ztest

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 hours): * BTU: 600 to 800 BTUs * Megajoules (MJ): 0.63 to 0.84 MJ * Watt-hours (Wh): 175 to 235 Wh (0.175–0.235 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 (22.5 to 29.8 MJ/kg).
• Total Energy in the Charcoal: 15,000 to 20,000 BTUs (15.8 to 21.1 MJ or 4.4 to 5.8 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.