Posts Tagged ‘BBQ tips’
Charcoal or Gas: The Endless BBQ Debate
December 24th, 2009 | 
Author: Charcoal or gas: which is the best choice in a BBQ? People have been arguing this point for many years. There are pluses and minuses to each, but many people have a strong loyalty to whichever type they prefer. But if you’re new to barbeque cooking and you don’t know where to start, here’s a look at the advantages and disadvantages of each.
Gas
* Fast. It only takes 10 minutes or so before you can start cooking.
* The heat is controllable. It gives you the flexibility of pacing the cooking. Sometimes you need to cook something over low heat for an extended period, and other times it needs to be at a higher temperature for less time. Gas can help you easily manage these requirements.
* Flexible. The side burner can be used for cooking veggies, and the rotisserie is useful for slow roasting of large cuts of meats.
* Taste. Some people don’t like the flavor of food prepared on a gas grill. Plus, you won’t get the aromatic flavor of wood smoke that you will with a charcoal flame.
* Easy cleaning. You don’t have to sweep away ashes. Drip trays will take care of most of the mess, and turning the heat up for 10 minutes or so will burn off the rest so it can be easily scraped off.
* Cost effective. You can get eight hours of grilling out of a single propane tank.
* Your upfront costs might be higher, but there are a lot of different price points to fit most budgets.
* It may prove to be more cost effective in the long run especially if taken good care of, but this depends on the changing prices of gas.
Charcoal
* The flavor and aroma of wood smoking can’t be matched.
* Initial cost is low, but it may not be efficient in the long run.
* They’re slow, both to get started and throughout the cooking. From the time the briquettes are lit and have burned down enough to start cooking, 40 minutes have probably gone by. This won’t work for the times when you have a sudden desire to barbeque.
* Timing is critical. There’s no way to regulate the heat, so it’s important that you watch your food carefully while it’s cooking.
* If you barbeque a lot, the expense of charcoal briquettes can really add up.
* Cleaning out ashes is a tedious job. The grate is hard to clean, and it takes a long time for the unit to cool down enough to clean it.
Hopefully you’ll find these BBQ tips useful in your choice of charcoal or gas. You should choose the one which fits not only your budget, but also your lifestyle. Those who lead busy lives might prefer a gas barbeque because they require less time in order to fully cook a meal. But if you have lots of time, charcoal grills win hands down for flavor.
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Tags: barbeque cooking, BBQ tips, charcoal barbeque, gas barbeque | 
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Get the Best Flavor From Your Barbeque Cooking
If you dread the thought of cooking in a hot kitchen through the summer, you need to consider barbequing. You can always use an electric grill inside the house, but the best flavor and most tempting aromas result from cooking outdoors over a flame. You can choose from a charcoal or gas grill, or maybe you prefer a smoker. There are lots of BBQ tips to spice up your grilling, like sauces, rubs and marinades. There are various internet sites and cookbooks loaded with recipes for barbeque cooking. But no matter how you cook it up, it’s bound to be a flavor favorite.
There are several different bases that are used for a BBQ sauce, and they each lend their own distinctive flavor to the food you’re cooking. You can buy or make sauces featuring a base of vinegar, mustard or tomato. Some even use fruit. As well, you can use a sauce as a marinade for whatever meat you’re grilling up. There are also marinades and sauces that are applied during the cooking process. And lastly there’s the finishing sauce that’s slathered on either during the final stages of cooking or for use when eating the meat.
Rubs are another BBQ staple, and are often used along with sauce. A barbeque rub is a blend of seasonings that are applied to the surface of the uncooked meat, which then infuse the whole cut while it’s cooking. Rubs tend to remain on the meat and don’t drip off like sauces will. This means they provide more flavor.
Try using all three forms of flavoring in combination to get the best taste possible. For example, marinate the meat for a full day then apply the rub. Once the meat is on the grill and cooking, use some sauce to enhance the flavor and tenderness.
Also, there is more than one way to barbeque. Indoor cooking on a grill is always a possibility. An outdoor grill, though, will give you loads more flavor due to the effect of the smoke from the flame. You can choose between a charcoal grill, which gives it a more authentic flavor, or a gas grill. Either way, consider using wood chips. This will give some extra flavor to the meat because of the distinctive aroma of the smoke that the chips produce during the cooking process.
Keep in mind that barbeque cooking sometimes takes longer than indoor cooking. Some foods are pretty quick to cook, such as hamburgers and hot dogs. However, if ribs or roast are on the menu, slow cooking over a low flame is the only way to go.
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