I got bored and decided to make an essay...let me know what you think.

I love Propane. I started researching it shortly after becoming a huge fan of the show King of the Hill. I always knew I liked grilling with propane better than charcoal because it tasted better. Like Hank always says, "Taste the meat, not the heat." Propane grilling was also far more convenient than charcoal in terms of preparation time and cleanup. Plus it has a smaller carbon footprint, but we'll get more into that later. It's when I started to finally look deeper into what propane has to offer that I started to think maybe all that nonsense Hank used to go on about in the show actually held alot of truth. First lets start with the basics...


Propane is a colorless, gaseous alkane (A hydrocarbon containing only single carbon-carbon bonds). It is defined chemically as C3H8. It has an energy content of 21500 BTU's for every one pound.(2,500 more BTU's than gasoline) It is readily liquefied by compression and cooling. Propane has a melting point of an unbelievable –189.9C and boils at just –42.2C. Propane is derived from two sources. It occurs in nature in natural gas (in its dissolved form of course) in crude oil; it's separated in large quantities from natural gas, light crude oil, and oil-refininery gases and is commercially available as liquefied propane or as a major constituent of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). It’s also seen as a byproduct of petroleum refining. Its main purpose is as a fuel. For this purpose it is sold compressed in cylinders.

Propane is called the third member of the paraffin series following methane and ethane. The decomposition of propane in hot tubes to form ethylene also yields another important product, propylene. More and more homes, even those found in the affluent outskirts of metropolitan areas, are being built to use propane. It is supplied discreetly, almost invisibly, from the underground tanks. People use propane for heating and cooling homes, heating water, cooking, refrigeration, drying clothes, barbecuing, lighting, and relaxing in front of the gas fireplace. More energy, about another five percent, is wasted when electric power is distributed to customers.

Burning coal produces most of the electricity in the United States. Unlike fuel oil, which emits 17% more carbon dioxide than gas appliances, propane is clean burning and more energy efficient. And where natural gas lines don't go, propane does. For example fuel for domestic and industrial uses and for internal-combustion engines. Propane also plays a key role in the on-going effort to preserve our environment by conserving energy. The level of air toxics emissions from propane-fueled vehicles is also low. So all the benefits of gas really are available wherever the homebuyer wants them, wherever new homes are built. Industrial sites rely on it for space heating, brazing, soldering, cutting, heat-treating, annealing, vulcanizing and many other uses. For example, Propane-fueled vehicles emit significantly lower levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides than gasoline-fueled vehicles. And did I mention that propane has a higher rated octane than gasoline as well? 110 to be exact.

Well I hope all that information was enough for you. I hope now the few of you who actually read this will like propane as much as me. Maybe you can pass along the knowledge that I have shared with you. Go forth and spread the word about Sweet Lady Propane! I tell ya what!


sources: Texas propane gas administration, amerigas, king of the hill, wikipedia.

Actually it doesnt taste better.
It leaves a residue/taste and gives the meat a slighty greyish tinge.
A true (southern) griller will always use Charcoal. I say southern in () because northerns use propane more, edited they cook turkeys in the microwave.

This is coming from a chef, a pit (master in the making), Texan, and BBQ lover.
Ive been grilling for a long time, read plenty of books on the subject, worked as a grill master, and currently work at a BBQ smoke house. We use wood and charcoal.

The only time I use propane is to heat up my pots and pans for sacues and what not, because I can control the heat better.

Out side of cooking, propane is great- water heaters, stove, etc. But cooking... NO

You mean North East? I've always used charcoal...or a camp fire.

i'll give you wood... good old fashioned wood in the hands of a pitmaster is great. but charcoal absolutely not. First off charcoal contains carcinogens which cause cancer. (its because with charcoal your meat gets over carbonised) secondly, idiots who don't know how to cook don't let it burn of the lighter fluid. (not saying you do that just most people) thirdly, you can achieve the same smokey flavor without sacrificing the juices of your meat. smoke that adds flavor comes from juices from the meat dripping onto the flame thereby causing smoke. this is what gives flavor. when you use propane thats exactly what you get...uninterrupted flavor. plus you can get a smoker box attachment and really get smoky flavor. with charcoal you get smoke from not just your meat juices, but the fuel you use to light your briquettes (unless you use match light) and the chemicals that didn't burn.

here you go...copied and pasted straight from wiki

"Charcoal is the black residue consisting of impure carbon obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood, sugar, bone char, or other substances in the absence of oxygen (see pyrolysis, char and biochar). The resulting soft, brittle, lightweight, black, porous material resembles coal and is 50% to 95% carbon with the remainder consisting of volatile chemicals and ash."

Now i don't know about you...but i don't want all of that in my system. I'll stick with a clean burning fuel.

Remember...Taste the Meat! Not the Heat! (you can keep your mesquite)

I forgot to add that Montgomery Inn from Cincinnati has the best BBQ sauce in the country.

I live in the north east and I always use charcoal. I love it. To be honest though I can only taste the difference when my wife and I cook on the grill several days in a week (which is common) then go to someones house who has a gas (propane) grill.

David any particular type of Brick you recommend? Also I use a chimney versus Lighter fuel it takes about 5 minutes longer to get the coals ready but there will be no fluid taste at all. I also used soaked wood chips to add smokeyness to the grill.

you can use wood chips on a propane grill

Propane definitely leaves a propane flavor in the food it cooks. Charcoal leaves a smoked wood flavor. And as for this carcinogen junk, everything is a carcinogen so get over it. Charcoal and mesquite wood chips are the way to go.

I do agree with lighter fluid being a problem, but that's a problem with lighter fluid and people not knowing how to cook with it, not a problem with charcoal.

Yes but charcoal naturally carbinises food more than propane. This is where you get your carcinogens from and if I can avoid putting them into my body I will. Although I may not be able to entirely avoid cancer, I can at least reduce my risk. Avoiding nurtisweet, tanning beds, smoking, charcoal etc. But mainly my thing for propane aside from the grilling aspect of it is all the other things it can do energy wise. It is a very versatile dependable fuel source.

I think propane is great for other reasons. I agree there, but as for cooking it tastes worst than charcoal. And most of those things are ok in moderation. It's the same way with charcoal. Don't eat steaks every single night of your life and you'll be ok. But for the occasional barbecue it's ok to use charcoal.