Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Wes

In article ,
Wes wrote:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if
I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would
the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Wes

Real charcoal is better than briquettes - no coal dust, so no coal
smoke. I don't know that it's any hotter, but it certainly starts nicer.
Or you can cheat the charcoal production process and just build a wood
fire and let it burn down.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, Wes wrote:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Wes


If you made a good quality charcoal it will burn with about the same
temperature.
I'm not sure how "modern" charcoal is made but I suspect by heating in
some sort of oven in a neutral atmosphere, which is essentially what
you did except you probably buried the wood and poked a little hole in
the dirt to let the gasses out.. You might have ended up with a
slightly lower carbon content but it probably won't be enough
different for you to notice it.

John B. Slocomb

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.

--
"Not always right, but never uncertain." --Heinlein
-=-=-

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:17:22 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.


I was the Charcoal BBQ king for decades, until the wife brought home a
new Weber propane grill..and I was devistated. I refused to cook on it!

Then she started bringing me fool she had cooked on it...and I became a
believer that propane was superior to to charcoal.

Never went back to charcoal after that.

Propane Rules!!

Gunner,

"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost

On 2010-03-28, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:17:22 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.


I was the Charcoal BBQ king for decades, until the wife brought home a
new Weber propane grill..and I was devistated. I refused to cook on it!

Then she started bringing me fool she had cooked on it...and I became a
believer that propane was superior to to charcoal.

Never went back to charcoal after that.

Propane Rules!!


And natural gas, of course, is even better.

i

Larry Jaques fired this volley in
:

They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!


Larry, what planet do you get your charcoal from?

Charcoal burns almost completely odorless, except for any deliberate
addition of un-charred wood for flavor.

You weren't really talking about the smell of "lighter fluid", were you?

REAL charcoal grillers would _never_ use a petroleum on their coals.
It's simple as heck to build a quick charcoal fire without it. Under ten
minutes, max, to a full bed of coals. It takes that long to heat up a
"stink box" (propane grill).

I'm partial to natural chunk charcoal, adding "flavor wood" as necessary,
usually in a cast iron smoke box.

Chunk charcoal lights faster, has no heavy residues like those from
briquettes, burns much hotter (and faster, sorry), and generally gives a
more predictable taste. It is easy and fun to make, too.

Larry, if you can't tell the difference between propane-cooked meat and
that cooked on charcoal, you probably should visit an ENT (ORL) and
figure out why your taste buds aren't working right.

LLoyd

Ignoramus8246 fired this volley in
:

And natural gas, of course, is even better.

So, all you guys really LIKE the combustion products of methyl mercaptan
on your food? 'Tastes like rotten onions to me.

C'mon... a gas grill is useful, but not a _true_ connoisseur's form of
cooking. It's primary advantage is that it's quick and easy to start up.
Those purists who cook on charcoal regularly know that it takes no more
time to light up a good bed of charcoal than it does to pre-heat all the
volcanic basalt in a gas grill.

It's ALSO just as much trouble as a charcoal grill to clean up and put
away. Charcoal "self cleans" the grill until it finally burns out. You
have to deliberately fire a gas grill - and watch it (and remember to
shut it off) to clean the grill after cooking.

Now, if you want "difficulty" in cooking, try barbeque (no! a stupid gas
or charcoal "grill" isn't a "barbeque"; it's a grill, no matter what they
call them at Home Despots). When I cook a brisket or Boston butt, it's
24 hours of natural wood fire-tending from start to finish -- not
including the time to start and stoke the fire.

But then, if you can't tell the diff between gas and charcoal cooking,
real barbeque would be wasted on you.

LLoyd

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:17:22 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.
Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?
Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.


I was the Charcoal BBQ king for decades, until the wife brought home a
new Weber propane grill..and I was devistated. I refused to cook on it!

Then she started bringing me fool she had cooked on it...and I became a
believer that propane was superior to to charcoal.

Never went back to charcoal after that.

Propane Rules!!

Gunner,

"First Law of Leftist Debate
The more you present a leftist with factual evidence
that is counter to his preconceived world view and the
more difficult it becomes for him to refute it without
losing face the chance of him calling you a racist, bigot,
homophobe approaches infinity.

This is despite the thread you are in having not mentioned
race or sexual preference in any way that is relevant to
the subject." Grey Ghost

Propane on a grill is OK, if your doing TRUE BBQ with smoke and lower
heat charcoal wins hands down.

I have two different smokers and two gas grills. The grills get used for
things I want to either cook fast or not smoke flavor.
I have cooked just about everything on them, from the standard
dogs/burgers/chicken/steaks up to pizza, nachos, pies and even baked a
couple cakes on them.

