charcoal just taste better to my family

[sparky]

well, last night I was going to cook chicken halves.  i asked my wife if i could use my WSM w/ no wood or my mak pellet grill?  she said she didn't care as long as I use the weber kettle (its funny has she said she didn't care what I used and then told me exactly what to use.  been married along time).  i asked her if she even liked the food coming off my pellet grill?  she said for the last 3 1/2 years of using pellet grills that the food was just ok.  what?  just ok?  why the h#ll didn't you tell me you didn't like the food.  she said that the pellet grill made me happy when i used it and she was good w/ that (what a good wife).  she told me for the last 30 years i have cooked on a weber kettle, WSM or a brinkman and the food always tasted good.  we don't use gas in our house.  just charcoal or pellets.  a good friend of mine brought it to my attention that pellet grills produce a very clean smoke taste on your food compared to cooking w/ charcoal and wood for more of a smoky flavor.  got me thinking about selling my pellet grills and just getting some more kettles and WSM's.  i have always loved my pellet grills for the ease of use and i think the food comes off taste pretty good but the food coming off my WSM has better flavor.  do a lot of you that use charcoal and pellets like the flavor coming off your pellet grills?

[sliding_billy]

I do not use a pellet grill but have had plenty of food coming off of them, and I most definitely prefer charcoal/wood.

P.S. My wife has no reservations telling me exactly what she prefers (not a lot of smoke and mild rub) but also understands that I cook for the enjoyment of it and that I like an aggressive smoke profile (along with an aggressive black pepper profile).  Wives are great!

[veryolddog]

This past Saturday, we thawed out a nice thick rib eye steak. I went outside and fired up the gas grill and temp started rising. I go in the house and retrieve the steak which she had marinading all afternoon and the temperature was dropping in the grill. WTH! I am out of gas. Only in the propane tank.

So, I uncovered my Yoder Cheyenne Wood Smoker with the offset firebox. I loaded the fire box with Royal Oak Lump Charcoal, took the blow torch and fired it up. I retrieved my inset grill for the firebox and placed it into position. In 20 minutes those coals were white hot. I tossed on the steak and using my ludicrous speed teal thermapen, pulled the steak when it was 130 degrees internal temperature.

My wife, who has always been a proponent of the gas grill for fast cooks and would not let me get rid of it, now wants her steaks cooked on the offset firebox with charcoal. Go figure.

Ed

[smokeasaurus]

If my family didn't revolt last Thanksgiving (it sure aint fun being blamed for ruining Thanksgiving dinner), I would still be using charcoal. I miss the flavor, they don't, I do........I like the flexibility of the pellet grill for cooking certain items in the 300-350 range but I have found out the pellet grill is not the one hit wonder I would only want to have on my patio......I am thinking of getting a small charcoal cooker just for my food..............

[Hub]

Charcoal or pellets both provide excellent flavor.  There is some slight convenience advantage to pellets.  I and my family do not like the oversmoked, "creosote" flavor that you get with a lot of white smoke, so pellets produce just the right amount.  Occasionally, I'll add chips or chunks to the charcoaler, but very carefully because it doesn't take much.

Hub

[Sam3]

I was a gas grill guy up until a few years ago. I have three charcoal cookers and one pellet cooker. The gas grill is to heat up the occasional hot dog nowadays.
Most of my cooking is done on the Weber Kettle. At least three to four times a week, for the simple weeknight dinners.
I love the ease of the pellet cooker for making roast beef, pastrami and ribs. It gives me enough smoke flavor as it is.
In fact, I don't use any wood anymore in my WSM either. I prefer the charcoal flavor alone, my wife does too.

[Ka Honu]

Might as well stoke the flames, so to speak - I'm of the school that doesn't think charcoal by itself imparts flavor at all.  I've pretty much always felt that way and had my opinion (which of course is more correct than anyone else's). I'll stick with my smoker or use my IR gassers and add smoke as required.

