This Grill PAYS For Itself!!! Charcoal vs Propane vs Pellet

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

All costs are cad$. I also made a math error on the pellet 40lb bag and didn’t divide in half Propane 20lbs costing $17.49 Start: 2:30pm End: 4:45pm Run: 26:15 0.67 per hour Pellet 20lbs costing $17.99 Start: 2:30pm End: 9:00am Run: 18:30 0.98 per hour Charcoal 17.6lbs costing $32.95 Start: 2:30pm End: 4:00pm Run: 25:30 1.872 per pound. 17.6 - remaining fuel 7.7lbs = 9.9lbs used fuel 9.9x1.872 per pound = $18.53 0.73 per hour for premium charcoal Costco charcoal 22lbs for $21.99 0.39 per hour Grill CPH 10yr fuel costs Propane 0.67 $5,923 $2,475 Pellet 0.98 $8,663 $5,216 Charcoal 0.39 1619 $3,448

[@chiggyvon]

I took your math at face value but if you used 20 lbs of pellets in 18.5 hours that 49 cents per hour based on $18.00 for a 40 pound bag

[@blipblap614]

Costco's website has the Kirkland Premium 40 lb for $21 (USD), which should convert to 29.46 CAD, or 14.73 CAD for 20 lb. Meanwhile, Americans are buying Pit Boss (Wal-Mart) Competition Blend for $15 (40 lb). If James wants to ship me a Kamado, I'll make a video proving that longer pellet cooks provide more time to drink beer.

[@chiggyvon]

@@blipblap614 they sell for less in the warehouse vs online bc of shipping costs, his price in CAD for the warehouse is correct, even less if you get them markdown at end of season. Rumour has it that Kirkland pellets are made by Pit Boss.

[@herb7877]

Great info. Over the last 50+ years I have gone from regular old Kingsford type charcoal to propane to now I have a KJ jr + 2-WSM's + a Weber Natural gas grill. Each one serves a different purpose & type of cook. Many years ago I tapped a line from the house to my deck for Natural Gas. Way cheaper than propane. Its main advantage is also it biggest disadvantage. You never run out of gas. Left it on high for a week. Cleaning off the grills for what was going to be 10-15 minutes turned into a week. I called the gas company to explain what had happened. They said I may have burned $1-$4 at the most. . I use FOGO in the KJ & Weber but if the crowd is persnickety I use the Kingsford type for a 'neutral ' flavor. Gas Weber for week nights quick fix.

[@Keith80027]

James thank you for doing all of these comparison videos of the different types of grills and other tools that you have tested. I been grilling and cooking over live camp fires for nearly 65 years. I now own a Lynx grill that is hooked up to my natural gas from my house and a Large Green Egg. I have a lot of friends with pellet grills that I ask myself why they bought the pellet grill because they only use it once or twice a year. I cook on my Green Egg two or three times a week year around or use my Lynx grill for a quick cook and cool down for items like salmon or hamburgers. I found 15 years ago that a pellet tube adds a lot of flavor to the Lynx grilled meat and it is very quick to use. I also use the 12" pellet tube to cold smoke in the winter for Nova lox and cheeses. One of the factors I consider when using my Lynx grill is will it cool off fast enough to get the cover back on before it rains or snows because of my cast iron and rotisserie parts stored in the base of the Lynx grill. The Green Egg doesn't have to have its cover back on before rain or snow, but I do cover all my grills. The bottom line is, if you enjoy cooking and eating grill protein, buy what you will use and have fun. Then watch Smoking Dad BBQ and others to step up your game. There is all kinds of sauces and topping that you can add to your food to go beyond the fancy high end restaurants.

