What's the best way to get a charcoal taste on a propane grill?

Question

I recently was given a propane grill that is a lot nicer than my charcoal grill, however my family really likes the cooking and taste of a charcoal grill. I hear the propane grill tastes a lot different. Is there something specific I can do to get a taste similar to a charcoal grill, while using the benefits of my newer, nicer, larger, propane grill?

Asked by Brian Deragon

Answer

Whether or not charcoal tastes different/better is actually a bit of a debate. I've been a propane griller for years and now I use charcoal not for the taste, but because frankly, I like to play with fire. But lets assume that there is a taste difference, identify where the differences comes from, and how to address them:

1. The smoke from charcoal. This is (if you've been using natural lump charcoal) pretty much just wood smoke. If you've been using briquettes you'll also get the smoke of the filler and such, but generally this isn't desirable and we don't want to replicate it. For smoke on a gas grill - you can use something like this smoker box. Fill it with wood chips and place it over a burner, it should start smoking.

2. Vapor from the food drippings hitting the coals, and rising back up to flavor the food. This used to be a big advantage to charcoal, but its largely minimized by new gas grills with 'vapor bars'. As long as your grill has one of these, you're in luck. Otherwise, there's not a good, safe way to replicate it - but odds are you have it. Its a long bar usually running the length of burners.

3. Lighter fluid taste. Another undesirable flavor if you're doing a particular (and not good IMO) kind of charcoal grilling. Frankly, its not one you're likely to miss.

Those are the main tastes and how to replicate them. Nowadays the biggest is definitely #1, but it only matters if you doing foods that cook for a significant length of time or are especially 'porous'. If you're doing hot dogs and chicken breasts, I wouldn't bother if smoke. If you're doing burgers - maybe/probably. If you're doing thick steaks, thick pork chops, a whole chicken, or anything that's going on awhile, then creating some smoke is definitely worth it. ("Liquid smoke" definitely doesn't taste like the real thing.)

Answered by rfusca

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Why would a portable barbecue warn against using pots on the grill?

Question

My wife just bought a Coleman Road Trip portable propane barbecue, which we plan to use for camp cooking/grilling.

I was thinking of using it as a camp stove as well - to heat water, make coffee, etc. However the grills have a warning not to place pots on the grill.

Is the concern just scratching the non-stick coating? I know they sell another set of grills for it, but I'd rather not have to tote two sets.

Asked by BillN

Answer

Personal experience: I have used pots and pans on this and similar grills with no problems. My guess would be, if it says not to use them, it's probably as you said - for the non-stick coating. There is a specific grill grate you can buy for the larger models, and perhaps you're not going to get the most efficient heat transfer by putting it directly on the attached - but that doesn't mean it won't work at all. Personally, I'd rather have something slightly less efficient than have to carry two grills.

Not sure which model you have (since you said the portable, I assume this red table-top), but the LX can handle pots and pans according to this site: "Grill lid detaches to make room for large pots or pans." As far as I can tell, they're essentially the same grill as far as how they function, just different sizes and features.

Just to be safe, I would probably fire it up in your yard before the trip and try cooking something that you would cook on the trip, like a pot of coffee or a can of beans. That way you won't have any surprises when you're deep in the woods and don't have a backup!

If you aren't comfortable using it after your test, or for any reason, there are other solutions available that are pretty easy to carry. You can get a propane burner, they're very small and light and easy to pack. There are some that sit directly on top of the propane bottle, but I don't recommend them - they are very easy to tip, especially if you have children at the campsite.

Unrelated to your specific question, but related to camping, I always recommend taking a small cast iron pot or dutch oven of some kind on any camping trip. In a jam (let's say you run out of propane), you can use that on any fire that you build, even directly on the wood/coals/whatever, and a pot is more versatile than a pan because it can be used for things you said, such as boiling water and making coffee as well as your typical browning, etc.

Answered by stephennmcdonald

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Gas grill: soaked wood chips vs. dry wood chips

Question

I have a gas grill and want to get some good smoke flavor in a pork shoulder I am cooking. I've done some looking around for the best way to use wood chips and have found conflicting ideas about if you should soak them or not. Does soaking the chips do something other than adding time to getting to the initial smoke?

Answer

If you're putting your wood chips directly on a fire, it's good to soak them (and that means real soaking--a few days--not an hour or two). This prevents the wood chips from actually catching fire, which can cause off flavors from combustion chemicals settling back on your food. Tastes kinda like a brand new telephone pole smells on a hot day. Tar/Creosote, and not a nice flavor.

But on a gas grill, if you've got your chips in a pan or wrapped in a fairly tight foil pouch, you needn't worry so much about the chips actually catching on fire. As long as they just smoulder, you're good to go.

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Can I still cook on my propane grill with rust?

Question

I busted out my propane grill which I haven't used in over a year and noticed as I was cleaning it that there was a bit of rust on the grill. I tried to get it off but it doesn't seem to want to. Is it safe to grill with some rust on there?

Answer

Rust, or iron oxide, is not poisonous, unless consumed in large amounts. Thus it is relatively safe to grill on your barbeque.

What about the people who get cut by rusty nails and get lockjaw? That's not due to the rust, but rather, due to the bacteria on the rust, which is called, Clostridium tetani, which is found in the soil, and presumably, the nails have had come in contact with the soil, and so actually contains some of these deadly bacteria, and so, when a wound is made by the sharp object, the sharp object(nail) will also infect the wound causing tetanus, or lockjaw.

Which is totally irrelevant to your grill, as I assume, it hasn't actually come in contact with the soil has it?

So, it's safe, relatively

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