Charcoal or Gas


fishinguitarman

Gas or Charcoal?  

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You had me at steak and guns. LOL

Are you anywhere near Los Colinas? We've got a games testing lab down there and I bet - if I wanted to put myself through the pain of working with that group - I could probably finagle a trip down there for work. We've sent three people down there so far this year for an average of 2 weeks each trip. I have a sneakling suspicion we'll need to send more people in the 2nd half of this year (since July marks the new fiscal year for us).

Yeah, it's not too far at all. Just let me know!

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^^^^^ THIS!!! ^^^^^

charcoal all the time gives me time to smoke a Churchill slow indirect gives you an hour or two

Not charcoal, just chunks of hard wood, usually pecan, post oak or mesquite. Directly on the red hot glowing part. Ash doesn't stick because the temp is so hot. 4-5 minutes a side depending on thickne

"When I cook a steak on a wood fire, I actually put the steak directly on the wood, no pan, nor grate, just place the steak directly on the hottest part of the wood. It's pretty dang good!"

Am I correct in thinking that you put the steak directly onto the wood charcoal? Do you use 'wood charcoal'? Is it for a matter of seconds? Don't you get ash all over the meat? If you don't mind please explain this more because I'm gonna try it!

Cheers

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"When I cook a steak on a wood fire, I actually put the steak directly on the wood, no pan, nor grate, just place the steak directly on the hottest part of the wood. It's pretty dang good!"

Am I correct in thinking that you put the steak directly onto the wood charcoal? Do you use 'wood charcoal'? Is it for a matter of seconds? Don't you get ash all over the meat? If you don't mind please explain this more because I'm gonna try it!

Cheers

Not charcoal, just chunks of hard wood, usually pecan, post oak or mesquite. Directly on the red hot glowing part. Ash doesn't stick because the temp is so hot. 4-5 minutes a side depending on thickness.

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Certainly are interesting views in this thread... It is to me that a lot of comments are correct and they certainly could not in any way ''fuel'' a valid argument from either side. Taste and procedure that satisfy a cook cannot be disputed. As for steaks on my behalf, the one thing that I am looking for is HEAT and lot's of it. So with a conventional gas unit the only temp you can expect from it is in the 650 deg F range, maybe up to 700 with oversized holes. In my book you need a minimum of 1200 deg F... this is infrared (gas) or charcoal.

This is the main reason that so many steak house do a good steak and they use gas(infrared)... cheaper, cleaner and faster.

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Not charcoal, just chunks of hard wood, usually pecan, post oak or mesquite. Directly on the red hot glowing part. Ash doesn't stick because the temp is so hot. 4-5 minutes a side depending on thickness.

Cheers, thanks. I'll be giving this a go.

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  • 2 weeks later...

There is not one "famous" prime steakhouse in the modern world who cooks their steaks over charcoal.....just sayin'!

Ever been to Argentina? Cabaña Las Lilas has an amazing wood-fired parilla and some of the best steaks in the world, at least on the 6 out of 7 continents I've visited......best side dish ever, Souffle de patatas - and incredible Mendoza Malbecs, all 3 pesos to the dollar!

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I just aquired this vintage NOS (NewOldStock) charcoal grill, not sure if I should use it or not, its brand new out of its 1960 box,

may just fill it with ice and serve beer out of it during a gathering.

Or, I could turn it into a gas grill, I built my own a number of years ago

and this would be an easy conversion, but this peice with probably stay as is.

attachicon.gifIMG_3641.jpg

Awesome rig dude! Love the stainless chefs rotisserie!

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Ever been to Argentina? Cabaña Las Lilas has an amazing wood-fired parilla and some of the best steaks in the world, at least on the 6 out of 7 continents I've visited......best side dish ever, Souffle de patatas - and incredible Mendoza Malbecs, all 3 pesos to the dollar!

Churriscarias and Traditional Steakhouses are not the same kind of restaurants. Wood fired and charcoal are also not the same thing.

