WOOD vs CHARCOAL grilled Steak! Which one is the BEST Steak?

[@matsss777]

Yhea I agree pellets is no comparison to wood, this is PELLET vs CHARCOAL

[@saics]

@Tim Jones charcoal is made from wood too lol

[@matsss777]

​@Tim Jones Pellets burn much faster then charcoal or wood logs and no matter how natural you make them, compressed saw dust and wood chips is no comparison to a nice wood fire that you build. If you cant see a differance between a pellet fire and a wood fire I can't help you lol

[@deminybs]

ha just got here. See everyone "@"ing Tim Jones but not a comment by him anywhere.... guessing he said something so dumb he deleted the comment(s)??? 🤣

[@RickmoZamms]

I didnt know guga was such a coward

[@srki80]

I agree. Also direct vs indirect fire cooking makes a difference

[@hectorservellon5691]

Love your videos. Not to sound critical but cooking with controlled wood pellets isn’t the same as cooking with wood.

[@TheIdiotChallenege]

@mattroski007 I don't think you watched the video LOL He isn't comparing charcoal to wood the guy is saying that ACTUAL wood is not the same as WOOD Pellets. No mention of charcoal in his post so I have no idea what you are going on about.

[@rootenshi]

@@TheIdiotChallenege guess you didn't pay attention huh? The irony.

[@DemocracyOfficer2485]

@@shadowmongrel5153 pellets are nothing compared to actual hardwood.

[@Ana198]

You have to burn real wood to have a real comparison, this is no good

[@UncleMeatMan]

Completely agree. Most pellets are a lie. Just because they say they are Cherry, Maple, or Mesquite doesn't mean that they are comprised solely of that type of wood.

[@GugaFoods]

These cowboy steaks are too think to get it medium rare in one wood fire. There is no way to get that donees I got in an open fire, that is why I choose to use the pellet cooker. But I can cook both at higher temp if there is a lot of folks that agree with you. Hit like on this comment and I will make it happen.

[@Ana198]

You can get it to medium rare and i have several times, it just takes a lot of work since you have to be turning it many many many times during cooking. It might not be practical (it took maybe 40 minutes of work if not more, if i remember correctly) but it can be done. The results were definately worth the effort though.

[@nathanwalker6397]

I agree as well. Guga your videos are awesome but this experiment was a little flawed. Pellets and hard wood are going to have a completely different outcome. You can get a medium rare with a nice sear using hard wood.

[@thomabb]

Aw dude, you can do real wood and cook low and slow. Get the wood burning and let it burn down to embers before you put the food on. I've lit wood in the charcoal chimney before. I've also built the fire in a separate grill and transferred the glowing coals to the cooking grill. That way you can cook all day if you want.

[@TheoneDragon51]

Pellets just don't give the same flavor as normal wood. It's hard to beat a hickory cooked steak.

[@danielstarr9037]

The humidity left in the wood increases vapor pressure in the cooking space which disallows some evaporation over the steak meaning more water retention.

[@danielstarr9037]

You could also argue that hotter temps from lower water temp means less cook time and less fluid loss from the time difference

[@serpent9361]

@@danielstarr9037 I have no idea if you are just making that up, but I'll accept that explanation as fact haha

[@rafars2246]

@@serpent9361 totally made up bs

[@entropicdoom8018]

You know when there is quality steak sexiness when my wife looks over at me and starts getting jealous at the expression on my face when watching Guga's videos.

[@GugaFoods]

Made my day. 🤣😂🤣

[@jaysonbelmoro6429]

+Guga Foods , stone lava rock grill vs charcoal pls...

[@porkchopspapi5757]

Entropic Doom Ha! Funny, my wife said hey, you can't make sounds like that at food. Only at me.

[@jeffklaubo3168]

My wife always asks if I'm watching porn... I say yea food porn

[@MR.G.A.A]

even if you use normal wood . the type of tree will affect the resylt also . cherry wood has a special flavour different than ciders wood or other wood . but yes the idea of comparison is nice and interesting . would love to see you investigate more into this .

[@robertbouchard6661]

That searing method is pure genious! Never seen that before dude your pro!

[@HughsReviews]

“Shake it out and there’s no ash whatsoever.....” watched ash fall onto both steaks. lol

[@mw80858]

HughsReviews Charcoal ash is okay to consume otherwise stick with gas. Charcoal flare up and land on the bottom of the meat all the time unless you don't care for char lol

[@universema6859]

But the ash really adds that burnt charcoal smokiness flavor

[@ethansisco6835]

You are a grill master buddy! Im definatly searing my next steaks with the lump charcaol under the chimney. Sear is most important imo and that is a great sear!

