coat your food with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons… While in moderation, there is little risk, they are carcinogenic. Coal also burns much hotter than gas, great for searing, but this produces heterocyclic amines, which are again carcinogenic.
Gas also produces both of these compounds but to a much lesser extent. If you are worried about these compounds, gas would be the way to go.
(source: https://www.menshealth.com/nutrition/a19544561/healthiest-grill/)
Charcoal Grill vs Gas Grill | Our Conclusion…
When grilling, it all depends on what matters to you the most. This will be the deciding factor in which type of grill you decide upon. If you want an excellent grill for camping, you should pick lightweight over whether it will give a smoky flavor. Likewise, if convenience is your overriding concern, you won’t want to be spending your days assembling a ‘coal snake’, and gas will make a better choice. Our advice is this. Write down 2 or 3 key features that you consider essential, then pick a grill that ticks those boxes, whether gas or charcoal.