Motivation, part 1

DO IT

Charcoal Vs. Propane.  Debating religion and politics.  

This post has two purposes:  to clear up why I feel so strongly about grilling with charcoal as opposed to propane or other quick-and-easy methods, and to tell my friends at The-Show.net that if you have a difference of opinion with me, that’s fine, but there’s no need to say things like “charcoal is for dinosaurs” and “charcoal is overrated.”  There’s also no need to assume that I have never cooked on anything else but charcoal so I have no idea what can be accomplished with other grilling methods.  I’m not a dinosaur.  I’m also not the only person in the world who prefers charcoal.  There must be a reason why people do, so I’m certain it’s not overrated.  I’ve cooked with gas before; when I had no idea what I was doing with food, and later on in life when I actually did.  I preferred to put meat over a fire, and get some quick results.  Now, I’m in my mid-thirties, and I choose to grill differently. 

Cooking with either charcoal or other methods is a matter of personal preference.  Period.  That’s all.  No matter how good your argument is you won’t be able to change someone’s mind either way.  I get that.  With that being said, here’s several reasons why I sway to cooking over a real fire that is burning using a natural method instead of using a using a by-product of natural gas and petroleum refining, or some other technology-fueled option such as infrared or convection. 

Coals don’t last.  Nope.  They don’t.  Do you know of anything that lasts forever?  Give me a fucking break.  I can usually get all the cooking I need to get done with one round of coals.  If I’m cooking all day or for several meals throughout a day, I have to add more coals.  It’s just the way it is.  If you come over to my house two hours after I lit the grill expecting it to be 350 degrees so you can toss some more food on it…don’t bet on it unless you ask me specifically to keep it stoked for you.  It’s not hard to keep a fire going in a charcoal grill if you keep adding to the burning coals.  It’s much harder to start a new fire after one has gone out.  Do you have an extra can of propane laying around in case yours goes empty?  You better… most people don’t.  They just exchange their empty for a full one at the hardware store.  I always keep extra charcoal in the garage. 

Charcoal cooks unevenly.  Hey, asshat, so does propane.  All grills have hot and cool spots, and all of them are different.  I used to cook with propane and I always had a hard time with steaks because one half of the steak would burn and the other half would be nearly uncooked.  You can alleviate this with charcoal by arranging the coals differently. 

I prefer to make cooking an experience.  I don’t like cooking quick meals. This is really what it all comes down to in my opinion.  If you want to be able to throw something on the grill and eat it within 10 minutes, or turn on and off your heat options instantly, you don’t want a charcoal grill.  If you are looking for speed and convenience, and you don’t want to put much effort into your meal, I suggest propane.

Heat Control.  Lots of people say you can’t control the heat very well with charcoal.  Oh contrare, ye of little faith.  Just because you can’t arrange the flame height by turning a knob doesn’t make this true.  Many store-bought grills don’t allow much control, but certain ones (like mine) allow you to control the amount of oxygen to the coals as well as vent the internal heat…as well as control how close the coals are to the food.  You can even choose the amount of coals to light, the orientation of the coals in the grill, and which zone of the grill you want to use direct and indirect heat on.  But that takes effort right?  A charcoal grill like that must cost a fortune, huh?  Horse-hockey.  I paid $180 for mine.  If you can get the same results I get with a $500 propane/infrared grill, be my guest.  I won’t lose any sleep over your decision.

Speed.  People say that charcoal takes too long to get going.  While this may be true in lieu of a propane grill starting immediately…I will say that the amount of time to get the grill going allows for some amazing prep time for a grilled meal.  20-30 minutes give me time to marinate, season, and time to cut veggies and such. Most meals I plan to grill involve quite a bit of that.  While the grill is heating up, I’m prepping the meal. 

There’s also things called charcoal chimneys which allow the coals to light much faster because the coals are forced to be in close proximity due to the shape of the chimney.  For every complaint, there’s an answer.  There are even grills with propane start features to light the coals with a constant flame to get them going even faster. 

“You can only taste the heat, not the meat.”  Bullshit.  Sometimes hardcore propane advocates say pedantic shit like this to suggest that they taste more of their meat’s flavor since the smoky charcoal flavor isn’t present. This kinda makes sense at first because one can indeed simply taste the meat - nothing else. I’d rather taste the meat with a nice hint of smoke from a real wood fire that took me time to create myself.  Like I said…I want an experience.  Amazing how with charcoal I have put a steak on my grill with nothing but salt, pepper, and olive oil; and the steak turns out amazing because of that charcoal-smoked flavor.  Others may feel differently…but there’s no denying charcoal-cooked food tastes better; marinades, seasonings, and other helping hands notwithstanding.  

Charcoal is messy. Yes, charcoal is dirty and the maintenance of the grill is sometimes tedious.  To me, it’s worth it.  Charcoal on your hands?  Wash your fucking hands.  Ashes in the ash pan?  Clean it.  Stop being such a pussy.  What happens with a gas grill when all the grease gets in the burner?  You have to clean it…or buy a new one. 

Real men play with fire.  There is something special about cooking my friends and family a meal on a fire that I have built. I like to hike and camp and do outdoorsy things.  I can build a fire with basic materials.  Wood, spark, and tinder if necessary.  Grilling with charcoal is very similar to this.  Just another reason to appreciate the experience.  

Smoking.  It’s very easy to turn a charcoal grill into a smoker, which adds many more options to what kind of meal you can grill up.  

Cook outdoors, use an outdoor method.  Cooking with charcoal helps you create something you can’t cook indoors in the same fashion.  A gas grill kinda reminds me of a gas oven.  Gas ovens have a gas burning flame that is used as the heat source… no flavor is imparted from the flame.  Same goes with a gas grill.  With a charcoal grill you actually have something that can’t be reproduced inside your home.  There is actual wood being burned to cook your food.

People, I’m not here to change the world or start a revolution.  There’s valid points to any method one uses to cook or grill, and whatever you choose is ok with me despite my preference to use charcoal and the reasons why I do.  

I will say this…if you feel strongly enough to call charcoal grilling “for dinosaurs” or “overrated” then when you come to my house, you can feel free to eat some Triscuits, frozen pizza out of the oven, or even my ass (I’ll provide a spoon.)  Or just don’t come over with an appetite.  I have no intention of feeding you the food I took time to prepare when you think so negatively of how I choose to grill food. 

But hey…I bet I can replicate the gas-grill experience for you…I have a brazing torch in the garage.  It’s on the shelf above the charcoal bags.