[@jimfiles3307]

Excellent video James. I went from two Traeger pellet grills to a BGE. The best move of all time. The issue with pellets is that the pellets get damp in the feeder and lock up the auger. Major work to disassemble and reassemble. BGE does so much more. Kamado style forever.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Right on

[@iseedumbppol]

Don’t forget to add the cost of electricity for the pellet grill! 😂

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

😂

[@umakegoodcookies]

I'm so glad you did this. My calculations were similar. People read online in several places that gas is cheapest because the BTU/dollar is least. But it doesn't account for the fact that the gas grill has to run well ventilated and a very large amount of those BTUs just fire out the back. All decent charcoal grills, even the ones that aren't super efficient kamados, work in a closed system to much more of the heat goes into the actual cooking. It probably comes in at more even money in something like a good kettle grill. (Although, the suggestion to get a premium offset at the end kinda ignores the massive fuel cost those have if you don't have your own wood lot. :))

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

lol true I did see you could buy it with fuel savings but forgot to include the much worse fuel cost

[@scottrichard1986]

@@SmokingDadBBQ I have a gravity series and it's about 0.5kg per hour at those temps, if you buy charcoal at the end of the season you get it cheap for £0.25 a kg so I'm paying more in wood chunks for flavor than heat. In the UK pellets are more expensive too, gas and charcoal is cheap.

[@Todd.T]

When using the pellet grill, I often start off with premium pellets and then I switch to Crappy Tire hardwood heating pellets. They cost $8 for 40lbs. The flavour is similar to oak. Since oak is a good base to blend other woods with, I buy pure hickory/mesquite pellets and blend them down. Often I layer the pellets. Once your meat goes past 120F its pretty much taken on all the smoke its going to, so then it hits the cheap pellet layer. If you wrap, don't bother with anything other than cheap pellets. For $24 I have 120lbs of pellets that can either run stand alone or blended. If I'm using the offset, I buy a bag of pure mesquite logs and a bag of pure hickory logs and blend it down with free maple/cherry/apple wood from the power company trimming trees or from storms knocking down trees. People advertise on Kijiji and I pick it up. If no trees are felled nearby I get a 40lb+ bag for $12 at the hardware store featuring maple, birch, oak logs. These are from clearing land and half the money goes to charity. Pellet grill is about 50watts per hour once it is ignited. I'll use the offset to cook a brisket to the point where I am going to wrap it, plug it into the pellet grill with a temp probe and tell it to cook itself and enter a warming state when done and I go to bed. I'll even cook while I am at work either by running a program or using the pellet grill on manual with alarms. Today James, is prime rib day. You know the deal. It's going in the offset. It's 0C, I'm wearing shorts and a T-shirt and making some nice maple splits. No snow here yet.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Enjoy the prime rib. No snow for me either

[@Cbbq]

This was one of the most interesting topics I have seen anyone do. A big thanks… cheers from ottawa

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@JustGrillingandChilling.]

@@Cbbq agreed, from Almonte, just west of Ottawa…

[@Cbbq]

@ Arnprior

[@HansenMath]

I was really down on pellet grills for flavor, but for me, I cracked the code on my Camp Chef Woodwind Pro. Set temp to 200F and before start up, I fill the smoke box about half way with lump charcoal. Once grill is to 200F temp, I check to make sure charcoal is well lit. If not, I hit it with a fan until it's glowing hot. Next, I add three or four small pieces of hickory or apple (2.5 inches by 1/2 to 5/8 inches wide) and replenish when smoke becomes basically invisible. I leave the smoke box damper almost all the way open. I cook like this until whatever protein I am cooking is about 100-110F internal temp, then I discontinue use of the smoke box, increase temperature and finish the cook. Very good smoke flavor every time.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Will try next time I use it

[@chiggyvon]

I use low smoke mode for the first hour, then 195, 225 and finally 250. I raise the temp as I see the meat temperature approach stall by watching the graph.

[@thomasmoshier3920]

For me, it’s all about flavor. Nothing beats a Kamado. I have a Webber gas grill and I inherited my dad’s Treager. Never use them. My bbq’s are so good I’m getting requests for bigger cooks and I’m now considering an offset to supplement my Kamado.

[@Sam-o7m3w]

Isn't the Costco bag of pellets 40lbs? You only used 1/2 with a 20 lb hopper

[@bhando6201]

You should amend the video that your calculation for the pellets is incorrect. It completely changes the outcome and places pellet grills much closer to charcoal. I have a double insulated pellet smoker, and it uses about .75lbs an hour.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I pinned the error in my math. Must have skipped coffee that day

[@tedz.]

