[pea-jay]

So my wife's been buggin me about getting a grill. To be honest, it would be nice and convenient to grill outdoors and not heat up inside. What are your thoughts the type of grill? Here are my current thoughts.

Charcoal. Pros: Cheap grills and simple setups. Cons: too smokey, expensive to fuel and lousy for the environment. Good taste though

Propane/LPG. Had one and sold it so I have to get the tanks, grill and everything. Pros: easy to use, relatively clean. Portable. Cons: still kinda expensive.

Natural Gas: I have an NG outlet I can use. Pros: clean burning, cheaper than Lpg. Cons: Grills cost more plus i am tethered to the outlet.

Electricity: Seen ads for electric grills: Pros uses same amount of electricity as a hairdryer, can toss on wood chips or charcoal brickets for flamor. Cheap to operate (12cents an hour) Cons: It's electric. kinda wimpy heating.

So far I must say I am leaning towards the electric grill. Plus our electricity here is 80% renewables-generated so I am not adding much interms of carbon emissions.

Thoughts?

[Madpaddy]

Hi PJ,

I'ld go for the gas stove. Much less carbon emissions than electric if you take power station and transmission losses into account. You can stock up on propane cylinders so you're not short in a power outage. Charcoal cooking, I've read is carcinogenic. I BBQ using charcoal myself but only about 10 times a year so I don't worry too much about it.

What about a solar grill. Might work where you are.
http://www.kitchencontraptions.com/archives/001403.php

[Madpaddy]

Here is the health article re: charcoal cooking.

http://environment.about.com/od/health/ ... grills.htm

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'B')arbecue grills can be problematic for two reasons. First, both charcoal and wood burn “dirty,” producing not only hydrocarbons but also tiny soot particles that pollute the air and can aggravate heart and lung problems. Secondly, the grilling of meat can form two kinds of potentially carcinogenic compounds: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs).

Charcoal Grilling May Pose Cancer Risks
According to the American Cancer Society, PAHs form when fat from meat drips onto the charcoal. They then rise with the smoke and can get deposited on the food.

They can also form directly on the food as it is charred. The hotter the temperature and the longer the meat cooks, the more HCAs are formed.
HCAs can also form on broiled and pan-fried beef, pork, foul and fish, not just on grilled meats. In fact, National Cancer Institute researchers have identified 17 different HCAs that result from cooking “muscle meats” and that may pose human cancer risks. Studies have also shown increased risk of colorectal, pancreatic and breast cancers associated with high intakes of well done, fried or barbequed meats.

[PeakOiler]

Have you considered a hybrid solar oven?
See Hybrid Solar Ovens

[basil_hayden]

I don't think hybrid solar ovens leave grill marks.

Besides that, it's a matter of convenience.

The bad stuff Madpaddy refers to? I call that "flavor"!
Quality before quantity!

You can't beat a charcoal grill for flavor, but it takes awhile to get coals red hot for cooking.

Gas is convenient because you just turn the knob and light it.

Electric? You gotta be kidding me! Just drag the stove outside!
I'd bet you need a separate circuit to run this too, either a 110v 15 or 20 amp, or a 220v 20 amp. It has never occurred to me to grill with electricity. Fire! Fiya!

I have a propane grill and a charcoal smoker. The grill is convenient for after work BBQ, and the smoker is slow and steady for weekend BBQ. both are the cheapest units I could find because inevitably these things die a quick death due to the task at hand and the weather. I bought an expensive gas grill once that didn't last any longer than the $10 wallyworld charcoal grill, about 3 seasons. Another handy item is a propane ring, to fire up a big pot of oil to deep fry turkeys. so if you go with propane, you can use the same bottle on different equipment to cook different things.

[Madpaddy]

Basil,

I agree, the bad stuff is where all the flavour is. I wouldn't disagree with anything you said Bottom line is I'ld go for a propane grill with a cheapy charcoal burner for the lazy days. Take care to grill with real charcoal and not the stuff impregnated with lighter fuel for easy lighting. Maybe the solar grill if you get the sunshine.

