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BBQ Charcoal vs Gas – Which is better?

The age-old debate of gas vs charcoal barbecues is one that requires an in depth look into the pros and cons of each fuel source to help you make a well-informed decision on what option is best for your desired cooking experience.

BBQ Charcoal

Portable charcoal grills are now a staple among many homes with the UK hosting 65 million barbecues in 2023, with 11 million being held over the extended early May bank holiday to celebrate the King’s coronation. Barbecuing trends across 2023 also showed that 72% of people preferred to use a charcoal BBQ over a gas BBQ.

Pros

Flavor

Good quality charcoal helps to add more flavour due to an aroma compound called “guaiacol” that is released from charcoal and wood when burned. This aromatic compound is what gives meat its smoky flavours, something which can’t be achieved with a gas flame.

Cheaper

In terms of fuel costs, a charcoal barbecue is cheaper than gas due to the charcoal being widely available in stores and online, compared to gas which can be harder to source and will cost more as a result.

Temperature

A higher temperature is an advantage over gas when using bags of charcoal and is a better heat source for grilling sessions that focus on searing and caramelizing the outside of meats, creating delicious food and barbecue staples. This is because charcoal burns at a naturally higher temperature (370 °C) then is achievable with gas (260 °C).

Cons

Messy

One of the cons of charcoal is the mess that is created by using a charcoal barbecue, as the ashes from lump wood and charcoal briquettes left behind must be cleaned and removed before the barbecue can then be used again.

Precision

Temperature control is harder to achieve when using a charcoal grill, this is due to the unpredictable and different sized pieces that can burn at different heats and create varied heating zones. However, charcoal briquettes have better heat control due to their uniform pillow shape and have a much more even blanket of heat over the barbecue.

Gas

Gas grills are very similar to charcoal barbecues, the big difference being the heat source comes from a gas bottle of propane or butane rather than lump charcoal or briquettes.

Pros

Clean

One of the most appealing differences between gas and charcoal barbecues is the ease of cleaning a gas barbecue. Because there is no charcoal to burn, and therefore no ash is created, the only cleaning needed for a gas grill is to remove any food debris from the cooking grate.

Quick

Getting to a proper cooking temperature quickly is something that is easier to achieve and a good advantage to gas BBQ’s as rather than waiting for the charcoal to heat up, a flame of max temperature is available within seconds of igniting a gas flame giving you the option for faster cooking.

Cons

Temperature

Maximum cooking temperatures of gas barbecues are often lower then what charcoal grilling can achieve, and are more suitable for slow cooking with indirect heat. This limits the ability to sear meat and caramelize the outside of your food.

Flavour

Unlike its charcoal counterpart, gas barbecues struggle to add a distinct or smoky flavour naturally, with many people thinking gas models, although efficient with quicker cooking time, can never add the authentic barbecue flavour that is desired from barbecue enthusiasts and outdoor cooking.

Conclusion

When debating which fuel type to use, we believe that although it can be more technical and time consuming to use a charcoal BBQ, the benefits once you have learnt the art of charcoal grilling, greatly outweigh the negatives that come with them.

The ability to achieve higher temperatures and impart the authentic flavour of a BBQ onto your food is something that even the most expensive of gas grills cant achieve. The cost of charcoal is also a big appealing factor to people on the beginning of their grilling journey and makes it far more accessible to get started.

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