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Charcoal is a widely used and sold fuel in Java, the most populous island of Indonesia.

It is usually made in the mountainous forest areas and then brought down to the main markets in the cities and towns. It is rarely used in rural areas. Most charcoal is sold by the kilogram, often packed in 1 kg plastic bags. The price in Yogyakarta in February 1983 was 0.10/kg (1 = Rp1000). Kerosene, on the other hand, was only 0.075/kg in 1982, increasing to 0.125/kg in January 1983. The higher energy content of kerosene (44 MJ/kg vs 29 MJ/kg) and the higher efficiency of kerosene wick and pressure stoves, compared to charcoal stoves, make it cheaper to use than charcoal. For use in cooking however the bad smell of kerosene, the after taste it leaves, the heavier and more expensive stove it requires, and the inability to use it for grilling, means that there still is a large market for charcoal. There are a few metal charcoal stoves produced but the vast majority are made of pottery. Charcoal pottery stoves 'anglos' are one of the major products of potters near Yogyakarta. The one piece anglos (Figure 1) sell for 0.075 in the potter's village and for up to 0.15 in a store, for the medium size stove. Under heavy daily use (eg. food vendors, and restaurants) they last less than two months. In 1980 and 1981 Dian Desa made a number of new prototype charcoal stoves, but whilst they were faster than the traditional anglo they could not be made easily or cheaply by local artisans so no further work was done.

.In 1983 Aryanto Soedjarwo and Bill Stewart began some new experiments with charcoal stoves. A simple prototype was made by lining a traditional anglo with cut pumice stone - the most easily available refractory insulation. m e pumice is mined in East Java and is widely available in hardware stores across Java. Its main use is for scrubbing stones, so the pumice available is in the form of 6-10 cm diameter balls. It costs 0.30/kg when purchased in small quantities. The balls were cut with a hacksaw and wedged into the stove to form a layer of insulation -about 5cm thick. The pieces were held in place by a cement mortar. The cement will crack under prolonged heat and a new production procedure is necessary to produce long lasting stoves. For the purpose of the testing this was not a problem. About 300 gm of pumice were used in the stove. Initial tests showed that there was not enough air flow through the grate because the insulation had blocked some of the holes. These holes were bored out to increase the air flow. The following table shows the grate areas for the three stoves tested.

Test Procedure
The stoves were filled to capacity - 300 gm for the traditional anglo and Thai bucket, and 250 gm for the pumice lined anglo. A few pieces of charcoal were immersed in 10 gm of kerosene and placed back on the bed of charcoal and lit. Aluminium pots, 25 cm diameter, with lids were filled with 2 litres of water, brought to the boil, and boiled for 30 minutes (BP S30). None of the stoves had doors and all. The stoves were fanned to increase burning rates. Four tests were done on each stove. Results previously reported in Boiling Point No 4, for a traditional Kenyan charcoal stove and a Kenyan charcoal cement-vermiculite stove are shown for comparison.

Camping Portability is the name of the game. A good portable charcoal grill offers easy setup and teardown. Made of substantial materials, it should feel sturdy and stable once assembled. Efficiency is a quality to look out for. Since your supply of grill charcoal will be limited, you would want your charcoal bbq grill to be as thrifty as possible. You dont want to burn through your whole supply just grilling a few burgers. Those that can perform multiple functions are the best to bring outdoors. You save on space and weight if your charcoal grill can also double as a stove, smoker, and rotisserie. Tailgating Supporting your favorite team seems to be more enjoyable with a few hotdogs and burgers. What better way to wait for the kickoff than to fire up a charcoal grill as you pass the time with your diehard buddies. As with the camping variety, you would want your portable charcoal grill to be as light and as compact as possible. Also, since nobody likes to clean up when the game is about to start, your grill has to be low maintenance as well. Design is also important. Consider a round model as opposed to a rectangular one. This way, you can gather around it everybody cooks their own food. This adds a nice twist and makes for great storytelling about how your team is going all the way this season.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------There are many charcoal grill makes and models out there as there are uses for them. You would not want to lug around something that is meant to stay fixed in your backyard. So, with your intended purpose in mind, lets look at your options in the combination gas charcoal grill. Backyard Barbecue Many charcoal grills are made to be housed in a permanent structure. These are the most elaborate and expensive of the bunch. You would have to plan for a place where you will put a fixed charcoal grill. Meant for parties, the typical charcoal barbecue grill is big and can cook food for dozens of people at once. Weight is never an issue because you will not be moving it around. Look for stainless steel construction if you plan on leaving yours outdoors uncovered so that you will get years of enjoyment out of it.

Gas Grilling
Gas-fired grilling has the clear benefit of being extremely convenient. Simply turn a knob, and say hello to your highly adjustable heat source. Gas grills are fueled by liquid propane stored in refillable tanks. Gas grilling is clean and quick. There's no messing with briquettes, no stacking, no lighting, no smelly starter fluid and no waiting around for the coals to glow. And once dinner is over, there's no ashy mess to clean up. Return the switch to off, rub a metal brush over the grate and clean-up time is over. On the technical side, gas burns clean, but it doesn't impart much flavor to grilled foods.

Charcoal grills are also less expensive than gas grills, though the cost of charcoal will add up over the years. Charcoal is also more portable than gas grills. A bag of charcoal can easily be chucked into the car and taken to the park or beach. And let's face it--charcoal also involves an enticing element of danger. Playing with fire is fun. (Of course, this can be a plus or minus, depending on who's behind the flame.)

The Verdict
Ultimately, any determination of what's best comes down to considerations of convenience, cost, flavor and practicality. If you have a tiny patio, a massive gas grill just won't work. Great grilling can be had over either gas or charcoal flames. So now that we've settled that, what's the barbeque capital of the world? We break it down in Dueling Barbeques.

Charcoal Grilling
Charcoal grilling might not offer the same level of convenience as gas, but it does boast one benefit that stands out above all others: smoke flavor. The dry, white-hot heat of charcoal sears meat quickly, creating a crusty, caramelized exterior and smoky flavor. Of course, charcoal grilling requires more time and attention than gas, from building and lighting the briquettes to waiting for the coals to get hot to managing the flame. Since you can't dial down the heat of whitehot coals, it's a good strategy to leave empty spaces on the lower grill grate (areas without briquettes). These cool spaces allow for better control, letting you sear food first over the hot spots before transferring it to cooler parts to finish cooking.

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