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Charcoal or Gas?
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Charcoal, Gas, or Other?
Charcoal
50%
 50%  [ 8 ]
Gas
37%
 37%  [ 6 ]
Other
12%
 12%  [ 2 ]
Total Votes : 16

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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 3:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

DrBiggles wrote:


Not only do I still use charcoal? I still use film in my camera. And if that isn't enough, my knives rust if I don't dry them right after washing. It's my nature.

xo,

Biggles




I USED to feel the same about film. I was a 6 X 7 medium format fanatic who made fun of people who said they were "serious" photographers when they were using 35mm. Then I saw what Nikon and Canon DSLR 12-14 MegaPixel cameras could do. The tonality and lack of grain is better than I have been able to get since Kodak discontinued Panatomic-X. In addition, if I am working with film in the darkroom, and I don't like what I have come up with after five hours in the dark, I have nothing---but if I have 15 minutes, I can work on a portion of a print and save the file on my computer for later to continue my efforts. In digital, there's only one lens involved making the photo (the camera) and the cheapest (well maybe not THE cheapest) inkjet with a 4 or less picoliter printer is better than my incredibly sharp, ridiculously priced Lietz Focotar enlarging lenses because the computer file info controls the image formation. Get a medium to high end photo inkjet ($400-800) and you will never shoot film again. Plus, with a digital camera you can see a preview of the image immediately. The best I could do with film is four hours after shooting when the subject was gone. I only wish I could afford the new 39 Megapixel Hasselblad -- $30K for the camera, plus lenses. I hear it's almost as good as sex!


Times change, technology marches on. I haven't heard too many people saying, "Film and digital aren't any good, we need more Daguerreotypes!" There are several very good 6+ Megapixel DSLR cameras available for $500 plus lenses. DON'T get a point and shoot. You will be very pleasantly surprised. Digital photography has not only arrived, it has beautifully matured.


OK, OK, there is ONE place that film excels, that is the ALMIGHTY TRANSPARENCY. . . . and if you never saw a medium format (or larger) transparency projected, you are missing, or probably missed, the still photography visual experience of a lifetime.
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eltonyo



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 88
Location: WA

PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

For what it's worth... I totally agree with Gary.

As an engineer of the 70's and 80's, born and charged with the energy of analog teachings and mathmatics (Hint: I still think the L-transform is more elegant than the crappy z-transform!).... and I still love the world of voltages over zero's and one's, and while it's hard to trust that little micro-chip that seems to kick arse, and count faster, and count better, and count cooler.... I must confess.... the digital world of indiscrete quanta's is here to stay!

danm them to hell. Or maybe not.

oh yeah...we were talking about gas versus charcoal!

my point is this...... GAS is the future my finely feathered friends!!!!

Got gas? Smile

(sigh... coals will eventually go by way of the dinasaur.... just like my finley crafted analog watch and camera did!!!!)

- eltonyo
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Thor



Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Camp Hill, PA

PostPosted: Tue Feb 20, 2007 10:28 pm    Post subject: Fire!! Reply with quote

We are not talking about electronics, medicine, or space travel. We are talking about grilling. With fire. Fire not new technology. Fire hot. Fire make Thor’s food yummy. Fire been friend long time.

I can remember assembling my parent’s gas grill in the early 80’s. I had too many parts left over and the tank fill gauge never worked. But the everyday gas grills I see lined up in the local home improvement marts do not appear any more advanced than the grill I put together back then. So I don’t see technology blazing a new trail in grills.

Meanwhile, I can cook on a campfire with a stick to prevent my own extinction. Add in a few cinder blocks and a grate, I can cook the same tasty meal as on a grill. I understand the intrigue of efficiency through use of technology. But I prefer efficiency through the art form of simplicity. No red buttons and wimpy linear heat sources for me. Give me charcoal, hardwoods, fire and smoke.
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eltonyo



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 88
Location: WA

PostPosted: Thu Feb 22, 2007 2:06 am    Post subject: Re: Fire!! Reply with quote

Thor wrote:
We are not talking about electronics, medicine, or space travel. We are talking about grilling. With fire. Fire not new technology. Fire hot. Fire make Thor’s food yummy. Fire been friend long time.


