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From: brian@sdccsu3.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.cooks
Subject: Re: BBQ Grills
Message-ID: <1882@sdccsu3.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-May-84 09:51:13 EDT
Article-I.D.: sdccsu3.1882
Posted: Wed May 30 09:51:13 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 1-Jun-84 07:45:52 EDT
References: <250@mb2c.UUCP>
Organization: UCSD beer & pizza society
Lines: 51

yummy

I've been cooking on the same gas barbecue (propane, not natural gas)
for about 5 years now and I don't think I'd go back to charcoal.

The gas grill is easy to use, you just turn it on and push the ignite
button.  15 minutes later the coals are hot and you can grill things.
During the warmup period (while the lava rock is getting hot) you can
still bake potatoes or warm up things in pots.

I find regulating the temperature easy; the settings on the flame valve
range from 'keep warm' to 'blowtorch' so I can usually cook things like
chicken without burning it.  Took me several tries to get it just right
but now I know where to set the knob.

Once the lava rock has heated up, the flavor I get is similar to that of 
a bed of really good coals, except slightly less smokey.  I've tried
using mesquite chips soaked in water and sprinkled into the lava rock to
add a smokey flavor - good for pork but I don't like it for steaks.

Maintenance is simple: I just leave it on while we're eating and the
grill and rocks burn clean.  Once a month or so I use my shop vacuum to
clean the ash out (I could just turn it over and shake them out but I'm
lazy).  A barbecue  brush and some cooking oil on a cloth are all thats
needed to keep the grill looking good.

And besides the convenience: its cheaper!  I pay about $6 for a tank of
propane, and it lasts me about two months.  Since we use the barbecue
about twice a week (more in the summer), considering the $1.50 to $2
that it costs for 10 lbs of charcoal, which is about 3-4 fires, I think
I've made back the difference in price by now.

Drawbacks:  You can't quite as easily take it to the beach with you -
although it does quite nicely fit in the back of a pickup truck.  If you
run out of gas on Sunday it may be hard to find a fillup.  (You could
always keep a spare tank of gas in your garden shed.)  And they do cost
than a simple charcoal grill initially.  And they do wear out.  I'm
going to buy a new one soon, not only because I want a large grill
surface, but also because the combustion products of the propane have
finally corroded the burner enough that I don't get even heat all over
the grill.  (I could buy a replacement burner for about $45 but I want a
bigger grill anyway - and besides, $100 every 5 years isn't bad).

-- 
	-Brian Kantor, UC San Diego 
	Kantor@Nosc
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