When you’re cooking on a barbecue grill, most of the food’s flavor comes from being cooked over an open flame. The heat of the grate chars the food. You can’t beat the flavor that you get from the flickers of fire that are produced from the fat dripping off the meat. If you use a charcoal BBQ grill in which you use lump charcoal or even wood, that extra barbecue taste is intensified.

It’s a little time consuming to start up a charcoal BBQ grill. You need to fetch the charcoal from wherever it’s stored. It must be measured out properly into the grill and then set aflame. It needs around 30 minutes of burning before it’s hot enough to cook over. If you plan on using the grill for a long time, you have to add fresh charcoal from time to time. And when you’re done, there’s the ashes to be disposed of.

As well, remember that with a charcoal grill, you can’t have total control over the cooking temperature. If you go for an expensive model, it has ramps which can be raised and lowered. As well, moving the coals around can help to heat up or slow down the fire.

Things move slowly with a charcoal grill. If you’re in a hurry and have no time to wait for the charcoal to heat up, then a gas grill is definitely more convenient. Many people like to come home after work and start up the grill; since a charcoal BBQ takes quite a bit of time, it’s not often the best choice for this scenario.

However, don’t forget that there’s a lot of pleasure that comes along with grilling on a charcoal BBQ. Firstly, it’s fun to play with the fire, stand around the barbecue and watch the meat being grilled just the way you like it. And there’s no doubt that food prepared on a charcoal grill is much tastier than what you’ll get from a gas grill.

In general, a charcoal grill is quite inexpensive. The only thing that you need is a constant supply of charcoal. Although the expense will add up, it’s really not much different from the propane you need to run a gas grill. As well, a charcoal BBQ is a simpler piece of equipment with fewer parts, so it’s likely to last you a long time.

Of course, it’s up to you in the end whether you go with a charcoal or gas BBQ grill. The charcoal grill can make some particularly tasty steaks. It can be a fun and pleasant activity. If you have a relaxed schedule and enjoy the charred and tangy taste of meat grilled over a charcoal flame, it might be just the thing.