[@stephaniedehart4141]

I'd love to see this done with different types of wood next. Like cherry, hickory, and, one that is the best, grape vine. I know sounds weird but it's true!

[@kdrltd]

Now cook one over the wood sticks.... one over the pellets..... and one over the charcoal. I have a pellet smoker and there is no comparison between a steak cooked over wood and one over pellets. The forced air a pellet grill uses burns much too clean to impart a great deal of flavor in a relatively short cook.

[@michaelmcinnis9590]

Kory Rozell, I agree. Would love to see that. I have a Rec Tec pellet grill, love it, but my next purchase will be a stick burner. I’m sure there is a huge difference between the two.

[@brucehirsch5437]

@@michaelmcinnis9590 I have both. A pellet and a side smoker. The side smoker is hands down the best for flavor. The pellet is for when I am being lazy but still want something tasty.

[@michaelmcinnis9590]

@Bruce Hirsch I have since purchased a stick burner and couldn’t agree with you more. The stick burner is the best, hands down. I seldom use the pellet grill anymore. Like you, only when I’m feeling lazy or I don’t have the time to manage the fire on the stick burner.

[@michaelmcinnis9590]

@Bruce Hirsch I have since purchased a stick burner and couldn’t agree with you more. The stick burner is the best, hands down. I seldom use the pellet grill anymore. Like you, only when I’m feeling lazy or I don’t have the time to manage the fire on the stick burner.

[@yeright4625]

Welp i don't even have a regular grill lol

[@Yessentuki4]

pellets aren't wood, while lump charcoal is literally another form of the same wood lump and wood will taste best

[@Yessentuki4]

@@shadowmongrel5153 wood pellets are wood like plywood is wood. My point is it's not hardwood. It's like burning saw dust, it's totally different.

[@Yessentuki4]

@@shadowmongrel5153 read people who have pellet grills, they burn different than wood, NOT the same as wood.

[@learntobbq]

The key to success is temperature. A charcoal grill is going to get a lot hotter than a wood pellet smoker When it comes to searing meat you need a lot of concentrated heat. Also charcoal is nothing but the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen. Also wood or charcoal burning at high temperature is actually very efficient meaning there is no smoke so what you are tasting after the sear is the Maillard reaction. The actual chemistry of the meat has changed and the hotter the temperature and the exposure of flame intensifies the Maillard Reaction.

[@bentackett6299]

Just stumbled on this. My new favorite BBQ channel! Very well produced without feeling over-produced (which is annoying). Guga is so easy to listen too and seems very knowledgeable yet humble. Subscribed...

[@bmak76]

He doesn’t really barbecue that much. For steak, he’s definitely a good channel. Steak isn’t barbecue though.

[@RedderThanAres]

This was a great comparison since so many people are cooking with wood pellets these days. GREAT video, thanks!

[@jordanhuuy5042]

Guga brother today is 5/6/20. I bought 4 Ny strip steaks and 2 T bone i used this method and brother everything came out amazing. I also made some garlic parmesan shrimp topping with your mash potatoes recipe. Man thanks for this my family and friends that come over LOVED my food well your food !

[@ericgalyean9051]

This channel is awesome. I love the “which way is better “ technique. Thanks for sharing

[@segoi11]

I love that while Guga is speaking, the two boys are just chowing down as fast as they can.

[@dolan-duk]

If I had been in their shoes, I'd have grabbed it by the bone and run off with it. :D

[@Lumpy007]

I think he told them to be very hungry before the judging. They would've eaten BBQ oatmeal by that time!

[@bbqbill8201]

Now THAT is funny! Thanks for your comment, I enjoyed it.

[@deferpanic8981]

Guga Foods - Thank you so much for doing this video - you have reached hero status for many folks. I tried filling my grilling-chimney with half pecan wood chunks (not chips, but big chunks) and half lump. When they become glowing embers I lay them down and grill ribeyes controlling for temperature (took me 7 years to perfect this technique, it is not easy). After serving those ribeyes I noticed that nobody was talking at the table. They were too engrossed in the steak. I tried it myself and found that the fatty portions of the ribeye tasted like pecan pie. It was one of those happy moments in my life where I could honestly say "that was the best steak I ever had". I even converted a vegetarian into a carnivore. She ate, not one, but two steaks that night! Her family was shocked - she is now a "vegetarian plus steak" eater lol

[@GugaFoods]

Omg you converted a vegetarian! That must have been an amazing steak my friend.

