charcoal grill advice

[CYVADER]

let me preface this by saying i've always been a gas grill guy. easy, quick, simple. that said, i always crave the charcoal flavor. so i've been using my small tail gating charcoal grill this week. don't get me wrong-it works. just not very effective.

so i think i'm going to get a charcoal grill. keep the gas one as well, but use the coal as a nice substitute on stuff not called hot dogs.

whats everyones advice? go with a weber? love to get a green egg but probablygoing to shell out kind of cash for one right now.

and before any smartasses come on here and say they're all the same, i seriously don't know that if that is indeed the case.

tia

 

[MissouriCyclone]

My dad has a Green Egg and it's well worth the money. You can smoke, grill and even bake things. It makes some of the best pulled pork I have ever had. Like you said they are expensive, but heard they last a long period of time due to the clay shell. Webers are always a good substitute.

 

[CycloneDaddy]

Green Egg has a lifetime warranty. If you sell it to someone else the warranty goes with the Big Green Egg. I have never used one but every person I have talked to that has one absolutely loves it.

 

[CYVADER]

oh my dad has a green egg, and believe me, they are awesome. i'm just not ready to make that jump yet. looking for the "next best thing" so to speak.

 

[CyCrazy]

oh my dad has a green egg, and believe me, they are awesome. i'm just not ready to make that jump yet. looking for the "next best thing" so to speak.

If its not a weber charcaol jump to the green egg. I would if I thought it was reasonable. I have a gas and charcoal weber thats good for me now.

 

[Gonzo]

I got this last year and it's the best grill i've ever had...

Brinkmann Single Zone Charcoal Grill - 810-3810-SC at The Home Depot

The ability to raise/lower the coals with a simple turn of the handle is huge. Cooks evenly. There's no comparison to something like this and a gas. I had a big shiny glam-o-gas-grill for years and would never go back. I grill more now just because of how much better the flavor is than I ever did with the gas just because it's convenient.

 

[illinoiscyclone]

^ use that stuff instead of kingsford or equivalent.

^if you do use kingsford, use these kinds. They give it an even better taste

^ those make it easier to get the charcoal going if you are a rook.

 

[bigsag]

I made the switch to charcoal this past Spring (after 15 consecutive years of gas). I absolutely could not believe the difference. Huge improvement in flavor, and so versatile. Smoke, slow cook, bake and so on. I purchased a Big Steel Keg (formerly The Bubba Keg). Half the price of a Green Egg and pretty comparible. This product was sold last Fall to OMC (Onward Manufacturing Company). They are just bringing it back out. I like the fact that you can run it up to 600 degrees and still put your hand on it. (Beats blisters on the grandkids hands.)

By the way, I can get it to 300 degrees in 12 minutes. Gas grill is a little faster (but not by much).

 

[besserheimerphat]

I've got a Char-Griller which works very well. They make side fire boxes to allow you to use the grill as a smoker also. And you can use any grill to "bake" if you want, you just need to figure out the best way to set up the indirect heat (typically low and on the opposite side of the grill from the food). The Indians were able to bake without a Big Green Egg, you can too.

Also I'll second the lump hardwood charcoal. There are several brands if you look around. And also second the charcoal chimeny - it eliminates the need for lighter fluid so it's one less chemical in the fire.

 

[jay moe]

I have a big Char-Broil grill and its been great to use. Can raise and lower the grate the coals are on, easy to control the temp in, and I can use it to smoke with. Have had it 15 years running.

 

[bigsag]

I start my lump charcoal fire the All-American way.......... I use alcohol.

 

[terryk]

I have a big Char-Broil grill and its been great to use. Can raise and lower the grate the coals are on, easy to control the temp in, and I can use it to smoke with. Have had it 15 years running.

I bought a weber performer this year and i'm very happy. Cook with wood or charcoal but has a gas lighter for fast heat.

 

[MissouriCyclone]

Lump charcoal is the way to go. We get Royal Oak lump charcoal and it works really good.

 

[JP4CY]

If you are looking at the smoking side of things I have a Weber Smokey Mountain that I've really enjoyed for a couple years. I got mine from a website for $230 on sale. Its really been a solid, solid unit.

 

[MNclone]

I've always been a gas guy as well. I decided to give charcoal a try this summer. I was set on getting a char broil kettle at menards. They have been on sale for as low as $40 and have a lot of the same features as the Weber Gold kettle. The day that i was going to pick it up, my neighbor told me that I could have his Weber kettle when he moved.

I love using the Weber. I've done a lot of grilling, as well as some slow cooking/ smoking. There are some great tips online about how to use the Weber for different purposes.

Before getting the Weber, I had convinced myself that basically all kettle grills were the same... I'm not so sure anymore.

And I second using lump charcoal and a chimney starter.

 

[Cyclonin22]

I bought a weber performer this year and i'm very happy. Cook with wood or charcoal but has a gas lighter for fast heat.

This. Weber performer is the best of both worlds, the speed of a gas grill, and the taste of wood or charcoal.

 

[nboltz]

Lump charcoal is the way to go. We get Royal Oak lump charcoal and it works really good.

Try and find Green Egg lump. It lasts longer than Cowboy or Royal Oak in my opinion.

 

[besserheimerphat]

Try and find Green Egg lump. It lasts longer than Cowboy or Royal Oak in my opinion.

The natural lump charcoal typically burns hotter and faster than a briquette. When I'm smoking something, I can use significantly less fuel if I use briquettes. But when grilling a nice piece of meat, the lump does a better job of getting a hot, fast sear to keep the meat juicy.

 

[nboltz]

The natural lump charcoal typically burns hotter and faster than a briquette. When I'm smoking something, I can use significantly less fuel if I use briquettes. But when grilling a nice piece of meat, the lump does a better job of getting a hot, fast sear to keep the meat juicy.

Yes I would agree with you. But was comparing the lump charcoal brands that I have used. Green Egg seems to be the best with Cowboy being the worst as far as burning away the fastest.

 

[isukendall]

This. Weber performer is the best of both worlds, the speed of a gas grill, and the taste of wood or charcoal.

I'd never heard of it until I read you guys talking about it here, looks like a killer grill. So basically it uses propane to fire up the coals? How long does it fire the propane before shutting off?