Too bad.

The flavor from charcoal tastes way better than on gas.

I know almost all of that, and I just skimmed. But I noticed one line that said it depends on the type of charcoal - briquettes vs. lump. The author never delved into that more. Any charcoal aficionado will say lump is the only way to go.

And from experience - I've owned and used both gas and charcoal - the flavor is different. I couldn't tell you why, but it is the truth.

I also question the validity of some random blogger vs. Bon Appetit. Anyone willing to do the research can find someone to support their view.

Sorry, not sure how to embed the video at this site, but I found this interesting... It's worth a couple minutes to help bolster your opinion (if it does).

http://www.wired.com/2013/03/video-the-art-of-grilling/

So big difference may be simply that my charcoal grill gets significantly hotter than a gas grill.

There are lots of articles about it. It's not just one blog. Even if you use lump charcoal, it's still about the heat, not the type of charcoal used. There's just not enough smoke to make a difference.

Than some gas grills, I would say. I routinely measure my grill via infrared thermometer at 950 degrees when it gets going. Plenty hot enough. That's about he same temp that charcoal grills get.

Infrared grills can get that high, but I'm very skeptical if you're saying you're getting a standard propane grill that hot.

I have never measured it, but I know the gauge on my Weber tops out at 800 I believe and I have pegged it often.

On a standard propane? I'm not calling you a liar, but I'll readily call your thermometer a piece of shit.

Everyone agrees charcoal burns hotter than standard gas grills, and most charcoal grills burn 500-700 at the grate.

900+ is wood fired oven temps and very difficult to reproduce, even in a charcoal kettle.

If you're getting legit 800+ on a gas grill, you need to open a pizza kitchen in your back yard. You'll make a mint.

It's the surface temp of the grill not the temp of the fire in the grill

Weber spirit natural gas 3 burner. Maybe it's the cast iron grill pan absorbing a lot of heat. And yes, that's surface temp.

That's why I specified charcoal typically gets 500-700 at the grate.

Heh, agreed. And to the "its the same flavor on gas as on charcoal" comments, that is simply not true. I cook on both. Anyone that cooks with charcoal and/or wood knows that if you see a bunch of smoke coming out of the chimney (or vents), then it is probably too much. When you are smoking foods, you shouldn't be able to see a bunch of smoke coming out. In fact, it should come out heavy for a few minutes and then be just barely visible, and you will be imparting the smoke flavor all the while. So, putting this same principle to the charcoal, which is just burnt wood, you are getting a smokey flavor from the charcoal that you simply aren't going to get from gas. The amount of smoke you see coming off is more from the meat and drippings hitting hot surfaces than from real smoke you want flavoring your food.