Cooking "al fresco"

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I'm having a little disagreement about this with one of my Facebook friends. He uses a gas grill, which as fair as I'm concerned is lazy, and takes a lot of the fun outta proceedings. For me, it's a wood or charcoal fired grill every time.

[kaffy 2]

I agree that gas is lazy man's BBQing but charcoal makes such a mess

[Mary Lou 681]

Charcoal all the way here. I think it gives food a nicer flavor then using a gas grill, but thats just me.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

wood-fired; the flavour is spectacular:

• had breads a few times prepared over such flames
• also Bertucci's Pizza, which is baked in wood-fired oven

[I AM NOT THAT GUY 5,715]

I cheat and use the Kinsford Mesquite charcoal. Gas grills are too hard to maintain. For charcoal and wood, just dump the ashes over the fence. No big deal.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I cheat and use the Kinsford Mesquite charcoal. Gas grills are too hard to maintain. For charcoal and wood, just dump the ashes over the fence. No big deal.

Can the ashes not be used as fertiliser (for lawns)?

[rooster 1]

I wish you would have had a "depends on the food" choice or "all the above". I use gas grill for things like marinated chicken and certain vegetables. For steaks, I use charcoal mainly, but sometimes use mesquite depending on my and the Mrs moods at the time. And yes, it is the lazy man's way to use gas but, when I get in late some evenings, it is nice to just fire up the gas and get cooking.

FYI you can get a certain amount of the wood flavoring, although not quite as strong, on a gas or charcoal grill by placing wood chips in a metal pan with water on the grill.

[Amby 490]

I'm having a little disagreement about this with one of my Facebook friends. He uses a gas grill, which as fair as I'm concerned is lazy, and takes a lot of the fun outta proceedings. For me, it's a wood or charcoal fired grill every time.

charcoal is ok as long as you don't use tons of lighter fluid and then put the meat on there before all the fluid burns off. that's absolutely disgusting and one of my stepdad's favorite ways to cook :dead:

[Big Papa Zone 93]

I'm having a little disagreement about this with one of my Facebook friends. He uses a gas grill, which as fair as I'm concerned is lazy, and takes a lot of the fun outta proceedings. For me, it's a wood or charcoal fired grill every time.

charcoal is ok as long as you don't use tons of lighter fluid and then put the meat on there before all the fluid burns off. that's absolutely disgusting and one of my stepdad's favorite ways to cook :dead:

[Marilyn. 340]

my BIL thinks that the charcoal grill always needs to have flamage so when the flames die down he adds more charcoal and more light fluid

we try to explain to him that there is a tonne of heat that comes off the charcoal once the flames goes down but he doesn't want to listen

Edited April 28, 2009 by *Marilyn*

[almaty 19]

i like charcoal also, but be careful and don't burn down no fences

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Howabout lignite (brown/soft coal) or anthracite (ultra-hard coal)--or could these be considered simply as versions of charcoal?

(I have had food cooked over these by India hawkers...)

[Nessa 23]

charcoal for better flavor

[trailmix 77]

Charcoal definately gives a better flavour, however I don't think using a gas grill is 'lazy'. Is using a frying pan in the kitchen 'lazy'? (Where do people come up with these ideas??) Makes me shake my head - truly.

"Stop being so lazy and get that steak out of the frying pan - go gather some wood!!"

Anyway, I cook meat on the gas grill 98% of the time now, if I was using a charcoal grill it would certainly not be that often.

[Big Papa Zone 93]

Anyway, I cook meat on the gas grill 98% of the time now, if I was using a charcoal grill it would certainly not be that often.

And WHY would you could meat "far less often" on charcoal? Right there you've just told us why gas is the "lazy" option.