I suspect most people have more than one grill option. For simple small quantity burgers, dogs direct heat cooks, you can't beat the convenience of a propane grill. For steak, I break out the Weber kettle and lump charcoal. For low and slow, I use either my pellet grill or Weber Kettle; it depends on how closely I can watch it. The cheapest pellets I've seen are the Pit Boss Competition blend at Walmart, $15.44 for a 40 lbs. bag. I've used them and have no complaints. Most pellet bags are 20 lbs. I did not catch the size of the Costco bag you bought, but it looks like a 40 lbs. bag.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Yes it was the 40. A torch and charcoal I got up to temp faster than propane but I think most people feel like charcoal takes forever

[@tedz.]

@@SmokingDadBBQ However, you can shut down and store a propane grill much quicker. On a quick cook, you can snuff out charcoal, but it will still burn awhile, and the grill will be hot even longer. Ultimately, I'm in agreement with you, charcoal is my favorite choice. I'd love to try an offset, but that is another level of commitment I'm not sure I'm ready for. Thanks for all the great videos. I wish you and your family the happiest holidays.

[@gabeshull6036]

I’ve been running a little red box insulated smoker for 5 years and have been debating on getting a bigger one. It only takes 8 B&B briquettes for a 4 hour cook. Fuel and cooker does matter on cost. Thanks for the video 👍.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Cheers 🍻

[@dgfarr1]

I have a weber charcoal grill that I've had since 2008. I keep saying that I'm going to invest in a newer, fancier grill at some point, but I love charcoal and all I've had to do over the years is replace the grates occasionally.

[@loseerich493]

Thank you for doing this. I have a natural gas grill island, a pellet smoker, & a Kamado Kettle. Use them all. Most people cannot wrap their head around it when I tell them I can be cooking sooner on my charcoal implement than I can using my pellet grill.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Do you use a torch to start as well? It’s really fast with a blower or torch

[@AngryBullBBQ]

I find pellet holds more food and you don’t ever get the oops overshot overnight 100 degrees like you did. That’s what sold me on pellet. Thanks for info though. Very informative.

[@hanscarl5372]

I'm new to the charcoal kamado grilling scene. I've been doing pellet grills for 10 years now and I my experience has been that you will be extremely lucky to get 10 years out of a pellet grill before hardware failures and or rusting/burn through starts happening. So, just another strike against pellet grills IMO.

[@chiggyvon]

People are more likely to use propane grills for high heat cooks so the amount of fuel consumed per minute/hour is going to be higher. Personally I smoke with a pellet smoker at lower temps and only increase temperature in 25 degree increments each time meat temp approaches stall. My set temp in the last hour of smoking is 250. I roughly burn about a pound of pellets per hour. I’m not surprised that a kamado style unit would consume fuel the slowest as it does a better job of absorbing and retaining heat.

[@TheCsmith321]

Of note on pellet smokers, they are usually and traditionally the most inefficient and worst constructed of this group of cookers. Many common pellet cookers such as Z Grills, Camp Chef, etc lack tight construction tolerances, insulation, or steel gauge to perform as efficient as most gas or certainly Kamado cookers. Most pellet aficionados are after some version of offset flavor without the hassle of the cooker itself. When you step up to something like a Lone Star Grillz pellet smoker you gain the SAME gauge steel as their standard offset smokers just with the addition of the pellet cooking capability. With that gauge steel you gain the additional insulation properties and consume much less pellets per cook. Additionally, most seasoned pellet smoker users eventually figure out the best methods of cooking meats (foil boats, etc) do not rely on the smoke past the initial time that the meats can absorb the smoke so there is no need to continue running the pellet smokers just to complete the cook. Many times, a regular old everyday toaster oven does the trick. Great job on the analysis as always!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Good point. Thanks

[@beekaye1496]

Great info. I have a Traeger Ironwood XL, Komodo Joe Big and Charbroil gas grill. All serve different purposes for me. Gas grill is the go to on quick cooks, traeger for long cooks and Komodo for every else when I have time.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Right on

[@user-ho1yn6ms7y]

Great video James! Two other things to consider: The ZGrills you used is on the smaller side, so used even FEWER pellets than the larger units. Also, and I know this varies by brand and model, but you’re also looking at the added cost of electricity to run the pellet grill.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Good point on the size difference

[@jeaubain]

I don’t even want to know how much my wood splits cost😂😂😂😂

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Me either 😂

[@surfingonmars8979]

Hey, wood is expensive, ya know. It just doesn’t grow on trees!

