Grills?

[MaggieTheCat]

So, my husband and I are in the market to get a grill. Neither of us have ever had a grill and really know nothing at all about grilling. I think my husband has grilled a bit before, but not for a number of years, and I've never touched one. We'd like something fairly easy to handle and maintain. Does anyone have any suggestions? Our biggest question is: Charcoal or propane?

[Whiskey]

Charcoal. You're welcome.

[Pedersen]

Charcoal or propane is one of those choices that will be forever argued about by grilling aficionados. Propane is easier to control the heat. Some people (myself included) taste a difference between charcoal and propane, and prefer the taste of charcoal.

My recommendations are going to be based on my preference of charcoal.

You must go for a decent hardwood lump type, and do not use briquets. If you go for a chimney starter ($20), you will be able to start the coals using just newspaper, and get them hotter. Watch your mailbox for all those flyers, and use them as a free source of it. Oh, also go to Home Depot or Lowe's or a place like that, and pick up a pair of welder's gloves (also about $20). These coals are hot (the thermometer has recorded temps exceeding 600 degrees). You need a way to move individual coals without burning yourself, and a way to move that chimney starter comfortably. The gloves provide both.

For the grill itself, look for something that will be large and easy to get into. All grilling is messy, and leaves residue inside the grill. While the coals are starting, use that time to use a steel bristle brush and clean the inside. If you or your husband are like me, this is a very relaxing thing to do. Simple, easy to focus on, and takes just the right length of time do a good job (i.e.: the coals are ready pretty close to the exact same time as you have finished doing a good job of cleaning).

Something else to consider: You need a way to dispose of the ashes. Depending on the grill, this can be very easy. For instance, the one I use has an ash catcher pan. I use an old paint brush, sweep the interior of the grill, pushing the ash down through the vents into the pan. I then use the steel brush to scrub off the residue, and drop it down. Periodically, I also empty the pan into the garbage can (doing so before adding any hot coals, of course).

My favorite grill is the Weber Performer. Easy to add coals, easy to clean, wide cooking surface allowing me to use direct and indirect cooking as appropriate, attached workspace. Wasn't a cheap grill, but it's the first grill I've had that's lasted more than two years without deterioration in the exterior appearance, and the interior is looking good too. I expect this one will last another decade or so, and the most I should need to do during that time is clean it, change out some of the tools when they go useless (that steel bristled brush, for instance), etc.

Probably more info than you wanted, but I do like to be thorough.

[Magpie]

Propane is less finicky. If you're new to this whole thing I recommend it.

[Exaspera]

I agree with Pederson, Weber grills are the best. Well made, easy to move around, and pret-ty darned cute!

[trailerparkmedic]

Propane has the advantage of being ready as soon as you turn it on with none of the fiddling with coals stuff. If I got a grill, it would be propane, because I would like to grill on a regular basis, including weeknights, instead of just on special occasions.

[Pedersen]

Propane has the advantage of being ready as soon as you turn it on with none of the fiddling with coals stuff.

Actually, it's not. Just like your oven, the interior of the grill needs to come to temperature.

What's amusing to me is that, with a chimney starter, I find my charcoal grill to be ready to cook in almost exactly the same amount of time it used to take for the propane grill to be ready to cook.

Yes, the starter really does make that big of a difference in prep time. Oh, and I almost forgot: I've seen two varieties of chimney starter. One was a solid sleeve from above the lighting vents at the bottom, and the other (a Weber) had regularly spaced holes up the side. The holes allow for greater airflow, which brings more oxygen, which gets the entire batch of coals lit and ready much more quickly.

And, in case some one wants to say "No way! Coals take at least 30 minutes to turn white hot!", I have to point out that when I use my chimney starter and decent hardwood lump charcoal, I have to take the coals out of the starter around 15 minutes in. If I leave them in there for 30 minutes, I'll only have ashes left.

