Last year I was on holiday in the US - one week on the magnificent Oregon coast at Manzanita and one week in Colorado split between three days in Buena Vista and four days at Indian Hills, both locations about 9,000' above sea-level.
At Manzanita I used a borrowed Weber with charcoal to produce a good piece of roast beef, after which the talked turned to the merits of both methods. "Ah", said the knowing Pacific coast sea-level dwellers, "wait till you get to altitude in Colorado. Charcoal will be useless there: it's the altitude, you see; it takes much longer to cook with than gas".
In Buena Vista our hosts cooked two acceptable meals for us on a non-Weber gas BBQ. They repeated the warnings of the good folk from Oregon. In Indian Hills, our hosts, knowing my feelings on the subject and I suspect sharing them, had acquired a Weber for me to use. We cooked twice on it - once a general mixed grill and then some steaks, both with excellent results. I have to say that the cooking times at about 9,000' were exactly the same as I would have expected at sea-level and the result at Indian Hills immeasurably better than at Buena Vista.
It's the charcoal, you see.
Last edited by Barksdale Boy; 7th Mar 2013 at 05:40.