Gas versus Charcoal versus Wood versus Briquettes

Gas versus Charcoal versus Wood versus Briquettes

  • 1. Gas

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 2. Fire - Charcoal

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 3. Fire - Wood

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • 4. Fire - Briquettes

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    0

zulu-X-treme

Sealiner
Well considering tomorrow is Heritage Day or more widely known as The National Braai Day and thanks to the efforts of an enthusiastic man called Jan Scannell, better known as "Jan Braai", it has even been suggested that our Heritage Day be renamed to National Braai Day... I thought of discussing, what could be, a rather interesting topic.

Lately with all the talk about carcinogenic's, cancer causing agents, poly-cyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, healthy living, the upsurge of gas due to the cost of electricity and convenience, chemicals in charcoal, paraffin in briquettes, etc... What do you think is best way to cook your meat tomorrow and why.

1. Gas
2. Fire - Charcoal
3. Fire - Wood
4. Fire - Briquettes

Also can it still be called a braai if gas is used?
 

Attachments

  • National-Braai-Day.jpg
    National-Braai-Day.jpg
    36.2 KB · Views: 269

Psy

Sealiner
;)

howsit Zulu...long time!


ide say use wood then top it with charcoal,

briketts/briquettes are for moffies. (sounds french hey)

;)
 

BigBen

Sealiner
Psy wrote:
;)

howsit Zulu...long time!


ide say use wood then top it with charcoal,

briketts/briquettes are for moffies. (sounds french hey)

;)
Jou vleis waai net vol as ... Nes jy daar sê..dis vir
 

Attachments

  • imagesCAER2QXE.jpg
    imagesCAER2QXE.jpg
    10.6 KB · Views: 265

Koper

Senior Member
Wie het gesê jy mag in rooi skryf???:X:X:X

There's only one braai - with wood!onf)))onf)))onf)))
 

rbacht

Sealiner
Seems a bit of a no-brainer. It has to be wood and only wood. Rooikrans, wingerdstomp - you can keep your charcoal / briquettes.

It's like asking do you drink your brandy with pepsi - Sies man! :X
 

zulu-X-treme

Sealiner
rbacht wrote:
Seems a bit of a no-brainer. It has to be wood and only wood. Rooikrans, wingerdstomp - you can keep your charcoal / briquettes.

It's like asking do you drink your brandy with pepsi - Sies man! :X

Short glass + triple brandy (Wellington) + slices of lemon + FULL of ice + just enough space for a splash of tonic water... Haven't touched coke for more than 20 years now. ::happyd:
 

zulu-X-treme

Sealiner
Right, I'll put a spanner in the works...

It all depends on your requirements... For instance Wednesday and Friday nights are braai nights but by the time I get home, getting the fire sorted is the last thing on my mind, so it's gas cooker all the way. It's on the stoep, gas on, heat the plates, cook the meat, serve the meat, easy job... I prefer the taste and do not miss braaing on an open, wood or charcoal, fueled fire at all. Also baking 'roosterbrood' is effortless...

Braaing purists may look down their noses at me and my gas grill, but no one can argue with the fact that grilling over gas is quicker and easier than using charcoal. But you're giving up taste for convenience , the pro-charcoal argument goes. Is that true?

The characteristic flavor of grilled food comes from the drippings, not the fuel. When those drippings hit the heat source below, the oils, sugars, and proteins burst into smoke and flame. That heat creates new complex molecules that rise in the smoke and warm air to coat the food you’re grilling. - Nothing in that process relies on charcoal.

But if charcoal is your preferred fuel, perhaps you do discern the difference in flavor when food is grilled over wood, there is a compound called guaiacol that is unique to charcoal-cooked food: Guaiacol is an aroma compound produced when you use heat to break down lignin, the resin responsible for holding strands of cellulose together to form wood. “It has a smoky, spicy, bacony aroma,”. “In fact, the flavor that most people associate with bacon is largely degraded lignin.” - Translation: Cooking over charcoal makes your food taste like bacon.

So go ahead and stand behind whichever method you prefer. Quick and convenient meals versus food that tastes more like bacon — the choice is yours.

The only time I braai (with wood or charcoal) is when I go camping or I'm on the beach.
 

No-Pro

Senior Member
It has to be wood, some kind of doring, like kameel doring or wingerdstompies as alternative, but definitely wood.
The wood smoke goes into the braai or pot, giving it that unique flavor, which you can never get from charcoal or gas. That is the flavor that makes a lekker lamb loin choppie the best thing ever.
 

rbacht

Sealiner
zulu-X-treme wrote:
Braaing purists may look down their noses at me and my gas grill, but no one can argue with the fact that grilling over gas is quicker and easier than using charcoal. But you're giving up taste for convenience , the pro-charcoal argument goes. Is that true?

Anyone that wants fast food should go to McDonalds. A braai is a braai. You light the fire with wood, once there is coals you braai or you add some more wood. To speed things up you 'kuier' less and the kids get the eat before 11 at night.

Look, I've had plenty of charcoal braais, but only because in the UK braaiwood wasn't exactly readily available. In those cases you would light a fire on pallets and once ready to braai empty a few bags of charcoal to do the cooking on. So I guess as long as there's wood available it will remain my number one choice for a braai.
 
A good braai starts with a chainsaw! But you gotta start well in advance, like a few weeks or in last summer, the wood must get dry first..All of the hardwood acacias are good ;) Wattle, blackwood, kameeldoring.. Save the fossil fuels for our vehicles (for now), wood is carbon neutral!
 
The only way is Wood. Lekker to kuier and meat tastes better imo.

I make fire early, braai then pack it up again for more fire and kuier. I am a Die hard braai man and go through 100 + bags of hardekool wood a year which I ship from NW Province 800km away. We only get rubbish in Durbs.

A good weekend starts with...
10644978_10152339755289677_660691749211083920_n.jpg
 

nicky.saldanha

New member
I would say it depend on what you braai and how much.I like the namchar charcoal for a quick and fast braai.but kameeldoring wood keeps it heat well.for the weber the bricks are tops for smoking
 
Top