[@paula.2422]

Great experiment Guga. But...I believe this experiment was between a pellet smoker and charcoal. The results are exactly as expected. I would love to see a comparison between charcoal and actual wood....burned to blazing hot coals and go from there. Still loved it. You guys are awesome!!!

[@TheNeilsalvesen]

Number B. I love the series wide commitment to this.

[@GBrai-mu5zy]

I like pro-pane and pro-pane accessories.

[@IFIXCASTLES]

Yesterday before the rains came down I grilled some food for the week. The first item I grilled was double thickness , boneless rib eye. I made my charcoal by using my layering method. I have a pan that I pour my coals into so I can concentrate the heat onto just one side of my new 24 inch expert grill.. The temp that I was able to initially achieve was 700f. This is how I seared my marinated steaks perfectly . I used the push method to check doneness and than repeatedly turned the steaks to get that even sear and doneness. They were heaven man.

[@yeetus882]

This is the best channel on KZbin no doubt!!

[@fyrftr521]

I joke around about can I borrow a knife but honestly I have learned sssoooo much from you it's amazing. I have been cooking for 30 plus years as a firefighter. I got a sous vide for Christmas and never used it until my daughter put me onto your site. Thank you Guga

Lately this channel become my favourite KZbin channel 👏👌

[@fernandowong371]

Same! I subscribed to both this one and his main one cause they're both awesome!

[@RidingJapan]

more innovative and not limited to sous vide and no annoying ninja xD

[@hans76sg]

Your editing skills has improved leaps and bounds. Thanks for the great vid!

[@JohnRichardson1983]

Please keep these videos coming. I LOVE them.

[@WhiteThunderBBQ]

Love the chimney broil method - will have to try this!

[@metalrott324]

sure it'll make for a good sear but you won't be imparting the smoke and char flavor that flames and charring impart on your steaks. The smoke the oil creates is a flavor in it's own rights.

[@MelloHubb]

Metal Rott when you grill it over flames all you are doing is burning whatever seasoning that you have on it from your grill grates being so hot.

[@MelloHubb]

The smoke flavor is imparted during the smoking process.

[@sk8rdad]

That's why you only season _after_ grilling. Any experienced griller knows that! The only season you should put on before is salt to help tenderize the meat.

[@sk8rdad]

ok fair enough. I like putting red hot chili flakes on before but that's only when I pan fry the steak. They just fall off if you grill them. You can get a good sear if you heat your cast iron pan white hot before adding the steak. Just make sure you disable your smoke alarms and open the windows first lol! I've actually had neighbors in my apartment building call the fire department because of the smoke coming out of my door. Imagine my surprise when I heard a knock and when I opened the door there were 5 fireman in full gear. One said, we got a report of a fire. Stunned I just said I'm just cooking a steak. Then they said this brilliant line. "OK, but if we get another call we're going to fine you 500 dollars for making us come out unnecessarily..."

[@MrApoxy]

I like how you illustrated which one was which when you were doing the testing.

[@michaelmcmillan1116]

Wow! I worked at a high end Steakhouse that always used an open woodfire grill to cook their steaks and they were amazing. It was shocking for me to see the charcoal win out. Love the experiment, shocked by the results, but can't wait to try it out myself. Thanks so much Guga, you rule!

[@je11092]

Michael McMillan this wasn’t open fire wood cooking. It was a pellet grill.

[@michaelmcmillan1116]

Well I wonder if that would make a difference? I've never cooked over a pellet grill system before. We used chopped/seasoned oak wood that we would get delivered.

[@sheikfrankicechibu1827]

dude i've learned so much and thought I was a grilling veteran.. the charcoal starter for sear is great idea... so easy never thought about it though!

[@momoniji6439]

"Wood Pellets/Wood you know all the same thing. Then were going to use the charcoal to sear the wood steak"

[@JACHKY237]

Your cinematics kill me!!! Good stuff man! Love the content and cinematography keep it up!!! You got my subb bro

[@tn00bz]

I'm from Santa Maria, California and we have a unique BBQ style using oak wood. Our Santa Maria style bbq pits suspend the grill over the grill attached to a crank that can be used to adjust the height. It allows you to accurately control the temperature while also maintaining that natural oak flavor. You should check it out!

