Most people have their own preferences when it comes to cooking some folks like to use a gas oven, some an electric oven, some people even like to cook everything in the microwave.

This strong desire towards a preferred cooking style extends from the kitchen to the garden in the summer when it comes to cooking on the barbecue. The two main types of barbecue are the classic charcoal BBQ and the new kid on the block the gas BBQ. The barbecuing community is split between traditionalists who believe it is worth the effort to start and maintain a charcoal burner for the traditional taste and experience and those who believe that it is not worth the hassle and go for the equally effective but quicker gas burner.

Timing is Everything

First things first, fire! We are all aware this is one of the chief draws for men and the barbecue, igniting the coals and watching them gently come up to temperature. Tending the coals all day whilst having a drink and building the anticipation is part of the fun of having a barbecue. However, there are issues with this type of heat! It can take a long time for the charcoal to hit their optimum temperature and then there is the concern that you will not get the food on the barbecue in time and it will not cook in the time left in the coals and that you will have to begin the process over again. Although this takes some skill once mastered it can become part of the joy of the barbecuing process, the next step is learning when to add the meat so that it cooks just right.

This is a main reason why so many people prefer the gas burner is that it heats up very quickly after only 10 minutes whereas the traditional model takes around 40 minutes. This means that you can light the barbecue just before you plan to cook and therefore do not have to concern yourself about it burning away in the garden especially if there are young kids running about.

In Control of the Fire

It goes without saying that the cooking heat cannot be simply adjusted once lit, this is not the case with a gas BBQ which is one of the reasons that many people prefer to cook on these because you can get an even temperature and ensure that all the meat is cooked through. This is a problem that can put people off cooking on a charcoal BBQ because they are worried about meats such as pork and chicken not being fully cooked.

This can be done with a traditional barbecue it just requires more a little more care and a good understanding of the barbecuing process.

Taste Time

One of the key arguments for the charcoal BBQ is the flavour, because the food is cooked over the direct heat of the coals all of the flavour from the smoke is taken in and comes out in the taste. To enhance the smoky flavour wood chips can be introduced that will smoke and infuse the food that is being cooked, you can purchase wood chips that add to the flavour of a gas BBQ so you can have the best of both worlds.

However, a certain amount of the taste comes from the fat from the meat hitting the heat and smoking, something that is achieved with a gas BBQ as well because of the meat fat hitting the grill. Some people believe that the food tastes better when grilled over gas because it remains untarnished by ash and tar from the coals.

No Scrubbing Required

Gas barbecues are effortless to clean because they employ the incredibly popular heat cleaning process where the heat from the barbecue can be used after you have stopped cooking to remove the fat from the grill and it can then be scraped off the heat plates. Whereas with a charcoal barbecue you would have to dismantle the grill and tip out the ash and then scrape the meat fat from the grill. This is of course time consuming and not the best job so it is a key reason why so many people are preferring a gas barbecue over a charcoal one.

Final Thoughts

Charcoal BBQ’s are incredibly popular because they are cheap to buy and with some people only using them a couple of times over the summer it does not make financial sense to invest a lot of money on a barbecue. However, if you do invest, a gas barbecue can be very cost effective in the long term..

Safety is an issue for some people who do not feel comfortable using gas canisters and don’t like the idea of having a pressurized canister in their garden/shed. Although the chances of there being any genuine problems with a gas canister are minimal, it is an understandable concern and is a reason why so many people feel more comfortable with the traditional charcoal BBQ.

So, as you can see there are pros and cons to both charcoal BBQs and Gas BBQs and no doubt the debate will rumble on with both sides vehemently arguing the benefits of their preferred method of barbecuing.