I bought one with a gas and a charcoal section. Have used the charcoal section about 3 times in 4 years. Cook on the gas section 3 or 4 times a week, even when it's -30 and I have to clear the snow off it first. Any flavour difference is pretty minimal if there is one all, and once you've built up a good layer of cremated fat in the bottom of the barbecue the gas grill smokes quite a bit anyway!
Good quality meat and maybe a bit of seasoning rub or a marinade is all you need. Gas is hot immediately, can be easily adjusted, can be turned off immediately and has minimal cleanup afterwards. Charcoal feels more authentic, but doesn't really do anything gas can't and is a load more hassle.
Buy a smoker if you really want to impart flavour from the cooking process.
My gas one is well bedded in with grease to burn. It can be used immediately and I wouldn't give it up, but the charcoal one, needing more work makes better tasting food every time.
Charcoal does not give any flavour. If your charcoal is smoking it is cheap rubbish charcoal and would not enhance any flavour at all. The only way to add flavour with coals is to use a smoker or hickory wood type addition.
The notion that coal tastes better or different is a myth. Gas is easier so that's what I go with.
That's what the bloke who sold me my gas BBQ said. He was wrong.
OK, but why? I'm sure I'm not the only one who is interested, as one who has never owned or used a gas one.
To put it simply it didn't taste as good. I suppose the difference is that cooking over charcoal infuses the food with the smoke from whichever fuel you use, cooking over gas doesn't give that. My gas bbq has 'flavour bars' which are supposed to give the same effect by heating up the fat that drips on them thus creating smoke but it just doesn't give the smokey bbq taste. As others have said its just like cooking over a normal gas hob. When fish or meat is smoked, different wood chippings or various addatives are used to flavour the product so it must have an effect; but I guess differing palettes means it's all subjective.
There's a simple, indisputable reason why charcoal flavour is a myth; once charcoal is at cooking temperature, there are no aromatic compounds left to have an effect. Charcoal is pretty simple stuff and imparts no flavour when cooking food. And food is cooked by heat, it doesn't give a damn where the heat comes from, it either cooks or it doesn't.
The reason BBQs taste different to indoor cooking is the dripping food/ fat that lands on the heat source and is returned in the subsequent smoke. Oils and sugars etc. It has absolutely nothing to do with the source of the heat.
The "might as well cool indoors/ it's cheating" arguments completely miss the point of cooking of a BBQ, and show a fundamental lack of understanding as to how a BBQ works.
The funny thing is, coal snobs will not believe what I've just written. Even though it's proven science. Not even complicated science. It's why I chose gas - I read up on the logic behind each one and came to the conclusion that people cook on coal out of sheer bloody mindedness. No taste test challenge ever results in coal winning either. Because coal ain't got nothing to do with it.
Say it as many times as you like @MrOneLung, charcoal does make a difference to the glavour, whether it the heat difference or the smoke is not relevant, there is a noticeable difference. I've cooked simultaneously on both the charcoal and the gas and everyone I've asked which they prefer.
You can use as much science as you like but the taste buds don't lie.
You can use as much science as you like but the taste buds don't lie.
Actually, yes they do. That's exactly what they do.
Your sense of taste can be fooled in all sorts of ways. The colour of a drink, for example, can heavily alter one's perception of its taste. Here's an article that covers the subject. To quote: "The findings of a German study seem to back this up. Its subjects rated wine as tasting 50% sweeter if drunk under red light, rather than under blue or white"
The same thing happens with crisps. Try out some crisp flavours without seeing the bags, or better still, get someone to swap some Walkers around and see if you can get the flavours first time.
So if you can't trust your tastebuds, that just leaves... science!
Charcoal all day long, now that's sorted all I need is something in the garden to keep the beers cold, any suggestions?
Bucket full of ice and water does the trick.
I got given an old water butt, jet cleaned it out, quarter fill with water, 2 bags of ice every 2-3 hours, hey presto, even chuck the prosseco in for the ladies
You can use as much science as you like but the taste buds don't lie.
Actually, yes they do. That's exactly what they do.
Your sense of taste can be fooled in all sorts of ways. The colour of a drink, for example, can heavily alter one's perception of its taste. Here's an article that covers the subject. To quote: "The findings of a German study seem to back this up. Its subjects rated wine as tasting 50% sweeter if drunk under red light, rather than under blue or white"
The same thing happens with crisps. Try out some crisp flavours without seeing the bags, or better still, get someone to swap some Walkers around and see if you can get the flavours first time.
So if you can't trust your tastebuds, that just leaves... science!
That's right about the crisps. I've done a couple of pub quiz rounds where the questions were blind tasting various flavours. The only ones I ever got right were prawn cocktail and basic potato flavour.
You get different aromas in the coal which adds to the sensory enhancement and therefore makes the brain receive more flavours from the meat added with the scent i.e apple smoked, whisky smoked etc...
A large part of taste is smell. If you can taste the smoke when eating the food it is probably due to the fact you can smell the smoke from the BBQ itself.
