When we think about grilling, we typically think of seared meats and roasted vegetables. But did you know that your grill is just as good for baking delicious desserts? You can use your barbecue just like an oven in your kitchen to make cookies and cakes and add smoky grilled flavours. Let’s first look at …
It’s easy to take for granted the cooking grates in your barbecue. After all, they sit outside in your grill all year long, ready for the next time you fire it up. They take a beating, exposed to extreme heat, moisture and lots of grease and grime. We give them a bit of a scrape …
What is grilled flavor and what makes grilling different from any other type of cooking? You can cook a steak in a pan, bake chicken wings in the oven, and “grill” a burger on a flat top griddle. So why do these foods taste so different when you cook them on your grill? This is …
What comes to mind when you think of fall food? Comfort foods, sweet potatoes, apples, warm spices, and all the squash! If you’re starting to plan your favourite fall dishes for the cooler days ahead, don’t forget to add your grill to feature your grills unique capabilities. Many of these seasonal ingredients that are associated …
It’s officially football season! Whether you’re a diehard alum of your college team, or you root for the big dogs of the NFL, nothing says football quite like a good tailgate party. And what makes a great party? The FOOD! But how to cook once you’re set up at the stadium? If you’re a regular …
Grilling at the Game with Top-of-the-Line Portable Gas & Charcoal Grills Read More »
Comfort Food On The Grill – Taking Your Favourite Fall Dishes Outdoors If you think the end of summer marked the end of grilling season, think again! Fall is a glorious season for grilling. For one, you’re not sweltering under the summer sun. More than that, it’s a great time to experiment with your grill …
In a previous post, we talked about how to prepare your grill to cook the perfect steakhouse steak. Now, let’s dive a bit deeper and talk about the different cuts of meat that are best when grilled. Once you master grilling the perfect steak, you’ll never want to drop a hundred bucks at an overpriced …
The grill has long shared real estate with vegetables (and even fruit!) in a ‘sides’ capacity. But now, new plant-based foods are taking center stage, and even diehard carnivores are surprised by the realistic meat-like taste and texture of these products. Let’s be clear. We’re not talking about the standard ‘veggie burgers’ you can find …
Move Over, Meat! Grilling For The Plant-Based Revolution Read More »
Desserts On The Grill? You bet! A lot of people only think of the grill for cooking meat and the occasional veggie kabob, but it can do SO MUCH MORE! Namely, dessert! If you’ve never cooked sweets on your grill, you’re in for a real treat. Here are a few ways to use your grill …
The charcoal versus gas debate has raged on since the dawn of gas grilling, and will likely never end. But with modern advances in both charcoal manufacturing and gas grill technology, the real debate often comes down to flavour — not cooking temperature, speed or convenience. What do we hear the most? “Gas grills leave …
Does Fuel Affect Grilled Food Flavour? Myth Vs. Reality Read More »
The charcoal versus gas debate has raged on since the dawn of gas grilling, and will likely never end. But with modern advances in both charcoal manufacturing and gas grill technology, the real debate often comes down to flavour — not cooking temperature, speed or convenience.
What do we hear the most?
“Gas grills leave a chemical flavour on food.”
And, “Only charcoal can give you a true ‘grilled’ flavour.”
Wrong! Let’s debunk these myths once and for all.
Gas Is Tasteless & Odourless
Both natural gas and propane are completely tasteless, odourless and colourless. What’s that odour then that you smell when you open the tank valve and before lighting? Gas manufacturers add a completely harmless (albeit, stinky) chemical called ethyl mercaptan. This is a safety measure to alert you to gas leaks. As soon as the gas and mercaptan combust, the odour burns off instantly, along with the gas, leaving no residual taste or smell. When you burn gas properly your combustion byproducts are carbon dioxide and water vapor.
If you still swear you’re tasting “gas,” you may need to do some troubleshooting to make sure your gas grill is working properly. Under-combustion produces carbon monoxide.
Always let a gas grill preheat completely – any smoke you see before adding food is organic material (old food, spider webs, etc.) that need to burn off. Preheating usually takes 10-15 minutes, with the exception of an infrared burner.
Note the colour of the flame – the flame of a gas grill with the proper mix of gas and air should burn bright blue with faint yellow tips. Sluggish yellow or orange flames indicate too much gas and not enough oxygen. This means the gas and mercaptan are not fully combusting before reaching your food.
Clean and adjust air intake – clean the burners to ensure no food or other materials are blocking them. If this doesn’t produce blue flames, consult your owner’s manual for instructions on adjusting the air-gas mixture. It may also be a sign that you need to replace your burners to get back to peak performance.
Vaporization Gives You True Grilled Flavour
Now for the other myth. While it’s true that charcoal – particularly solid hardwood chunks – is naturally going to impart a smokier flavour than a clean-burning gas grill, the distinct ‘grilled’ flavour most people recognize actually comes from vaporization.
We’ll discuss this more in-depth in another post, but basically when fat and juices drip down off of food and hit a hot surface – either hot charcoal or a hot burner – it vaporizes and coats the food in a tasty goodness that cannot be achieved by any other cooking method.
Vaporization occurs over any hot surface. It’s the reason why Broil King uses Flav-R-Wave technology in our heat plates. The heat plates cover the burners to protect them and evenly distribute heat, yes. But the Flav-R-Wave heat plates are also designed specifically to vaporize drippings and channel excess fat away.
Want to add extra smoky flavour using your gas grill? Simply add some wood chips or pellets of your choice to a smoker box during the preheating process. Once your chips start smoking, adjust the vents on the smoker box to control the amount of smoke, and keep your grill lid closed while cooking.
Find Your Next Grill At Broil King
Gas versus charcoal ultimately comes down to preference! An authentic grilled flavour can be achieved on both types of grills. Whatever you decide, you can find your next gas or charcoal grill at your local Broil King distributor. See our complete line of grills at https://broilkingbbq.com/grills/.