Mmmm. Yes. Me agree. Fire good. Fire hot. Me make love by fire, and that swell too. Very good. Yipee even.

Me like Thor.

*Hands Thor a smoking ham hoc from wood fire*

Me not want war with Thor.

But Thor... listen.... me have great dreams. Me see future. Gas natural too. Gas good. Me expell gas daily. Lots of gas atround. Green leaves make gas. Gas good.

Hydro-carbon chemistry.... good thing methinks. At least for while longer.

Me have dreams. Hopes.

Walk with me, Thor. Fly someday.

Trust me.

Gas good. Gas efficient.

Fly like bird....someday.

Charcoal... old school. Not healthy. Not universal. Inefficient.

Expensive.

Try gas. Solar reflector even better.... good caramelization! Burn weeney swell and yummy. (Malliard Reaction).

Science good. Technology good.

Go with flow.

Nuf said.

Smile
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Guest






PostPosted: Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

this is roofermike. I can't cook an egg but I can make a mean steak on a grill. Nothing beats the flavor of the charcoal grill, but like many others I find myself at the propane grill more often now. You want some really smoked food though? I got a rack to put over the fire pit in my back yard and it has tons of smoked flavor. Salmon is particularly great on it.
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eltonyo



Joined: 02 Nov 2005
Posts: 88
Location: WA

PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 4:12 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

That one must use "charcoal" to smoke something is a myth that is old as:

1) Republicans are fiscal conservatives.

and

2) Meat can be "caramelized".

All are false.

Smoking requires simple BTU's, and a gas powered unit can deliver these BTU's in much more consistent matter... and cheaper.

Just build a stainless steel box, with vents, that you place wet wood chips into, and place it over the direct heat. Build different sizes to straddle, and/or cover the heat, depending on the amount of smoke you want.

Or better yet, use a separate gas powered hibachi to produce the smoke as above, and funnel the smoke into the lower end of your gas grill with some flexible, fire-proof, hosing.

Use your frontal lobes ya big apes!. Create. Cook. Be efficient.

Cooking is the only thing us humans have over the animal kingdom.

Cook till you die, and do it well! (Smoking notwithstanding)
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Thor



Joined: 24 Jul 2006
Posts: 112
Location: Camp Hill, PA

PostPosted: Wed Feb 28, 2007 4:24 pm    Post subject: Smokin Reply with quote

Quote:
Just build a stainless steel box, with vents, that you place wet wood chips into, and place it over the direct heat. Build different sizes to straddle, and/or cover the heat, depending on the amount of smoke you want.

Or better yet, use a separate gas powered hibachi to produce the smoke as above, and funnel the smoke into the lower end of your gas grill with some flexible, fire-proof, hosing.


All pain in butt, and totally unnecessary. Use hardwood charcoal and/or hardwood in your grill and all you have to do to smoke yourself some pork butt is put on the lid.

Plus, my friend eltonyo missed the best part of roofermike's post: Roofermike has a FIRE PIT in his backyard!! I'm guessing it is not fueled by gas.
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Guest






PostPosted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 8:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I prefer charcoal. It cooks food a whole lot better. I don't own gas grill
but all my co-workers do. Laughing Out Loud Is a gas grill a LOSER? Big smile
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GaryProtein



Joined: 26 Oct 2005
Posts: 535

PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 1:45 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Charcoal has one advantage over gas: Once the coals have gotten to glowing, most of the heat is radiated as IR, rather than heated air. This makes the cooking temperature very hot for a good sear and somewhat less drying than a plain burning (gas) fire. Infra-red gas grill burners have captured this characteristic. Let's hear it for technology! For slow BBQing, a gas grill on low heat with a smoker box will do pretty much the same as charcoal because you are not using a hot fire that would cause fat to drip and vaporize on the coals like you do when grilling a steak on charcoal or an IR burner, or ceramic rocks on a gas burner.
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George Chow



Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 13
Location: San Francisco

PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2007 3:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