[@tominator99988]

I agree with the unpredictability of wood. I seared some lamb on a campfire last weekend and it was tough to identify hot spots and cook the meat evenly. I'd say the winning combination is lump charcoal with wood chips. Giving a steak a few minutes of smoke before cooking sous vide creates the best of precision and smoke flavor.

[@kylecollins6835]

That method you used to sear the steaks was ingenious!

[@tyrone3985]

When Angels friend goes for seconds as well Guga be like “STOOOOOP”

[@victorparadise5878]

Best reactions ever from dude on the right! Guga, thanks for everything you do! Love your channels and your co-hosts!

[@mikeanacasar2176]

Best meat chef in youtube i am sure

[@TheRAMBO9191]

Was asking myself which one I should use and your video popped up. Feeling thankful so let's deww eet

[@akip7627]

Charcoal is a well-done overcooked wood, literally both are wood.

[@livingwater8633]

Aki P true but the difference is in the smoke flavors. hence why they use different types of wood

[@woahcalmdown5039]

Me: ask's somebody for a water because death is near. Them: You feel the humidity in the air? It's well-done overcooked water.. just breath harder and you'll be fine.

[@dradeel]

You'd imagine Guga would prefer his fuel source medium rare.

[@raylouis6798]

YOU USED WOOD PELLETS ON ONE STEAK, THEN WOOD LUMP CHARCOAL ON THE OTHER. USING WOOD YOU HAVE TO HAVE A FIRE PIT AND A SEPARATE FIRE PILE ON THE SIDE SO THEN WHEN THE WOOD IS PROPER THEN CAN BE ADDED TO THE FIRE PIT TO COOK THE MEAT. I WOULD USE BOTH HICKORY WOOD AND HOMEMADE LUMP CHARCOAL , BUT ADD GREEN HICKORY BRANCHES ( GREEN BRANCHES SMOKE THE BEST)THAT HAS BEEN SOAKING IN A BUCKET OF WATER WITH JACK DANIELS FOR AT LEAST A FEW DAYS TO GET SOME REAL SMOKEY FAVOR TO THE MEAT!!!

[@gabegonzalez5055]

This channel is so underrated

[@mikel6085]

I have used lump charcoal for years now and when I used briquettes charcoal it was a huge difference in flavor. I have never used wood. I will have to try it out for myself. Guga I love your channel and the passion you have for cooking meat!

[@geoffreyrichardson62]

Guga! I love your channel man! I found it about a month ago, and have been watching them regularly! Keep it up buddy, some of the best content on KZbin. I went out and bought me a weber and have thoroughly enjoyed your reverse sear method, which i did not know about before your videos. Best steaks of my life have come off my grill. Thanks brother!

[@firstnamelastname736]

You should do a comparison between cooking steak with morning charcoal vs morning wood

[@pm9601]

You like putting some morning wood in your mouth do you? Never tried but I am sure it's should be some kind of hard wood, light or dark should be alright, just not too large. Soft wood probably is a bit of a let down.

[@lorenzosagu3523]

I agree with you guys, best choice imho is weber briquettes, 3 hours of bbq...great

[@muzlp]

your fire & charcoal always look amazing~ nice even consistency. u should make a video on how u prep & maintain the fire

[@Tyshkevich]

If you want better control with the wood cut the big wood pieces into shorter and thinner pieces. Theyll be ready faster and you can get a better spread of them around. Also be sure to use a hard wood, they will stay hot longer that way.

[@AndreLederer]

Ya, a real comparison would be a oak wood fire using a Sante Maria grill. Reverse sear both and then do a taste test. I’ve done this and both are fantastic!! I may even give the edge to wood! Oh, and don’t wait until the wood is reduced to coals, cook the steaks over the oak wood flames while it’s still burning. Make sure the burning wood is producing a thin blue smoke.

[@tw4328]

thanks !!! you always have to best most informative steak videos !!!!

[@brentlingerfelt7623]

Guga, Love your stuff bro. I purchased a pellet grill/smoker a few months back. I’m an avid low and slow guy with many setups....I wanted to compare all my setups to the set it an forget mentality of the pellet. To your point, pellet grills are amazingly easy to cook to desired temp and put a light smoke on the meat, but the amount of smoke/flavor you get from, wood, lump or briquettes is significant in my, friends and families opinion, much much better, deeper and richer in wood and other complex flavors created with fire, fat and meat. I had hopes that pellet would instill as much smoke flavor as others, but in my humble conclusion it simply does not. All the best and keep it going BBQ brethren!

