Briquette Q's taste better but are not any fun to light in then middle of winter with a foot of snow on the ground and on a work night. Best saved for weekend grilling.Good luck,

SZ

I have both gas and charcoal. The gas is for grilling only and the barrel smoker is for BBQ only with the occasional special steak that I want flavored with hardwood.

In the barrel smoker, I ONLY use Cowboy Brand Lump Hardwood Charcoal (found at Home Depot, Lowe's etc) which is started in a tower charcoal starter w/ newspaper (never, ever use starting fluid unless you like the taste of gasoline). It takes 15 minutes to get the charcoal rolling in the tower and I can be laying down a thick smoke with fruit wood in 20 mins. Lump hardwood charcoal tastes much better and burns way hotter than briquettes (and it burns much faster too). This gives you a better sear on your steak.

What I'm saying is one of the main reasons folks stay away from charcoal is that they think it takes too long - when actually, with the right charcoal and a starting tower.....its takes roughly the same time as it does to heat up a gas grill....and the flavor is WAY better than with gas.

You can also cook Papa Murphys pizza on a Weber. I doubt charcoal will do that. Just remember to remove the paper tray. I have also done a cake in the Weber, just to see if it would work. It does quite well actually. I've done hams, roasts, just about anything that would use an oven can also be done in a Weber gas grill. We had a 30 day kitchen remodel a few years ago and the Weber did just about anything we needed while the kitchen was apart.

lol

Really?

You can have the coals ready in 3 minutes?

I can have the gas grill ready before you even have the coals in your tower to light.

old skool here--year round very often

If you want to smoke low/slow/accurately on a weber kettle, then ask for one of these for your next birthday:

http://store.thebbqguru.com/weborderentry/Party%20Q

They sell adapters (about $10) for many common setups including the basic weber kettles... You can put in a pile of charcoal + smoking wood, dial in a temperature, and you're solid for HOURS

I have the same Weber Summit Sky-Guy has. I bought it as a house warming gift to myself four years ago. It's sits year round on a covered porch and gets used as much if not more than you'll use yours. I haven't had to do anything but clean it. I also have a Weber Kettle for those times I want to charcoal grill a steak.

donno,

Thanks for your post. I never read what you say in entirety, I just look at the avatar.

U Know you want one beeyotch!

I hear ya Andy,mmmmdeerrr Bar-be-Huh-What?

One word.... WEBER!

Wow Dan - that's awesome! You have a super special grill that heats up from a cold zero to steak ready (+600 degrees) in 3 minutes? That's simply amazing! I just wish that my brand new 2 burner Weber had that same performance. Alas, I do have to wait about twenty minutes to get mine above 600. Maybe I should have bought the 3 burner. Yeah - that must be it.

Would you be so kind as to share the exact make and model of this nuclear weapon of grilling that you have?

LOL is right. Really.

Maybe you just shouldn't claim coals are as fast as gas when everyone knows they aren't.

i have a 4 burner cheapy Char Broil i could melt in 3 minutes if i kicked it on high from a cold start... i have had it pegged at 700 before, not such a good decision i would think tho... i dont do it often either..

I said "roughly the same time", which to me is about +/- 5 minutes. Sorry I was not more clear. Again, this estimate is for lump hardwood in a starting tower. I do concede that Kingsford style briquettes without a starting tower do take forever.

My bad - I was being an asshole.

I do that sometimes.

Me too and I would like to apologize to you for that.

"Like."

Now stop screwing up my BBQ thread.

this thread needs pictures

I prefer my girls dirty and my BBQ clean

salmo?

Is that you??