Gas or charcoal?

[archerynut]

I really do like the lump versus the briquettes. Hotter fire and lasts longer I think. As far as flavor I don't know.

 

[jbrumberg]

I really do like the lump versus the briquettes. Hotter fire and lasts longer I think. As far as flavor I don't know.

Definitely hotter, I am not sure as to burn duration, but much less ash with which to deal. I have not used briquettes since I discovered "lump". My newest "challenge" is comparing smoking "chips" to "chunk" woods. Life can get pretty interesting if you have "no life ". Jay

 

[Alan L.]

I like both. My gas grill is on the blink right now so I have been doing strictly charcoal. I have some difficulty with it getting too hot, but the results are usually tasty.

I have one of those Weber chimneys and it does do a great job starting charcoal. However I like to burn the grate to clean it and thats easier with the flame produced by ligher fluid.

 

[jbrumberg]

I use a Weber chimney as well. One trick I have learned to help keep the cooking grate clean is to rub it down with a paper towel "mop" loaded up with vegetable oil once the grill is at cooking temperature prior to grilling. You still have to clean the grill, but it is much easier to clean. I would recommend using your longest pair of cooking tongs when mopping the grill. I do miss the pyrotechnic reaction of lighter fluid which satisfied my "risk needs" . Opening up my Big Green Egg without "burping it" when it is at 750+ degrees F can be satifying though . Jay

 

[jdbower]

Well, over the weekend the wife had expressed a desire to use heavily smoked meats as an ingredient in tomato and other sauces so I think your evil mention of the BGE may come in useful... Any thoughts on BGE vs. Primo vs. Kamado vs anyone else? Even though usually I don't cook much at a time I figure a large BGE may still be nice in case I need the space, any downside other than likely some wasted fuel?

By the way, I've found Pam for Grilling to be a decent way to try to keep the grills clean. Of course, grills shouldn't be *too* clean - that's where the flavor is

Not I'm off to try to find a local source for lump charcoal...

 

[anojones]

I think all the ceramic cookers work pretty well, Kamado has a reputation for having very nice, attractive smokers (with a price to match) but do have some customer service issues and there is usually a lead time to get one delivered. That being said, it's one of the best purchases I've ever made, and one of the few I have no buyers remorse about. The BGE is nice because you can get it through retail channels and bring one home from a BBQ store or ranch suppy, and no matter what anyone says, it will make just as good BBQ as a kamado or primo. On a side note, somebody mentioned cleaning the grill- I just purchased a BillyBar- which is made by some guys in Tennesee. This thing works great for my grill and is a great alternative to the brush or balled up foil cleaning method. I have no finiancial interest, don't know the guys, just a happy customer and thought others might be interested
Billy Bar BBQ Grill Cleaner

 

[jeffinsgf]

Well, over the weekend the wife had expressed a desire to use heavily smoked meats as an ingredient in tomato and other sauces so I think your evil mention of the BGE may come in useful... Any thoughts on BGE vs. Primo vs. Kamado vs anyone else? Even though usually I don't cook much at a time I figure a large BGE may still be nice in case I need the space, any downside other than likely some wasted fuel?

By the way, I've found Pam for Grilling to be a decent way to try to keep the grills clean. Of course, grills shouldn't be *too* clean - that's where the flavor is

Not I'm off to try to find a local source for lump charcoal...

I have had the medium sized BGE for about 7 or 8 years now. I have occasionally regretted not getting the big BGE, but not often. 90ish per cent of the time, it is just the wife and me. Sometimes when we have company, the grill is crowded, and a little more space would be helpful. Also, their pizza stone does not work with the medium sized egg....no one told me and you would not believe the mess I made (bottom of pizza burned onto the stone, but the toppings never cooked at all).

Don't know the Primo, but I have been lusting after the dual fuel Kamado for a couple years. I have only seen the web site pictures, but the concept of a gas starter for a ceramic cooker has a great deal of appeal. Last time I was in my local BGE dealer, he said they took BGE's on trade in --- that's kind of making the big BGE more attractive than the Kamado. The compressed sawdust and parafin sticks don't have the pyrotechnic appeal of starter fluid, but they work pretty quick and don't have as many steps involved as a chimney starter.

Do they still make briquettes? Haven't bought any in years.

Nice thing about five acres of hardwood forest behind my house is that I never buy smoking chips or chunks. I just go out and prune up a hickory tree and I am set for weeks. The small limbs seem to have more intense flavor than trunk wood -- gotta be careful not to use too much.

 

[jdbower]

I have been lusting after the dual fuel Kamado for a couple years.

Looking at their website this does seem like a big selling point - not only can it be a gas starter but it seems to be able to be used for those times when you've run out of charcoal And if I can hook it into my home propane tank (and hopefully future natural gas source)... I also like the look of their textured finish a lot more than the tiles that seem much more common, perhaps a #7 will be in my future.

 

[anojones]

I have the dual fuel option on my kamado, it's great for starting charcoal and I use it for that all the time. I have used it on occasion to add some heat to charcoal for searing a steak, but it's not really powerful enough to use on it's own. It's also not really safe to use unattended as a heat source for low and slow cooking- as if the flame goes out you will likely end up with a bomb. However, if you have charcoal going as well the flame can't really go out- the charcoal will re-light it. If you look through the Kamado forum you will find that the gas option looks great at first, but now that I own the thing, it's so easy to light the charcoal that I don't think it's necesary (although helpful). A great way to light charcoal in these (or any grill) is to use a MAPP torch or a propane weed burner- couple of minutes and your charcoal is going. My Kamado is about the size of the medium BGE, I'd go a size bigger if I did it again.

 

[jdbower]

My Kamado is about the size of the medium BGE, I'd go a size bigger if I did it again.

Do you have the #5? Seems like the #7 is the popular choice on the forums, I wonder if a #9 would be just too big to be practical...

Thanks for the heads up on the gas-only cooking. It does seem limited, but it's not like you'd want to use something like this for gas-only anyway