[@heimerisbae5433]

love you're vids! been following sous vide everything since 18 000 subscribers! Kepp up the good work :D

[@GugaFoods]

Thank you so much.

[@jamesdooling4139]

You are the Beef King. Your testing is excellent.

[@BlutigeTranen]

I have a personal preference towards wood. I think it adds a bit of the charcoal char but all the wood flavor. That's if you don't smoke it. When I use wood I am making a fire. I definitely like the chimney sear though. I'm going to try that this summer!

[@JoseMartinez-wr5xf]

Depends on what kind of wood you use. Depends on the cut of meat as to what wood compliments that cut perfectly.

[@TacoPreacher]

Guga, pellets are not real wood, not for a long shot. North Mexico we use mezquite wood and charcoal, charcoal is our favorite, but if we have the time, when use wood, it's a different beast. Love the channel, I know it's an old video, but it's 2am and I can't sleep. Saludos

[@dennisrkb]

love your searing hack, so stealing that!

[@jerryleroy9187]

As soon as you showed that you were going to use wood PELLETS, I am out! Not even close to being the same as raw wood. You should know better tsk tsk.

[@juap]

jerry leroy Agree 100%, I’m out

[@george9822]

Dont talk to Guga that way

[@xaniiu]

The weather is always so nice in Miami.... sigh. Im jealous. Your channels have made me a sousvide and steak addict.

[@ei96byod]

I saw that one coming, but good to get it confirmed. Suggestion: You should try charcoal made from different kinds of wood, to see if there is a difference.

[@chefmesser420]

Im a chef at Firebirds woodfired grill and maintaining the fire is a challenge but you get used to it doing it everyday.

[@hooked16]

Does anyone else notice that guga is a little princess and gets mad about everything when he has people trying his food?

[@pb6270]

No

[@natas0733]

He IS gay tho

[@grootthetwig1229]

It's prolly because he brought them in to review the food that he makes before they eat it as a meal first but instead they want to eat it as a meal already

[@jamesshoffner2398]

Thanks for the videos. As always very informative.

[@jsaleen17]

I'd like to see a sear roast (traditional sear) vs the reverse sear method. I'm still not convinced of the reverse sear. I've done it a few times now and the doneness and look is just perfect. Yet, my patrons I cook for are not as impressed as the traditional sear roast I normally do.

[@west777s]

Incredible!!! Just found your channel. Would really like to see you grill filet Mignon start to finish using reverse sear. Definitely subbing! Thanks!

[@roam849]

i want to see this too... @west777s did you ever try it?

[@Movie_Games]

Why not both?

[@haithcox]

Those look fantastic, Guga!!!!

[@muradal2006]

Did my first wood grilling, today, and it was so good. I have always used gas or charcoal, wood is a different class.

[@Montano520]

My friend You have to try the hickory wood method. You are right it does sear faster but the taste is unbelievable! It beats charcoal hands down.

[@tlspud]

Guga, you are the master of taste tests. You inspire me. Keep on keepin' on, bro.

[@SignOfTheTimes008]

I love my little charcoal grill, but would love to someday try wood to. I char grilled some Costco sausages the other day; Maple & Ham, Cheddar & Bacon, Toulouse and Mexican. They were all amazing.

[@jks15jkhaha2]

yooo you should try an experiment on different ways of cooking a steak! sous vide, traditional, reserve, and so on!!

[@GugaFoods]

That's coming soon.

[@Paelorian]

I've switched from sous vide to a 200°F reverse sear because I'm happy with the results. Takes almost as long, and requires much more attentiveness not to overcook, but it's easy if you have an instant-read thermometer. It's almost as end-to-end cooked as sous vide and because the outside dries in the hot oven my sear is a little better. No plastic bags or paper towels needed during cooking. Preparation and clean-up is a little easier. Frankly I'm not convinced totally uniform cooking from edge to edge is even desirable. A tiny bit of medium-well border meat is no downside to me. Kenji Lopez-Alt also recommends reverse sear over sous vide and says it's the best way to cook a steak, at least at home. Results are similar on the inside but done right the crust will be a little better. It does require taking it out of the oven at the correct time, which is a skill, unlike sous vide which requires almost no skill other than knowing the right temperature. So I do use both, like if I've got the sous ride already "fired up" or maybe with an irregularly shaped steak or something different from my typical $10 supermarket USDA choice steak that I don't want to risk not cooking perfectly. Like an expensive dry-aged steak from the butcher I might sous vide just to remove the margin for error during cooking. But if it's a size I'm used to, perhaps not since I'd be practiced at it.

