Gas grill vs. Charcoal Grill

During summers, our favourite thing to do is to have a barbecue Sunday brunch. Just lay down your lawn chairs, call over some friends, have your favourite drink and grill some burgers. And we know this thought entices you as well. And why shouldnâ€™t it, right?

But for that you must have a grill. So that you can enjoy the authentic taste of barbecue. If you have one, that is great. However, if you havenâ€™t got one yet, what are you waiting for?Â

Obviously the most frequent question which must come to your mind regarding grills must be which one to buy? Gas or Charcoal? This debate has been going on for years now. And for you we have brought an article on gas grill vs charcoal grill. So that it helps you in easing your doubts.

Gas grill vs. Charcoal Grill

Further here, we will put forth a few parameters on which you can distinguish between gas grills and charcoal grills. And choose the one that suits your needs.Â

Difference between Gas Grill & Charcoal Grills

Gas Grills

So gas grills, as the name suggests, work with the help of gas. And this gas can be as liquid propane tanks or natural gas connections. They light up with help of burners and have a series of cooking grates which heat. And help in grilling the food placed on them.

Charcoal Grills

The charcoal grills are obviously operated with charcoal. So we place the heated charcoal embers under the cooking grates and they heat the food. And these embers take some time to heat.Â

Economic value of fuel source

Gas Grills

As mentioned above, gas grills use liquid propane or natural gas, which is much more economical than charcoal. Especially when you use a natural gas connection. As they are easily available in your homes and you can have an unlimited supply. Even a liquid propane tank is cheaper than charcoal. Let us tell you how.

For example, if you have a medium range gas grill with a 20lb liquid propane tank. So if you use high heat, you will exhaust about 1-2lbs in an hour. But obviously you wonâ€™t use it always at a high heat or regularly. Hence, the tank can last for a whole barbecue season if used judiciously.

Charcoal Grills

On the other hand, charcoal grills use charcoal as a fuel. And you can use a set of charcoal embers once only. So for every time you want to grill, you will need a new lot of charcoal. Hence, you will have to buy the fuel resources every time. And it makes the charcoal grills somewhat expensive.

Flavour

Gas Grills

Like we know, gas grills cook food with burners. And the burners work with the help of a liquid propane gas or natural gas. So getting the authentic charred flavor in your food is difficult in a gas grill. But a lot of gas grills have flavorizer bars and built in smoke boxes to help you in this process. And these will help you in getting the smoky rich flavour. If your gas grill doesnâ€™t have a built-in smoke box, you can buy one separately or make your own. For more information on it, you can check our article on how to smoke on a gas grill.

Charcoal Grills

Charcoal grills grill food with the help of charcoal embers. And this means that they directly get the charred flavor from the charcoal. So the food cooked in it automatically tastes the authentic smoky flavor. If you want any extra flavor, you can use homemade smoke bombs too.

Advantages

Gas Grills

So these are some advantages of gas grills:

Gas grill fuel is cheaper than charcoal. With natural gas, it is much cheaper.
And the gas grills are easier to clean. Because you do not directly use charcoal, they do not burn. Hence the char and is easy to clean. You can check our article on how to clean a gas grill.
Also, the gas grills are easy to start. Only thing you will need to do is turn knobs to start the grill. And your grill will be up and running.
As the ignition is very easy for a grill, the grill heats quickly. And the cooking is much faster. Even the temperature is easy to control.
They also have a lot of accessories except for the main grilling area. Like a side burner, smoke box or flavorizer bars which add to the flavour of your meat.

Charcoal Grills

These are some advantages of charcoal grills:

These charcoal grills can go up to very high temperatures.
And the charcoal grills give you an amazing char on your meat. Even the food drippings on your charcoal vaporize to give you an aromatic flavour.
Also, you can place wood chips directly on the charcoal. And you will not need additional smoke boxes for the wood flavour.
So when we use charcoal for cooking, it uses infrared heat. And it helps the meat to keep the moisture within.
Moreover, these grills in its whole are less expensive.

