Charcoal grills and gas grills are widely used today. So, what are the differences and benefits between the two? Let's explore it together!

Advantages of charcoal grills:

A charcoal grill can reach a blistering 482 degrees Celsius on the surface of the meat, much hotter than a standard gas grill without infrared burners. Utilizing such high temperatures, steaks and lamb chops turn the skin into our favorite crispy skin while maintaining the red and pink inside of the meat.

Another major advantage of charcoal grilling is smoke, an interesting by-product of burning. The smoke from charcoal contains a wide range of flavor molecules, especially when starting to light. Gas fuels are just simple molecules (CH4 is natural gas, C3H8 is liquid propane). When they are completely burned, there is only water and carbon dioxide, no flavor. For a gas oven to generate smoke, wood must be added.

When food fats and juices drip onto the burning charcoal, a lot of smoke is produced. Smoke does not significantly alter the flavor of fast-cooking foods such as hot dogs, beef burgers, or even lean steaks if the encounter is only brief. In thick cuts of steak and chicken, the flavor of the smoke can be clearly perceived. There is a noticeable difference in flavor if you use your grill for a long, low temperature smoked roast. The flavor of smoke from a gas oven is very monotonous.

Advantages of gas ovens:

Gas ovens are more convenient and easier to control, and they are easy to start and can heat up in 10 to 15 minutes. It's easy to maintain a stable temperature and heat or cool it down. With 2 or more burners, it's easy to set up a dual-zone grill. Temperature control, critical to a good grill, is also very easy to achieve on a gas grill. Gas ovens are also easier to clean and are generally allowed on balconies.

How does the gas oven taste? Surprisingly, about 90% of the best BBQ restaurants in the world use gas to heat their stoves and then use wood to enhance the flavor. At a similar rate, the world's most expensive steakhouses use gas to grill their prime steaks.

BBQ restaurants choose gas grills for the same reasons as home barbecues: convenience and control. Steakhouses use gas grills because they need a dark surface that can be heated from above and below by specialized heaters, which can get particularly high heat, reaching temperatures between 426.7 and 648.8 degrees Celsius.

Unfortunately, regular patio gas ovens don't produce that much heat. With a specialized burner, it might be possible to reach 482 degrees Celsius on a small portion of the food. But most gas ovens are somewhere between 232.2 and 260. If you're buying a new one, I highly recommend getting a dedicated burner, especially if you're grilling steaks often.

While gas ovens are slightly better at maintaining consistent temperatures, they're not perfect. The medium on the controller might be 148.8 degrees Celsius on a hot day, 135 degrees Celsius on a 21-degree day, or even 107 degrees on a cool, windy or rainy day. But if you're familiar with your grill, it's easy to control the temperature.

Last few words

The above is the difference between charcoal grill and gas oven and their respective advantages. If you want to know more about them, please feel free to contact us. As a leading barbecue grill manufacturer in China, we will provide you with high-quality and valuable services.