[@jamesgray143]

Excellent. We have started sous vide our ribeyes since december.

[@jks15jkhaha2]

there are actually quite a few videos of this experiment on youtube but its always nice to see different people trying it out to see the differences themselves.

[@DLKY80]

Would love to see this too!

[@9027Joe]

i think you should re-try your salt block video from not to long ago this time without the oil rub on it im not the only one who commented this ive seen others saying the same thing

[@TurboMonky1]

Guga! I love your comparisons. Please do charcoal vs propane!

[@ryanc3001]

I think it's time to revisit this using a Santa Maria grill for wood vs your updated steak method for charcoal

[@RyChannelBrewing]

Thanks for the vids Guga!

[@GallaghersGrub]

Great stuff! Kind of surprised by the results. Very interesting.

[@MrMusaalam]

You guys are best. Love your videos.

[@jozefsmajda8036]

You could also try to combine wood and charcoal (20/80%) to get smoked flavor but high temperature as well.

[@peppertime1]

really cool and great clip Guga... respect.

[@GugaFoods]

Thank you my GOOD FRIEND! I appreciate that very much.

[@Phangatang79]

Guga- you’re like Britney Spears. You did it again! You are a genius. The hand broiler (with cut-out for viewing) is brilliant! I need to try this. Keep up the good work.

[@globalcitizen176]

Great video as always

[@djuell01]

Guga you should have used the flamethrower!! No haters with the searing! Great video as always!

[@mack1707]

I’ve gotta try that chimney sear. That’s awesome

[@tn00bz]

I'm from Santa Maria and we specialize in wood bbq (just Google santa Maria style). We have special made pits to control heat. I suggest you invest in one so you can taste true untainted wood bbq!

[@christophermartinez8853]

Off topic but your camera work is amazing! Great job!

[@joseacd01]

WoW Guga im going to give that sear method a try

[@JAtube21]

Well done. Excellent video!!

[@jonathanmalm9548]

When you cut them I guessed immediately that the right one (coal) would win. The reason for that is because of the steak, which has more fat around the edges = more taste. But tbh I think coal taste better anyway. Great job with the channel Guga!

[@rlewis1203]

Growing up in the Southwest of Arizona we used nothing but mesquite but since I live in the city/suburbs now of Phx I use charcoal with mesquite chunks. It’s not the same but I still get the mesquite flavor ☀️🌵🔥

[@arthurrobbins9508]

I use both charcoal and wood logs it's very good with both

[@blakeaquadro3885]

Can you do a juicy experiment? People argue all the time about broiling being juicier than grill. Or cast iron being the only way to cook a steak. Can you compare the main methods of cooking steak?? Broiling, grilled, and cast iron?? And maybe a follow up video can be these methods with the reverse sear. And test juiciness and flavor

[@emmgee7153]

love the sound track.....any details to music bumpers??????????????

[@SuperBigDog2U]

I never heard of a cowboy steak until watching your videos. Living in your home must be like living in a candy store of grilled meats, never ending it seems....can you adopt me please!!!! Great video.

[@jchristianmusic]

I was super looking forward to this one, but I was thinking you'd be using a few wood logs as in the description and not pellets. I'm thinking this one's a bit misleading and I'm disappointed.

[@JBsBBQ]

So, the second one, did you smoke it then sear it under the coals?

[@mkllove]

Hey Guga, how much is the temperature difference between the 2 methods ? Interesting that your rapid seared charcoal chimney was more tender as well... Was going to suggest your chimney is pretty badly rusted... try treating it with some rust inhibitor based on phosphoric acid. Not some rust dr stuff, just a 2 liter of cola/soda or molasses which both have phosphoric acid that cures the ferric oxide into a stable rust resistant surface. You may need to scrub a little of the excess flaky stuff off after a short soak, then re treat a 2nd time for a good result.

[@Rainbowelevates]

Guga! I agree charcoal grilled steaks are excellent compared to smoke grilled steaks, but I am not fully convinced until you do a mesquite or Hawaiian mesquite (kiawe) grilled steak! I'm not sure if you have done it but... I am curious to see