Gas grills are easier, charcoal tastes better.
There IS no substitute for real charcoal grilling. Period.
No.
Wood or coals are the best.
Well Reid and Pelosi would be better if grilled on hot gas, but Howard dean should be slow roasted over coals. IMHO
you eat meat?
What kind of charcoal grill do you have, and what is the problem with it? Maybe you just need a better charcoal grill.
It may just depend on what you want. Gas is definitely easier and quicker, but you might be missing out on flavor. We know of no way to get the charcoal flavor out of gas grills and we aren't switching to gas anytime soon, if ever.
If you get a gas grill, get a Weber. They have a set of wide metal "flavor" bars just beneath the grill itself. As your meat cooks, drippings hit these bars and create smoke thus adding to the flavor. It's the best system I know of for gas grills.
Buy buffalo steaks,buy another bottle of wine while buying said buffalo steaks,buy a hot tub;)
Depending upon your husband's skill, you might be able to duplicate the taste he creates on his charcoal grill by putting a gas grill on High and then turning everything into carbon.
You can buy Hickory or Mesquite wood chips. You soak them in water for a while then place them near the burner. they add good flavor to the food. A bit smokey though :)
You obviously have internet access. Have you tried doing a search for info on the internet comparing the two? I know for a fact there is allot of info on the subject.
I have a friend that has an apple orchard, I go there and pick up a box of dry sticks every year and at grilling time I soak a handful of sticks in water and throw them on the fire just when I put the meat on. Try any wood, grapevines, cherry, apple etc.
Hank Hill will tell you, "Taste the food, not the fuel".
You may as well go in the house and put it under the broiler if you're going to use gas. We have a pellet bbq. It's better than charcoal and the taste is unbelievable.
Most of the flavor comes from the dripping fat charing on the lava stone.
Keep some fat on the meat and once the rock is seasoned don't clean or replace it too frequently. On occasion I'll pick out the really grungy rocks and toss in a new one to replace it.
Good luck.
I used nothing but charcoal for years. My kids bought me a gas grill for Father's day one year. It took a little getting used to but I never looked back. In SoCal you have good enough weather that you can use it almost year round.
If you get a gas grill try getting some lava rocks or something like that. I get mine for a couple of bucks at the local Home Depot. Soak them in bacon grease for a day or so and then put them into the bbq over the flame diffuser. Turn the bbq on high and let them cook out for a while. An hour or so ought to do it. These will give you that smoky flavor you get from the charcoal.
Another thing you can try is to soak just about any kind of dried wood in water for a while before you fire it up and then put a couple of big chunks on the grill where the flames can reach them. If they catch fire, pour a little beer or wine or whatever you have to hand on them to put them out. The wood adds a great flavor. Personnaly I use hickory, apple and mesquite. Some folks like to soak wood chips and then wrap them in tin foil. Then poke a couple of hole in the tin foil using a toothpick. Put the package on top of the flame diffuser a few minutes before you start grilling and let the chips get really hot. They will start to smoke in the package without catching fire.
There are fanatics on both sides the fence that will only give up their gas / charcoal grill when you pry it from their cold, dead hands. Me, I just prefer the conveniance of having an excuse for the beer in my hand a couple of time a week when I decide to grill something.