[Smokin Don]

I do like chicken done on charcoal but for most other cooks I prefer my pellet smoker, a lot less mess and fuss. The low and slow of a pellet smoker was made for us old foggies!  Don

[ACW3]

Sparky,
My wife also prefers charcoal over my pellet grill, at least on those things that get cooked much faster.  I went to cook a steak the other day and she said, "you're using the Weber, right?"  Yes dear.  She "allows" me to cook the pulled pork or pulled beef on my MAK.  Basically, if I can cook something on the MAK, or Weber, or the PBC, I am good.

Art

[tnjimbob]

Love my Weber kettles & WSM. Love my pellet grill. Each has its place and time to be used.

This topic came up just after lunch yesterday when I gave my boss a couple of pieces of comp chicken and three ribs from last weekend's competition. (greasing the wheels a little never hurts!)

Anyway, his first comment was that the ribs had a more pronounced smoke flavor than the last comp ribs I brought him. These were cooked on the WSM as opposed to the pellet cooker ribs I brought him from a previous comp. He liked the smokier ribs better, and I do too, but there's something to be said for the convenience of pellet cookers.

My family has no preference, but they have mentioned the smokier flavor of anything cooked over charcoal w/ wood vs. pellet cooker foods.

[teesquare]

My wife is not a "smoked" meat fan. Nor is she a BBQ snob.

But, she will tell you flatly that she prefers the flavor of chicken cooked in the PBC  - And I agree - over any over method. It has a distinct flavor. Is it the charcoal - or the drippings on the charcoal that cause the flavor? Who cares?
What we do know is that it tastes great. I see no controversy in that.....

[drholly]

My wife is not a "smoked" meat fan. Nor is she a BBQ snob.

But, she will tell you flatly that she prefers the flavor of chicken cooked in the PBC  - And I agree - over any over method. It has a distinct flavor. Is it the charcoal - or the drippings on the charcoal that cause the flavor? Who cares?
What we do know is that it tastes great. I see no controversy in that.....

Have to agree with that!

[smokeasaurus]

The PBC and UDS type smokers that let the meat drip directly on the coals, have a special flavor all their own. I think the drippings hitting the coals create a "Grease Fog" that adds another layer of flavor to the meat..........

[sparky]

why the OldSmokey is a better cooker than the Weber
3" more inches between the fire and the grate
and a whole lot more room under the lid

I would have to differ w/ ya capt.  i also don't think the old smokey is a better cooker than the weber.  3" extra inches between the fire and grate don't mean much to me.  just move the meat over to the other side of the kettle.  i also like that the weber is a baked on finish and love the ash catcher on them.  got to love the wheels too.  now come on capt, you have to admit the weber is a good grill or why else would they be selling so many of them.  and before i came to this forum i have never seen a old smokey before or heard of them.  i do think your is pretty cool and have seen great food coming off of it.  is one better than the other.  maybe but i think we use the grills / smokers because were comfortable w/ the equipment. 

[pz]

I enjoy cooking with charcoal, gas, electric, and pellets.  I think most people have their favorite way(s) of cooking outdoors, and I'm no exception - there are different uses for different reasons:

• I like to use the pellet smoker in the winter because it is a bit cold for my old electric unit.  I also like to smoke various meats on the pellet unit and then finish them in the indoor oven during winter because in addition to helping warm the kitchen, it also smells wonderfully smoky 
• I have a tiny Big Green Egg, and use lump charcoal in it - this unit is great when the wife and I want a cozy grillin' event for just the two of us, right next to the egg.  Besides, it is great for using in the RV.  Using lump charcoal in the tiny egg is for me almost like being next to a campfire - mesmerizing to look at the glowing coals, slight flame, and developing ash
• There is no substitute in my recipe book for electric when smoking salmon and making beef jerky - I done both of those for lots of years, and no one has ever complained.  (You want honest opinions of your food?  ...serve it to your family )

I just recently started using a Bradley electric, and I'll use it in the winter for great cold smoked items like lox and cheese, but from many comments I've read, I suspect that the heat loss (due to the sub-zero temperatures we often get) will be too great to do hot cooking.

I've an SRG on order because of the stories I've read on this fine forum, and am very much looking forward to doing a turkey this Thanksgiving, as well as many other IR seared treats throughout winter.

... yep, the old cliche is definitely true; there's a proper tool for every job  ... at least, that's what I keep telling my wife when I want a new toy