Grilling Over Charcoal

There are two types of charcoal grills on the market today: ones that require lighter fluid and ones that have “chimney tops.” The main advantages to choosing the chimney top model is that it will eliminate your need for lighter fluid and the charcoal will actually burn more evenly.

To light a charcoal grill you will need to arrange the briquettes in a mound at the center of the bottom grate. You will want to place them close together in order to help ignite the fire.

You should also know that just like there are two different models of charcoal grills, you should know that there are also two different methods by which you can grill your food on these grills.

Direct Grilling With Charcoal

In order to direct grill with charcoal you will want to start by raking out the glowing coals under the grill rack in order to create an even section for the food. As such, you will be cooking your food directly over the heat source, hence the name of this grilling method. It will result in tough, crispy meat like those that you would find in Bolivia.

Indirect Grilling With Charcoal

If you want to do indirect grilling with charcoal, you will need to use long-handled tongs to move the coals over enough to accommodate a drip pan, which will collect the food’s fat drippings and thus minimize flare-ups. You will then place your food over the top of an area on the grill. This is the best way to cook whole birds, ribs, large roasts and whole fish.

Controlling Any Flare-Ups

Sudden small blazes, which are known as flare-ups, may occur whenever fat and meat juice drip onto the hot coals. Not only can this be dangerous but it can also make your meat taste charred. So, you will want to make sure to control these flare-ups by raising the grill rack, covering the grill, spacing the hot coals farther apart or removing a couple of the coals. As a last resort, you can also remove the food from the grill in order to mist the fire with some water out of a spray bottle. Once the flame subsides you can return the food to the grill.

Adjusting Your Grill’s Heat

Not everyone judges the coal’s temperature exactly the same. However, there are some things that you can also do… Whenever the coals get too hot you can raise the grill rack up, spread out the coals, close the air vents halfway or take out some briquettes. If the coals get too cool, then you will want to use a pair of long-handled tongs to tap some ashes off of the burning coals, move the coals closer together, add some more briquettes, lower the rack or open up the vents.

Conclusion

As you can clearly see, charcoal grills work quite nicely. You simply need to know how to use them properly. Now that you do, you will be able to make some great food.

The author of this article has expertise in Austin Texas real estate. The articles about Austin Texas real estate reveals the author’s knowledge on the same. The author has published many articles in his Austin real estate blog as well.