Bon Appetit’s Recent BBQ Debate

The Grilladelic opinions and comments in red.

The Great BBQ Debates: Gas vs. Charcoal

10:00 AM / August 18, 2009

Posted by Andrew Knowlton

Paper or Plastic? BMW or Mercedes? City or Suburb? Of all the great and important decisions one makes in a lifetime, perhaps the most contentious when it comes to grilling is gas or charcoal? As BBQ expert Steve Raichlen says in The Barbecue! Bible:

A great deal of ink, beer, and maybe even blood have been spilled over the great debate: charcoal or gas. Guys in my line of work generally voice a preference for charcoal–touting a superior flavor and delighting in charcoal’s general messiness and unpredictability. I too have espoused this party line at various points but the reality is almost 70 percent of American own gas grill. They (or, I should say we, since I do own several gas grills and use them often) love the convenience of push-button ignition and an even, consistent heat. The chief drawback of gas grills is that they don’t work particularly well for producing wood smoke. If I could use only one grill for the rest of my life (or take it to a deserted island), it would be my trust charcoal kettle.

That’s Raichlen’s very democratic take on the issue. I understand both side of the arguments too–I was raised with a gas grill but now, I am firmly entrenched in the charcoal camp. Where do other big name BBQ experts stand on the issue? To the cookbooks for a few choice quotes…

On Gas

- Gas is convenient.  It does a good job with high temperature, direct heat “grilling” .  Steaks, burgers, brats, chicken filets, fish filets, veggies, bread, fruit, kebobs, etc…are all better grilled on gas than made “in-house”.  The key is a good gas grill; stainless or cast iron grates, high BTU – 40,000 ++, and multiple burners. (John Rumery- Generallisimo of Team Grilladelic, champion barbecuer,  legend-in-his-own-mind)

–Gas is easy to light, control, and clean. (Bobby Flay in Boy Gets Grill)

–Okay, if you think it’s wimpy to use gas over “real” fire, then think about this: Most people cannot tell a taste difference. (Fred Thomson in Grillin’ with Gas)

–If you use a gas grill, you sacrifice the added flavor that comes from cooking over burning coals. (Chris Lilly in Big Bob Gibson’s BBQ Book)

–The obvious advantage of a gas grill is convenience, and gas grills now outsell charcoal grills in the United States. Cleanup is easy, and a gas grill is also more economical in the long run. (Mario Batali in Italian Grill)

–I do not own a gas grill. I have never owned a gas grill, nor do I foresee a time in the near future when I will own a gas grill. (Alton Brown in I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat=Cooking)

On Charcoal

– No one ever forgets their first kiss.  No one also forgets their first time cooking successfully with charcoal or wood. It’s a transformational experience.  Charcoal is not convenient.  It’s messy.  It’s requires more TLC than gas grilling.  It’s a lot like being married.  Work, but worth it.  As I mentioned, gas is good with grilling, but charcoal is GREAT.  Charcoal and wood are also the only choice for true BBQ (low and slow boys, low and slow)  I realize there are GOOD electric and gas “smokers”  – especially cold smoking and for use in making jerky, sausages, smoked fish and cheese, but for grilling (high temperature) and BBQ (low and slow) charcoal and wood is the best.   One caveat of course…lump charcoal my friends,,,not briquettes. (John Rumery- Generallisimo of Team Grilladelic, champion barbecuer,  legend-in-his-own-mind)

–The charcoal grill is for the hardcore backyard chef. It gives food an authentic, wood-fired smoke taste but requires a lot of attention and effort. (Michael H. Stines in Mastering Barbecue)

–Charcoal is a lot more work, but it gives food a smokiness that gas can never quite imitate. (Bobby Flay in Boy Gets Grill)

--Charcoal grills produce a rich, smoky taste, but require a little more skill at fire building. (Culinary Institute of America, Grilling: Exciting Flavors from the World’s Premier Culinary College)

–The main disadvantage of a charcoal grill is the limited window of grilling time.
(Mario Batali in Italian Grill)

–It’s true that building a live fire is a more hands on experience, and that a steak cooked over a real hardwood fire will have more char flavor than one cooked on a gas grill. The subtle seasoning of smoldering charcoal and the searing effect of hot iron bars produce an irresistible combination of caramelized meat sugars and mild smokiness, the appreciation of which, perhaps because of its primordial origins, is almost universal. (Hugh Fearnley- Whittingstall in The River Cottage Meat Book)

–I am very much at home with charcoal. I love charcoal. I can reach a zen-like oneness with coals. (Alton Brown in I’m Just Here for the Food: Food + Heat=Cooking)

Where do you stand on the issue? In the best of worlds we’d all have the money and space for both a gas grill and a charcoal one. Until then, let the flames of the barbecue wars rage.

