Some people say they love the “flavour” that grilling with charcoal yields, but the biggest difference between gas and charcoal is the heat characteristics. Charcoal doesn’t necessarily flavour your food, because the majority of the wood flavour is burned out in the kiln during the charcoal making process. It does, however, generate a very dry heat that allows you to perfectly sear a piece of meat and achieve a gorgeous caramelized crust, or reach low heats gas grills can’t, perfect for low and slow cooking. A gas flame, especially one from natural gas, contains water vapour, producing a moist heat that doesn’t deliver the same perfect crust that we expect from charcoal. Live fire grilling also affords you the option to burn wood. Wood has its own unique heat characteristics that add more flavour to your food. A wood fire is definitely more challenging to cook with than charcoal, as it doesn’t burn as cleanly or evenly, but the flavours you can achieve are phenomenal.
