Another reason is the charcoal burns a lot hotter than a gas grill can. Charcoal - When it comes to price, the charcoal grill wins against the gas grill. By cooking on a charcoal grill, you imbue your meat with two molecules: heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Historically, charcoal is the most popular choice for grilling but in recent years, gas and electric-powered options have become more popular. Gas grills provide better flavor to the food than electric grills, although not as good as charcoal. The debate over which type of grill is better, a gas grill or a charcoal grill, depends largely on what type of cooking one wants to achieve. It’s difficult to compare the cost of natural gas and propane. Even with a propane tank, a gas grill is often very big, heavy, and clunky and not good for tailgates or camping. It's so much more convenient than charcoal - twist a knob, push a button and 10 minutes later we're good to grill. Charcoal: A favorite of grill masters everywhere. The charcoal grill helps to give a typical and traditional flavor by using the wood chips in the food, whereas the gas grill provides a different taste. For the most part, reasonable caution mitigates many of the risks of cooking with charcoal. Several models on the market feature both the gas and charcoal grilling options, sometimes along with another cooking component, like a smoker. Don, Bangor, ME. The benefits of a gas barbecue. Gas bbq grillers light up almost instantly, requiring only about 10 minutes for it to heat up. “It’s harder to control heat levels with charcoal, but with propane you can cook a whole meal on the grill,” said chef/owner Lisa Schroeder of Portland, Oregon's Mother's Bistro. Think about taste. Which Grill is Better for Steak? Charcoal grills can reach temperatures over 650 degrees. Quite naturally, the fuel is to be available. For the indecisive—or, arguably, the discerning—griller, combo gas-and-charcoal grills are a heavyweight contender because they offers the best of both worlds. On one side, a grill uses direct heat to prepare the meal, whereas, a smoker uses indirect heat to cook food. Gas Grill Drawbacks . Tristam West, a researcher with the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, compared the carbon output of gas, charcoal and electric powered grills when producing 35,000 Btu's per hour, a typical industry baseline. Gas Grill Vs Charcoal Grill. Charcoal tends to reign supreme when it comes to flavor, imbuing foods with the unmistakable smoky taste that has become a hallmark of summer. While a charcoal grill theoretically gives better flavour, I'm more than pleased with my Weber gas grill. When you think of a grill, you might picture a traditional charcoal-fueled barbecue. Pros and cons of charcoal vs gas grill The main difference between these types of grills is the fuel they run on. Cooking time using a grill is relatively faster than other cooking tools. Both types of grill have pros and cons that will affect the way foods get cooked, thereby making each one valuable and detrimental for certain cooks. The Basics: Electric, Gas, and Charcoal Grills. I also agree, with more gas grills produced, the taste cooked with gas grills are also getting better that you can almost not tell if it’s from charcoal or gas grill. You may need a fire extinguisher or water to put out a charcoal grill in an emergency. As described above, charcoal smoke contains a compound that adds up flavor to the food. That may sound impressive, but then you have to consider a charcoal grill. Charcoal bbq grills, on the other hand, needs more time to heat up. But with a charcoal grill, you must monitor the temperature constantly. Because of direct heating, the temperature of the grill reaches as high as 400 degrees or even more. In the matter of convenience, the gas grill remains king. Many folks report that burgers and hot dogs are just more flavorful coming off a charcoal grill. In a perfect world, you could own a gas and a charcoal grill. The selection of gas or charcoal grill, smoker or smokeless indoor grill is not easy since the taste and convenience compromise each other. It provides a small amount of smoke that can be amplified and seasoned with soaked wood chips. They are often bigger, heavier, and harder to move around. Charcoal barbecues are generally cheaper to buy than gas, but there are still some out there that can set you back more than £1,000.