I made the switch. I am a charcoal girl now!

[wildeyed]

I have been trying to learn to barbecue this summer. After struggling with cheap gas grill, not enjoying the process very much, and getting mediocre results, I went out and bought a Weber charcoal grill on a whim. I am loving it! It is great fun to dink around with the charcoal, and I get much better results with the food. I have been doing simple things, as recommended. A couple of days ago, I made steak and grilled the first zucchini out of my summer garden. It was really, really delicious! Anyhoo, just thought I would share.

[NMDemDist2]

1. really? I was the exact opposite! I hated charcoal, could never seem

to get the fire right, it took too long etc etc and when I got a gas grill I was ecstatic!

but glad you've got your BBQ groove going on!

[wildeyed]

2. Maybe it's an inborn preference.

As soon as I started with the charcoal, I felt happy and much calmer about it all. Kind of a big psychic sigh of relief.

[Warpy]

3. I have both

a cheap gas grill and the smallest Weber grill they make, a toy that is well suited to a condo balcony but which looks a little silly on my patio.

I find the gas grill useful for most things, but there are a few things, like grilled seafood and tofu, that are much better over charcoal.

Veggies are better over gas, though, since the charcoal flavor tends to overpower the veggies. Just a personal preference.

[wryter2000]

6. I have a teeny Weber, too

It's great for a steak or two. I'm not getting out the big Weber for that little food.

I also have the regular Weber and a charcoal smoker. Charcoal is messy and more work, but if I'm going to use gas, I might as well use my stove.

[wildeyed]

7. That was how I felt about the gas, too.

Might as well cook inside. The charcoal is an adventure!

[Ecumenist]

11. AMEN, Wryter, A.M.E.N!!!

:applause: I agree 1001%!

[Lorax]

4. Charcoal convert here

We had a gas grill but when it broke, we discovered a very nice Weber that the previous owners left in the back shed. We hauled it out and gave it a try and never looked back. It's certainly not as convenient as gas but the taste is so much better that it's worth it.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Congrats! (And those grilled veggies ..... shhhhhhhhh ........ )

(...... if everybody finds out how good they are, we'll have a veggie shortage!) :)

[wildeyed]

8. The zucchini was divine.

Perfectly fresh from the garden. I ate three servings. Of zucchini!

We are remodeling and have no kitchen. After eating that meal, we decided we don't need no stinkin' kitchen!

[Ecumenist]

10. Yesterday, I grilled cowboy steaks marinated in fresh

crushed garlic, fresh cracked tellicherry pepper, worchester sauce and olive oil. that was accompanied by fresh asparagus spears, portobellas, red and yellow bell peppers and sweet yellow onion marinated in EVOO and balsamic vinegar, cracked pepper and powdered garlic. I grilled the whole mess and added fresh California sourdough spread with unsalted butter and olive oil with freshly grated romano and parmagiano cheeses and organic provolone.

DH came home and exclaimed that he's died and gone to heaven. LOVE THOSE GRILLED VEGGIES, Husb2Sparkly...:loveya: Now, If I could just get my husband to cook anything. So help me God, We've known one another 15 years and been married for 5 and I've NEVER seen him cook anything.

[TygrBright]

21. Cowboy steaks? Cool!! Where'd you get the cowboys?

Sorry.

Sorry.

I'm so, so, sorry....

::hanging head in shame::

apologetically,
Bright

[Ecumenist]

9. DH just bought a huge 250 lb CAST IRON

bar-b-chef. It has a "side car" fire box and it gets HOT AS HELL!!! I'm Californian and LOVE charcoal grilling with LIGHT touches of fruit woods,(apple, cherry, plum, olive etc) and he's Texan a and love STRAIGHT wood smoke,( mesquite with fruit woods added for good luck).

I've never understood propane grills for any other reason than grilling outside. There's no taste imparted to food... Just IMHO. I grew up barbecuing, born in LA to parents from the deep south and Texas.

[wildeyed]

12. You should post a pic of that baby!

Sounds like a serious set up.

CA has such nice weather. It is hot and humid here, and the mosquitoes are ravenous, so I don't grill outside as often as I might. But if I lived in CA, hoooooo, I'd be out every night! Except during the rainy season.....

[Ecumenist]

13. We have serioius mosquitos as well

I live on the northwestern corner of Sacramento county,(full of rice paddies and lots of creeks, ponds and the Sacramento river). It's been hot as hell here. This past weekend, some areas here in the north got as hot as 117 and untypically, we've had a lot of humidity due to a monsoonal flow from the southwest. I haven't got a digital camera YET but as soon as I can, you'll get a portrait of this behemoth. BTW, I barbecue YEAR ROUND. Rain doesn't stop me, neither does cold, especially with this monster. Heck, it reaches 150` internally just with 4.5 hours of sun in rhe the first half of the day. Grilling on a hot day means standing in an area of about 130 to 150 degrees that extends out about 18 inches in all directions, with slightly hotter temps next to the fire box.

[NMDemDist2]

14. good heavens! must be a nice baby in the dank Sacramento winters

though

[Ecumenist]

15. Yep, I bet it will be.

It get's so bloody hot HOWVEVER, it's VERY hard to keep the main cooking chamber hot enough to actually barbecue withut adding mesquite, when you're not looking for a wood smoke taste.

[midnight armadillo]

16. lump or briquette?

Having just seen how briquttes are made on Modern Marvels, I think I'm inclined towards lump...

[wildeyed]

17. Lump.

I was not really given an option. The BBQ salesman said, here, you need this, too, and handed me a large bag of lump charcoal. I had read that it is better anyway.

How do they make the briquettes?

[midnight armadillo]

19. It was a long, energy intensive process

They start with partly composted wood chips, bake them, crush them, mix them with coal and binders, squish them into briquettes, and bake them dry. Coal? Yes, coal, I swear they said that. That stuff burns very dirty, I don't really want that smoke on my food.

It all just seems excessive - lump charcoal cooks just as well, and doesn't need a massive factory and tons of chemicals to produce.

[mike_c]

18. I've always preferred charcoal too....

With a few splinters of oak or madrone pulled off the woodpile for some additional flavor, or some apple wood sticks. I use a regular Weber kettle grill in the backyard and a portable Weber for travel. I have both the Smokey Joe mini-kettle and the rectangular Go-Anywhere portable grill. The mini-kettle works great for one or for grilling just a couple of burgers, steaks, etc., while the Go-Anywhere seems to have more usable grill surface area without actually taking up any more room. The ex and I could live on the beach for weeks at a time with the Go-Anywhere portable and a two-burner Coleman white gas stove. And eat damned well in the bargain! Shrimp tacos, yum....

[Puglover]

20. I swing both ways.

I cook with both depending on what I'm grilling.

[fortyfeetunder]

22. Look for mesquite wood charcoal

I discovered it a year or so ago, and it is pure mesquite wood charcoal. It burns hotter so it's good for quick grilling. I cut mine by about 1/3 with regular charcoal when I do indirect cooking, when I want it to cook slightly cooler. But I love it, it works wonderful in a Weber kettle. It adds a slight but not overpowering mesquite flavor.

The beauty of using mesquite wood charcoal in a Weber kettle is you can shut off the air to the fire, and save the charcoal for a future cooking adventure.

[wildeyed]

23. I will look for it next time I am at the BBQ store.

I also read, in my grilling book, that you can use plain old hardwood in the Weber. A little advanced for me, but maybe others have some experience with this technique?