That age old debate. OK, well maybe not “Age old”…. but it’s been going for a long time…. since the invention of the gas BBQ anyway. People have a love of the grill, and the debates and competitions rage unabated.
To barbecue means to slow-cook meat at a low temperature for a long time over wood or charcoal, such a long history charcoal has as a fuel, it’s use as such has been dated back as far as 5,500 BC. But wood is bulky, and charcoal only slightly less so.Enter the briquette! In 1897, a patent was filed for the modern day charcoal briquette. There are stories circulating that Henry Ford invented the very first briquette in 1920 with the help of Thomas Edison. However, the 1897 patent obviously predates this and Ford and Edison both knew Zwoyer. However, Ford did create a briquette from the wood scraps and sawdust from his car factory. E.G. Kingsford bought Ford’s briquette and placed it into commercial production.
The first charcoal barbecue was introduced into North America in the 1950’s and it has evolved since then. What started as a coal filled pit with a spit to turn the meat placed over is now the modern barbecue we see in our local home improvement stores. Of course there have been several major advances in the charcoal barbecue over the years. The first was the introduction of lighter fluid. This made it easier to get the fire started and along with charcoal briquettes brought barbecuing into mainstream American culture.
Gas BBQ’s arrived on the scene around the late 1960’s – early 1970’s and the great debate began. Gas or charcoal? And it’s never ended. I’ve always gone both ways…so to speak. We had a gas grill at the house and I always loved to light it….. close the lid, turn on the gas….wait a moment or two, open and toss in a match from a few feet back and hear that satisfying whooomph that always drew a bellow from my father as it rattled the windows. Safe? Of course not! Fun? Always!! But at the cabin we had a Hibachi.
In the taste tests…hands down charcoal won every time. You just don’t get that rich, smokey flavour from gas. And those indoor electric things? Who’s idea was that? Dad wanted to buy us one a few times and we steadfastly refused every time. The whole point of BBQing is to be outside! When I lived in PG we BBQ’d year round! 40 below…absolutely! Light ‘er up!
When Kirk and I moved to Vancouver we started with a Hibachi, but living in a small apartment with a teensy balcony, we eventually bought a small portable BBQ and a 5lb propane tank. We used it a fair bit until we moved to north vancouver and had a larger outdoor space with an area that did not have a roof overhang…perfect location to make the transformation back to charcoal and return to that lost flavour sensation. We gave our little gas BBQ to a friend and bought a wonderful Weber Bar-B-Kettle and have never looked back. Heck, he’s even done the Christmas turkey on the rotisserie over charcoal!
The only significant change we made to our grilling was a shift away from briquettes and the associated health issues with cooking over little black pucks held together with nasty glues that make their way into the food above. We took a BBQ course at DuBrulle’s Culinary Insititute and they introduced us to Royal Oak Lump Charcoal (available at Canadian Tire) No chemicals, no glues, starts quickly without lighter fluid (shove a piece of paper and light it like a real fire…it IS real wood afterall). It burns hotter than briquettes, and snaps and crackles in the most satisfying manner…because it is a real fire!
When we bought the boat, we hunted around and bought a small charcoal boat BBQ by Force 10. And it has been wonderful, although it takes a bit more to get going… and is a bit smokey…. and here is where the life altering event occurred….
We bought a new, large, Dickinson gas Sea-B-Cue for the boat….. shocking, I know! But we have smoked out people too often… and although we will miss the superior taste of charcoal on the boat… we now no longer have to store a big bag of lump charcoal somewhere… no, now we will join the ranks of boaters who forget to bring the propane along…. but we will have dinner earlier than before… and we won’t draw the fireboat over….
But we will never give up charcoal at home!!! Long Live the Weber!