Gas or Charcoal Barbecues, Which Should You Choose?

If there is one question that is asked more often than any other when choosing a grill, it's whether you should go with gas or charcoal. When it comes down to it, it is really going to be a personal preference but there are some reasons why you may want to choose one over the other. Although I'm not necessarily going to try to sway you in either direction, I will give you the facts that will help you to make up your own mind.

Likely one of the more important aspects to consider when making the decision between gas or charcoal is convenience. If you are the kind of person that likes to have an unplanned bar-b-q, it may be a little bit inconvenient to barbecue with charcoal. There is nothing quite like stepping outside, pushing a button and grilling within just a few minutes.

As far as the taste of the food is concerned, there may be some misconceptions in the fact that charcoal adds something distinctive to the meal. In a blind taste test, people were not able to know the difference between a hamburger that was cooked over charcoal and one that was cooked on a gas grill. Interestingly enough, they could tell a difference with steak but then again, a steak tends to stay on the grill longer.

When comparing price, you're not actually comparing apples to apples. A gas grill is going to be more expensive at the store, but the price per use is far lower with gas than it is with charcoal. It may end up being a wash, but it depends on whether you want to put the money out initially or over the course of time.