I used to be a gas guy, but I bought a Kamado style grill a few years ago, and I’ll never ever go back. Best grill ever.
Smoke a brisket at 225 for 13 hours? Easy peasy. NY strips at 675? So good I can’t order a steak at a restaurant not named Ruth’s Chris anymore.
I can’t recommend this kind of grill enough.
I will have to check it out. The thing with me is I need something I can fire up quickly and have control of the temperature for however long I need. I grill 5+ times a week and when I lived close to my job I would actually grill my lunch. I’ve spent many mornings on my deck at 6am grilling up stuff for the family to eat while I was at work. My experience with charcoal simply doesn’t lend itself to the amount of grilling I do. My weapon of choice is a Weber Q. Its small so it heats up quickly and consistently. No more hot and cold spots.
Gas. Ugh it’s almost time to stop grilling. Haha still do it in snow.
hardwood pellets
Looked it up - looks pretty cool
charcoal… it doesn’t take long if have a gas side burner and a charcoal chimney.
I have an older model of this… can grill on the sidefire box ir use as a smoker. I haven’t used the gas side in probably 10 years.
but… if ya need to smoke mulitiple pork butts, briskets… or 9+ racks of ribs… plus have room for a pan of smojed beans and brats… the Lonestar Grillz insulated cabinet is the beast for the job. 
My grill uses both. Can’t beat the flavor of good charcoal. Charcoal’s my number one. I use the gas when I’m in a hurry, which isn’t often, or when cooking simple stuff like hotdogs (Koegels Viennas ONLY) or maybe some salmon wrapped in aluminum. Sometimes I’ll use both. I’ll burn charcoal on one side and put whatever I’m cooking on the other side over a low gas heat. Like a smoker.
I’m not nearly the grill master as some of you but I have a charcoal grill currently and can really only grill on the weekends.
I love the taste better from charcoal but it’s not practical for regular use. I have already decided I’m getting a gas grill.
One of the nice things about the Kamado style is that it really sips the charcoal. When you’re done grilling, close the vents. The fire smothers, and your preserve a ton of fuel.
The chimney that @Phunnypharm suggested does really speed things up, but I only use that if I’m doing something fairly big. Otherwise, I use a paraffin lighter in the middle of the charcoal (usually what’s remaining from my last grilling), go in and prep my food, and it’s ready by the time I’m good to go. Because the grill is insulated, it keeps the heat inside, so it takes less fuel to get to temp.
From an engineering standpoint, I actually think there are a lot of advantages to the lower-end grills in this class vs. the really expensive high-end stuff (Big Green Egg). I have an Akorn. Instead of a bunch of heavy ceramic, it has maybe 16 gauge steel skin with insulation. It also has an easy way to remove ash (versus having to scoop it out), and it is super affordable. I paid maybe $200 for it when you can pay $1500 for a Big Green Egg.
A cool feature is that, because it’s insulated, you can actually put your hand on the grill body when you’re cooking. That’s a nice safety feature if you have little ones running around.
I use lump charcoal. I prefer it to gas.
i bought an egg style charcoal grill and it is really awesome. The temperature gets really super hot which I like for grilling, but you do have to watch it so that it doesn’t get too hot and mess around with the vents. I also like the taste from charcoal better.
I’ve used gas in the past. Its easier, but honestly not that much easier. After some experimenting how to best get my charcoal grill started, my preferred method is just to pile up the charcoal lumps and light it with a small handheld propane tank with a MAP ignitor as a nozzle that works when the tank is upside down. Works like a charm. It also works well as a smoker (I don’t have a smoker). I would say the biggest pain about my grill is the cast iron grates. You have to season them and make sure they don’t rust. Which takes some time at firs as you need to re-apply oil on the grates. And charcoal is definitely more messy. The other thing is you have to leave yourself 20 minutes to let it get nice and hot. Whereas gas heats up quicker it seems. Still, I much prefer using the charcoal once I got my system down.
