- California Assembly OKs highest minimum wage in nation
- S. Korea unveils first graphic cigarette warnings
- US joins with South Korea, Japan in bid to deter North Korea
- LPGA golfer Chun In-gee finally back in action
- S. Korea won’t be top seed in final World Cup qualification round
- US men’s soccer misses 2nd straight Olympics
- US back on track in qualifying with 4-0 win over Guatemala
- High-intensity workout injuries spawn cottage industry
- CDC expands range of Zika mosquitoes into parts of Northeast
- Who knew? ‘The Walking Dead’ is helping families connect
Charcoal or Gas? Depends on What You’re Grilling
By SAM SIFTON New York Times
Gas or charcoal? It is a question that has bedeviled American consumers and cooks for decades, since the first LazyMan propane grill went on sale in the 1950s and left the Smiths with their briquette-fueled brazier looking jealously over the fence at the Joneses and their new outdoor science stove.
In the abstract, there is no one correct answer. You can have affirmative responses to the use of either fuel. You can stack them as high as summer corn.
For instance: You get great smoky flavor and an unparalleled crust from cooking over or beside coals or wood. That said, on a Wednesday night there is little easier than lighting a gas grill after softball practice and cooking a bunch of brats for the team. There are positives and negatives to each form of fire, depending on what you are cooking, and when and for how long.
“We are way past ‘versus,’” said Adam Perry Lang, a barbecue chef from New York who built his career on food enhanced by the flavors and scent of wood smoke. Mr. Lang said that at home, he often cooked over propane, and that, in some cases, he actually preferred gas to charcoal or wood. “They’ve gotten very good,” he said of gas grills. “You can make some really, really good food with a gas grill.”
A lot of people do, or try to. Roughly 180 million Americans have some kind of grill in the yard, on the patio or sitting out on the deck, according the Hearth, Patio and Barbecue Association, a trade group. Of that number, said Eric Davis, a spokesman for the association, roughly 62 percent have gas grills, and 50 percent own charcoal-fired ones — which suggests that at least 12 percent (or something in the neighborhood of 20 million Americans) might employ both gas and charcoal grills in their pursuit of outdoor cooking joy. Mr. Davis is among them. “My gas one is a little more convenient,” he said. “It all depends on how much time I have.”
So which to buy? Or which to use? Chefs and experts, as well as a few days spent testing both gas grills and charcoal grills with colleagues from The Sweethome, a product recommendation site owned by The New York Times Company, suggest a number of factors to consider before you shop and cook.
Gas grills are, of course, a marvel of expediency, and among the simplest ways to keep heat and smoke out of your kitchen during the summer months. They are ideal, said the chef Josh Cohen, who owns bars and restaurants across north Brooklyn, for cooking fish, for roasting vegetables, for making a fast dinner of sausages and peppers. He suggested brining thin fillets of fish in a solution of salt and sugar for about 10 minutes, then patting them dry and grilling them gently on one side over gas on a hot, clean, lightly oiled grill. “Only about three to five minutes, and you’re good,” he said. There is no need to flip them until you’re putting the fish on a platter to serve.
What gas grills are not good for, Mr. Cohen and others said, is high-heat searing. Even the ones that scored highest in The Sweethome’s testing were ultimately unsuited for cooking a pricey, well-marbled steak, or even a good hamburger, unless you deploy a cast-iron pan or steel plancha on top of the grates to help concentrate the heat and allow the meat to cook in its own fat.
Matt Hinckley, a chef and the proprietor of Hinckley’s Fancy Meats in Orlando, Fla., said he did just that. “Apartments aren’t geared for cast-iron searing,” Mr. Hinckley said. “It sets off the smoke detectors every time. People watch these TV chefs making a cast-iron pan white hot and throwing a steak on it. I can do it outside and get a great sear on my steak, without compromising the air quality of my living conditions.”
For Mr. Hinckley, who said he cooked over propane “probably 70 percent of the time,” a gas grill is simply easier to deal with for daily cooking, especially in the dense humidity of an Orlando summer. “It’s great for low and slow grilling,” he said. “Especially with the fattier cuts, propane requires less maintenance. Those flare-ups over coals can cause problems.”
Mr. Lang is of the same mind. “You put a really well-marbled steak over live fire,” he said, “it can be really volatile.” For meats high in fat, he also recommends a gas-fired grill or the use of a pan or plancha. “Start the meat in the pan,” he said, “render some fat, then kiss the steak onto the fire at the end for a crust. You want browning to occur before you start the caramelization. That’s the best of both worlds.”

As for cooking over charcoal or wood? It is a technique practically as old as humankind. It is not particularly difficult, as any cave man would tell you. But it is more complicated than simply turning a knob on a stove. You have to build and bank and tend a fire. You have to pay close attention to where it is hot and where it is not.
Grilling that way may not be the best use of time on a weeknight, but on weekends — or any time you can get free to concentrate on your cooking — a charcoal grill cannot be beat. (That is not just idle opinion. The Sweethome’s side-by-side testing of both hamburgers and barbecue chicken cooked on gas and charcoal grills delivered a flavor win to charcoal by a wide margin, regardless of the model.)
Good things to grill over charcoal? Steak, in Mr. Hinckley’s opinion, so long as it isn’t too fatty or too slicked in oil. “I’m always going to go toward charcoal for that,” he said. “It’s hard to generate enough heat with a propane grill.” Also: chicken, pork, fruit and anything that will be cooked long enough in the presence of smoke and indirect heat to qualify as barbecue.