[@CoolJay77]

Another excellent demo, demolishing pellet grills. In addition, taking into account the longevity of ceramic grills, and better flavor with the use of some chunks, it is a no brainer. I've cooked on pellets grills, never owned one. Natural gas is most probably the most cost effective. Pellets were originally made for space heating, there is a reason we use natural gas instead. As to me, I don't mind spending $20 extra using logs when cooking a brisket. I pay almost $40 USD for a 40# bag of post oak, $30 or less for other species.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thanks. Cheers

[@royceblack3082]

I enjoyed your comparison. I used propane and a Chargriller Akron kettle. My Akron is getting older now and I am thinking about either another kettle kamado or ceramic kamado. You helped me eliminate the pellet. Do you have a comparison video of the kettle versus ceramic? Thanks again for this video.

[@wayneparsons7966]

I use all three and enjoy cooking. Gas for a quick cook and then the Kamata and pellet for other for other cooks. It’s like my drinks, sometimes bourbon sometimes tequila

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Right on

[@somnisveritas6465]

I prefer charcoal but one consideration outside the scope of this video for me was emergency heat/energy. I'll always have charcoal grills, but I will also keep a good LPG grill around too to have some redundancy with our emergency infrastructure like Buddy Heaters, LPG generators and lanterns. The fuel is just so easily stored and reliable its hard to ignore if your family's well being is on the line. Maybe one day I can add a wood stove to the house to get some redundancy with wood/charcoal.

[@kmbbmj5857]

It would be interesting to compare the different types for the more typical cooks that the average homeowner will do -- burgers, hotdogs, maybe grilled chicken. Hot and fast with little concern for smoke flavor. Also, one thing you left out is a natural gas grill. Ours lasted about 20 years before corroding out. The cost to hook it up was only a couple hundred and natural gas was so cheap we basically didn't notice any difference in cost in our monthly bill.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Natural gas prices vary more than Costco so I tried to stick with something fairly representative of North America where Costco has stores and similar products

[@RayHarris-z5e]

Thanks for the test. The result is what I expected. The other advantage is flavor. The pellet grills have come a ways, but IMO charcoal still wins out

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Right on

[@n2skiing76]

I know this wasn’t part of the test. How does an offset compare on pricing for wood?

[@jhaas68865]

Wonder how the pellets would fare in a double walled smoker. Mine is just a single wall and in summer it uses so little compared to winter. If I am doing an overnight cook in winter right before I go to bed I top the hopper off.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I am not sure. Haven’t used a high end model like lsg

[@jhaas68865]

@ After seeing so many videos about smokers and what to look for I realized my purchase for a pellet grill was not the best one. Granted it works but with only a single wall heat bleeds out of it. Learned my lesson when it came to my gas grill purchase and spent the extra money. As far as the charcoal you should have done a quick light comparison as that would have been hilarious to see. After two hours the fire is out.

[@ronscott700]

Another great informative video.

[@mike_adams]

Interesting .. thanks for the comparisons

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Thanks for watching!

[@nobrien1]

Whenever I have tried to use a smoke tube my food had an additional acrid taste. And that is using the same pellets I was running in the pellet grill! I seem to remember Mad Scientist BBQ having a similar result to mine.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I get better results placing it opposite vent stack so the draw has it moving over the food vs stagnating

[@LaserGuy64]

On the pellet comparison, did you calculate based on the left over pellets, like you did on the lump charcoal?? I didn't catch that.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

No I made a math error. They still cost more than charcoal but 2500 instead of 5000

[@billystpaul8907]

I have never gave it much thought on cost for fuel. I usually go through 4-7 bags pellets and 4-6 bags of lump charcoal every year. I use Cherry and Hickory pellets at about $20-24 a bag for forty pound bag. Fogo Super runs about 30-32 for a 18 pound bag. These are prices here in MN. And, I will never use a gas grill, so I can't say on that cost. It comes down to ease of use and a pellet grill is the easiest way to cook. And, the one big problem is getting Fogo charcoal, it's always in short supply around here. I wish you would do a comparison on brands of lump charcoal and see who has the best. Thanks for another good video.