[SteeleDragon78]

owning one of each i can say that charcoal does have advantages over propane. BUT, propane is good for small batch cooking, i have a small propane grill that i do 2 or 3 servings on quicker than i could with charcoal (hotdogs and such). for larger cuts of critter (steaks, burgers, etc) charcoal is king. nice thing about charcoal grills is they actually need less maintenance than propane grills. just keep the ashes from getting wet and a good scrubbing and your done. propane you have to keep the burners orifices clean as well as replace them when they wear out, and this can be expensive depending on the grill. my fathers charbroil 4 burner uses cast brass burners and one of the burners is corroded to the point its useless. but when you get 6 years of heavy grilling out of it cant complain that much. if your new to grilling i would suggest a charcoal grill, get the finer points of that down and then move on to propane if you are so inclined. or skip propane and move on to smokers. nothing tastes better than slow smoked brisket made at home, or slow smoked pulled pork. damn now im drooling on my keyboard.

[AdminAssistant]

For charcoal, I refer you to Alton Brown's I'm Just Here For the Food, which contains quite a bit of info on grilling.

[Imogene]

And here I thought you were looking for mouth bling... was curious why the two of you would be sharing it...

[lordlundar]

One thing of note, regardless of grilling, is to lubricate the rack the food is going on every time you use it. It's simple. Get a small, old cloth, and dip in in a shallow dish of some cooking oil. Then, when the rack is hot and using tongs (not required if you're careful, but a good idea) rub the rack with the oily cloth. It makes whatever you're cooking on a lot less likely to stick. And for the love of god please learn to make and use a smoke pouch. Your food will love you for it.

As for what I would recommend, I'll list the general pros and cons of each:

Charcoal
Pros
-Not nearly as difficult as everyone says
-Tends to get really hot and fades off, allowing for less maintenance on the part of the coals
- can use the grill for a variety of purposes, not limited to BBQ (the real stuff) and smoking.
-the type of coal will impart it's own flavour, depending on the source of the charcoal

Cons
-The heat tends to be uneven
-Not nearly as precise control
-Needs to be refueled for every cooking session
-can get messy (charcoal and ashes)

Propane and Natural Gas (I can't believe no one mentioned NG ones)
Pros
- Quick start and even heating
- Controlling the heat is as simple as adjusting the dial and/or not having all the elements on ( though charcoal ones with an adjustable shelf can do the same
- Fuel is less of a concern (and NG ones is almost nonexistent)
- A lot cleaner fuel source.

Cons
- The heat being constant means you have to adjust it if you want a different cooking approach (high heat to start then lower later on favors charcoal)
- While you can smoke and do proper BBQ on the gas ones, it requires more maintenance and it's not really designed to accommodate the equipment as much
- It too will impart it's own flavor, but it's not usually welcome (particularly if you make a mistake.
- Doing a full clean is a pain.

[MaggieTheCat]

Thanks for all the advice, everyone. I will show all of this info to my husband so we can talk it over together. One other thing that I probably should have asked in my first post: Has anyone used a George Foreman indoor grill? My mom got one for us a couple weeks ago and I haven't gotten it out to experiment with it. Obviously it wouldn't be quite the same as a good old charcoal grill, but is it adequate for doing burgers and hot dogs?

[trailerparkmedic]

I love my Foreman. It's not really grilling (it doesn't taste like grilling to me), but it is a fast way to make dinner. I use it a lot with chicken.

If you don't have the one with removable plates, make sure to clean it almost as soon as you're done using it, especially if you used a marinade.

[Imprl59]

I have both. Being a basically lazy person the charcoal grill sits outside slowly returning to the basic elements it was made from and the gas grill is on the porch cooking dinner several times a week. I agree with some other here that the charcoal has better flavor but the gas is just so easy. I especially like it this time of year as I got one with a side burner so i can make the whole meal outside on the grill and not have to get the house hot with the regular stove. My gas grill is a Lowes special $150 grill. CharBroil or something like that.

I also LOVE the Foreman grill. It is in no way comparable to any outside grill but it makes excellent chicken and burgers. Quick and easy with very little cleanup. Of all the kitchen gimicks over the years it is the only one that isn't hidden away somewhere waiting for a yard sale. Actually i think the one I have now is my fourth one as I liked it so well I kept getting new ones as they got bigger and added more features.

Steve B.

[protege]

I have a somewhat-large gas grill. What can I say...other than it was free IIRC, it has 4 burners (3 under the hood, and one on a separate shelf). With those 3 hooded burners going, it gets hot. Quickly Clean-up isn't all that bad--dish soap, a sponge, and the garden hose, and you're good