# This just in - Propane bites and charcoal kicks ass!!!
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [June 3, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296 "2003-06-03T03:13:49Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/1 "2003-06-03T03:13:49Z")
I grilled some buffalo T-Bones tonight. My old gas grill has to be replaced (burner is getting rotted out), but I figured what the heck, and loaded it up with charcoal briquettes and used the crappy propane burner just to light them.
**My.Good.God.**
If you’ve been cooking with Gods Gas[sup]TM[/sup] for the past while, you are missing out. You **OWE** it to yourself to cook with charcoal again just to get the flavor.
Mmmmm… I will **not** be cooking with propane again if I can help it. Now, off to build a true fire pit in my back yard with a cooking grill so I can cook over wood coals for the rest of the summer 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 8:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/2 "2003-06-03T08:07:17Z")
/Seinfeld on
I didn’t know it waspossible to not know that.
/Seinfeld off
---
### Author:  [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/3 "2003-06-03T08:09:59Z")
Was and possible being two words, of course. _sigh_
---
### Author:  [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/4 "2003-06-03T09:43:56Z")
The first thing you ought to cook would be a tasty hunk of bear. Just nip up into the woods, and you should be able to surprise one in mid-dump.
---
### Author:  [@ptr2void](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ptr2void)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/5 "2003-06-03T11:31:20Z")
Just got one of those new Char-Broil combo gas/charcoal grills. Haven’t tried it yet, and was curious as to what the outcome would be, but I look forward to it now as it works just as your post described 🙂
---
### Author:  [@Skip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skip)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/6 "2003-06-03T11:44:17Z")
In my household it’s wood only. Only if the fire needs to be extended or made a bit hotter is charcoal thrown in.
---
### Author:  [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/7 "2003-06-03T13:23:52Z")
I always thought that people that used gas grills were either lazy or had no taste buds. Food cooked on a gas grill is like instant coffee or light beer, to be avoided at all cost. :eek:
---
### Author:  [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/8 "2003-06-03T13:31:43Z")
Charcoal is better than gas, there’s no doubt. I never thought to try wood…I’ll have to do that next time I have something larger than a hibachi.
Warning for those of you who might want to barbecue over wood: Avoid using building supplies, a lot of it is treated with poisons to protect the wood from pests. Definitely a bad thing to grill your steak over.
---
### Author:  [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/9 "2003-06-03T13:39:43Z")
Being from Alberta, we always had gas. My dad (who I didn’t live with) had a brick fire pit in his yard and would always use wood. Husband is partial to charcoal. I can’t say that I prefer one over the other in general, but one time Dad made the world’s best steaks on that fire. Mmmmm. Can’t wait to go home and try it again.
---
### Author:  [@earthpuppy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/earthpuppy)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 1:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/10 "2003-06-03T13:43:28Z")
If you’re fortunate enough to have fruit trees, save the wood after pruning and put some in your fire after it dries out (apple, orange, etc). Adds a wonderful flavor!
---
### Author:  [@Antiquarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antiquarian)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/11 "2003-06-03T14:01:11Z")
My Cast Iron Webber is gas and if you ate one of my Steamship Round’s you’d understand the efficacy therein.
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/12 "2003-06-03T14:21:08Z")
You can get a new burner for your gas grill at Walmart for like $15. You shouldn’t put charcoal in it, because gas grills not designed for charcoal are typically made out of a pot metal that can shatter or crack if you’re burning coal. It can lead to a bad accident.
I’m big into grilling. A well-seasoned gas grill is just fine. I smoke food over charcoal because I need a 3-4 hour fire. When I grill, I through a couple of chunks of mesquite into the gas grill if I want smokey flavor.
---
### Author:  [@Antiquarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antiquarian)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/13 "2003-06-03T14:32:39Z")
I do as well **Scylla**. I’ve had my Webber for 5 years, and love it. I’ve replaced the Iron grill twice. And have a little nook on the left side of the grill that holds water and mesquite, or hickory, or maple chips for smok’in flavor.
---
### Author:  [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/14 "2003-06-03T14:34:41Z")
> [@](#):
>
> You can get a new burner for your gas grill at Walmart for like $15. You shouldn’t put charcoal in it, because gas grills not designed for charcoal are typically made out of a pot metal that can shatter or crack if you’re burning coal. It can lead to a bad accident.
I went to every dept and hardware store in my city yesterday. None of them had a replacement burner for my BBQ (even Wal-Mart). Its a big, _single_ burner. Every burner even remote close to the right size was for double burners.
My BBQ is cast iron, not pot metal.
---
### Author:  [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/15 "2003-06-03T14:39:56Z")
Bernse:
It doesn’t have to be exact. You can find a universal one that will stretch out to the length of your grill.
Even if you’re cast iron, be careful and I wouldn’t recommend charcoal in a gas stove. It’s not designed for that level of heat.
My neighbor cracked his Charbroil that way and dumped charcoal onto his deck.
---
### Author:  [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/16 "2003-06-03T14:48:20Z")
Using charcoal made from wood is pretty good too. Those briquettes just aren’t the same as a real wood charcoal
---
### Author:  [@bernse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bernse)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/17 "2003-06-03T15:06:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> It doesn’t have to be exact. You can find a universal one that will stretch out to the length of your grill.
I am aware of that. And no, they _won’t_ work. Trust me. It is difficult to bypass the fact that they all have two propane feeders and I only have one. The only single feeder burners available here feed from the side of the burner, not the middle. While it would physically _fit_ in the BBQ, there is no way to run the propane _into_ it. I’m a pretty handy guy and there is no way to do it short of drilling holes through my BBQ.
So, I figured what the hell. I put the old burner in, emptied the rest of the lava rock out and stacked a small pile of charcoal on the lavarock grates (I did not fill the BBQ up with coals by any means – probably only about 1/4 full).
Either way, I’ll be cooking over a firepit before much longer! Yay!
---
### Author:  [@waddamaroon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waddamaroon)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/18 "2003-06-03T17:20:06Z")
[Hank Hill] Blasphemy! [/Hank Hill]
---
### Author:  [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/19 "2003-06-03T17:34:48Z")
I switched from charcoal to gas a few years back. Can’t say I’ve noticed any difference in flavor, but then I’m not exactly a grill chef; I just grill burgers and the occasional flank steak.
But I don’t have to clean out and dump charcoal ashes between grillings, and that’s one hell of a plus.
---
### Author:  [@VenusProbe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VenusProbe)
#### Post date: [June 3, 2003, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296/20 "2003-06-03T20:52:47Z")
> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by RTFirefly \*
> I switched from charcoal to gas a few years back. **Can’t say I’ve noticed any difference in flavor** , but then I’m not exactly a grill chef; I just grill burgers and the occasional flank steak.
>
> **But I don’t have to clean out and dump charcoal ashes between grillings** , and that’s one hell of a plus.
SEE! I told you! no taste buds AND Lazy! 😃
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/this-just-in-propane-bites-and-charcoal-kicks-ass/179296.md?page=2)