Gas or Charcoal?

For weeknights: gas.

For weekends and when you care about the ritual and flavor: charcoal.

A practical way to think about it:

• Gas when you’re tired and hungry
• You’re home from work, it’s a warm evening, and you just want food fast.
• Turn the knob, preheat 10–15 minutes, cook, shut it off, minimal cleanup.
• Great for burgers, chicken, veggies, quick steaks when the priority is eating, not crafting.
• Charcoal when you’re cooking for the craft
• You want that deeper smoky flavor, hotter sear, and the whole ritual of lighting, waiting for coals, managing vents.
• Better for long cooks (ribs, pork shoulder) and when you’re hanging out, having a drink, and the grill is part of the experience.

If you care about both convenience and flavor, a few middle-ground options:

• Use gas as your default, charcoal as your treat:

Gas 3–4 nights a week, charcoal on weekends or when you have guests.

• Add smoke to gas:

Use a smoker box or foil packet with wood chips on a gas grill to get some of that charcoal-like smokiness without the full hassle.

• Hybrid approach:

Some people keep a small charcoal kettle plus a gas grill. Gas for everyday, kettle for when you want to play.

So in your exact scenario—warm summer evening, just home from work, want to grill dinner—I’d fire up gas. Save charcoal for the nights when you’re cooking for the joy of it, not just to get food on the table.