[@johngreen2088]

America's Rest Kitchen has run comparisons between lump and bricket charcoal. They did a test of how long the fuel lasted and a blind taste test. The brickets won both the taste test and how long it burned at the same temperature.

[@kmbbmj5857]

Around here it's hard to find anything other than store brand briquettes or Cowboy. I've not had good luck with either. Managed to find one bag of Kamado Joe charcoal but it was about double the price.

[@jazzwyld1]

I am curious if higher temps spend fuel faster.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Yes

[@BS-tx5ws]

do you think the weber summit kamado would be comparable to the kamado joe in terms of fuel usage?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I think it might be better (more efficient) which is not great for flavour but is better for cost

[@jchang91]

I'm a charcoal user so I'm all for getting more people on charcoal however is it fair to compare a kamado which is the most fuel efficient grill out there (I have one) versus two non-insulated grills? If you ran this test with say a Weber kettle would your charcoal still work out 39 cents p/h or have I missed something here?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

No fair point

[@jchang91]

@@SmokingDadBBQ maybe something you could do on a video. I hazard a guess that it would still be pretty good value although to the newbie controlling a kettle takes some time and some wastage to be expected or temps shooting way past 110/120c but they are the most accessible and universally the first BBQ you buy when you get hooked. Would also be worth comparing briquettes too as they are the most effective heat source in a kettle in my opinion. I would love to see it James - could use that content to help convert some of my buddies into the game so I'm not always the one cooking ha :-) All the best. Love your videos by the way.

[@Obdnejf]

Would be great if you could include a classic Weber kettle charcoal grill to this comparison. This data might be helpful to convince the significant other in the household that a kamado is the wise investment :D

[@johnlawrence4352]

I’m curious about those of us who use a grill less frequently and often for short periods. In the kamodo if you need a quick 20min cook, do you keep burning fule and for how long? There must be some waste, compared to a quick propane grill? I might fire up the propane for dogs and a burger a few times a week and the kamado on the weekends, or for that very nice cut. I feel like it’s the most cost effective way, but I’m curious if any of your testing you looked at that? Maybe comparing weight of burned fuel after a quick start stop?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

You can use a charcoal chimney inside the grill for a quick cook and place a grid over it.

[@kraigtomlinson2201]

Just curious - did you add in the cost of the grill gun starter and associated fuel costs in your analysis for the charcoal grill overall costs?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

No just that with the money saved it is enough to buy one

[@JustGrillingandChilling.]

I am now in my happy place!!!….👍🏼👍🏼

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

many thanks!

[@hector6005]

You didn’t include the cost of the torch or fire starters for the KJ compared to the propane grill.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

You can add them with the cost savings if you want

[@LightZone9]

Interesting comparison. You are attributing the characteristics of a premium brand to an economy brand charcoal. But will the Costco economy brand charcoal burn as long and as hot as the premium Fogo?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It’s actually pretty good / dense South American fuel. Don’t love the taste but it burns hot and long

[@ForTehNguyen]

would like to see how a masterbuilt gravity compares. Kamados are real efficient with charcoal

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It doesn’t seem great but I haven’t tried that many fuels or long cooks yet

[@brian2359]

I never would’ve thought propane beat anyone!! Lmao

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

lol

[@Heaviathur]

Did you use the entire bag of pellets in the hopper? At the local Costco in Edmonton you can only purchase a 40lb bag. With a 20lb hopper you would only be using half. Just curious.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

No I made a math error

[@Heaviathur]

@@SmokingDadBBQ so the pellets would be half of the cost as on the video?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@ yes half. This is the math error Propane 20lbs costing $17.49 Start: 2:30pm End: 4:45pm Run: 26:15 0.67 per hour Pellet 20lbs costing $17.99 Start: 2:30pm End: 9:00am Run: 18:30 0.98 per hour Charcoal 17.6lbs costing $32.95 Start: 2:30pm End: 4:00pm Run: 25:30 1.872 per pound. 17.6 - remaining fuel 7.7lbs = 9.9lbs used fuel 9.9x1.872 per pound = $18.53 0.73 per hour for premium charcoal Costco charcoal 22lbs for $21.99 0.39 per hour Grill CPH 10yr fuel costs Propane 0.67 $5,923 $2,475 Pellet 0.98 $8,663 $5,216 Charcoal 0.39 1619 $3,448

