Grilling By the Numbers

The results of the 18th annual Weber Grillwatch are in. The headline on the survey, commissioned by the Microsoft of the grilling industry, is that more than half of all grill owners now own a charcoal grill, as opposed to gas. The surge in charcoal use seems to be a collateral effect of the increase in grilling by people 35 and under. These younger grillers are grilling more often, and they prefer charcoal.

Here's why we'd consider these stats obvious: as the average age of first-time homebuyers goes down—last we saw it was dropping past 30—the average age of people with grills also drops, since what is a house without a grill in the backyard? Those youthful homebuyers are more likely to have lower incomes than their older neighbors, and are less likely to afford a gas grill (a basic gas kettle runs about $100 more than a charcoal kettle).

Our favorite tidbit: Grillers in the deep South used charcoal by a wide margin more than others. Unlike their fellow grillers in warm states, who have switched largely to gas, the Old South's spatula-jockeys have stuck with the bricks. Being rump traditionalists, perhaps they simply prefer the authenticity of charcoal, not to mention the flavor. (Sixty percent of all grillers said they prefer the flavor of grilled food.) But it could be that Southern grillers are simply poorer, and so can't spring for gas.

In any case, it's time to get grilling. Sixty percent of those who own a grill do so on Memorial Day, sharpening up their spatula skills for July 4th, when 81 percent cook outdoors.