I'll chime in on the side of "there's very little difference"
I'm only talking about smoker though...side by side grilling, that's another story :)
I have a charcoal smoker (ECB) and a propane smoker (
Masterbuilt). I just did my first pork butt in the gasser, I did a chicken a couple of weeks ago in it too.
I've done both in the ECB a lot (using lump charcoal) and the flavor I get outside of the rub is all wood.
The gasser is easier to handle, by far (although it has its quirks that I need to suss out). I know a lot of people are old school and I've run into the vehement "propane ain't bbq" crowd and basically it comes down to this for me:
- Side by side, there's very little difference in what *I* cook.
- Not interested in competing
- I respect the skills needed to manage the fire, but what interests me about BBQing is the final result. The ends justify the means.
- I've got a toddler to take care of and a loving wife who is supportive of my hobby...up to a point. I can't stay out babying a charcoal smoker for 12 hours during a weekend and not have an unhappy family (although come dinner time I'm usually forgiven hehe).
That means, I want as close to a 'set it and forget it' solution. Which means propane for me, unless I want to put in a lot more cash into a cooker than I can afford.