BBQ Field Notes: 8-18-09

I practiced my rib recipe tonight, preparing for my next competition in September.  This year Team Grilladelic will be joining forces with my friend Harlan and his team Brazen Que.   Grilladelic will be responsible for chicken and ribs.  Brazen Que, brisket and butt.

SILVER LAKE SAND DUNES
APPLE & BBQ COOK-OFF FESTIVAL
Features a Sanctioned Kansas City BBQ Society Cook-Off

Here are my field notes from tonights practice:

• Warm and humid, light breeze.
• Coals lit at 2:23, ribs put on at 2:51
• Two racks of back ribs, bought at Meijers, 3. 49/lb.   Pretty nice slabs.
• Peeled membranes then coated with yellow mustard
• Dusted with  Rockford Rib, Butt and Bird Rub. Purchased at Hermans Boy.
• Weber Kettle with Lazzari lump and apple chips.  Charcoal purchased at Kingmas.
• Placed ribs in Weber rib rack
• Brown sugar massage followed by a tin-foil wrap at the 2-hour mark.
• Finished with Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce at the 3-hour mark.  Sauce purchased at Kingmas. First time.
• Back on the grill, wrapped in foil for 45 minutes then served

Results

• Ribs were incredibly tender.  Maybe too much for competition. Note:  cut back 15-20 minutes
• Nice smoke ring, but prefer pecan to apple.   Chunks to chips.
• Added the brown sugar a bit too early, had a little burn action on the bottom rack.  Note: add brown sugar at the 2:45 mark.
• Blues Hog Barbecue Sauce is incredible.  It could become my sauce of choice.
• I want a new rib rack.  Too tight, tough to pull ribs out without damaging the bark.
• Very close to championship caliber ribs.   Very close.  Try the same thing one more time using a St. Louis cut.  Then lock it in.

Silver Lake, here we come!

A Grilladelic Opinion- Grass Fed Livestock

I am very happy with the two butchers I get the majority of my meat from; Kingmas and Van Balls, so I haven’t really explored the world of grass-fed livestock, but it is of a topic that I find very interesting. Here’s a note I received from a friend and his experience with grass-fed livestock.   Aaron is both certified as grilladelic and an egg-head.

Recently, my wife and I jumped on the local/organic bandwagon. On a whim, Angie found a local farm that specializes in naturally raised grass fed livestock. Creswick Farms is in a remote part of Ravenna Michigan.  They have a wide range of beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, and specialty meats. Most of their meat is frozen, which I typically shyaway from. However, they suggested that you could make arrangements to pick up items while they are butchering so that you can get fresh items.

We picked up several  items including brisket, new york strips, and porterhouse. The cuts were pretty lean comparatively speaking to the grain feed varieties.  We were warned that grass feed beef needed to be handled differently than grain fed.  Apparently, you should not cook them at as high of temperatures than their grain fed counter parts.  It was fortunate that we were warned….when I fired up the Egg, I dialed the heat back a bit, choosing to cook the strip and the porterhouse at 500 deg instead of the usual 700 deg. I  noticed that the beef took on a slightly “rough” appearance.   if you cook grain fed beef at too high of temp it can roach the steaks…and I could see that.  Fortunately, I was warned. Their porterhouse and rib steaks are dry aged before being frozen. The rib side of the porterhouse was extremely tender.  It was a bit of surprise, since it was vacuumed packed and frozen. I think that the dry aged really is a smart move for grass fed. Grass feed beef does have a different taste/texture than grain fed.  I had both the strip and the porterhouse side by side.   Both were very
good.  If I were to do it all over again..I thought the strip actually was the smart choice when having grain feed beef.  It doesn’t have the same tenderness as the rib side of the porterhouse..but it seemed to have the flavor characteristics that complimented grass feed beef the most. The brisket was leaner than a typical grain fed briskets.  However,
being slow cooked, smoked, and spiced…the end product was pretty much the same as a grain fed brisket.

Overall, I was happy with Creswick farms products.   I think that the logistics of obtaining their beef might be a bit tricker than going to Meijer’s.  However, grass fed beef is a nice change of pace. If you’ve never experienced grass fed, dry aged beef before, I recommend giving it a try.

6500 Rollenhagen Rd Ravenna, MI 49451
616 – 837 – 9226
http://www.creswickfarms.com/
http://www.creswickfarms.com/pdfs/OrderForm.pdf

They do participate in several food co-ops in the Michigan area.