We are back with our 7 jaw-dropping charcoal grilling tips and techniques which will be amazing for you during this summer for your family. Summer season is around the corner. This only means one thing. Yes, you guessed it right BARBECUE season.
Everyone is going to having barbecue parties in their patios. If you do not know how to grill using charcoal than do not worry. I have got your back. You have come to the right place. I will teach you all the tips and techniques that you will be needing to be a pro at this.
So, you will be not missing out on anything. At the end of this article, you will be ready to host your very own barbecue party. The part and parcel of any barbecue party is charcoal. You need to learn about the technique you should be using in charcoal grilling. And most importantly you should know about the safety rules. There are certain dos and don’ts in this. Allow me to tell you all about this along the way. Shall we begin:
Charcoal Grilling Tips And Techniques:-
You should not worry if you are not a seasoned griller, these techniques will help you in taking the first step. It also does not matter if you already are a pro grille, I am pretty sure you will find some of it very useful. We should first focus on the tips you will be needing beforehand. The tips and techniques are:
- Clean your griller properly. It can accumulate dust and dirt by sitting in the storeroom. Do not wash it. Clean it even if you have just bought it.
- You should never wash your griller from the day before you going to host a barbecue because it will retain the moisture till the next day. And charcoal will not even light up when there will be moisture in it.
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Lightening:
Lightening the charcoal is an important part. This is the step where you need to be most prepared and safe. Lightening charcoal can be done in more than a few ways.
- You can use charcoal chimney if you are using real charcoal. Real charcoal is hard to burn. So, the initial ignition is provided by the chimney. Now you will be wondering how? The chimney has holes that provide the passage of air and initiates the ignition. You light up the newspapers and put coal on top of it. The holes will allow the passage of air and the fire will ignite which in turn cause the lightening of charcoal.
- Another way to light up the charcoal is by using the fluid. The lighter fluid consists of petrol which helps the ignition. Arrange the charcoal in pyramid order. Then throw fluid on top of it. After that take a match and light the charcoal. It will put the charcoal on fire.
- The easiest of the two methods is using self-starting briquettes. It is a type of coal that is already covered in some type of combustible liquid such as petroleum etc. It is less hazardous than lightening the charcoal with fluid contains petrol. The only problem with this is that it is expensive than regular charcoal and it burns out really quickly. In my advice, you should add some regular charcoal in between of charcoal briquettes.
So, whatever method you opt for lightening the coal is your choice and depends upon what kind of things are available at that moment.
Putting coal in the grill: There are tips and techniques as well for putting charcoal in the griller. It might seem like a simple task but if it is not done right then the coal will not light up.
- When you put coal in the griller, make sure it is arranged uniformly. If it is not arranged uniformly it might not even light up and it will not give even heat. This only means one thing which bad barbecue.
- Another important tip is making sure there is ventilation. Ventilation helps you coal burn properly. If there will be no ventilation then the coal will suffocate and you might have to perform the lightening process again.
- The coal should be dry. It is also really important. The moist coal will never burn. If you have moist coal then put it with coal that is already burning. This heat of the burning coal will help it dry and make it burn as well. So, mixing is the technique you should opt for.
Burning:
I am taking it to step by step. So, the next step here is to burn your coal and grill the barbecue. So, for this purpose:
- The charcoal should burn for at least 15 minutes for better results. When the coal turns to greyish white, that means your coal is ready for grilling.
- Pre heat the grilling grates. The purpose of this is that it will prevent of sticking of food on the grates.
- You can also oil the grates for this purpose. Use olive oil to oil the grates and cook without the worry of sticking food on it.
Venting the charcoal:
As already mentioned, venting is really important, especially in charcoal grilling. It is different propane grillers where you can switch the knob and adjust the heat. But we are talking about working on charcoal grillers. The only way to adjust the heat of the grillers is by opening and closing the vent. You can also use the hand fan time to time to provide air to the coal.
Now if you are new at this, you will be thinking why to provide air to the burning coal. The reason is that the air provides more oxygen to the coal which means faster burning of coal. It provides more heat and faster cooking.
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Build up ash:
We know that without ventilation the charcoal will suffocate and we will need to lighten it up again. But there also another thing that causes the coal to suffocate, it is build up ash. Make sure your griller is not full of ash. If the ash has accumulated clean it up before grilling another batch of barbecue.
More or less heat:
There is something that need to be cooked at less, slow and constant heat. We can find a way to do it.
- The tip here is to put coal uniformly on one side of the griller and let others be empty. The side of the coal would provide more heat and fast cooking. It will be called as if you are providing direct heat to your food.
- The other side with no coal will have less heat. It will be indirect heating with slow cooking.
- Somethings such as steaks require less heat and slow cooking. So, it is better for it. Moreover, in this way, your food will not be overcooked.
- You can add some woods in your griller to enhance the taste. As we know taste is the most attractive feature of cooking on a charcoal grill.
Caution:
Grilling with charcoal is literally like playing with fire. You need be very cautious and there are some safety rules you should always follow:
- Charcoal is not the only thing that needs ventilation. We also need air. So, do not Ever grill in closed space. The burning of charcoal produces carbon monoxide. It is a dangerous gas. It binds with the haemoglobin and you die of suffocation. You will be dead in seconds if you grilled in closed space.
- Using lighter fluid to light your charcoal is extremely dangerous. The lighter fluid consists of a volatile liquid. Do not ever make the mistake of throwing it on the hot burning coal. It will cause a sudden increase in flame. Your hands can catch fire. Moreover, be at a safe distance from the charcoal grill while using it.
- If you are using lighter fluid to burn your coals then make sure all the fluid is burned before putting barbecue on top of it. Otherwise, food will taste like petroleum.
- Before throwing the ashes in the dumpster or your garbage can, make sure there is nothing burning. Otherwise, the garbage will catch the fire.
- Do not extinguish your burned coal with the water. Water moistens the grill and makes it corrode faster.
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Advantage:
I know grilling with charcoal can be really hard and tricky. But there are also perks of using charcoal such as:
- First of all, the charcoal is cheap. And the grill is also cheap.
- It provides authentic smokey taste than any other propane griller.
- Using propane griller is no doubt easy but what is a barbecue without charcoal. It does not give you the comfort of using charcoal.
- The hot and intense look of coal or charcoal attracts the grillers.
Conclusion
This is the end of our good conversation. I hope you have learned some amazing charcoal grilling tips and techniques from this article. Charcoal is grilling is fun only if you are being careful about it.
It is an elaborate guide to provide you with pleasant grilling experience. I have tried to get you through this process by step by step. So, you do not get confused with it. Lets grill this weekend.
