By Chuck Martin
Enquirer staff writer

James Davis of Madeira with his specialty, baby back ribs. Davis is partial to charcoal, which he says provides a "more natural flavor" than gas-fired cooking. The Enquirer/JEFF SWINGER

As family and friends gather on decks and patios this holiday weekend to eat grilled burgers, chicken and more, a heated debate may erupt - not about politics or sports, but over charcoal vs. gas. Despite advances in barbecue technology, many still disagree over which fuel is better to fire the food.

"The charcoal flavor is more natural," says James Davis of Madeira, who is known for his sweet and tender barbecued pork ribs. "Gas sort of dries the food out."

Davis is such an avid griller - he cooks out at least three times a week year-round - that he owns two grills. He uses charcoal for his ribs, pork roast and rotisserie turkeys, and a gas cooker for "fast food," such as hamburgers and hot dogs.

At Meyer's Hardware in Madeira, where Davis buys his grills, Don Tims says he sells more gas grills 10 to 1. But the charcoal people "are pretty hard-core."

GRILLING TRENDS

• 81 percent of American families own a grill. • 56 percent of grill owners cook out year-round, averaging one to two times per week. • Gas grill owners are more likely to cook out year-round. • Americans paid an average of $79 for a charcoal grill and about $220 for a gas grill in 2003. • The top five favorite foods for grilling, in order: hamburgers, steaks, chicken, ribs and brats (tie). Sources: Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association and Weber-Stephen Products Co.

Three years ago, when his fiancee, Kathy, told George Cook of Kennedy Heights she had bought him a sleek gas grill with all the bells and whistles, he gently asked her to change the order to a less expensive charcoal grill.

Cook, whose Cincinnati barbecue team, "Hog Heaven," finished second in the ribs competition of the prestigious "Memphis in May" contest in Tennessee this spring, doesn't believe gas delivers the same smoky flavor as charcoal, which is made from wood or wood products.

"In order to accomplish the true, authentic barbecue smoke flavor, you have to use a charcoal grill," says Steven Raichlen, author of The Barbecue! Bible (Workman; $19.95) and other grilling cookbooks.

On the other side of the fuel fight is Paul Fricke, who owns Cook's Wares shops in Symmes Township, Liberty Township and Springboro. He switched from charcoal to gas years ago.

"Charcoal would take me about 25 minutes to get going," says Fricke, who grills out often during the week. "My gas grill is ready in 10 minutes. And clean-up is easier, too."

Christy Feldhaus, who teaches grilling classes at the Cooking School at Jungle Jim's Market in Fairfield, believes charcoal is best for flavor, but most nights at home in White Oak, she's grilling with gas. "For me, it's a matter of patience," Feldhaus says. "If you're patient, go for charcoal. If you're not, go for gas."

She and other Americans love the convenience of turning on the gas flame - not having to stack briquettes and start a fire. The number of families who owned a gas grill first eclipsed those with a charcoal grill in 1993, according to the Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association. The trend has grown since - 8.4 million gas grills were shipped last year, compared to 5.4 million charcoal grills, says the HPBA.

But charcoal enthusiasts can find encouragement in the same sales figures: Gas grill sales dropped 12 percent from 2002 to 2003, while charcoal grills sales declined only 0.1 percent during the same period.

More evidence that might support a minor charcoal comeback: In a national survey of grill owners sponsored by Weber-Stephen Products, the Illinois company that makes gas and charcoal grills, only one-fourth of the respondents described themselves as "gas grill converts." Nearly 20 percent call themselves "dyed-in-the-wool charcoal fanatics" - up from 15 percent last year.

This doesn't mean outdoor cooks are ditching their gas grills, says Shaun Chinsky, director of marketing operations for Weber-Stephen. He believes many gas grill owners are buying a second grill, and it's charcoal. (Thirty-one percent own more than one grill, according to the Weber survey.)

Davis says there's another reason - besides flavor - he prefers charcoal smoke in his eyes. Perhaps it's primal.

"Charcoal is more fun," he says. "Somehow, gas takes the artistic endeavor out of cooking."

cmartin@enquirer.com