BUT if I have something like a pork shoulder or 5, or whole pigs, ribs
and the like they get tossed in the smoker and cooked for 4-5 hours at
least. Then you GENTLY pick up the meat because it wants to fall off the
bones...

HMM,,, I think I'll fire up the grill and do some pork chops and maybe a
couple burgers...

--
Steve W.

Let the Record show that Gunner Asch on or
about Sun, 28 Mar 2010 12:02:40 -0700 did write/type or cause to
appear in rec.crafts.metalworking the following:
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:17:22 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.


I was the Charcoal BBQ king for decades, until the wife brought home a
new Weber propane grill..and I was devistated. I refused to cook on it!

Then she started bringing me fool she had cooked on it...and I became a
believer that propane was superior to to charcoal.

Never went back to charcoal after that.

Propane Rules!!

I do like charcoal broiled. Too bad it takes so long to get
going, and for one person - too much effort. I have a very nice
Propane Grill, light it up, and while I gather the makings, it heats
up - burns the grill clean B-) - et violia.
But I still like the charcoal fire. Maybe I'll make a fire pit
this summer,then I can do more.
-
pyotr filipivich
We will drink no whiskey before its nine.
It's eight fifty eight. Close enough!

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 14:25:59 -0500, the infamous Ignoramus8246
scrawled the following:

On 2010-03-28, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:17:22 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.


I was the Charcoal BBQ king for decades, until the wife brought home a
new Weber propane grill..and I was devistated. I refused to cook on it!

Then she started bringing me fool she had cooked on it...and I became a
believer that propane was superior to to charcoal.

Never went back to charcoal after that.

Propane Rules!!


And natural gas, of course, is even better.

I haven't tried that but don't doubt that it works well. It sure would
beat having to fill my 20lb cylinder once every year. And that
beats the hell out of the 14oz cylinders.

--
"Not always right, but never uncertain." --Heinlein
-=-=-

Wes writes:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.

Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?

Normally, the "natural" briquets burn quite a bit hotter, so I'd assume
home-made charcoal would do the same. I used to use the natural
briquets, but it's been a lont time since I've found them with a
consistent size. A sack full of fines and one large tree limb seems to
be about the norm...
--
As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should
be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours;
and this we should do freely and generously. (Benjamin Franklin)

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com writes:
When I cook a brisket or Boston butt, it's
24 hours of natural wood fire-tending from start to finish -- not
including the time to start and stoke the fire.

I've made several attempts at barbecue, and have never wound up with
anything edible. My hat's off to you.

But then, if you can't tell the diff between gas and charcoal cooking,
real barbeque would be wasted on you.
--
As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should
be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours;
and this we should do freely and generously. (Benjamin Franklin)

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com writes:

REAL charcoal grillers would _never_ use a petroleum on their coals.
It's simple as heck to build a quick charcoal fire without it. Under ten
minutes, max, to a full bed of coals. It takes that long to heat up a
"stink box" (propane grill).

How do you manage 10 minutes? Takes me 45, using the "chimney" style
lighters.

I'm partial to natural chunk charcoal, adding "flavor wood" as necessary,
usually in a cast iron smoke box.

Chunk charcoal lights faster, has no heavy residues like those from
briquettes, burns much hotter (and faster, sorry), and generally gives a
more predictable taste. It is easy and fun to make, too.

Around here, the natural charcoal is so variable I went back to
Kingsford to get predictability.

Larry, if you can't tell the difference between propane-cooked meat and
that cooked on charcoal, you probably should visit an ENT (ORL) and
figure out why your taste buds aren't working right.

LLoyd

--
As we enjoy great advantages from the inventions of others, we should
be glad of an opportunity to serve others by any invention of ours;
and this we should do freely and generously. (Benjamin Franklin)

I don't know about that - but we have been burning propane
for 39 years. We had to get out of college to get away from
the bag method of cooking outdoors.

Brother-in-law had Natl' gas and it seemed to give a taste to the food.
Might be the specific source of gas.

Propane is now multi-fuel but seems to be fine without taste.

We cook 12 months of the year - and have cooked turkeys, cakes
and pies. We, when young lost the oven in the house - fix it
three times and the same unit keeps crapping out. Save, save,
cook everything outside - save - buy top shelf oven for the
little woman - install it - it was nice - cook most outside.