GaryProtein wrote:
Charcoal has one advantage over gas: Once the coals have gotten to glowing, most of the heat is radiated as IR, rather than heated air. This makes the cooking temperature very hot for a good sear and somewhat less drying than a plain burning (gas) fire. Infra-red gas grill burners have captured this characteristic. Let's hear it for technology! For slow BBQing, a gas grill on low heat with a smoker box will do pretty much the same as charcoal because you are not using a hot fire that would cause fat to drip and vaporize on the coals like you do when grilling a steak on charcoal or an IR burner, or ceramic rocks on a gas burner.


infrared burners are getting popular - just go to costco and home depot to see gas grills that have the searing burners installed. i have used my homebuilt infrared pizza oven for barbecue and it is great! juicy (due to the intense infrared heat). i also use it to sear scallops (juicy and not rubbery) and fish like black cod (sable fish). the drawback for stand alone infrared burners is that you can use it only for relatively thin slices (probably for steaks from 1/4 to half inch depending on the doneness desired), unless you like the meat bloody inside. for thicker cuts, you might need a regular burner on the side to finish cooking. infrared burner is ideal for korean bulgogi, when the cut is very thin and requires intense heat to keep it from drying out. if you use regular gas barbecue, your meat will be dried out before it is cooked. cooking bulgogi using infrared red is almost identical to a good charcoal fire.
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Magnum



Joined: 07 Apr 2008
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have always been a charcoal fan. Both high heat and smoking.
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DrBiggles



Joined: 12 May 2005
Posts: 356
Location: Richmond, CA

PostPosted: Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:33 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

eltonyo wrote:
That one must use "charcoal" to smoke something is a myth that is old as:

1) Republicans are fiscal conservatives.

and

2) Meat can be "caramelized".

All are false.

Smoking requires simple BTU's, and a gas powered unit can deliver these BTU's in much more consistent matter... and cheaper.

Just build a stainless steel box, with vents, that you place wet wood chips into, and place it over the direct heat. Build different sizes to straddle, and/or cover the heat, depending on the amount of smoke you want.

Or better yet, use a separate gas powered hibachi to produce the smoke as above, and funnel the smoke into the lower end of your gas grill with some flexible, fire-proof, hosing.

Use your frontal lobes ya big apes!. Create. Cook. Be efficient.

Cooking is the only thing us humans have over the animal kingdom.

Cook till you die, and do it well! (Smoking notwithstanding)


I did nearly that about a year and a half ago. I took a large cold-smoker, will do about 80 pounds of meat. It was old and the natural gas lines were long since gone. Installed a 2-burner electric hotplate on the bottom to regulate heat. Installed my smoke generator on the left side at the bottom. Once the temp got up to 200 at meat level I started the smoke generator and filled the beast with applewood smoke. Installed 4 racks of babyback ribs, or loin ribs and smoked them for however long. I used BTU's and a smoke generator.

I did this 3 times over a few months. They were outstanding, juicy and delectable. But totally lacked any dimension in smoke related flavor due to the fact that a piece of burning wood cannot be duplicated buy turning a knob and lighting a gas flame. This is no myth, this is a Truth.

That being said, that's for hot-smoking. For cold-smoking, from 90 to 110 degrees F, btu's are generally all you need.

Biggles
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laki881



Joined: 12 Apr 2012
Posts: 3

PostPosted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 9:36 pm    Post subject: Charcoal or Gas? Reply with quote

I definitely prefer charcoal!
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circar consulting



Joined: 30 Jan 2013
Posts: 1

PostPosted: Wed Jan 30, 2013 11:17 am    Post subject: Gas is better than Charcoal Reply with quote

I am a Ruby On rails Developer and I think using Gas is far more better than Charcoal because it will reduce Pollution.
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Dude111



Joined: 23 Sep 2010
Posts: 142

PostPosted: Fri Oct 10, 2014 10:43 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Michael Chu wrote:
My general preference (from a purely culinary perspective) is charcoal

Ya I think Charcoal can give a more natural/BETTER FLAVOUR.....
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