Disadvantages

Gas Grills

These gas grills have a few disadvantages too:

The gas grills do not have the needed smoke, and that is why we do not get the required flavor.Â
And these grills are usually larger, which makes mobility a problem.
Also, these gas grills can have uncontrolled flare-ups which can be dangerous.

Charcoal Grills

There are a few disadvantages of charcoal grills too:

Charcoal grills heat with the help of charcoal. And charcoal needs time to heat. Hence starting a charcoal grill takes time.
And these grills take a lot of time to clean up.
Also, the temperature of these charcoal grills is very hard to control.

Best Gas Grill – Char-Broil 4633707

Why we love it:

This gas grill has a liquid propane gas tank.
And this grill has a TRU-infrared cooking technology, which prevents flare-ups.
Moreover, this grill has the stainless steel finish, which is why it is pretty durable.
Also, there are the porcelain-enameled grates which retain heat.

The Char-Broil 4633707 is one of the best grills under $1000. Not only that, the grill also is one of the most affordable grills in this range.

Also, the whole grill has a stainless steel finish. And this makes it look classy and also increases the durability of the grill.

Moreover, this grill has the TRU Infrared technology. So this technology prevents the flare-ups which can occur because of the fat droppings. And this also helps in the equal distribution and even grilling.

Besides that, the cooking grates are cast-iron porcelain enameled. So these again help in an even distribution of heat and heat retention.Â

Additionally, these grills have a push to start electric ignition. And also a versatile swing away warming rack.

[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Affordable
TRU Infrared Technology
Stainless steel finish for durability
Quick ignition[/i2pros][i2cons]Porcelain enamel can peel off
Cleaning grates is difficult.[/i2cons][/i2pc]

Opinion:

This gas grill is a pretty affordable grill in this range. And you can get it easily for your kitchen. With the performance, it gives you the perfect domestic grill requirements.Â

If you need information on any other gas grills, the best gas grills under $1000.

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Best Charcoal Grill – Royal Gourmet CC1830F Charcoal Grill

Why we love it:

This grill has a combination offset smoker.
And the lid of the grill is a heavy duty with a built-in thermometer.
Also, the charcoal pan has a very high capacity.
Moreover, you can easily assemble the charcoal grill.

The Royal Gourmet CC1830F Charcoal Grill is one of the most efficient and affordable charcoal grills.Â

First of all, this charcoal grill has a combination offset smoker. And this stays to a side. So the only thing you need to add is wood chips and gives you a great smoky wood flavor. Also, there is a side door which lets you add in charcoal if you need more. With the air vents present, it will give you a pretty great ventilation.

Beside that, the charcoal grill has a heavy duty lid with a cool-touch handle. And then there is a professional in built thermometer.Â

Moreover, the pan for holding charcoal has a high capacity. And can hold about 5lbs of charcoal at once. Also, it has lifting handles so that you can adjust the height of charcoal.Â

Furthermore, the total cooking area is 800sq. Inches. There is a 438 sq. inches main cooking area, 179 sq. inches warming rack. And the offset smoker has additional 183 sq. inches.

Also, the front table and bottom shelf are steel mesh and provide storage area

[i2pc show_title=”false” title=”Pros & Cons” show_button=”false” pros_title=”Pros” cons_title=”Cons” ][i2pros]Easy assembly
Large cooking area
High-capacity charcoal pan
Offset smoker[/i2pros][i2cons]The burn box paint may bubble and peel off
May have heat leakage[/i2cons][/i2pc]

Opinion:

All in all, it is a pretty decent grill. And also within budget. Although there are charcoal grills cheaper than this. But its performance is quite good.

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Conclusion

Concludingly, we hope that we have acquainted you with all the features each type of grill has. Gas grills in our regard are much more efficient in our regard. (For our top choices for gas grills, check our article on the best gas grills under $1000) But if you need something very authentic, you can obviously go for a charcoal grill. Only thing you would need is patience.

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Gas grill vs. Charcoal Grill

Gas grill vs. Charcoal Grill