Charcoal, Pellets, or Propane

[ToomersStreet 691]

What is everyone's grill preference?  I have used a simple Weber Kettle grill for the longest time.  in 2018 I purchased a slow n sear to go in it and swear by it.  Recently though i hve been looking at pellet grills.  Anyone prefer a pellet grill over charcoal.  I only use propane as a convenience.

[RunInRed 5,362]

Real men don't cook with propane (or pellets) ... just my two cents.

[I_M4_AU 3,335]

Look into the Big Green Egg. 

https://biggreenegg.com

It can get really involved, but the results are fantastic.

[GoAU 521]

I bought an egg knock off just to see if I’d like grilling with lump charcoal about 5 years ago.  It’s an Akorn grill bought at Lowe’s and I only hoped to get a season out of it, and then the plan was to get the Egg.  It’s been absolutely awesome, and saved me a bunch of cash.  
 

on another note, I recently got a propane griddle - it’s a blast and has stolen a lot of time from the smoker.  Which I had bought one of these a long time ago.  

[SaturdayGT 452]

   Ive been interested in this Masterbuilt Gravity grill. It feeds actual charcoal in the way that a pellet grill feeds pellets. You can also control the heat much in the way you can a propane grill.  It seems like it could be the perfect Grill......Just wish somebody like Weber made it.  I get the hunch that it will rust out in a year or two..... heres a little more on it

 

 

[woodford 469]

On 1/11/2021 at 10:26 PM, GoAU said:

I bought an egg knock off just to see if I’d like grilling with lump charcoal about 5 years ago.  It’s an Akorn grill bought at Lowe’s and I only hoped to get a season out of it, and then the plan was to get the Egg.  It’s been absolutely awesome, and saved me a bunch of cash.  
 

on another note, I recently got a propane griddle - it’s a blast and has stolen a lot of time from the smoker.  Which I had bought one of these a long time ago.  

Your Akorn is still kicking after 5 years? I want a ceramic grill, but not wanting to bust out that much cash during Covid. 

[RunInRed 5,362]

I've got a custom off-set pipe smoker on order from Lonestar Grillz ... hoping to be able to post pics soon (if it ever gets here!) ...

[AidiAU 1,149]

1 hour ago, SaturdayGT said:

   Ive been interested in this Masterbuilt Gravity grill. It feeds actual charcoal in the way that a pellet grill feeds pellets. You can also control the heat much in the way you can a propane grill.  It seems like it could be the perfect Grill......Just wish somebody like Weber made it.  I get the hunch that it will rust out in a year or two..... heres a little more on it

 

 

 

The guy in the video is a huge UGA fan if that helps you make the decision. 😂

[WarTim 2,429]

I use ONLY hickory kiln dried then water soaked wood chunks in a cylindrical upright smoker. Tried them all. Nothing better IMHO. Requires some babysitting but well worth the effort. 

[ellitor 24,236]

33 minutes ago, RunInRed said:

I've got a custom off-set pipe smoker on order from Lonestar Grillz ... hoping to be able to post pics soon (if it ever gets here!) ...

Cookout for the Mods, Admins, Gold, & Platinum donors! Great idea @RunInRed! Thank you for the invite!.

[The Freak 1,693]

On 12/18/2020 at 10:24 AM, RunInRed said:

Real men don't cook with propane (or pellets) ... just my two cents.

[GoAU 521]

On 1/13/2021 at 1:46 PM, woodford said:

Your Akorn is still kicking after 5 years? I want a ceramic grill, but not wanting to bust out that much cash during Covid. 

It sure is.  I keep it covered (have been through 2-3 of those), and the shelf on the bottom gets a little  rusty sometimes, but I just use some steel wool and repaint it and it looks like new.  

Edited January 16 by GoAU

[Mikey 9,589]

Apparently some of you make a science out of it. I use propane and am very happy with the results. I do have a friend who is a real pro, caters events and hauls his big grill there. He swears that wild cherry chips are better than hickory, but I wouldn't know. Those here who are experts, maybe give wild cherry wood a try, it's plentiful in the woods of the southeast.

