How to decide between wood, charcoal and gas grilling

With spring slowly making its way into summer, grilling season is about to blast off.

Will you set the season off by cooking with wood, charcoal or gas?

Here’s what’s hot and what’s not with these three popular grilling methods.

Charcoal grilling: What’s hot

Charcoal gets hot and stays hot. This combo makes it possible to achieve beautiful sears and crusts on meat that you can’t often achieve with other heat sources.

Charcoal grilling: What’s not hot

Cleaning up a charcoal cookout is an ashy, messy affair. Charcoal grills also take a long time to heat up, and can be difficult to maintain evenly once you get there.

Wood grilling: What’s hot

Wood smoke adds a robust, layered flavor to anything you cook over it.

Wood grilling: What’s not hot

When grilling with wood, you’re cooking with fire. And fire can be difficult to start, manage and manipulate. If you aren’t careful, you can over-smoke your meats.

Gas grilling: What’s hot

A gas grill is the easiest to use when it comes to starting it up, controlling the heat and clean-up.

Gas grilling: What’s not hot

Gas grills have a tendency to overheat and therefore overcook if dishes aren’t monitored closely.