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None

2 (6.3%)

Light

6 (18.8%)

Medium

15 (46.9%)

Heavy

2 (6.3%)

Depends on the Meat

7 (21.9%)

Total Members Voted: 29

[Kristin Meredith]

I use to think I liked a heavier char on grilled meat until Bentley cooked me a burger on the Woodwind side burner.  Man, that thing put a heavy char on that burger.  That is when I realized I liked the lighter/medium char of the Memphis Pro.  What about you folks.

[Quadman750]

I’m with you on the lighter/medium char.

[InThePitBBQ]

Somewhere approaching medium is good, to much of it and that's all you taste I used to think I liked a heavier char but it's really not to my liking anymore.

[TLK]

never been a fan of [really] any char.  that is except for a salens hotdog.

[Bentley]

[Mudflap]

never been a fan of [really] any char.  that is except for a salens hotdog.

+1 On hotdog char.

[LowSlowJoe]

It all depends...  or... I'm not that picky about it.   I could enjoy a hamburger that had been forgotten about and had been chared black all around.... Or , in recent times, I don't even care about char on a burger.  Brats... I used to think they had to be grilled to the point where they have at least a little char on them, but I've been making them in my Davy Crocket, where there isn't even a hint of char, and they taste wonderful...  Burgers are the same, I've been making mine on my Davy Crockett, turn it on at like 285F, put the burgers on, set a timer for about 30 minutes... come back in 30 minutes flip the burgers, leave for another 20 minutes or so come back and take them off the grill... Yummmmmy, with no char.

   Steaks... I still prefer a nice thin layer of char... not just grill marks, but, like pan seared on a blazing hot skillet char.   

   Of course occasionally I do heat the PG500 up to 800F+ and slap some steaks on over top of the open flame. But honestly... I don't really do it very often, for the most part, it's unnecessary, since my frying pan will do what I really like , just fine.

    Of course, tomorrow, I may change my mind.... so it really just depends on the mood I am in, or maybe even just whatever happens... sometimes surprise is good.

[MMike]

Medium

[Bobitis]

Char to me = burnt to a crisp meat. IMHO, that's like throwing meat on hot coals. It imparts no appreciable flavor or texture to me.

For some reason, a good hot dog with blackened skin is always tasty. Childhood camping memories? Who knows...

I liken it to smoke or salt. Once ya get weaned off of it, everything tastes better.

[DE]

No Char on a Dog, grill marks ok, but you can crisp up the bacon around one, just not too much!

[Bentley]

Heavy on a burger or piece of chicken, but I also don't want it over the entire area.  I like the single mark, not cross hatched.  I especially like it when it is done on a thigh and served with an Asian influence!

[ylr]

I like a smidge of crunch on most meats, except my SIL's hamburgers, you can break a tooth on them....... 

[pmillen]

Lately, when I cook I try for little to no black areas (that’s what I think of when I think of char.

I try to brown my food.  I’m typically looking for the Maillard reaction when cooking meat.  The reactions that produce the browning—the classic "Maillard taste" and "Maillard smell"—begin to take place at about 250°F (and they won't happen rapidly until 300°F).  At ~300-330°F the Maillard reaction progresses at a fast pace, causing noticeable browning within minutes.

Above 355°F a different set of reactions occur:  pyrolysis, also known as burning or charring.  People sometimes like foods a little charred, but too much produces bitterness.  The black char may also be carcinogenic, so go easy on charring your foods for visual appeal.

[LowSlowJoe]

If I ever want to reproduce the tastes of grilled food that I grew up with... there has to be char.  Both my grandfather and my father, almost always burnt stuff on the grill, and honestly , sometimes I do want that flavor, maybe just to entice a fond memory of being with family on a summer day.

[DE]

Char! Did someone say something about CHAR!
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