For his part, Mr. Lang suggested “choice cuts, less fatty proteins, even skinless chicken” for the charcoal grill, where they can pick up the scent of the smoke beneath them. “You can just lacquer them like in Japanese cooking, with a baste,” he said.
But he cautioned that much the same could be done on a propane grill.
“I love everything about wood and charcoal, but not at the expense of people stepping away from grilling altogether because it’s complicated to light and tend a fire,” Mr. Lang said. Grill on gas if you have to, or if you want to: “There’s no B team anymore,” he said.
Binary option robot review
May 25, 2017 at 11:10 PM
Binary Options Automatic Trading Robots are software products that trade instead of you. With auto trading, analysis becomes unnecessary as the advanced
Cara Mengobati Sipilis
May 28, 2017 at 11:03 PM
Thank you for the information
IQ Option review
May 28, 2017 at 11:57 PM
AppleInsider has provided the most up-to-date, comprehensive coverage of all things Apple direct to your desktop.
Living QA
July 11, 2017 at 3:14 AM
Thank you for sharing the post! Now I know what is the difference between charcoal and gas to food.
bubble am
July 13, 2017 at 7:41 PM
These foods are good for health and also provide energy for the body. Your article is great and I can share more experiences.
Tips Mengobati Sinusitis
August 3, 2017 at 1:31 PM
These foods are good for health and also provide energy for the body.
Green World Slimming Capsule
August 8, 2017 at 4:47 PM
Nice article.
Ace maxs asli
August 8, 2017 at 4:48 PM
Good job.
Obat Mata Glaukoma
August 8, 2017 at 4:48 PM
Hello good morning.
Sering Buang Air Kecil
September 8, 2017 at 10:49 AM
nice post
laravel quiz
October 24, 2017 at 6:18 PM
These dishes are very tasty, easy to make and long preserved in the refrigerator. My husband and I like it.
We eat often. I hope you can introduce more on the page for me to learn.
Obat Ambeien
November 2, 2017 at 6:01 AM
roasting with charcoal and wood looks a little sult but that’s where I feel delicious baking the real Berak Keluar Darah Dan Lendir Aneh
bandar togel
November 2, 2017 at 6:03 AM
Thank you so much for this information. It is just what I needed to know
Bandar Togel Terpercaya
agen togel terperaya
November 2, 2017 at 6:05 AM
Thanks for providing this post! To become a leader in the market
Amazing article thanks for sharing..
Bandar Agen Togel Singapore
togel online
November 2, 2017 at 6:06 AM
Really liked this part of the article, with a nice and interesting topics have helped a lot of people who do not challenge things people should know you need more publicize this so many people who know about it are rare for people to know this, Success for you
Togel online terpercaya
Informasi Obat Herbal
November 7, 2017 at 8:30 PM
Waw. Very Delicious
wings io
November 15, 2017 at 11:58 PM
Your article is detailed, thanks to it I solved the problem I am entangled. I will regularly follow your writers and visit this site daily.
kelly
November 25, 2017 at 12:37 PM
Very nice and always successful.
This is a very good article.
I’m waiting for you the other article.
togel online
Bandar Togel
December 11, 2017 at 7:03 PM
articles that you create are always interesting to watch and this is very useful. always passion and success continue.
poker online
December 14, 2017 at 6:46 AM
interesting articles and this is my first first reading a very interesting article thanks for this article that fits with the theme news.
dewa poker
Bandar togel
December 20, 2017 at 11:03 AM
Hallo Semua nya, Numpang Promo ,Saya Ingin Menawarkan Kepada Anda Ada Promo ( Event ) Yang Bisa Mendapat
Duit Puluhan Juta Rupiah , Silahkan daftar kan sekarang juga
Hanya Dengan Modal Sedikit saja, Anda Sudah bisa pilih angka favorite sampai dapat Jackpot nya.. Atau Tebak Angka, Favorite Anda, Mudah Menang lho…
Silahkan di Buka Link ini ya : poin4d
leticia
December 23, 2017 at 4:24 AM
agen judi poker online terpercaya di indonesia
fira
January 2, 2018 at 1:32 AM
poker online
firakira
January 3, 2018 at 10:43 PM
dewa poker
oisimon
January 4, 2018 at 11:20 PM
dewa poker
agen poker
January 5, 2018 at 3:18 PM
Thank you! I have to thank you for the efforts you’ve put in penning this site.I really hope to check out the same high-grade blog posts by you later on as well. In truth, your creative writing abilities has motivated me to get my own website now !
leticia
January 6, 2018 at 4:28 AM
agen poker online indonesia
winda
January 7, 2018 at 2:42 AM
dewa poker
leticia
January 12, 2018 at 10:14 PM
dewa poker
lia
January 14, 2018 at 2:03 AM
domino qiu qiu
vermark
January 14, 2018 at 6:10 PM
Moments full of sensual elation, relaxation and relaxation – you can all have contact with one of our girls. At http://bambi-london-escorts.com/ you will find lots of impressive and attractive women who are ready to fulfill your deepest desires.
winda
January 15, 2018 at 1:48 AM
badoqq
bandar togel
January 16, 2018 at 2:58 PM
Success is not measured by wealth, success is an achievement that we want Bandar Togel Online Terpercaya
winda
January 16, 2018 at 11:49 PM
http://www.badoqq.com/