How to Cook on a Charcoal Grill

How to cook on a charcoal grill

Cooking on a charcoal grill is fun and relaxing. Invite your friends over for dinner. The first step needed to cook on a charcoal grill is to build a fire. The second step is to wash and oil the cooking grate. Lastly, you want to cook that T-bone steak on the grill. Below you will find the steps to do just that.

To begin the process, you will need to get your chimney starter and coals. First, you should light the charcoal in a chimney starter. A chimney starter is a device consisting of a 6- to 8-inch-wide cylindrical steel pipe with vent holes at the bottom, grate in the middle, and a heatproof handle. Second, you pile charcoal in the top section and place a few sheets of crumpled newspaper in the bottom. Place the chimney on the charcoal grate, touch a lit match to the newspaper, and soon the coals will be blazing.

While you are waiting for the coals to heat up, wash your grate with a wire brush. Once the coals have been spread along the bottom of the charcoal grate, put your cooking grate in place. Dip a paper towel in vegetable oil. Using long handled tongs, use the paper towel to lightly oil the grate.

Charcoal usually takes 10-15 minutes to reach proper temperature. When charcoal is ready for grilling it will have an ashy coating all around, appear white or gray, and will be very hot. When the coals are ready, lift the chimney and dump out the coals in the grill. Place the chimney starter on a table until it cools.

Lastly, direct grilling involves using a high heat to cook relatively thin cuts of meat, like steaks, chops, and kebabs, and vegetables, including peppers and portobello mushrooms. The high heat sears the surface and seals in the juices. When working over high heat, the total cooking time, depending on the size of the food, will be 4 to 20 minutes.

Using a charcoal starter is a better and safer way to start a grill than using lighter fluid. It usually only takes 10-15 minutes to get the...