There’s a longstanding debate between grill enthusiasts about whether it’s better to cook with propane gas or charcoal. As one of the leading Montgomery County propane companies, we’re here to put the argument to rest and tell you why using propane to fuel your grill is the best option.
For starters, cooking with propane as opposed to charcoal eliminates the need to mess around with fire or any sort of open flame. Propane grills are easy and safe to start when done properly. It’s as easy as opening your propane tank valve and pushing an ignite button on the grill.
Charcoal can sometimes take up to 15 minutes or longer to light and get up to the right cooking temperature. Besides requiring more effort during the ignition process, charcoal is also much messier and dirtier to handle than propane. It’s harder to tell what temperature you’re cooking at and the temperature can’t be adjusted as quickly or easily as a propane grill.
When grilling for long periods of time, charcoal can also begin to lose its heat, which requires you to add more charcoal throughout the cooking process. Charcoal grills often times also lack many of the convenient accessories that propane grills have and require much more clean up afterwards.
Becoming good at grilling with charcoal takes practice and is not nearly as intuitive as using a propane-fueled grill.
Propane grills are more popular than charcoal grills because of the convenience and control they provide. They’re easy to start, heat up quickly, easy to clean, and can include some very helpful accessories or settings.
Propane grills also offer more safety while cooking. These gas grills are typically use metal plates, lava rocks, and ceramic rocks to absorb and radiate heat. This prevents open flames, flare ups, and makes cleanup much easier because it makes drips vaporize.
Some of the convenient accessories that propane grills can include are rotisseries, side burners, night lights, side tables, spice racks, storage drawers, and more. Some higher-end propane grills feature smoke boxes for wood chips.
So you see, the choice is quite simple; there is no real debate between charcoal and propane grills. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort to master and maintain a charcoal grill then perhaps that form of cooking is not a terrible choice for you. But for those looking for a more controlled and convenient form of grilling, propane grills are certainly the way to go.