If you have a backyard, then take advantage of it this summer by holding a barbecue for family and friends. If you don’t have a grill yet, you’ll want to figure out whether you should buy propane or a charcoal grill.
Charcoal Grills
There’s a certain flavour that your food will have when it’s cooked on a charcoal grill. In fact, many people use charcoal grills specifically to attain this flavor. The main advantage that charcoal has over a propane grill is that they get much hotter. This makes cooking things like steak and lamb much easier, so that they are crispy on the outside and red or pink on the inside.
There are, unfortunately, a few drawbacks to using charcoal grills. It can be a bit challenging to actually light a charcoal grill and takes longer to prepare. Expect to take at least 15 minutes to get it up to temperature. It’s also difficult to determine what temperature you’re cooking at. Keep in mind you cannot quickly lower it if it gets too high.
One of the other disadvantages of a charcoal grill is that it requires a lot of cleaning after each use. This doesn’t affect the performance of the grill, but it does pose some inconvenience
Propane Grills
Gas grills actually tend to be more popular than charcoal grills. Although traditionalists swear by their charcoal grills due to the flavor it provides.
Propane grills tend to be more popular due to the their convenience and tight control. This makes them easy for non-experts to use. Although it takes around ten minutes to heat up, it’s much easier to reach an exact temperature. It is also easier to maintain that temperature as you cook. The argument is that propane grills provide you with more control over how you cook your food.
Although propane grills are easier to clean, carbon and grease will build up. This of course means that they need to be scraped off or pressure washed every couple of months.
One of the biggest drawbacks of using a propane grill depends on how you like your meat cooked. If you like your steak crispy on the outside and bloody on the inside, you’ll need a really high-end propane grill. Regular propane grills can’t reach the temperatures needed to achieve this.
Deciding between a charcoal grill and a propane grill depends a lot on your particular needs. If you want convenience and control and don’t plan on using it that often, a propane grill should do. If want to become a barbecue master and don’t mind putting in a little extra effort, go with the charcoal grill.
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