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Charcoal or gas at your tailgate?

RUskoolie

RUskoolie

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I have been a charcoal guy for 10+ years after originally starting out as a gas guy.

Now considering going back to gas.

Gas makes cooking so much easier but its annoying that you have to lug the big propane tanks with you and the little ones are meh.

Charcoal, love the smoke, love the smell. Hate the cleanup, hate having to dump the coals in the parking lot or on the windshield of an opposing fans car.

What do you guys like to use? I am one of the few assholes in Scarlet using charcoal with a chimney starter. Looks like the pope is being announced when I get the coals going at the start of the tailgate.
 
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Lump Charcoal. The real stuff.

Propane is fine for quick grilling but doesn’t compare to charcoal. If I’m going to be using a grill for cooking more than 30 minutes I always go with charcoal.
 
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Gas.

For a couple of years I used one of these:
600435d0d9118301b1b457b9aa3ff50e6d8adc89.png

It was awesome and I would use hardwood chunks instead of charcoal. Also has the advantage of being able to be used as a heater / fire pit when it's really cold.

I didn't replace it when it got old and busted because it was a little bit of a hassle, what with the Tailgate Troopers we had to contend with back in the day.
 
RU4Real said:
Gas.

For a couple of years I used one of these:
600435d0d9118301b1b457b9aa3ff50e6d8adc89.png

It was awesome and I would use hardwood chunks instead of charcoal. Also has the advantage of being able to be used as a heater / fire pit when it's really cold.

I didn't replace it when it got old and busted because it was a little bit of a hassle, what with the Tailgate Troopers we had to contend with back in the day.
Click to expand...

Does it work as a smoker, too, or more just a grill.

Been looking at portable smoker options.
 
jtung230 said:
Electric for me this year.

@Knight Shift
Click to expand...
I freeload off of @RU4Real and others.
RU4Real said:
Gas.

For a couple of years I used one of these:
600435d0d9118301b1b457b9aa3ff50e6d8adc89.png

It was awesome and I would use hardwood chunks instead of charcoal. Also has the advantage of being able to be used as a heater / fire pit when it's really cold.

I didn't replace it when it got old and busted because it was a little bit of a hassle, what with the Tailgate Troopers we had to contend with back in the day.
Click to expand...
I never noticed this.
 
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fsg2 said:
Does it work as a smoker, too, or more just a grill.

Been looking at portable smoker options.
Click to expand...

It works really well as a smoker, but because it's small it requires near constant attention because you have to feed it a chunk of wood about every 15 minutes or so. At a tailgate this is perfectly okay, since you're there anyway. But sitting around the house on a Sunday smoking ribs really requires something like a pellet grill.
 
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Knight Shift said:
I think I remember you telling that story.
Click to expand...

All the old RutgersFan folks, most of whom are gone, know that story. Many were present for the... um... incident.

None of these newbies know the story. Probably best to keep it that way.
 
RUskoolie said:
I have been a charcoal guy for 10+ years after originally starting out as a gas guy.

Now considering going back to gas.

Gas makes cooking so much easier but its annoying that you have to lug the big propane tanks with you and the little ones are meh.

Charcoal, love the smoke, love the smell. Hate the cleanup, hate having to dump the coals in the parking lot or on the windshield of an opposing fans car.

What do you guys like to use? I am one of the few assholes in Scarlet using charcoal with a chimney starter. Looks like the pope is being announced when I get the coals going at the start of the tailgate.
Click to expand...
I use a pellet smoker grill and a small propane. Both have their plus and minus.
 
Hmm.. wonder what AOC and the Greenies thinks of tailgates...

Pretty sure I once saw someone in yellow with a pizza oven.
 
For most Rutgers fans they have to use gas because very few are there long enough to bbq anything. So they are just are grilling. The exceptions are the first few rows of the Blue Lot and Yellow Lot. The rest don't even make it to the Scarlet Walk because they get there after it's done. If you are an early bird pre-dawn person bring the bbq with wood chunks or good charcoal.
 
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RU4Real said:
It was before your time - during the Flood years, actually. Last used the night of the famous USF game during one of the most tragically chaotic shit show tailgates the world has ever seen.
Click to expand...
It involved lamb, a lot of smoke, other Rutgers fans complaining and people with badges. Never did get any of that lamb.
 
