Cooking on the grill brings an intense flavour to food that cannot be matched by any other cooking method. Many people are now using gas grills, but some still swear by the old charcoal grill. Either way, there are pros and cons to using each.

Let’s start with the pros associated with charcoal grilling:

  • The intensity and heat that you can obtain from briquettes is unmatched by any kind of gas grill;
  • The flavor that charcoal cooking gives to food is absolutely delicious as food is “infused” with a hint of wood and smoke;
  • Charcoal grills are very low cost and do not take up very much space;
  • You get to spend a lot of time in the back yard with family and friends when waiting for your charcoal grill to heat up!

The cons of charcoal grilling:

  • It can take a lot of time to light the charcoal and get it up to the correct temperature (as long as 25 minutes);
  • Open flame means that the grill needs to be placed safely away from your house so that there is no risk of fire;
  • Can be dangerous to children and pets – requires careful supervision;
  • If you use a lighter fluid to light the charcoal, it can get into the flavor of the food and you may or may not taste it;
  • Coals may need to be moved around to maintain an even and consistent heat for cooking;
  • Charcoal grills can be a hassle to clean – clean up can be extremely messy and ashes need to be disposed of after grilling is done.

Now let’s take a look at the pros and cons to gas grilling.

The pros of gas grilling:

  • Your gas grill is ready when you are. All you need to do is turn the gas on and press a button to ignite it. Your burners turn on instantly and you only need to wait a few minutes to heat the grill up to the correct temperature.
  • You can keep your grill much closer to your house because there is a lesser need to worry about open flame and fire risk.
  • You can easily control the temperature by turning the heat control knob.
  • There are no ashes or coals to get rid of and clean-up is a snap when you turn off the grill.

The cons of gas grilling:

  • Gas grills can be a bit more expensive, depending upon the size and quality of the grill.
  • There is always the hassle to getting those propane tanks refilled when they are empty.
  • You won’t get that smoky grilled flavour that charcoal gives to your food.
  • On some grills, if you forget to turn off the temperature control knob your grill will continue until all of the propane is empty, so the next time you go to use it you might be out of propane;
  • A large gas grill can take up a lot of room.

Many people opt to use both a charcoal grill and a gas grill. When they are cooking regular meals throughout the week, they use gas because it is fast and convenient, but when they have more time on the weekend, they like to grill with charcoal. It is often a “heated” debate, but people are firm in the device they choose to grill with. Visit the Haley Comfort Showroom today to find the grill that is perfect for you and your family.