Charcoal or gas: which is the best choice in a BBQ? People have been arguing this point for many years. Each has its pros and cons, and people are often fiercely loyal to their chosen method of grilling. But if you’re just starting out with barbeque cooking and trying to decide which to buy, here’s a look at what each has to offer.

Gas

* Quick. In just 10 minutes, the grill is ready.

* You can easily control the heat. It gives you the flexibility of pacing the cooking. Sometimes you need to cook something over low heat for an extended period, and other times it needs to be at a higher temperature for less time. With gas, it’s easy to handle these things.

* Flexible. The side burner can be used for cooking veggies, and the rotisserie is useful for slow roasting of large cuts of meats.

* Taste. There are those who don’t enjoy the taste of food that’s been cooked over a gas flame. Plus, you won’t get the aromatic flavor of wood smoke that you will with a charcoal flame.

* Easy to clean. You don’t have to sweep away ashes. Drip trays will take care of most of the mess, and turning the heat up for 10 minutes or so will burn off the rest so it can be easily scraped off.

* Cost conscious. You can get eight hours of grilling out of a single propane tank.

* Your upfront costs might be higher, but there are a lot of different price points to fit most budgets.

* It can save you money over the long term if you maintain it properly, provided gas doesn’t skyrocket in price.

Charcoal

* The flavor and aroma of wood smoking can’t be matched.

* The purchase price is pretty reasonable initially, but over the long term it might be less so.

* They’re slow, both to get started and throughout the cooking. Lighting the briquettes and letting them burn down sufficiently can take up to 40 minutes. This won’t work for the times when you have a sudden desire to barbeque.

* Timing is important. There’s no way to regulate the heat, so it’s important that you watch your food carefully while it’s cooking.

* If you barbeque a lot, the expense of charcoal briquettes can really add up.

* Cleaning out ashes is a tedious job. The grate is hard to clean, and it takes a long time for the unit to cool down enough to clean it.

So there you have some BBQ tips to help you decide between gas and charcoal. Pick the one that fits both your lifestyle and your budget. Busy people might want to get a gas grill as they are highly effective time wise. But if you have lots of time, charcoal grills win hands down for flavor.