3 parts Tomato Ketchup 2 parts Daddies or HP brown sauce 1 part honey 1 part oil of your choosing A few drops of Lee & Perrins Generous sprinkling of mixed herbs, maybe a finely chopped chili or two and some freshly ground black pepper. Use a silicon basting brush to slap on.
Ok I was scientifically incorrect to say the tastebuds don't lie.
I should have said the senses don't lie.
8/10 people given sausages from the same butcher (normally Drings) where they have two, one from the gas bbq and one from the charcoal pick the charcoal cooked ones for preference. That's enough for me.
Ordered us a gas Barby as I can't be asked with charcoal anymore.
Bit of a problem though. You can't get a new gas bottle anywhere for love nor money! Calor are insisting only new bottles can be sold if an old one is returned first.
Always said I’d stick with charcoal but we went over a friends a couple of weeks ago and they cooked on gas. Didn’t really notice the difference is from honest.
Ordered as gas Barby as I can't be asked with charcoal anymore.
Bit of a problem though. You can't get a new gas bottle anywhere for love nor money! Calor are insisting only new bottles can be sold if an old one is returned first.
Anyone else been caught out?
When I first tried gas I bought my first bottle from B&Q, the green patio gas type bottle. I was in B&Q last week and they had a cage full of green gas bottles?
Ordered as gas Barby as I can't be asked with charcoal anymore.
Bit of a problem though. You can't get a new gas bottle anywhere for love nor money! Calor are insisting only new bottles can be sold if an old one is returned first.
Anyone else been caught out?
When I first tried gas I bought my first bottle from B&Q, the green patio gas type bottle. I was in B&Q last week and they had a cage full of green gas bottles?
They are only for swapping out with those who already have a gas bottle as the demand is currently too high and any new bottles cant be placed under 'new contracts' or those who already have contracts cannot exchange
Always said I’d stick with charcoal but we went over a friends a couple of weeks ago and they cooked on gas. Didn’t really notice the difference is from honest.
That's cos you're not trying them side by side.
Gas with a smoker is more comparable but gas alone vs coal and it's coal every time for me. When you add a smoker to coal it's something else, just that true step above when done right.
Ordered us a gas Barby as I can't be asked with charcoal anymore.
Bit of a problem though. You can't get a new gas bottle anywhere for love nor money! Calor are insisting only new bottles can be sold if an old one is returned first.
Comments
As others have said cooking on a gas hotplate is no different to cooking indoors really whereas with coals you get a different flavour in the meat.
Good quality meat and maybe a bit of seasoning rub or a marinade is all you need. Gas is hot immediately, can be easily adjusted, can be turned off immediately and has minimal cleanup afterwards. Charcoal feels more authentic, but doesn't really do anything gas can't and is a load more hassle.
Buy a smoker if you really want to impart flavour from the cooking process.
If your charcoal is smoking it is cheap rubbish charcoal and would not enhance any flavour at all. The only way to add flavour with coals is to use a smoker or hickory wood type addition.
Repeat - charcoal does not give it any flavour.
At all.
Whatsoever.
Other than via the power of suggestion.
The reason BBQs taste different to indoor cooking is the dripping food/ fat that lands on the heat source and is returned in the subsequent smoke. Oils and sugars etc. It has absolutely nothing to do with the source of the heat.
The "might as well cool indoors/ it's cheating" arguments completely miss the point of cooking of a BBQ, and show a fundamental lack of understanding as to how a BBQ works.
The funny thing is, coal snobs will not believe what I've just written. Even though it's proven science. Not even complicated science. It's why I chose gas - I read up on the logic behind each one and came to the conclusion that people cook on coal out of sheer bloody mindedness. No taste test challenge ever results in coal winning either. Because coal ain't got nothing to do with it.
You can use as much science as you like but the taste buds don't lie.
Your sense of taste can be fooled in all sorts of ways. The colour of a drink, for example, can heavily alter one's perception of its taste. Here's an article that covers the subject. To quote: "The findings of a German study seem to back this up. Its subjects rated wine as tasting 50% sweeter if drunk under red light, rather than under blue or white"
Or maybe you could try National Geographic.
The same thing happens with crisps. Try out some crisp flavours without seeing the bags, or better still, get someone to swap some Walkers around and see if you can get the flavours first time.
So if you can't trust your tastebuds, that just leaves... science!
3 parts Tomato Ketchup
2 parts Daddies or HP brown sauce
1 part honey
1 part oil of your choosing
A few drops of Lee & Perrins
Generous sprinkling of mixed herbs, maybe a finely chopped chili or two and some freshly ground black pepper.
Use a silicon basting brush to slap on.
I should have said the senses don't lie.
8/10 people given sausages from the same butcher (normally Drings) where they have two, one from the gas bbq and one from the charcoal pick the charcoal cooked ones for preference. That's enough for me.
Bit of a problem though. You can't get a new gas bottle anywhere for love nor money!
Calor are insisting only new bottles can be sold if an old one is returned first.
Anyone else been caught out?
Gas with a smoker is more comparable but gas alone vs coal and it's coal every time for me. When you add a smoker to coal it's something else, just that true step above when done right.
Might ask a few pals. They may have one laying about.
I've had both and would never return to using a gas bbq.
Used them before and it was a very good service.