[Eli]

I say charcoal is the best way to go. It taste the best.

Get one of those chimney flume charcoal starters and you will be ready to grill in 10 minutes.

And use only wood charcoal, I never buy the briquets and never use lighter fluid.

Gas grills are easy but the taste is just not as good. Also they sometimes don't generate enough heat to cook things properly. Seering a bunch of steaks can be a problem on a gas grill.

[TommyJefferson]

Isn't outdoor grilling illegal?

All things that harm the environment should be illegal.

[dukey]

according to the ministry of love
CO2 is bad for the environment

i say ban breathing !

[frankthetank]

Wait one sec. We sit here and talk about zombies roaming the streets looting and raping looking for their next meal out of a garbage can and we are worried about the "risk" that comes along with eating charcoaled foods? Don't get into an autombile... That'll save you life. Grilled food can't be matched, you could grill dog and it would taste decent. A girl i know just ate "bear brats" (that is not a spelling error) that were grilled. I say go propane or charcoal and stock up on either. Charcoal grills are really cheap and it seems that must propane grills "burn out" or whatever after just a few years. You ever seen that "egg" grill, that might just be the shit.

[TommyJefferson]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('pea-jay', '.')..our electricity here is 80% renewables-generated so I am not adding much interms of carbon emissions.

[strider3700]

Propane or charcoal is a personal taste. I prefer propane because it's easy and quick to use. Electric and Natural gas are out because In the event of a major earth quake (which is possible here) there will be no gas or electric most likely and I'd still like to eat a hot meal. Lots of things can cause the power to go out. The propane BBQ with a side burner works great for outdoor emergency cooking. Winter storms had us outdoor cooking a couple of times last year. I'd hate to be out there waiting for charcoal to heat up in the pounding rain.

[spear]

Kurdistan has been a long time happening.aAt least 20 years.
The Kurds have been fighting for an independant country for that long,so it was just a matter of timing.

[Gazzatrone]

Why not get a metal box big enough to put your roast in with an opening at the front with a metal fan that blows into the box When you want your meal cooking put your misses' mouth by the opening and ask her how her day went.

Hey presto you got yourself a Fan assisted Oven that costs practically nothing to run.

[Tyler_JC]

Where's Matt Savinar on this one?

http://www.lifeaftertheoilcrash.net/IndividualItemPages/SunOven.html

Don't get just any solar oven, get a LATOC-certified Sun Oven.

You get the side benefit of supporting an out of work attorney/Peak Oil Prophet.

[pea-jay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Madpaddy', 'H')i PJ,

I'ld go for the gas stove. Much less carbon emissions than electric if you take power station and transmission losses into account.

[pea-jay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PeakOiler', 'H')ave you considered a hybrid solar oven?
See Hybrid Solar Ovens

[pea-jay]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', 'P')ropane or charcoal is a personal taste. I prefer propane because it's easy and quick to use. Electric and Natural gas are out because In the event of a major earth quake (which is possible here) there will be no gas or electric most likely and I'd still like to eat a hot meal. Lots of things can cause the power to go out. The propane BBQ with a side burner works great for outdoor emergency cooking. Winter storms had us outdoor cooking a couple of times last year. I'd hate to be out there waiting for charcoal to heat up in the pounding rain.

[TommyJefferson]

Did you Doomers know it is possible to cook food without ANY electricity, propane, LPG, charcoal, or sun ovens?

It's really quite amazing. I've done this. Trust me, it works.

First you make a pile of sticks, brush, leaves, or almost any woody plant material.

Next, you set it on fire and let it burn down to coals.

Then, you fashion a metal implement or screen to hold your food over the hot coals. It cooks like magic!

Recently at a lake outing I cooked a bunch of chicken breasts this way. The people were worried because they no charcoal and lighter fluid. The began to organize a trip to the local store to purchase some. They were amazed when I cooked food without store-bought supplies.

When the apocolypse comes, you can do it too!