Is This A Dead Horse?

[chnlisle]

There's been a ton of discussions about what grill you like to bring with you but I'm interested to know which heat sorce you prefer.....Charcoal or Propane? I've heard all the reasons like you're already bringing propane or charcoal requires taking yet another thing to bring with you or just burn down the wood 'til it becomes charcoal. So make it simple, Charcoal or Propane?

 

[K6ON]

Charcoal

 

[MarkBC]

I'm not going for the simple answer, since a volunteer poll doesn't mean much.
Either way, it's just personal preference -- how an individual values convenience vs grill-goodness -- so there's no real answer.

Having said that:

Propane

 

[chnlisle]

"so there's no real answer. Having said that: Propane"

Apparently there is.

 

[MarkBC]

"so there's no real answer. Having said that: Propane"

Apparently there is.

Well...it's the answer to the question, "Which do you prefer?", but not the answer to the question, "Which is best?"

 

[highz]

I prefer charcoal, but live and travel in areas where fire restrictions are so common that I carry a propane grill. Right now, wood and charcoal fires are under a ban across most of the state, but propane is still permitted.

So, it becomes a question of which do you prefer: propane or nothing at all?

 

[craig333]

I prefer charcoal for cooking but not enough to outweigh its inconvenience. Show me two grills side by side, one charcoal and one propane and I'll toss my steak on the charcoal grill. I carry and use propane.

 

[BobM]

I converted to propane over 40 years ago and haven't looked back. It's less messy and I use wood chips to enhance my flavor depending on the meat I'm cooking. I use woods like, Apple, white oak, red oak, almond, walnut, olive, grape vine, mesquite and sometime combine them. I use my home bbq more than my stove, almost every night. Same goes for camping where I use my Weber Q. At home I have the big Weber Summit which has a dedicated smoker with it's own burner.

I've had many discussions with people that think Charcoal is the only way. Then eventually they come to the dark side and never go back to that fuel soaked black crap. The secret is investing in a good BBQ and not crap like charmglows etc.

P.S. you can buy a hose that fits your camper propane tank and also connects to the smaller bottle fitting on your BBQ. If you have a FWC you already have two tanks or you can get "Y" fitting.

 

[ntsqd]

We carry charcoal for the Dutch Ovens, but bbq on propane.

 

[Espresso]

If it's someone else's BBQ, charcoal. If it's my BBQ, propane. Instant on and no ash. I replaced the metal plate with lava rocks and it works very well.

 

[Riverrunner]

If permitted, I'll cook over an open fire with wood(coals) first. That is my preferred way. I bring a propane grill because you can't always have a fire and it's more convenient. It's the only time I ever use gas to cook. At home I have a Traeger pellet grill after years of using a Weber charcoal bbq and I grill 4 to 5 nights a week. I cook everything on my grill.

 

[LuckyDan]

If permitted, I'll cook over an open fire with wood(coals) first. That is my preferred way. I bring a propane grill because you can't always have a fire and it's more convenient. It's the only time I ever use gas to cook. At home I have a Traeger pellet grill after years of using a Weber charcoal bbq and I grill 4 to 5 nights a week. I cook everything on my grill.


I too am in this camp when wandering. Of course my first dinner choice is typically the hot dog, followed by whatever you can cook on a stick. I'd Traeger cook at home too if my Sunbeam gas grill would just conk out...

 

[Lighthawk]

Propane.

Our style of camping often means cooking after a hike or a drive. I prefer the instant-on of propane, and don't trust the chemicals they put into briquets. I do use wood chips (sometimes from our orchard) at home for flavoring. I should try wood chips with our Webber Q sometime.

 

[imix]

Lump charcoal, never touch the fuel impregnated stuff...

Grilling with propane has always struck me as...odd. Might as well be cooking on a stove. Just one man's opinion.

No charcoal or open fires allowed up in here in the Arizona high country right now. So maybe Propane is better than nothing?

 

[DanT]

CHARCOAL, no lighter fluid, we usually use a piece of paper towel with some cooking oil on it. It creates a wick that burns slow enough to light the coals in less then 15 minutes. The taste is just better. You have to nix the lighter fluid if you want the real deal flavor. I'm actually shocked at the fact that "campers" and "adventure types" which describes Wander Westites pretty well, would opt for propane. Whats the rush, what about the flavor....making the fire always seamed to be part of the fun. If time was an issue use the stove. AM I MISSING SOMETHING. Is there going to be a need for two websites ? WTW propane & WTW charcoal ? Am I supposed to believe that everyone does not think like me, even worse everyone at this website does not think like me ?

 

[chnlisle]

Well since I started this I'll ad my dos pesos.

We've been using the same little Weber Smokey Joe kettle for 28 years. Every time I tell Pam we should get a new one she asks why. Why indeed. If it aint broke.........We use the same "chimney" starter as well. Newspaper, charcoal and a match.

 

[Alley-Kat]

Same thing, Weber Smokey Joe, about the same number of years, and the same starting technique, except I've rusted away the grill multiple times, so, I've probably purchased about 4 replacements, it's wet and foggy at the beach.

 

[takesiteasy]

Well since I started this I'll ad my dos pesos.

We've been using the same little Weber Smokey Joe kettle for 28 years. Every time I tell Pam we should get a new one she asks why. Why indeed. If it aint broke.........We use the same "chimney" starter as well. Newspaper, charcoal and a match.

We cook on a large Weber at home using the chimney starter but I have never carried charcoal and a bbq camping- always seemed like so much gear when I already have a stove and grill pan. But maybe I will try it, hearing all you talk about it. Can't beat the flavor, that's for sure.

 

[DanT]

I'm a big fan of the chimney starter method at home but for the sake of traveling lighter, I leave the chimney home and use the oiled paper towel method. It's not as fast as the chimney but it works well. My wife is a salad freak and we always have olive oil with us. One or two tears of paper towel and about two tablespoons of oil to saturate the paper. I take the wade of oiled paper towel and pyramid the coals around it, strike a match and light the paper and puff, the paper stays lit for at least 5 minutes and the coals are on there way. I use a weber go anywhere grill because of its size (packs well), but I used to have a smokey joe and loved it. Especially for indirect cooking, you can actually roast a whole small chicken in it and when done right it don't get no better, I miss my smokey joe.

 

[ntsqd]

West Marine makes or made a SS chimney that is smaller than the traditional chimney starter. Works OK as delivered, works better after I made a new floor for it and welded on a real handle. My wife uses it to start and maintain the coal brickettes that she uses on her Dutch Ovens.

I use this to start the camp fires:

The secret is to turn it down real low. Full throttle does you no good unless even your tinder is wet, and then it's only good for drying things out - not lighting them.