I've had many great steaks that were wood fired and I've eaten at many great steakhouses and churriscsrias that use wood fire , none that I would consider to be ranked in the brotherhood of "top", "best" or " famous".

According to the reviews of Cabana las Lilias, it sounds like "best in the World" might be a bit of a stretch. Especially since it is not even ranked the best in Buenos Aires. (#36).

Like most everything I guess, "best" is subjective.

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Churriscarias and Traditional Steakhouses are not the same kind of restaurants. Wood fired and charcoal are also not the same thing.

I've had many great steaks that were wood fired and I've eaten at many great steakhouses and churriscsrias that use wood fire , none that I would consider to be ranked in the brotherhood of "top", "best" or " famous".

According to the reviews of Cabana las Lilias, it sounds like "best in the World" might be a bit of a stretch. Especially since it is not even ranked the best in Buenos Aires. (#36).

Like most everything I guess, "best" is subjective.

Cabana las Lilas is a Parilla (Argentine steakhouse), not a Churrascaria (Brazilian Rodizio).

Not sure where you got your rating as it shows up in the top 3 across dozens of sites. Also, to qualify, I said one of the best, not the best....

Agree that wood fired and charcoal are not the same though.

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Love my new Weber Genesis. I just don't do a great job of getting charcoal hot enough to cook steaks to my liking. Not to mention it seems so much charcoal is wasted beacuse you need a lot to get hot but then you use it for such a small amount of time.

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Love my new Weber Genesis. I just don't do a great job of getting charcoal hot enough to cook steaks to my liking. Not to mention it seems so much charcoal is wasted beacuse you need a lot to get hot but then you use it for such a small amount of time.

Just shut your grill down and reuse the charcoal for the next cook.

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Love my new Weber Genesis. I just don't do a great job of getting charcoal hot enough to cook steaks to my liking. Not to mention it seems so much charcoal is wasted beacuse you need a lot to get hot but then you use it for such a small amount of time.

Get yourself some hardwood briquettes. Great smokey flavor, will burn up to 750F and nice big lumps can burn for upwards of 6-8hrs at 350F or less. At least something to try if you're not loving results of regular charcoal.

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Just shut your grill down and reuse the charcoal for the next cook.

Too much hassle IMO. The only method I like for charcoal is the chimney starter so it's a process of scooping it back out of the grill.

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I recycle!

I use a chimney also. I just scoop up the used coal w my hands and dumpem back in. Takes like 10seconds. Then I can put my war paint on my face from the dust smile.png

Charcoal is just one thing I hate handling unless it's being poured directly from the bag to where it's going.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'll say it again - I think it 100% depends on what you are actually grilling.

This is pertinent, however, I will almost always choose charcoal as well as anything other than gas due to environmental concerns.

Unless, of course, you're collecting methane on your own domestic animal land plot. I saw a rural village farmer doing that in Cambodia... that was a surprise and a joy to come upon!

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Environmental concerns. LOL

Sent from my DROID RAZR HD using Tapatalk

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Just wondering in the foreign flavours debate, would that mean that adding rubs or seasoning beyond salt and olive oil mean you are imparting foreign flavours onto the meat to cover up the flavour of the beef?

I don't put anything on beef apart from rubbing them in a bit of olive oil then a sprinkle of sea salt, mainly because I don't like other seasoning or rubs, but still, was wondering.

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Just wondering in the foreign flavours debate, would that mean that adding rubs or seasoning beyond salt and olive oil mean you are imparting foreign flavours onto the meat to cover up the flavour of the beef?

I don't put anything on beef apart from rubbing them in a bit of olive oil then a sprinkle of sea salt, mainly because I don't like other seasoning or rubs, but still, was wondering.

I wouldn't consider seasoning to be part of the "foreign" flavors. Smoke and flavored smokes initiate a chemical reaction within the proteins and fats of meat that impart a flavor that is different and much stronger than basic seasoning. Now when you start marinating beef in wet marinades, that's a whole different conversation. My opinion of course.

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