Charcoal Grilling Tips

Patience. Charcoal grilling takes patience. You largely learn by trial and error as to how you can make a charcoal grill efficient enough to warrant the time it takes to get the fire going. With these tips, however, every minute can be worth the wait, and you'll never go back to gas grills again. Ever.

Keep the charcoal grill clean. If you're cooking chicken, it shouldn't taste like steak. And if you're grilling a steak, it shouldn't smell like fish. Just keep your charcoal grill clean. Make sure you take out all the ashes and leftover food out of the grill. They may seem harmless, but once the fire gets burning those leftovers can leave a horrible flavor in your meet.

Pyramids. If you don't have a charcoal starter can and are using lighter fluid, use the pyramid style when lighting the bricks. Put some fluid on the bottom layer of bricks. Stack the rest of the bricks up on top and make sure each brick gets a little fluid. Give another good squirt down the middle, light, and walk away. Of course, there are alternatives to lighter fluid...

Use eco-friendly gel. If you don't like the smell of lighter fluid, consider using eco-friendly lighter gel. It can take awhile for the gel to catch fire, but your food won't smell like gas and the gel can burn really, really hot. Most lighter gels only require a teaspoon or two to light your charcoal grill, so don't overdo it.

Stop touching it! This is one of the main problems with first-time charcoal grill cooks. They like to stoke the coals into oblivion, continuously re-lighting and poking them. The bricks aren't the hottest when there is flame: it is when they turn white. For that to happen, you need to leave them be in the pyramid until they ALL turn a little white. Then you can spread them out and start cooking.

Flames are not your friends. If you put your meet on the flaming charcoal just as it starts, your meat will smell like old scrap wood and lighter fluid. Most charcoal bricks you buy can be made of leftover wood parts like cardboard and such to help them stay lit. The stinky chemicals associated with those parts will burn off eventually.

Use wood chips whenever possible. Wood chips that have soaked for at least half an hour can add smoke to your grill. The smoke keeps the meat moist, which is key if you are directly grilling over the coals. Put them on once the charcoal flames die down.

Venting. Open and close the vents as needed. Venting is often overlooked in charcoal grilling. If the vents are too far open, you may not get the heat needed to cook thick meat like chicken. Keep them closed, and you might have too much heat for your steak. Be sure to adjust the vents as needed and to use a thermometer to check meat temperatures.