Gas and charcoal grill devotees love to argue about why their type of grill is better. The most common reason given by the charcoal crowd is flavor. There's no doubt that a charcoal grill can deliver real wood flavor, but you can get similar results by using a smoker box or foil-wrapped wood chips on a gas grill. While a gas grill can be more expensive up front, it has several advantages over a charcoal grill.
Starts Quickly
Most gas grills are easy to light: Just turn on the gas and push the igniter, and you are ready to grill in 10 minutes or less. With charcoal grills, you must light the coals with a charcoal starter device or lighter fluid. You must then allow the coals to ash over completely, then spread them over the grill — a process that can take half an hour or more. Starting a charcoal grill is also much more prone to failure from a variety of issues, including poor air flow, dampness, cold, inadequate starter or fuel, wind and improper setup. With a gas grill, there are many fewer issues to worry about, and you are ready to cook in the fraction of the time it takes for a charcoal grill.
Temperature Control
Temperature control with charcoal grills can be difficult. You may need to use a number of methods to change the temperature on a charcoal grill, including opening and closing vents, removing the lid, adding charcoal, even creating a multi-zone cooking area by sliding charcoal off to one side. These methods are imprecise, and might not result in a substantial or quick change in temperature. With a gas grill, you need only turn the gas control knobs on the front of the grill, and the burner flame instantly adjusts.
Cheaper to Operate
According to research done by website Chow, a gas grill costs about half to one-third as much to fuel as a charcoal grill. And you generally must light an entire batch of charcoal, regardless of how long you want to cook — which can be wasteful for short grilling times. With a gas grill, you can turn it on for as long as you need to use it, and then just shut it off.
Fuel Purchasing and Storage
With a gas grill, you need just a propane tank for fuel, and perhaps a back-up tank. A standard 20-pound propane tank fill can last for 20 cooking hours or more. For charcoal grills, you must store bulky bags of charcoal, and take care that they are in a dry storage location. Most bags of charcoal also have only a handful of grilling sessions' worth of fuel in them.
Cleanup
After cooking with a gas grill, one needs only to turn the burners on high for a few minutes, then scrape down the cooking grate to remove any cooking remnants. A thorough cleaning of the grill is only necessary every six months or so. With a charcoal grill, in addition to cleaning the cooking grate, you must wait until the charcoal has thoroughly cooled, then remove the charcoal ash before the next cooking session. This can be quite a messy operation and can result in a face full of dirty ash as you clean up.
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