Tips for Using a Charcoal Grill

The summer has arrived and kids have their school vacations. It's the right time for grilling and enjoying a barbecue in the backyard with your family members. These days, many people prefer natural gas and propane-fueled barbecues. Although a charcoal grill seems to be outdated, its importance still remains unbeatable. You can cook a variety of your favorite summertime food recipes, right from a simple meat to smoked meat recipes. Grilled foods are very tasty and have an excellent flavor. The reason is cooking on the charcoal grill offers a natural taste to food.

Tips on Using a Charcoal Grill

Charcoal grills come in a large variety, ranging from classic, old-fashioned charcoal grills to the modern, expensive grills. There is a very convenient type of charcoal grill called portable charcoal grill, which is useful for events like tailgating or picnic. Larger, stationary grills are also available, which can be used in poolside or backyard barbecues.

You can roast, grill or smoke fish or meat. Cooking on the charcoal grill can be done either by direct cooking or indirect cooking method. For the direct cooking, the bottom of the grill is completely covered with enough charcoal briquettes. They are heaped together and then ignited. When coals become white, they are spread over the grill's bottom. The cooking grill or grate is placed on the top and then you can start with cooking. The direct cooking method can be used to cook foods like hamburgers, thin steaks or baked potatoes at a high temperature.

In the indirect cooking method, you should place equal amounts of charcoal briquettes on each side of the bottom of the grill. Then, briquettes are burnt to a whitish color. Following this, you can keep the cooking grill on the top and start cooking. You can cook a variety of foods, including spare ribs, lobster tail, chicken, thicker steaks and a meatloaf. You need to place the grill cover on the top of the grill, so that heat is properly held inside the grill.

Here are some helpful tips on using a charcoal grill that will help make you grilling experience truly enjoyable.

• Before you start with the grilling, make sure to read and understand all the instructions given in the brochure about how to use the grill.
• You should know the optimum temperature and cooking time for each type of food. For example, fish should be cooked over medium heat, while pork and chicken on medium to high heat. You can cook steaks in a hot barbecue. Vegetables should be covered by aluminum foil with spices and a bit of butter and cooked over medium heat. Thin steaks and hamburgers take five minutes for well-done. It takes about an hour to make baked potatoes and about 30 minutes to prepare sweet corn.
• You should lightly oil the cooking grill before starting cooking, so that food does not stick to the grill. Or, you may use a piece of aluminum foil to cover the cooking grill. After your cooking is over, remove the foil.
• Always store charcoal briquettes in a dry place and avoid storing them in the wet area. Moist briquettes are very difficult to burn.
• You can use a chimney starter or electric starter to light the charcoal fire. Let the briquettes burn to white color, before you start cooking.
  
• After every use, make sure to empty the accumulated ash in the bottom of the grill and allow it to cool down completely.
• Another important criteria for selecting a charcoal grill is that it should be easy to douse any flare-ups during the process of cooking. It's better to choose the model that is provided with the facility of water storage in the base where the charcoal is placed. This type of charcoal grill makes it easy to douse hot coals.
• While extinguishing the charcoal grill, close the lid of the grill. Due to lack of oxygen, fire will be smothered. When charcoal has cooled down, transfer it into a metal container using a long tongues. You can immerse charcoal in water to extinguish burning coal.

With these tips on using a charcoal grill, I am sure you will enjoy cooking on the grill and prepare a number of sumptuous barbecue recipes. Have a wonderful summer time with some crunchy snacks like barbecue chicken or hot dogs and your favorite cold drinks with the pleasurable company of your close ones.