Charcoal grilling enthusiasts swear that the fuel results in better flavor for all foods.
If you’ve ever been to an authentic roadhouse restaurant, you will have noticed that charcoal is the fuel of choice for the pit.
If you want juicy, tender, and flavorful grilled foods at home, charcoal is your best choice.
While gas is a versatile fuel source and produces excellent results, there’s something left behind when using propane or natural gas.
Grilling with charcoal can taste better, as long as you’re looking for a smoky flavor.
Let’s explore the reasons why and find out if this is the right fuel for you.
Heat is Key to the Flavor of a Charcoal Grill
Charcoal imparts a characteristic smoky flavor.
But, to the surprise of many, this flavor doesn’t come from smoke.
Made from wood and other organic compounds, charcoal is almost pure carbon.
It burns with an intense heat that isn’t possible on most two and three-burner gas grills.
Most of the harmful volatile compounds are eliminated in the process of producing charcoal.
Buy high-quality briquettes, and your grill will burn consistently without excess smoke.
The smoke that is produced is often mistaken as the flavoring agent. However, this isn’t the case.
It’s the compounds in food that are responsible for the flavor of a charcoal grill.
Unless you’re adding smoke pellets or chips, it’s the intense heat that contributes most to the flavor.
On a charcoal grill, particularly with meat, drippings fall through the cooking grate and are vaporized on the hot coals underneath.
Sometimes there’s a slight flare-up, but you’ll usually be greeted with controlled fire, a hissing sound, and some steam.
Drippings from meats are comprised of fat, sugars, proteins, and oil.
As they vaporize, they end up back on the food, infusing it with flavor.
The longer you cook your food, the more flavorful it will be. You can even char your food to provide an even richer smoky flavor.
Gas grills don’t produce the same result as effectively as charcoal grills.
Most gas models use vaporizer bars on top of the burners, but these aren’t as hot or as efficient as real coals.
You’ll know this because a gas grill accumulates a lot of debris and oil, whereas charcoal grills leave nothing but ash behind.
Charcoal uses all of the compounds from food to infuse more flavor.
Gas does it too, just not to the same degree.
Add Even More Flavor With Smoke
The volatile compounds removed in the charcoal production process are undesirable.
However, some woods produce highly desirable flavors.
In grilling, we use these for smoking.
Apple, hickory, maple, cherry, and mesquite are all popular woods that impart their unique flavors.
Combining charcoal’s ability to vaporize juices with the rich smokiness of wood chips or pellets will give you mouth-watering meats you’ve never tasted before.
You can try a variety pack to experiment with smoke.
This Western BBQ Smoking Wood Chips Variety Pack Bundle is a great way to get started. You can add these wood chips directly over hot coals.
The Final Verdict: Charcoal Tastes Better Than Gas
So does grilling with charcoal taste better?
A charcoal grill can produce more flavorful food than a comparable gas grill, thanks to the way that juices are vaporized and infused into meats and other foods.
Only the very best infrared and high output gas grills can even come close.
If you want an affordable way to enjoy rich grilled meats and vegetables at home, charcoal will satisfy your craving.