P2, I had that same tri-grille, too. Gave it to the local ReStore after a year. Between the enormity of it on my deck and the inefficiency of the side burner, it was not something I could deal with any longer.
I have retired my gas grille, weber charcoal and gas cabinet smoker. They have all been replaced by my Grilla Silverback. Just reloaded on Pecan pellets last week (150 lbs). I love cooking on this grill/smoker and have been complimented with “best __________ ever” a few times. I love having fine enough control of the temp that I can turn a steak according to a little egg timer.
I’ve always preferred the lump charcoal, too.
I also agree that gas is easier, quicker and little or no clean up, BUT charcoal is where the flavor is. If it’s a good cut of meat like a porterhouse, ribs, or so, it’s charcoal. Dogs and the like might get propane. I bought a new Char Broil grill this summer. It’s called a ‘Gas2Coal’. Like I said-it uses both. About the only thing I don’t like about it is the charcoal tray sits above the propane burners, but the grates are just too close. Only about an inch above the charcoal. I’m looking at some type of spacer to raise the grilling surface a couple/few more inches above the charcoal. As it is now the charcoal can only be arraigned in one flat ‘layer’ side by side all in neat rows. I guess I’m used to making a pile, lighting it and spreading it out once it’s burning good. I also grill year round. Yep, I live in Michigan, that’s how we do it.
That’s the going recommendation, but I find I get better results with regular charcoal. The lump stuff gets so damned hot, and I have trouble controlling it. Guys who know way more than I do swear by it, I’m just more comfortable with regular ol’ Kingsford (or even an off brand).
Gotta respect both. When I’m on vacation (and I have time to make things taste their best), I go charcoal whenever possible. As the foundation of quick, delicious meals throughout the spring, summer and fall though, you can’t beat the speed and convenience of just cranking up a gas grill and eating 20 minutes later.
I am lame and currently have only a gas grill at my house. But next spring I’m going to get myself a basic Weber kettle for weekend cooking.
I will not be getting a smoker. I totally appreciate them, but I view it the same way I view home-brewing beer: Love the concept, love the process, nothing better than hanging out for the afternoon drinking while somebody else is doing it. But when it comes to the end result, I’d much rather eat or drink the product of somebody who really knows what they’re doing than whatever mediocre stuff I come up with myself.
Gas. But I’ve really been into using an electric smoker lately—but only for the larger cuts of meet like brisket and butt.
No grill master myself. But what you are saying is true, I do have to be careful. I find the trick is to turn the dampers way down well before the temp you want is reached both at the bottom and the top. I assume Kamado equals egg style i.e. different ways of saying the same thing. This also means I can’t leave the lid open for long stretches. Once the temp gets above where you want it, its hard to cool down. A lot of times I just cook with both vents barely cracked open once its up to temp.
And I’m with you on the steak. My favorite steak is Porterhouse or NY strip/Filet parts of the steak and I find my own grill is better than or as good as any place I go out to.
Again, no expert. But one of the little things I found out from trial and error is that the best tasting steaks (or chicken) are the ones I grill where it as soon as the raw meat hits the grill I hear that sizzle. If I don’t hear that sizzle sound of it hitting the grate, the grill isn’t hot enough.
I use the Webber Kettle. Great for direct grilling and not bad as a smoker. I can close it down when I am done to save on fuel. I use the charcoal started pictured above with newspaper to start to charcoal. It takes 15 to 20 minutes. I smoke a pork butt around once a month and freeze the left over. The re-heated pulled pork is still great.
I’m linking this just to show the cooking method.
Pellet Grill with Grill Grates.
Notice the grates get to 600+ when the grill is set to 485.
I have my Grilla set up exactly like he does (full width)
For the rub, all I do is set them out with a bit of kosher salt sprinkled on them. After an hour or so, I hit them with low sodium Montreal Steak seasoning (low sodium because I pre-salt).
4 minutes for medium, 5 for well-done.
Pellet grill all the way.
Get a RecTec. It will change your life.
Charcoal.
