Ideas for achieving kinda-close-to-charcoal-flavored steaks on a gas grill
There is nothing like the flavor from my charcoal grill. However, for convenience, I've tried for years to achieve a little bit of a smoky char flavor on steaks using my gas grill. Knowing that "equaling" that char flavor will never happen, I would like to at least approach it. I've tried copious amounts of wood chunks, pellets, chips in foil with holes punched in it, all producing tons of smoke but none of it seeming to stick to the meat, which exits the grill only with a tiny bit of flavor derived from the dripping fat. I'd love if there are some secrets I don't know! Thanks!!
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Welcome to the Pit jcnola . Someone with lots more experience than me will be along very soon! -
Welcome to The Pit. How many steaks are you talking about? If it's just one or two, you can get a chimney starter and turn it upside down. This will use less charcoal than right side up. Then light it and let it get screamin' hot. Then place a grate over it and put your steak(s) on it to sear. You still have to light it, but it will be quicker and take less charcoal.Comment
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You just can't replicate the charcoal taste with any other method! Use charcoal if you want it.Comment
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Some BBQ's (like the Napoleon) have a charcoal tray you can put over your burners and then cook with 'coal in the gasser. Has anyone tried this? If so what were the results?Comment
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I think the "charcoal taste" comes from meat dripping directly over a charcoal fire. If meat is dripping into the burning charcoal, augmented by a gas fire, yes, there will be some charcoal taste. I know pellet cooks who will put a small tray of charcoal burning in the pellet cooker, but I believe they do that to encourage smoke ring. Whether augmenting smoke flavor with an Amaz-N-Tube or with a pan of charcoal, you have to have enough air going thru the cooker to keep it smoking/burning.Comment
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when I'm searing indoors, before I started making pan sauce every single time I cooked, I would use my grill grates and toss a half dozen pellets between the grates to let the smoke onto the meat as I seared it off. these days, I prefer a) to have my meat with a solid sear instead of just grill marks. grill marks make my eyes happy but a solid sear makes my mouth happy.
another way to achieve this is to just make your own 'liquid smoke'. this goes back to the meat "caramel"(if I may call it that) or Maillard or sear that I make and use. that started when I first began making my own bacon. when I smoked off the cured meat, I caught the drip in my drip pan and cooked it down to remove all the water, seared or caramelized it, and saved the resulting material (caramel, sear, Maillard, whatever) then, when I made steak or anything else with Sous Vide, I put about 1/4 to 1/2 tsp per serving of meat into the bag with the meat. when I finished, I would remove the meat from the bag, reserving juices, dry it, sear it in a screaming stainless pan, then deglaze with some wine, add back the bag juices and make a pan sauce.
if you're not intersted in a pan sauce, you can make the liquid sear, as I said and just brish it onto your meat before you sear it with flame or grill grate orwhatever. you'll leave about half of it behind in the pan but there's enough on the meat to taste.
those would be my methods of adding smoke flavor to non smoked meat.Comment
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