ztest-markor

Energy Consumed by Your Stove

A standard gas burner running at its absolute lowest setting (simmer setting) consumes around 1,500 to 2,000 BTUs per hour (approx. 1.58–2.11 Megajoules/hour). For a 24-minute cook (\(0.4\text{ hours}\)):

• BTU: \(\sim 600\text{ to }800\text{ BTUs}\)
• Megajoules (MJ): \(\sim 0.63\text{ to }0.84\text{ MJ}\)
• Watt-hours (Wh): \(\sim 175\text{ to }235\text{ Wh}\) (\(0.175\text{--}0.235\text{ kWh}\))

Your setup using a heavy metal pan enclosed with a matching cover acted as a mini-oven or Dutch oven. Because the vapor and rendered fat were trapped, heat was retained efficiently via steam/oil-vapor conduction, meaning the meat absorbed a very high percentage of the ~700 BTUs output by the burner.

Equivalent Charcoal Required for Grilling

Direct grilling requires significantly more total energy because open grills waste a vast majority of their heat through convection into the open air. To grill a thick block/brick cut (which requires indirect heat to cook through without burning the outside, followed by a direct sear):

1. Amount of Charcoal

• You need roughly 30 to 40 charcoal briquettes (or about 1.5 to 2 lbs / 0.7 to 0.9 kg of charcoal) to set up a two-zone fire in a standard grill.
• Fewer briquettes won’t generate enough ambient chamber temperature to maintain a stable fire bed for 25–30 minutes.

2. Energy in Charcoal

• Charcoal briquettes contain roughly 9,700 to 12,800 BTUs per pound (\(\sim 22.5\text{ to }29.8\text{ MJ/kg}\)).
• Total Energy in the Charcoal: \(\sim 15,000\text{ to }20,000\text{ BTUs}\) (\(\sim 15.8\text{ to }21.1\text{ MJ}\) or \(\sim 4.4\text{ to }5.8\text{ kWh}\)).

Comparison Summary

Grilling that same brick filet consumes ~25 times more raw chemical energy than your covered pan method on the stove. Your covered low-flame technique is essentially a braise/confit hybrid that converts energy into cooking heat with minimal loss.