ELECTRIC Outside Grills..Better than Charcoal,Gas?

Has anyone had much experience?.... I m tired of messing with charcoal and gas....

Sometimes, I see electric grills used on the Food Shows... I m wondering if the temperature gets hot enough to do a steak "Pittsburg Style"....also, I m always concerned about grease,drippings,clean up or LACK there of !!

I d appreciate knowing pro s and cons and even a model rec... I jus grill normally for two and don t require a large one...

Thanks in advance,

JJG III

Charcoal fan here. I would think they use electric because of the many ways it works better for television (less smoke and much easier cleanup).

I* cook on charcoal or wood chip. Nothing beats charcoal, although the wood chip is a nice change of pace. Maybe I'm missing something - like simply the joy of cooking outside - but if I was going to grill on an electric grill, I'd just get one of those stove top grill attachments and save myself the trouble.

* I only grill at my parents' place because of living restrictions. And then, my brother tends to be the family grill master. So, it's not me grilling most of the time.

I don't like 'em at all. The ones I have used just don't get hot enough to sear the meat properly. I use propane if I'm in a hurry to throw something on the grill for a quick dinner after work, but nothing beats a good hardwood charcoal fire for grilling.

I said I was charcoal all the way, but I actually switched to hardwood last year (I can find them at Lowe's), and boy does it get hot.

I've been using the lump charcoal instead of the briquets and it's a lot hotter fire. I can't believe those electric ones will get hot enough to do any good. I saw some at Home Depot and they also have a small round gas patio grill that looked good. Weber also has a small portable gas one you can get that also can be had with a small table, looked great for 2 people and has a nice cast iron grate on it ! I was at a cookoff at our Farmers Market and Nancy Russman used one of the portable Webers and she was very impressed with it, she had hers for 7 years or so.

Another hardwood charcoal fan here. Don't even consider briquettes, they contain a lot of foreign material, some of it toxic. I've personally got a Kamado that I use for both smoking and grilling. It will hold temps from 200° to 700° without a problem.

I do believe there is a place for gas grills, especially if you want to use a rotisserie for a long cook of something like a Turkey or want to cook something fast like hots or burgers. I've never seen an electrical grill that was worth having. They're all underpowered because they are limited to 120 volts for home use which at the best comes out to about 2000 watts which doesn't provide enough heat. Maybe if you could find a 240 volt commercial unit in may be OK.

I've personally got a Kamado that I use for both smoking and grilling. It will hold temps from 200° to 700° without a problem.

I'm SO jealous. I wish I could afford something like that... I miss the Big Green Egg I used to use at Equus. Lately, I've taken to throwing a bunch of wood chips on the drip pans of the gas grill I have with pretty good results...I love charcoal but it seems like such a waste to build a nice fire for only a couple of things for my wife and I.

I only cook on charcoal and/or hardwood.

Most cooking shows use electric because (a) they heat up quickly, and (b) can be used indoors (without the dangers of using gas around all the wiring, hot lights, et al for tv).

That said, I think electric is better than gas, as with wood chips added you get better flavor (or at least a neutral flavor, without the background odor/taste of gas)

I've personally got a Kamado that I use for both smoking and grilling. It will hold temps from 200° to 700° without a problem.

I'm SO jealous. I wish I could afford something like that...

I lucked out and found a Kamado at a farm auction awhile back. Nobdy knew what it was, I got it for five bucks. Same auction I scored over a dozen pieces of french copper pans/pots for less than an a hundred bucks. Auction man said they might be good for scrap metal "with all that copper and all".
We have been using lump charcoal for years. I have used an electric starter for my lump coal and found it worked pretty well. Its just a small ring shaped heating element on the end of a 18" handle. Put the ring down,dump charcoal over it plug it in and in five minutes youve got hot coals.Most often though we just use the chimney type starter. One other thing to add would be to make certain you buy lump charcoal thats made in the states. Some of the stuff you see every now and then thats made in Central/South America can have a pretty ugly history behind it.

I'm a huge fan of charcoal or hardwood.

Sadly, however, my husband prefers propane. I have no idea why. The food may as well be cooked on our gas stove instead of the outdoor grill.

Ah well. I have purchased a couple small weber grills and some charcoal and stuck them in our shed in my own private hiding place.

When he goes out of town for whatever reason, I haul them out and enjoy some tasty grilled food!

shhhhh. Don't tell him. . . .

For a true Pittsburgh your looking for at least 700 degrees.
Only blazing hardwood coals will get you there. And you need a fairly substantial fire box.
Sure, you could do it with obscene amounts of gas, and a $2500 hood, but that would only yield a close approximation.
If you must use charcoal use whole lump to get some embers going then pile on the hickory or pecan (rock hard, dry wood being the key). Let the timbers burn down nice and slow....2 hours is not unreasonable. You are looking for a very tight ember.
About 20 minutes before introducing the protein, I like to add some soft fruit wood like apple or cherry.
Once the flames are simmering it is time to lube up your cook surface and introduce your meat.
- larger cuts equate to exponential flavor payoffs.
ie. leave that PSMO in tact.
I prefer simple sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, but I suppose a generous rub of spring garlic would not be out of order.
If your heat is right - two minutes/quadrant should be sufficient.

I have an electric grill and love it! I am not going to mess with charcoal. I have had several gas grills and they are OK. My electric grill is not very large-grill rack is 12.5" x16". I cook chicken, burgers, steaks and chops. I have replaced the coil.

For a true Pittsburgh your looking for at least 700 degrees.
Only blazing hardwood coals will get you there. And you need a fairly substantial fire box.
Sure, you could do it with obscene amounts of gas, and a $2500 hood, but that would only yield a close approximation.
If you must use charcoal use whole lump to get some embers going then pile on the hickory or pecan (rock hard, dry wood being the key). Let the timbers burn down nice and slow....2 hours is not unreasonable. You are looking for a very tight ember.
About 20 minutes before introducing the protein, I like to add some soft fruit wood like apple or cherry.
Once the flames are simmering it is time to lube up your cook surface and introduce your meat.
- larger cuts equate to exponential flavor payoffs.
ie. leave that PSMO in tact.
I prefer simple sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, but I suppose a generous rub of spring garlic would not be out of order.
If your heat is right - two minutes/quadrant should be sufficient.

DUDE !!!...Next time Becky and I enter a BBQ contest we want YOU as the smoker stoker <G>. Please tell me you can keep a smoker going at 220 degrees...Alllllllll night long. :-O