[johnnyAU 2,654]

I grill with propane and smoke with pellets and wood chips. It really doesn't matter. You can cook great food on any type. 

The pellet smoker is simple and mine was one of the cheapest on the market. I got it because of the relatively small investment, and it works very well.

I like the propane grill for ease of use. Never had any issues with it.

I would probably be just as happy with a stick burner smoker and charcoal grill.

[SaturdayGT 452]

  Propane is great for controlled temps, and its just so convenient.  Seems to work great for pretty much everything... Steaks are just meh for me. Charcoal is sort of a pain to set up and get the temps just right. I think what ever you cook on a charcoal grill is going to be better tasting ...in some cases, only marginally like chicken or something slathered in sauces, ....burgers  and pork a pretty good bit ...Steaks by far. ...I have no experience with a pellet grill. It sounds like you can get the flavor of a charcoal grill, with the convenience of a  propane grill.....just doesnt seem you can get that super high, flame kissed sear for a good steak though.

[Tiger Refuge 3,058]

After doing some research, I decided on an Oklahoma Joes propane/charcoal combo. It's a beast. I shied away from the pellet grills because I'm pretty rough on grills, and the thought of the whole thing becoming a big tin can if any of the motor components went bad was just a big turn off for me. 

[woodford 469]

On 2/1/2021 at 2:32 PM, Tiger Refuge said:

After doing some research, I decided on an Oklahoma Joes propane/charcoal combo. It's a beast. I shied away from the pellet grills because I'm pretty rough on grills, and the thought of the whole thing becoming a big tin can if any of the motor components went bad was just a big turn off for me. 

Have you used it yet?

[Tiger Refuge 3,058]

47 minutes ago, woodford said:

Have you used it yet?

I have. It is a nice set up. With a little tweaking, it’ll be really nice. The doors on the charcoal side need a bit of work to be better aligned plus some seals to prevent heat loss for really serious smoking. It’s probably one of the better, more sturdy made commercial grills I’ve bought. I do NOT like flimsy metal grills. It’s not Green Egg quality, but I didn’t pay that type of money for it either. 
 

I haven’t tried the offset smoke box yet. But I have no reason to believe that it won’t work well. Again, it’ll probably need a little extra work to be really well sealed, but that won’t be hard to do. 
 

I bought mine at Lowe’s. If you buy it unassembled, get a buddy and some beverages before you bust the box open.

https://www.oklahomajoes.com/smokers-and-grills/smoker-grill-combos?utm_campaign=G_Brand-General&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP6ABhCjARIsAH37rbQCFe1fZu6-3GMyWv2X94IIrXi19r8-qCB3HBB9T3BBdlYyT52uv3IaAhG_EALw_wcB

[woodford 469]

3 hours ago, Tiger Refuge said:

I have. It is a nice set up. With a little tweaking, it’ll be really nice. The doors on the charcoal side need a bit of work to be better aligned plus some seals to prevent heat loss for really serious smoking. It’s probably one of the better, more sturdy made commercial grills I’ve bought. I do NOT like flimsy metal grills. It’s not Green Egg quality, but I didn’t pay that type of money for it either. 
 

I haven’t tried the offset smoke box yet. But I have no reason to believe that it won’t work well. Again, it’ll probably need a little extra work to be really well sealed, but that won’t be hard to do. 
 

I bought mine at Lowe’s. If you buy it unassembled, get a buddy and some beverages before you bust the box open.

https://www.oklahomajoes.com/smokers-and-grills/smoker-grill-combos?utm_campaign=G_Brand-General&gclid=Cj0KCQiAvP6ABhCjARIsAH37rbQCFe1fZu6-3GMyWv2X94IIrXi19r8-qCB3HBB9T3BBdlYyT52uv3IaAhG_EALw_wcB

 

Nice. Yeah that assembly seems like fun lol I think I'm going to get the Oklahoma Joe Bronco Drum Smoker here soon. I debated on the ceramic grill, but it's hard to justify it with how much I actually use it. This will be a good starting spot.

Got a little 3 lb butt on the Weber kettle right now getting smoked.