[@chiggyvon]

@@Heaviathuryes pellets are 49 cents per hour after the corrected math

[@MgmAP2]

Are the prices in CAD? My local Costco in the US has the Kirkland pellets for 12.99 a bag if I recall correctly, which would drop the overall cost a bit! Both KJ Jr and Traeger user here! Thanks for the videos James!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Yes all cad

[@opfreakx]

your assuming costco charcoal burns the same as fogo charcoal? not sure thats valid. Also - an insulated pellet grill will use less fuel, just like the kamodo

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

The Costco is South American dense wood and I haven’t seen an deterioration in burn time but yes I didn’t replicate start to finish to confirm

[@boofstien2]

I sold my weber kettle and accessories to help me fund a pellet smoker (Weber Ex4). I cant believe how much moneys worth of pellets it gets through. I'm spending more on pellets than meat! and im currently gettin pellets half price. After christmas I am going to sell the EX4 to fund another kettle and the WSM I have hiding from my wife in the garage that I dare not role out haha.

[@renopeterson2797]

That WSM you have should be your workhorse!!

[@boofstien2]

@renopeterson2797 it will be as soon as I work up the courage to tell the wife I picked it up in the sales hahaha

[@renopeterson2797]

@@boofstien2 take you’re balls out of her coin purse man!!! 🤣

[@boofstien2]

@@renopeterson2797 🤣

[@commishg]

The silence from the pellet grill crowd in the comment section is deafening and revealing. Your fuel cost analysis is eye opening. And we must remember that if you live in a cold climate where you have to put an insulation blanket on a pellet grill just to make it cook, the fuel cost gap would be even greater. I believe that going forward, the increasing presence of PID controllers for charcoal and wood fired grills, which produce superior flavor to pellet grills, is going to ultimately topple the dominance of pellet grills in the backyard market.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Good point about the cold

[@mefobills279]

​@@SmokingDadBBQSmoking Brothers Pellet Grills are used in Northern Climates due to their insulation properties.

[@chiggyvon]

What silence, the math for pellet cost per hour was calculated incorrectly. The pellet use was 20 lbs, not the whole 40 pound bag in the 18.5 hour time.

[@blipblap614]

Challenge accepted! Ceramics should always win an efficiency contest. The difference will be exaggerated as your target temp climbs and your ambient temps fall. At 7:45, unless I missed it, the measured cook time used Fogo, but the price uses Costco. We know different lump (and pellet; see Mad Scientist on Traeger's patent) brands vary significantly in quality and price, so how is that reasonable? Here's an alternative conclusion you could draw from the video: "despite twenty years of development in this industry, you should still use propane with a pellet tube!" Shocking, right? If you want to make your neighbor with a Traeger jealous, a KJ will probably work. If you already own a pellet grill, just lower your temps. They'll swear your yellow mustard with salt/pepper/garlic is a secret recipe. And you can stop buying a bag of pellets every week.

[@JoeAnshien]

Really thought provoking video. I would like to see the costs if you were using a Weber kettle or even your big ass offset with charcoal instead of a kamado that is like the Prius of grills;-) Would really like to see how my Masterbuilt Gravity comes out;-)

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Will maybe do another version next spring

[@JoeAnshien]

@@SmokingDadBBQ Maybe a video comparing a bunch of charcoal burners so I can justify either a Weber Kamado or keeping my Gravity....

[@JasonionN]

I’ve never seen the Costco pellets that expensive, which state are you in? In MN and surrounding states I’ve never seen it change from 12.99

[@giordanomiguelperez7132]

What about offset ? We are big on scavenging wood when people cut their apple/oak whatever trees but buying premium hardwood is pricey.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I’m afraid to add that up lol

[@giordanomiguelperez7132]

@ haha true. Efficiency of the ceramic is a big factor (compared to if you measured charcoal on a Weber kettle for example) and they’re great. but the offset if you are willing to put the effort in is absolutely the best. This really shows the long term value of the ceramic grills. Pellets expensive, pellet grills will wear out/rust and break down/parts fail. Ceramic keep on chugging away.

