Choosing a Grill: Charcoal vs Gas Grills

It is that time of year again! Spring is here and the weather is beautiful. People begin to think about outdoor entertaining and what better way to do that then with a cookout? A good grill is the necessary part of outdoor cooking, but before you go and purchase a grill, there are several things to consider. When you go shopping for an outdoor grill, you will have two choices - gas and charcoal. Most people have a definite opinion as to which is best and both have pros and cons.

Charcoal Grills

With a charcoal grill, your food will taste better. The charcoal gives the meat a smoky flavor that the gas grill cannot reproduce. One thing you will want to consider is how much entertaining and cooking you plan on doing. This will have a great impact on how much you will want to spend. If you do not plan to cook very much, you may want to choose a charcoal grill.

They are less expensive - you can usually get a decent one for around $50 - $100, but you can get a very inexpensive one for $20. Of course, if you are going to cook a lot, but just prefer charcoal to gas for the taste, there are better quality models such as the Weber Performer ($299). It has a heavy-duty cart that provides extra space as well as storage, dual-purpose thermometers, and a gas assist that lights the coals for you. If you do quite a bit of camping, you will want to consider purchasing a charcoal grill because it is easier to take on trips.

There are some cons to charcoal grills though. If it is a rainy day, you may have a hard time lighting the coals and keeping them lit. Cooking with a charcoal grill requires a little more skill as it is easy to burn food over charcoal. You cannot clean your charcoal grill until it has cooled down, which may take several hours. Also, a charcoal grill is very messy. You have a lot of grease, charcoal, and ashes when cooking on a charcoal grill. You have to empty the coals after each use and that can be messy as well.

Gas Grills

What are the pros of purchasing a gas grill? It is very easy to ignite. Starting a gas grill consists only of turning on the gas and pushing a button. The temperature is easily regulated so you do not have to worry about burning food as much as with a charcoal grill. And, because many gas grills come with two separate burners, you can set them at different temperatures to cook things that require different levels of heat.

The best part about a gas grill is the cleanup - there is virtually nothing to do other than clean the grate. If you are thinking about purchasing a gas grill, you will see the term BTU. British Thermal Units (BTU) is a way to measure heat. When you are comparing grills, look not only at the BTUs available, but also the size and shape of the grill. Some grills with lower BTUs can produce a temperature just as high as a grill with more BTUs because it is more compact and holds the heat better.

The downside of a gas grill is you lose the smoky flavor. On the average, gas grills cost more. To get a decent gas grill, you will need to pay at least $100, but the expensive ones with more bells and whistles can run up to $1,000 and more. If you purchase a gas grill, you will probably need more room, as they tend to be bigger than the charcoal grills.

In addition, if while cooking, you run out of gas, you are just out of luck. However, there are meters to tell you how much propane is left in the tank and you can even pour water on the tank to tell. The water will be warm where the tank is empty, but cool where the propane is sitting.

It really comes down to a few things when choosing a grill. Do you want convenience or taste? Do you want a less expensive grill or are you willing to pay more for convenience? Do you have space for a large grill? If not, a charcoal grill might be best for right now. Remember that you can always purchase a less expensive charcoal grill then if you find yourself cooking frequently; consider purchasing a more expensive, more convenient gas grill.

Mike Sullivan is a grill master and meat lover. He is the author and owner of Buy-Steaks-Online.net. Check out his blog with helpful grilling tips to put the most flavor into your next grilled meal.

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