RUskoolie said:
I have been a charcoal guy for 10+ years after originally starting out as a gas guy.

Now considering going back to gas.

Gas makes cooking so much easier but its annoying that you have to lug the big propane tanks with you and the little ones are meh.

Charcoal, love the smoke, love the smell. Hate the cleanup, hate having to dump the coals in the parking lot or on the windshield of an opposing fans car.

What do you guys like to use? I am one of the few assholes in Scarlet using charcoal with a chimney starter. Looks like the pope is being announced when I get the coals going at the start of the tailgate.
Click to expand...
Nothing wrong with charcoal or announcing a pope at the tailgate. But propane is just much easier from a start up, cool down and break down standpoint.
 
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At a Giants game, I once saw a drunk tailgate crew put their grill in the trunk of the car. Guess no one bothered to make sure there was no charcoal in the grill…when we got outside after the game, there wasnt much left other than pieces of rubber and ash left of their car.
 
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RU4Real said:
I've seen people do it. The small camping solar kits work well for powering small devices.
Click to expand...

Put a power station (or battery + inverter) between and you can cook with an induction cooktop, slow cooker or whatever electrical appliance you want to bring from home.

Or you could use a solar cooker to use sun directly.

I know you know this, but I'm guessing Team Whales >> Windmills does not.
 
RU4Real said:
Gas.

For a couple of years I used one of these:
600435d0d9118301b1b457b9aa3ff50e6d8adc89.png

It was awesome and I would use hardwood chunks instead of charcoal. Also has the advantage of being able to be used as a heater / fire pit when it's really cold.

I didn't replace it when it got old and busted because it was a little bit of a hassle, what with the Tailgate Troopers we had to contend with back in the day.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what we have right now but it looks like I found it in a junk yard because its covered with the charocoal dust from dumping out the coals. I have even power washed the inside of the thing. that's one negative about the charcoal grills is how dirty they get.

Although gas got so dirty after one tailgate that all the gas burners were clogged and we just threw the thing out and switched to charcoal.
 
At home almost exclusively charcoal or the pellet smoker. For tailgating it is propane for both the Weber Traveler grill and the Blackstone flat top grill. I bring the large propane tank for either. Not as tasty but much easier.
 
JCin128 said:
At home almost exclusively charcoal or the pellet smoker. For tailgating it is propane for both the Weber Traveler grill and the Blackstone flat top grill. I bring the large propane tank for either. Not as tasty but much easier.
Click to expand...
I added a Blackstone flat top to the grill & burner setup, last year. Damn useful. No more bacon in a pan.
 
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Definitely using gas to grill at our tailgate.

RUskoolie said:
Gas makes cooking so much easier but its annoying that you have to lug the big propane tanks with you and the little ones are meh.
Click to expand...

Simple solution: get a bunch of the small tanks, then get an adapter for your 20 gallon tank and refill the small tanks. I have a rotation of 9-12 small tanks that I use for our 3 grills at our tailgate.
 
RUDiddy777 said:
At a Giants game, I once saw a drunk tailgate crew put their grill in the trunk of the car. Guess no one bothered to make sure there was no charcoal in the grill…when we got outside after the game, there wasnt much left other than pieces of rubber and ash left of their car.
Click to expand...
Before there were tailgate rules I recall a few brush fires at RU
 
WhiteBus said:
For most Rutgers fans they have to use gas because very few are there long enough to bbq anything. So they are just are grilling. The exceptions are the first few rows of the Blue Lot and Yellow Lot. The rest don't even make it to the Scarlet Walk because they get there after it's done. If you are an early bird pre-dawn person bring the bbq with wood chunks or good charcoal.
Click to expand...
This.

With the exception of a few games, I've been in the first few rows of the yellow lot with my trusty Weber charcoal grill since the mid 90s.
 
RU4Real said:
It works really well as a smoker, but because it's small it requires near constant attention because you have to feed it a chunk of wood about every 15 minutes or so. At a tailgate this is perfectly okay, since you're there anyway. But sitting around the house on a Sunday smoking ribs really requires something like a pellet grill.
Click to expand...
Not true. Various charcoal smokers hold temps well enough that there’s no need to stay around. Did 3 racks 6 hrs today while not home and doing pork shoulder overnight tonight without adding charcoal.
 
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