Why does Charcoal-Grilled Food Seem to Taste Better than Food Cooked on a Gas Grill?

A lot of people swear by the “charcoal” flavor of foods grilled over lump charcoal or briquettes. Actually, this is more the result of the way the high dry heat of lit charcoal sears the meat than about any flavor-producing compounds that rise from the lump charcoal or briquettes themselves. A high, dry heat does a better job of caramelizing the proteins in meat and fish and the plant sugars in vegetables and fruits than does the lower, moister heat traditionally associated with gas grills. Many of the newer gas grills burn virtually as hot and dry as charcoal. The one exception here is partially or improperly lit charcoal briquettes, especially when they’re doused with petroleum-based lighter fluid. These briquettes impart an oily or unpleasantly acrid flavor to grilled food.