Outdoor cooking question

[juliogotay]

A lot of you big swinging dicks like to cook outdoors I understand. My grill is about shot and I am at a life's crossroads. Been a charcoal guy for 45 years but am getting pushed by the wife to consider gas. She says if we used gas I would use it more often and cook some things like fish and more poultry I don't do much now because of the time involved in charcoal. And then there is the Egg and other technologies that have presented themselves. Anything that any of you just think is life-changing in this area? I'll hang up and listen.

[Andyzipp]

The Egg is incredible, and I wish it was in my budget.

I'm in the same boat as you, like using charcoal, but also enjoy the convenicence of gas when a quick grill is called for.  We got a new piece of equipment about 18 months ago that I like, despite the name...

https://www.oklahomajoes.com/smokers/longhorn-combo.html

I did have to do a little sealing around the offset smoker box, but for a $5 improvement it works like a champ and meets the needs for brisket or just grilling a chicken breast when dinner is more dainty.

[Duke]

I love my BGE.  It's great for everything except brisket.  You have remove the meat,  grill and diffuser to add fuel.  Luckily I have a New Braunfels offset for that.  I wanted a BGE  for a long time but wouldn't cough up the money to get it.  The wife surprised me on my b-day a few years back.  The wife also surprised me 2 years ago with a weber genesis gas grill.  It's great for fish and chicken during the week.   I also have a large chimney style pit for Argentine parilla style cooking.  So the right tool for the right job.

That being said, if you are only going to have one, I'd go with the weber kettle style charcoal  pit.  It does everything well for about $200.

[HudsonHawk]

I think most of us agree...charcoal is best, but the convenience of gas has a quality all its own.  Most of the time (two or three times a week) I go with the gas.  I have had my eye on a pellet grill for a while now, as it seems to combine the flavor of charcoal with the convenience of gas, but have heard mixed results. 

[Ty in Tampa]

I have a Genesis gas grill that I had modified for natural gas. I just have a hose that connects to a gas bib under the house. It doesn't burn as hot as propane but I don't have to worry about running out at inopportune times. We cook on it 3-4 times a week.

[Ty in Tampa]

I have had my eye on a pellet grill for a while now, as it seems to combine the flavor of charcoal with the convenience of gas, but have heard mixed results. 

My brother-in-law has one and he swears by it. He's not a Texan but the briskets he makes sure taste like he is.

[austro]

I've got a BGE that I love. I will freely admit that I would use a gas grill more frequently because of the convenience factor, but the flavor from real charcoal makes all the difference in the world to me. Unlike Duke, I've been able to do very good brisket on mine, but that may be because I just do the flat (there's no way my wife and I could eat an entire brisket) and that only needs about six hours. I just make sure I've got a good load of charcoal, get it started, put on some oak pieces, and then watch the temperature. The oak is pretty much gone after two or three hours, but by then it doesn't really matter. There is a learning curve in getting to the right temperature without pogo-ing all over the place.

[Duke]

I think most of us agree...charcoal is best, but the convenience of gas has a quality all its own.  Most of the time (two or three times a week) I go with the gas.  I have had my eye on a pellet grill for a while now, as it seems to combine the flavor of charcoal with the convenience of gas, but have heard mixed results.

My brother in Colorado has a pellet grill, mainly because it's hard to get hardwood up there.  He loves it.  I call him a push button pit master because that's how easy it is.  It does a damn fine job on a brisket.

[juliogotay]

My brother in Colorado has a pellet grill, mainly because it's hard to get hardwood up there.  He loves it.  I call him a push button pit master because that's how easy it is.  It does a damn fine job on a brisket.

the other day I went to a BBQ Galore store and talked to the mgr. He loved his BGE and said he didn't like pellet because they don't get hot enough for steaks and burgers. Is it more for slow-cooking?

[Ty in Tampa]

the other day I went to a BBQ Galore store and talked to the mgr. He loved his BGE and said he didn't like pellet because they don't get hot enough for steaks and burgers. Is it more for slow-cooking?

I don't know if that's only what it's for but it's great for low and slow. The pellets are fed by an auger which makes minute temperature controls very easy.

[HudsonHawk]

the other day I went to a BBQ Galore store and talked to the mgr. He loved his BGE and said he didn't like pellet because they don't get hot enough for steaks and burgers. Is it more for slow-cooking?

I think it depends on the model.  The lower end pellet grills only get to 450 or so, which is not nearly hot enough for grilling.  But the higher end models claim to get to 700+.  I need at least 550-600 degrees to grill anything worth a damn. 

[juliogotay]

Thanks for the response, guys. Lots of good stuff here. Everyone have a great holiday w/e.

[T. J.]

If you go with gas, consider getting one with a side burner.  It comes in very handy for cooking something outside that would normally stink up or make a mess in your house (think fish and oily stuff).  I use it almost as much as the grill itself.

[chuck]

I also have a large chimney style pit for Argentine parilla style cooking.

Now we're talking. I have a serious need for one of those. I'm just not sure where to put it. According to other members of the household the fourth bedroom is not an option.

I have a dual gas and charcoal grill. It is not the greatest grill in the world and it does neither spectacularly but it works for me. I do a decent amount of baking - lasagna, whole chickens, half a chicken on a cast iron skillet, even pizzas on a stone - on the gas portion. I really dislike using the oven in the kitchen inside as I don't feel like I need to bring more heat into the house. Plus, I like being outside. It's idiotically easy and there is literally no cleanup.

I use the charcoal portion constantly. It works great for some things, especially seafood which is what I grill more than anything. I can do chicken and the occasional pork shoulder. Once in a while ribs will come out the way I want them to. I would imagine that if you are more patient than I am or more skilled than I am or ideally both you'd be able to do a credible job cooking low and slow but it requires a lot of attention I would rather give to pondering my next beer and staring off into the distance.

Anyway, it's this thing here.