On Wed, 1 Dec 2004 11:01:03 -0800, "WeeWilly" >
wrote:

>Wondering what you can pass on to help me make a decision. I've never used
>a gas grill other than a small table top Smokey Joe from Weber.. can't
>regulate it to cook other than real HOT. I have two Weber kettles.. 18" and
>22". They are fine.. but looking for one with a lot of surface area.
>
>That said.. I'm looking to get a good grill like a Summit or Genesis.
>
>Why would I want to use a charcoal grill over a gas.. or gas over charcoal.
>If charcoal.. I doubt I'd go for lump as it's more difficult to find.
>
>I have a good smoker, Cookshack, but want a bigger grill..
>
>Thanks for any help
I prefer charcoal to gas, because of the flavor mainly. You can also
produce higher heat, particularly using lump. That is a big plus for
getting a good sear on steaks.

The only downside is that it can take a little more time to get the
charcoal ready. I solved that problem by using a propane torch to
light my charcoal. Ater all, propane must be good for something! ;-)

I use a 500,000 BTU torch that will get charcoal ready to go in about
30 seconds. I haven't pulled out my chimney starter since I go this
thing. Here's what I use...

http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...859&R=266 859

Puts out an enormous amount of heat and sound like a jet engine. This
thing tends to scare the ladies, but most men I know who have seen
this in action have bought one. To put it in perspective, gas burners
on a commercial style gas range put out something around 15,000 BTUs.

Another thought that comes to mind is that Weber makes a really giant
kettle grill called the "Ranch Kettle."

http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/grill/f...px?g=60020&t=c

Of course, the basic kettles are inexpensive enough that you could
just buy a couple and use the second one for extra capacity.

Cheers,

Leonard