Charcoal or gas? Grilling fans get all fired up

Summer holidays connote grilling. Everyone has an opinion and the debate still rages: charcoal or gas?

Emotions run high when the differences are discussed.

Christian Farmer, a seven-year grilling aficionado, believes people buy gas grills based on their inability.

"People buy gas grills when they don't know how to grill," he said. "If you use gas, you might as well throw it in an oven."

Area stores that sell both gas and charcoal grills, such as Lowe's and The Home Depot, sell more gas than charcoal grills.

"Most people like the convenience of flipping a switch on a gas grill," said Debbie Sheehan, a lawn and garden specialist at The Home Depot. "With charcoal, you have to wait until the coals are white."

Convenience reigns as the selling point for gas grills. However, the faithful charcoal grillers believe charcoal creates better flavor and a better eating and grilling experience.

"Charcoal has a better heat and smoky flavor," Farmer said. "It's easier to control the heat inside."

Grilling with charcoal as a preference has more to do with meat than convenience.

Keith Kahmann regularly grills through winter and summer, especially steak, and knows the intricacies of charcoal.

"Basically you get more flavor when you grill over charcoal," he said. "You get that smoked flavor that you probably wouldn't get with a gas grill."

Overcooked meat remains the most persistent problem with gas grills, Kahmann said. The problem lies not only with the grill, but also with the griller.

"Most of the time they overcook their meat," he said. "Maybe that's because there's not so much caretaking in the grilling process; they just think of it as a stove." Although some people think a steak is either juicy or tender, Kahmann maintains that charcoal grills, when the heat is controlled, can produce tender and juicy steaks. The steaks must be done "right" to reveal their natural taste.

"The only thing you want to do with a steak is either rubs or salts. Marinades are kind of weak," he said. "Salt brings out the natural flavor of the meat."

However, gas grills can have the charcoal flavor and tenderness without having to wait for coals to heat, say people in that camp.