Gas or Charcoal

Xiekitchen, gas is not something to dismiss out of hand. Like anything else, you should base your decision on your priorities.

For example, my wife wants to barbeque all the time, so at some point, I'll replace our gas grill with a new one, and use that in the winter. It's basically light it, and cook. With charcoal, you need to dedicate 20 - 30 minutes to getting it going. If you don't have the requisite patience, it's not for you.

OK, forget what I just said, HERE's how to light a charcoal grill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8V53P2m2peU I've got to give this a shot. I mean, what else are you supposed to do with a propane tank?

Trelja... Now that's a component with a quick burn in. Is that the equivalent to a cable cooker?

Never gas, always lump (!), never fluid (!!).

Starter chimney is a good tool, but lately I tend to use a propane weed burner -- though much smaller than the one in the vid Trelja links to! Small ones that screw on a plumber's propane tank can be readily found for 30 bucks or so. Great for starting (less messy and faster than chimney), and also for perking up coals that have died down (handy for me, since I often do larger cuts with indirect heat, and that takes time). Recommended, but observe all safety precautions!

Digital only, and solid state except for tubes in CDP. Guess my purism is local to grilling.

John

John, how long does your propane weed burner take to get the coals all ready for cooking?

I think I might have to invest in one of these, and I'll use it to kill some weeds while I'm at it...

I tend to be a charcoal guy myself. It's a lot easier to find charcoal at the last minute than finding propane if you find the tank empty.

I also have been experimenting with using oak, maple, and applewood hardwoods too. We burn a lot of wood in our wood stove all winter, so we have a ready supply. Charcoal and wood require some prep time before cooking, that's true, but I hate the propane hunt. Maybe a nice grill with a permanent connection to natural gas lines is the way to go...