From that time on, she and I cook outside - she does normal,
I do special or complex. I smoke, she doesn't. Got and edge now :-)

Martin

Ignoramus8246 wrote:
On 2010-03-28, Gunner Asch wrote:
On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 10:17:22 -0700, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Sun, 28 Mar 2010 08:12:45 -0500, the infamous Wes
scrawled the following:

Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

I'm trying to figure out why anybody would go to all this trouble for a
gas grill... The grill in my new outdoor kitchen is charcoal, as God
intended.
Nothing tastes as good as using briquettes. I'm curious what would happen if I used some
of the home made charcoal I made a while back with to cook a steak. Would the home made
stuff burn cooler or hotter?
Oh, bull****, guys. I switched over to propane 3 decades ago and
didn't notice one whit of difference--if there isn't a metal pan
between the flame and the grille. Lava rock is wonderful. I do,
however, notice a whole lot of difference in the environment around a
charcoal BBQ. Nobody can breathe downwind of one for several blocks.
I hate charcoal briquettes with a passion. They stink, they're messy
on the way in and on the way out, they take forever to get hot and
cool down, ad nauseum. Just Say No!

BTW, I'm surprised that eco-terrorists (environmentalists) haven't
caused briquette companies to go out of business yet.

I was the Charcoal BBQ king for decades, until the wife brought home a
new Weber propane grill..and I was devistated. I refused to cook on it!

Then she started bringing me fool she had cooked on it...and I became a
believer that propane was superior to to charcoal.

Never went back to charcoal after that.

Propane Rules!!


And natural gas, of course, is even better.

i

In article ,
Joe Pfeiffer wrote:

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com writes:

REAL charcoal grillers would _never_ use a petroleum on their coals.
It's simple as heck to build a quick charcoal fire without it. Under ten
minutes, max, to a full bed of coals. It takes that long to heat up a
"stink box" (propane grill).

How do you manage 10 minutes? Takes me 45, using the "chimney" style
lighters.

I'm partial to natural chunk charcoal, adding "flavor wood" as necessary,
usually in a cast iron smoke box.

Chunk charcoal lights faster, has no heavy residues like those from
briquettes, burns much hotter (and faster, sorry), and generally gives a
more predictable taste. It is easy and fun to make, too.

Around here, the natural charcoal is so variable I went back to
Kingsford to get predictability.

Which, since it's mostly coal dust, etc, means it (predictably) takes 45
minutes to light. I've been able to manage 15-20 with nothing more than
matches, newspaper and/or the charcoal bag while traveling (limited to
tools on hand - not many), with the actual charcoal made from wood.
Where I've been able to find it bagged I've not had the problems of
great variability that some folks are reporting. When last in the Keys
that was not-esoteric-at-all Publix (big Florida/Southeastern grocery
chain), for anyone in their market area.

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

On 2010-03-29, Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com writes:
When I cook a brisket or Boston butt, it's
24 hours of natural wood fire-tending from start to finish -- not
including the time to start and stoke the fire.

I've made several attempts at barbecue, and have never wound up with
anything edible. My hat's off to you.

My grill has a smoking burner and tray, and smoking meat is completely
easy, like 1-2-3. I smoked a lot of beef brisket and chicken. I simply
need to remember to put in wet mesquite chips a few times. Takes 16
hours.

i

Lloyd E. Sponenburgh wrote:
Ignoramus8246 fired this volley in
:

And natural gas, of course, is even better.

So, all you guys really LIKE the combustion products of methyl mercaptan
on your food? 'Tastes like rotten onions to me.

C'mon... a gas grill is useful, but not a _true_ connoisseur's form of
cooking. It's primary advantage is that it's quick and easy to start up.
Those purists who cook on charcoal regularly know that it takes no more
time to light up a good bed of charcoal than it does to pre-heat all the
volcanic basalt in a gas grill.

It's ALSO just as much trouble as a charcoal grill to clean up and put
away. Charcoal "self cleans" the grill until it finally burns out. You
have to deliberately fire a gas grill - and watch it (and remember to
shut it off) to clean the grill after cooking.

Now, if you want "difficulty" in cooking, try barbeque (no! a stupid gas
or charcoal "grill" isn't a "barbeque"; it's a grill, no matter what they
call them at Home Despots). When I cook a brisket or Boston butt, it's
24 hours of natural wood fire-tending from start to finish -- not
including the time to start and stoke the fire.

But then, if you can't tell the diff between gas and charcoal cooking,
real barbeque would be wasted on you.

LLoyd

Yep, real BBQ starts with 4-5 hours cooking a simple roast, then goes up
to 24 or more for full pig or even 36 hours for an in ground feast.


For folks who don't know the secret to starting charcoal - think CHIMNEY...

Toss your charcoal in there a couple hunks of newspaper (see print media
has a use) underneath and light the paper. The smaller chimneys work
good for a Weber kettle sized grill. Bigger ones are available or you
can use multiples of the smaller units.

I made my own out of heavy walled 10" iron pipe. Just used the hand
grinder to slot the bottom and a section of grating welded inside above
the slots for a bottom.


--
Steve W.