5 Mistakes To Avoid When Using A Charcoal Grill
Summer is here and it’s the perfect time to fire up your grill. With a charcoal grill you can bring friends and family together for barbecue, learn new recipes and perfect the art of grilling. Gas and electric grills can serve the same purposes but they don’t match up to a charcoal BBQ. The meals prepared on a charcoal grill are simply tastier. Nonetheless, it’s imperative to observe caution around your charcoal grill. Whether you are a master griller or new to the art, here are five mistakes to avoid when cooking with a charcoal grill.
Cooking on a dirty grill
It is tempting to heat up the grill and throw a steak on without cleaning it. Most people assume the high temperatures will kill all germs and the debris will fall off. Cleaning and maintenance optimize the efficiency of your grill. Since you can’t guarantee the safety of a used grate, cleaning should be the first order of business before cooking. You don’t want to spoil your barbecue with charred debris on your grate. Clean the grate using a stiff wire brush. However, be sure to preheat the grill to simplify the process. With a clean grill you are guaranteed tasty barbecues with nice grill marks.
Grilling too soon
If you love barbecues then you already know grilling takes patience. Although cooking is time consuming, the true test of patience is heating up the grill. First step is to cover the grill with a lid after lighting it. It takes at least 15 minutes for the grill to get hot enough. When the grill is ready the charcoal looks gray and ashy. Now you can throw food on the grill to cook. If you put food on the grill too soon it will stick to the grates. Moreover, you will lose flavour.
Grilling with the wrong heat
Charcoal is the direct heat source for a charcoal grill. Since different foods have different heating requirements, it’s important to ensure your heat is just right for your grilling needs. Foods that need high heat are best cooked directly over the charcoal. They include burgers, steak, chicken breast and hot dogs. On the other hand, whole chicken, ribs and pork loin need longer cooking time with medium to low heat. These foods are best prepared over indirect heat. Therefore, before adding charcoal to your grill, take into account what you are cooking. Don’t run the risk of overcooking, undercooking or burning your food.
Misusing the vents
Unlike gas and electric grills, charcoal grills have vents. They are designed to control airflow and the temperature. If you forget to open or close the vents you risk burning your food from extremely high temperatures or burning your charcoal out before your food is ready. As you preheat the grill, control the temperature by adjusting the vents. Close the vents to lower the temperature or open them to raise the heat.
Lifting the lid excessively
Opening the lid on a charcoal grill causes it to burn hotter. The open lid feeds oxygen to the coal and increases combustion. If you keep opening the lid to check on food you might burn your food with the excessive heat. Therefore, trust your food is cooking well and reduce the number of times you lift the lid.
If you avoid all these mistakes your experience with your charcoal grill will be great.
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