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Everybody has their own preferences when it comes to cooking some folks like to use a gas oven, some an electric oven, some people even prefer to cook everything in the microwave. This strong desire towards a preferred cooking style extends from the kitchen to the garden in the summer when it comes to cooking on the barbecue. The two main styles of barbecue are the classic charcoal BBQ and the young pretender on the block the gas BBQ. The barbecuing community is split between traditionalists who believe it is worth the trouble to start and maintain a charcoal burner for the conventional taste and experience and those who believe that it is not worth the time and go for the just as effective but easier gas burner.
Timing is Everything
First things first, fire! We all know this is one of the major draws for men and the barbecue, igniting the coals and watching them slowly come up to temperature. Tending the coals all afternoon whilst having a drink and building the expectancy is part of the fun of having a barbecue. However, there are issues with this kind of heat! It can take a long time for the coals to hit the right temperature and then there is the danger that you will not get the food on the barbecue in time and it will not cook in the time left in the coals and that you will have to begin the process over again. Although this takes some expertise once mastered it can become part of the joy of the barbecuing process, the next step is learning when to put on the food so that it cooks just right.
This is a major reason why so many people like the gas burner is that it heats up very quickly after only a few minutes whereas the traditional model takes around 40 minutes. This means that you can start the barbecue just before you plan to cook and therefore do not have to worry about it burning away in the garden particularly if there are children dashing about.
In Control of the Fire
It goes without saying that the fire temperature cannot be simply adjusted once lit, this is not the case with a gas BBQ which is one of the reasons that many people like to cook on these because you can get an consistent temperature and ensure that all the meat is cooked fully. This is a issue that can put people off cooking on a charcoal BBQ because they are worried about meats like pork and chicken not being fully cooked.
This can be done with a traditional barbecue it just requires more attention and a good understanding of the barbecuing process.
Taste Time
One of the main arguments for the charcoal BBQ is the flavour, because the food is cooked over the direct heat of the coals all of the flavour from the smoke is absorbed and comes out in the taste. To enhance the smoky flavour wood chips can be introduced that will smoke and infuse the food that is being cooked, you can buy wood chips that add to the flavour of a gas BBQ so you can have the best of everything.
However, a certain amount of the flavour comes from the fat from the meat hitting the heat and smoking, something that is achieved with a gas BBQ as well because of the meat fat hitting the grill. Some people think that the food tastes better when cooked over gas because it remains untarnished by ash and tar from the charcoal.
No Scrubbing Required
Gas barbecues are easier to clean because they use the very popular heat cleaning method where the heat from the barbecue can be used after you have finished cooking to remove the fat from the grill and it can then be scraped off the heat plates. Whereas with a charcoal barbecue you would have to dismantle the grill and tip out the ash and then scrape the meat fat from the grill. This is of course time consuming and not a very nice job so it is a key factor why so many people are choosing a gas barbecue over a charcoal one.
Final Thoughts
Charcoal BBQ's are incredibly popular because they are inexpensive to buy and with some people only using them a couple of times over the summer it does not make financial sense to spend a lot of money on a barbecue. However, if you do invest, a gas barbecue can be more cost effective in the long term..
Safety is an issue for some people who do not feel happy using gas canisters and don't like the idea of having a pressurized canister in their garden/shed. Although the chances of there being any genuine problems with a gas canister are minimal, it is an understandable concern and is a reason why so many people feel more comfortable with the traditional charcoal BBQ.
So, as you can see there are pros and cons to both charcoal BBQs and Gas BBQs and no doubt the debate will rumble on with both sides strongly arguing the benefits of their preferred way of barbecuing.
