My vote goes to charcoal...

http://community.webshots.com/album/549778057JZaiTs



Tom

 

You are crazy man your crazy!! In light of this comming summer and this thread I went out today and bought myself a new smokey joe.

 

I miss the days of high school... we use to do all sorts of crazy stuff.

Enjoy that Smokey Joe... I love bbq and grilling... Mmmm I can't wait.

Tom

 

Tom, your pictures are much more exciting than mine, but I'll post them anyway

Anyone who has not tried a real hardwood lump should give it a try. There may be others that burn longer than Royal Oak, but it is easy to find. A word of warning, it burns hot. So hot that you need to stand back away from it a bit farther and gather your cooked items quickly, and don't try to reach across to get anything This is a charcoal for fast cooks or searing. I have found it somewhat difficult to hold heat with it for slower cooking on a Weber. I hope to buy a Big Green Egg or something similar for that kind of cooking though. But for fast-cook steaks, pork chops, even small tenderloins, it's tough to beat.


Royal Oak Lump ready to go

Royal Oak Lump sparking out

 

Boy a tough question. My wife complains I have too many BBQ's. What does she know, some are grills, some are smokers, some are roasters, some are portable and some really are BBQs.

Anyway, For long roasting or no muss no fuss cooking, I use propane.

For good steaks and burgers I use lump mesquite(sometimes too strong) or oak charcoal. Second choice is briquettes.

For moist long term smoke cooking I use my electric water smoker and wood sticks from my fruit trees. Or I make a foil pack of smoking chips.

For dry smoking I use my Big Chief electric smoker with various wood shavings in the pan.

Those are my main ways of cooking but I also have grills for travel and camping.

I have a nice mini barrell stainless grill that can roast small stuff in a pinch. My weber Gas portable grill is Ok for steaks, chicken pieces and dogs etc, not so good for roasting. Coleman makes an interesting portable propane grill that has a water tray to prevent sticking etc. It works OK for steaks and dogs etc. Not sure I like anything with teflon coating since they usually wear out pretty fast for grill service. And I have a Lodge cast iron grill that works well with charcoal but is good only for grilling since there is no cover. I don't like to use the Lodge much since I hate to get it all rusty. I haven't tired my new Meco electric grill yet for roasting although it is supposed to work for that. This is potentially a promising electric grill with temperature control and variable rack positions and rotisserie etc.

If I could only use one fuel it would be hardwood charcoal. Second choice would be good briquettes. For convenience propane is good. Electric is Ok for simple table top grilling.

Just my opinions,

Jim Henderson

 

Natural gas, nothing beats it for convenience. I was even grilling on the porch with six feet of snow on the ground. Charcoal does not light reliably without a ton of lighter fluid here at 6300 feet.

Jim

 

does matchlight light for you?

 

Weber kettle grill. Kingsford charcoal, no lighter fluid, use a smokestack starter and newspaper.

I can't stand the smell or flavor of lighter fluid. Lump charcoal is good but it does not last long

enough for larger cuts of meat.

 

I'm with chefbob. Weber grille is the only way to go; I use a smokestack lighter, too. I've always used charcoal or wood, or a combination. Thanksgiving turkey, crown roast of pork, leg of lamb- everything goes on the ol' Weber. I always put a drip pan under the larger cuts of meat, then I bring the drippings in to make gravy- yumm! I have a Brinkman smoker, too, but the only thing I really like it for is smoking my home made sausage. Ribs keep coming out too dry- even with plenty of water in it. So I bake my ribs in a slow oven for a few hours, then 'finish' them on the Weber w/ lots of smoke. Everyone seems to like them better that way.

 

There is nothing better than a Prime Rib done on the Weber.

 

Speaking of Weber, just tried out my new smoky joe today. Now with a full belly I couldnt be happier.

 

I use charcoal with woodchips.

 

Lump charcoal mixed with seasoned hardwood, or 100% hardwood will give the best results. It is more messing around with cleaning out ash, but the flavor can't be beat. If you are using a gas grill, you might as well cook it inside on the stove!

 

Quote:
Not unless you feel like brutally killing any remnant of flavor that may have existed. Charcoal with hickory chips in it makes for a nice piece of red meat

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You must have awful tasting meat down there then.

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Up here in Alberta we don't try and change the taste of the meat and that's why most of us have LP or N.Gas grilles to cook with.....Nothing better than a piece of Prime or Canada AAA beef raised in Alberta.

http://www.growingalberta.com/featur...ault.asp?id=93