How to Grill With Charcoal
When grilling with charcoal, one of the biggest mistakes people make is to think they can grill any food over coals. You can grill over charcoal, but you should have a separate area for cooking different foods. Some of the foods that should be grilled over coals are sausages, kabobs, seafood, and seared meat. It’s best to oil the grates before cooking any of them. Here are some more tips for grilling with charcoal.
Direct heat
If you have two zones in your grill, the two-zone method is probably your best bet. The direct heat zone on a grill is the one directly over the charcoal. The indirect heat zone is the rest. For most meals, the two-zone method works great for steaks, pork chops, chicken breast, seafood, vegetables, and desserts. Alternatively, you can choose to set up a three-zone grill.
The main advantage of direct heat grilling over other methods is the large cooking surface. This method produces juicy meats that are slightly charred on the outside but still tender inside. This cooking method is ideal for meats like chicken and burgers. This technique has one major problem: lighting the charcoal. While charcoal grills can be lit easily, gas grills have starter buttons. It can take time to light a charcoal grill.
Avoid instant-light coal
Always use a grill with dampers that are open before lighting the charcoal. If dampers are closed, you could end up with a fire that hasn’t been lit by the charcoal. You can close the dampers partially and close them again when the charcoal has reached white hot. However, before you add food. This will allow you to keep an eye on the fire. You can also use a fire-ring to prevent charred food.
It may not be obvious when food is cooked on charcoal briquettes that have been infused with lighter fluid. However, some people notice a distinct odor when grilled foods are grilled. The odor is not too strong and can turn off people who use instant-light charcoal. Lighter fluids can contain chemicals that could cause a change in the taste or odor of food. In addition, it can leave an unpleasant aftertaste in the mouth.
Avoid instant-light briquettes
You should avoid instant-light brigades if you intend to use charcoal as your cooking fuel. While charcoal burns quickly and produces lots of smoke and flames when used as a cooking fuel, you should be aware that briquettes can release chemicals that can leach into your food and body. Paraffin, a petroleum product, is a well-known carcinogen. Despite its safety in candles, it can cause cancer in humans even with limited exposure.
Charcoal briquettes come in a variety of sizes and shapes. They can be controlled to maintain the right temperature. They give food a smokey taste, but they are less natural than hardwood lumber. Charcoal briquettes don’t require lighting, unlike hardwood lumber. This means that you don’t have to light them yourself. And, they’re not as inexpensive as briquettes, either.
Avoid lighter fluid
Charcoal lighter fluid is often used to light your charcoal grill. It has a bad aftertaste and there are many reasons you shouldn’t use it. Even manufacturers of charcoal grills such as Kingsford warn against its use, selling tankers full of the stuff. It can cause a bad taste in food and poisoning.
Aside from ruining your dinner, using lighter fluid to start your grilling fire is also very dangerous. It will not only impart a chemical flavor to your food but also erode the hardwood. If you do run out of lighter fluid, use a newspaper or a match instead. While this method is not recommended, it is still very useful when you need to light your charcoal. To prevent chemical tastes from getting into your food, make sure you follow the instructions on how to use lighter fluid.