Propane BBQ grill?!
Answers: My husband and i got our first gas grill - we've been doing charcoal for 21 year. Is there any way to get some of that smokey taste you get from Charcoal with a gas grill?
Yes there is. And simple too!
Get yourself a stainless steel dog bowl, or some other small, shallow dish or plate. Don't use aluminum foil.
Buy a sack of wood chips (or make your own) for smoking. Soak the chips in water. Put them in your pan, or place chips directly under the grill, fire up your grill, and cook just like you used to. The chips will start to smolder. And the smoke will embellish that good old smokey flavor.
If your new grill has lava rocks or ceramic blocks you should have a great taste from this. Most of that smokey flavor comes from the fat and juices falling on the charcoal or rocks. If your new grill is just gas then you might consider adding lava rocks to your new grill. Just place a piece of expanded metal cut to fit over the burner, and add the lava rocks to it. (Expanded sheet metal can be purchased at hardware stores and Lowe's along with a bag of lava rocks in the gardening section or BBQ section.)
If your new grill already has rocks, then I suggest you cook a few 30% fat hamburgers on it for your dog. This will help break in your new grill.
Charcoal should not impart any flavor, unless you are using briquettes made with coal!
Have fun, and let us know what worked for you.
You can buy lava rocks, but I've never noticed much difference in the taste. Try putting a few wood chips in an empty tin can and setting that inside the grill. But read your manual first. Some specifically say don't do it.