Difference Between Charcoal Grilling & Gas Grilling

Both main types of live-fire outdoor cooking carry their own advantages, disadvantages and unique challenges. Barbecue purists often swear by the more primal form of cooking over live coals afforded by charcoal grills. But increasingly more common on backyard decks and patios are grills fueled by propane tanks or natural gas lines. Both types of grills offer effective and flavorful modes of barbecuing.

Convenience vs. Flavor

Choosing between charcoal and gas grilling means weighing the convenience of gas grilling versus the extra flavor imparted to meat, poultry and seafood when preparing it over live hardwood coals. With most gas grills, it's a quick turn of a gas main knob, a burner dial and the push of an ignition button to start the grills, making for a fast start to the grilling experience. Gas grills also reach optimum temperatures more quickly than charcoal and maintain more consistent temperatures inside the grill for even cooking. Charcoal grills require the building and lighting of coal fires -- either through chimney starters, electric starters or sometimes messy liquid fuel. This process takes more time and preparation. However, charcoal grills also provide rich, smoky flavors, not afforded exclusive gas-grill users, especially when using natural lump charcoal made from actual wood chunks.

Direct vs. Indirect Grilling

Both charcoal and gas grilling allow for the two main forms of outdoor barbecuing -- direct heat and indirect heat grilling. Direct heat grilling means placing the food -- usually smaller cuts of meat such as burgers, steaks or boneless chicken breasts -- directly over the heat source and cooking the meat for short periods of time on each side until it's done. Indirect grilling means placing the the meat -- typically larger roasts, rib racks or briskets -- between two sources of heat, allowing for longer periods of cooking with closed grill lids. Direct grilling on charcoal grills entails spreading live coals over most of the charcoal grate surface and cooking meat directly above the lit coals. Direct grilling in gas grills means lighting all grill burners and cooking food directly over the lit gas jets. Indirect charcoal grilling means arranging the lit coals in two piles on either side of the charcoal grate and grilling the meat on the cooking grate above the coal-free zone with the grill lid closed. Indirect gas grilling requires lighting the two side burners and placing the meat on the cooking grate above the unlit middle burner, then closing the lid for cooking.

Flavoring with Wood Smoke

Though flavoring food with smoke -- via hardwood smoking chips -- is easier on charcoal grills, your gas grill also is capable of performing this process. In charcoal grills, you throw the wood chips -- usually soaked in water in advance to make them produce more smoke -- directly atop the lit coals when grilling. Using wood chips as flavoring agents in gas grills requires an extra step. Wrapping soaked wood chips in a pouch fashioned from heavy-duty aluminum foil, ventilating the pouch with a fork and placing the pouch under the cooking grate, directly atop a lit burner, forms enough smoke to flavor your food during grilling.

Controlling Flareups

Both gas and charcoal grills carry threats of flame flareups in the absence of proper technique or precaution. Controlling flareups on charcoal grills is usually as simple as closing the grill lid, depriving the flames of oxygen. Minimizing flareups in gas grills means regular emptying of any grease traps or collection reservoirs to avoid unwanted fires. Regular scouring of cooking grates with wire brushes following grilling sessions also prevents excessive build-ups of grease in both types of grills, thus minimizing flareups.