[@jstaffordii]

Cheaper than all of them is electric convection smoker with smoke generator because once you wrap your protein you're just wasting expensive fuel for heat production .

[@scottmoyershatbackwordsbel7095]

It would have been interesting to see the cost iper hour for charcoal, if you used a non-ceramic charcoal girll.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Interesting. We know kamados are more efficient but where they would fall too not sure

[@chris9650]

​@@SmokingDadBBQSnake method with a low and slow with good quality briquettes. Would be interesting to see.

[@ForTehNguyen]

@@SmokingDadBBQ would like to see a similar comparison running a masterbuilt gravity grill vs the kamado

[@missinbrain]

I have a hard time finding FOGO where I live but I can get Jealous Devil for a comparable price but I’ve never tried the Costco stuff. Had anyone tried it out? How was it?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

It’s more like jd and kj than others

[@JeffMartin-qf9lv]

Convenience is different between you and me clearly. It seems you are defining it as maintaining temp. I would define as walking out back, hitting a button and have my grill at the temp I set. You can’t do that with ceramic cooking. In my humble opinion, it’s why I hated cooking with a green egg.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I am ok with some interaction for sure. The Konnected Joe does this but still too many electronics for my liking

[@michaelspink242]

the Costco Kirkland brand pellets pictured are 40 pound bags, you used only half of that in your test, at least according to what was stated in the video, so isn't the math "wrong" on the cost per hour?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I think I corrected it for half to only use 20lbs which was the hopper capacity

[@michaelspink242]

@@SmokingDadBBQ it was just not mentioned in the video, like it is for the charcoal. that's the reason I asked. For me online Costco pellets are $20.99 for a 40 pound bag, so 20 pounds would be $10.50 ish.

[@kevinmay9232]

Love this topic, and LOVE this channel…best and most practical bbq smoking channel on KZbin! As the original poster stated, I think the math is off on the pellets. Between 6:24 and 6:45 min marks the statements, charts, and words on the screen indicate the full $17.99 cost for 40 lbs was used as the cost for filling a 20 lb hopper. As a result, it appears the pellet costs may be over-stated by 2x??

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@michaelspink242I am in canada. All prices are Canadian dollars. Checked my spread sheet and I properly accounted for half the bag which is 38 cad before tax

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@kevinmay9232all prices are cad dollars. Double checked math is right

[@surfingonmars8979]

If you use a torch to start charcoal - even super-hard and super-hard-to-start Japanese binchotan charcoal - you can be set to go in 4-6 minutes. BIG load of charcoal for a large grill of a couple dozen burgers? Two/three chimneys lit up in no time. Small amount of charcoal for a small hibachi style grill? 2 minutes to start it, and 4 more for full combustion. I would NEVER go back to fire starters or paper under a chimney if I were in a rush, or just impatient….

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I got hooked on the speed of the grill gun

[@surfingonmars8979]

@ No comparison to any other means of starting charcoal. Or wood - I have a couple of SOLO fire pits. Even start for a full grill for steaks or burgers. Corner start if you are doing a slow cook. Simply cannot be beat for fire starting.

[@drzoidberg1]

@@SmokingDadBBQ What's the fuel cost for the grill gun?

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

@@drzoidberg1 I use a can every 2 weeks on avg

[@chiggyvon]

Based on the incorrect math this video is misleading. Also, gas grilling is often with the temperature cranked up higher than the traditional smoking temperatures used in the test. If you’re cooking chops, steaks etc, you’re going to be cooking at much higher temperatures so you’re going to consume propane or natural gas at a higher rate per minute/hour.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I will look at a new version next year with high heat grilling included. My brain fart messed this math up

[@j777]

Aren't you underestimating the amount of charcoal you need for shorter cooks? They're cheap to run.. once up to temp.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Don’t think so. You can cook over white coals which the torch gives me after a minute of use. Don’t need 400lbs of ceramic to be hot for a quick cook

[@emmgeevideo]

I think one of the first SDBBQ videos I watched years ago was a similar TCO comparison (I can't remember what you compared) and I'm pretty sure it was the occasion of my first comment. I believe I used the phrase "distinction without a difference". I think this one was better because you referred to a lot of other factors besides fuel cost. I suspect most people won't think about 10-year cost deltas. Plus your chart (I'm looking at the on at 11:34) isn't a true CTO analysis since you don't include the grill prices. I think a fuel cost comparison is interesting, but is too unidimensional. My guess is that "cost per year" is closer to the way that most people will think. Changing your chart to that basis (and using round numbers), the gas grill is $250 a year more and the pellet grill is $500 a year more. Those aren't astounding differences... I can just imagine some Smoking Dad saying to some Smoking Mom, "But honey -- I know the Kamado Joe costs $2000 but in ten years I'll actually save money!" The way I look at your data (having owned Weber charcoal grills, Weber gas grills, two pellet grills, and two Kamado Joes during my 40+ year outdoor cooking experience) is that the pellet grill is the most limited in terms of what you can cook. The fact that it can do less and cost more is a deal killer in my eyes. And cleaning a pellet smoker regularly is a real chore. During my gas grill days (when my kids were young and I was busy with a day job), it was a compromise because I could get modestly-good burgers and chicken out of it with almost zero maintenance and the occasional run to the grocery store to exchange tanks. If you told me, "But look -- it costs $250 more a year!" I would have said "That guy is spending too much time fiddling with Excel." Your channel amply demonstrates the advantage of using charcoal vs. the others for the depth and breadth of cooking styles and results possible. I think the value proposition for a charcoal grill is "better all-around outdoor cooking platform with modest maintenance effort and lowest TCO." Honestly, a Weber grill (or as you would say, "something like a Weber grill") is all most people need.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Good point on the tco I could make future charts clearer.

[@evgenitourchak1233]

James, why are you misleading people and not correcting your error about the pellets' cost? How hard is it to correct the numbers in the pinned message?

[@briandaffern5108]

Now if you want to know crazy fuel prices, calculate the cost of running an offset. Lol. If our wives found out that cost, they would force us to use the oven and liquid smoke.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I don’t want video evidence for my wife to use against me on that one lol 😂

[@franciscorivera5851]

Not only is it less expensive but the flavor is 10 times better.

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Agree

[@babakbozorgnia9174]

Your disdain for pellets grills is remarkable. You keep missing that most of us have regular jobs and don’t have the time or interest to spend hours tending to a kamado Joe grill. Plain and simple. I know plenty of people who bought green eggs or Kamado’s and never use them because of how painful they are to use

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I think they started a good thing and I thank them for it including in this video.

[@Golasthe1]

I think your discriminating too much on pellet smokers I have 9 bbq n love my pellet smoker also pellet smoke tube's gives out dirty smoke I would never use that I find pellet smoker give out a clean blue smoke consistently when you have options why discriminate over another bbq bbq fun we have optionnei would never do propane I also have a cold smoker n hot smoker smoke house for bacon summer sausages n fish plus seasonings I use chunks for that I had a smoke daddy it sucked also the pellet tube sucks I find people have no idea about smoke quality or they smoke cigarettes n have no taste

[@benvanmarcke]

Here in California gas grills are a giant pain because there is limited availability of propane gas. There are little to no places locally to swap out an empty tank for a full one, or have it filled up. I jumped on the Kamado Joe train last year, haven't regretted it for a second!

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Right on. Congrats

[@CoolJay77]

Interesting. In Southern CA, some gas stations will swap. And there are fill stations not far from where I reside.

[@benvanmarcke]

@@CoolJay77 You're right, but it seems to be very location specific. There's a Blue Rhino in my current town but in our previous location the gas stations that offered propane refill stopped doing so. The propane availability is actually holding me back from getting a grill gun at the moment.

[@0347kali]

In Central Ca...exchange tanks are everywhere, Hardware stores, Costco, Walgreens, Grocery stores. Walmart has a 24hr exchange vending locker in the parking lot

[@hector6005]

No way every supermarket in LA will swap out yourctank

[@dennis9358]

i think you put too much thought into this...just cook with what you want and enjoy your bbq....

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

Might have

[@Sierro911]

arrggg, you should include de masterbuild gravity xt :op, great video thx

[@SmokingDadBBQ]

I didn’t have it in time