If you’ve never used a charcoal grill before it can seam a little intimidating at first. But it’s no harder then using any other style of grill. Charcoal grills do require a different skill set then other types of grills.
Your going to need to know how to light Charcoal and when to tell if it’s ready to add the food. Your also going to need to set up at least two zones for cooking. Last your going to need to know how to adjust the vents on the grill to control the temperature.
That might sound like a lot but it’s really not that hard to do. It might take a little practice to get use to controlling the temperature with the vents. But after a few cookouts using your charcoal grill it will be second nature to you.
Lighting the Charcoal
The first thing your going to need to do is remove the cooking grates so that you can get to the charcoal greats. To remove the cooking grates you should only need to lift up un them. Some grills come with a tool that goes between the grate and hooks them so you can lift them out.
After you have the cooking grates out of your way you can add some charcoal on top of the charcoal grates. Some people will tell you that you need to stack it in a pyramid but it isn’t necessary. I always just dump about one Chimney Starter worth of charcoal onto the grates.
Then fill the chimney starter back with charcoal that your going to light. Now using a Paraffin Cube or some news paper start a fire under the chimney starter. I like to put a cooking grate back in and set the chimney starter on top of it wile I’m lighting it.
Let the charcoal in the starter burn for 10 to 15 minutes or until it stops smoking. Now add the lit charcoal on top of the unlit charcoal. Make sure to mix the charcoal up a little bit. I like to use a metal spatula for mixing it up.
Be sure to wear a glove and keep your arm to the side when your dumping the chimney starter. As your tipping it flames may start to come out of the bottom. If you don’t have a chimney starter you can find other way’s to light charcoal by Clicking Here.
Set up Cooking Zones
After you’ve add and mixed the charcoal now is a good time to make your cooking zones. Your going to want at least two cooking zones one for direct heat and the other for indirect heat.
I like to push the charcoal in a line in the back of the grill. That will be the direct heat zone. Then the front, where there is no charcoal is the indirect heat zone. I like doing it this way so that I don’t have to reach over the direct heat at any point wile I’m cooking.
You can just as easily set the charcoal on one side of the grill and leave the other side open. It’s up to you how to set up your cooking zones. There’s a few different ways to make cooking zones in a charcoal grill you can learn more about it by Clicking Here.
After you have your zones setup it’s time to reinstall the cooking grates. Once you have the cooking grates back in close the lid and give the charcoal another 10 to 15 minutes to start lighting the unlit charcoal.
Make sure you have both the inlet and the exhaust vents all the way open or else you might put the charcoal out instead of lighting the rest of it. There should be a layer of white ash on the charcoal, and no or very light smoke coming out of the exhaust vent before you add any food to the grill.
Set the Temperature
The only thing left to do is to get the grill set to the temperature you want it at. To do this your going to use the Inlet vent, the vent on the bottom of the grill, and the exhaust vents on top of the grill.
I like to start by moving them to there half way point and watching to see what way the temperature starts to move. If the temperature starts to go down below were you want it then open the bottom vent to about 3/4 of the way open.
This will let more air in and in return make the charcoal burn faster and hotter. I do most of my temperature control using the bottom vent. The top vent is more for letting CO2 out of the grill and not so much for letting air in.
Remember heat rises so if you leave your exhaust vet on top of the grill all the way open then your letting a lot of heat out of the grill. I can say that I’ve had the top vent on my grill set about a 1/4 of the way open sins I’ve owned it.
I hardly ever move it. If you want to learn more about how to use the vents on your charcoal grill. A long with a few other ways to help with heat control then you can do so by Clicking Here.
Once you have the grill at the temperature your looking for your all set to start cooking on the grill. Remember that when you add the cold food to the grill the temperature will drop for a little bit.
So you might want to set it a little above what you want it at, and then adjust the vents after you have all the food on the grill. Also if you brush a little cooking oil on the grates before you add the food it will help keep food from sticking to the grates.
How to Put Out a Charcoal Grill
Now that you know how to light a charcoal grill and you’ve done all the grilling your going to do today it’s time to learn how to put the charcoal out. I try to do this right after I take the food off the grill. This way hopefully it’s out when I’m done eating and i can put the grill away.
The first thing I do is to look and see how much charcoal is left in the grill. If there’s not much then I’ll open the vents all the way and let it burn itself out. If there’s a lot left then your going to want to put it out so that you can use it next time your grilling.
Putting charcoal out is going to depend on how well your grill seals up. If you have a good grill and by that I mean it’s pretty airtight. Then you should be able to just close all the vents and it will choke the fire out.
If your grill has to many air leaks then closing the vents wont put the charcoal out. It will lower the amount of air it’s getting and cool it down so I still would close the vents after you remove all the food.
Then when you go to put the grill away or to put the cover back on it bring a pitcher of water with you. Poor the water on to the charcoals to put them the rest of the way out.
I don’t like doing this because your intentionally putting water in your grill and the ash is going to hold in the moisture. This will cause your grill to start rusting from the inside and shorten it’s life span. Also charcoal that has gotten wet wont burn as hot and will make more smoke.
Clean The Grill
Now that you’ve cooked all the food and probably ate more then you should have, and the charcoal is out. It’s a good idea to clean the grill before you put it a way.
Start by cleaning off the cooking grates. There’s a few different types of tools for doing this but I still like to use a wire brush. It’s best to do this while the grill is still a little warm. The grease and other burned on food will come off easier.
After you have the cooking greats all cleaned then you should empty the ash pan in the grill. If there’s charcoal your trying to save then I would just wait until the next time to empty the ash pan.
Also you need to make sure the ashes are cooled all the way off if your going to put them in a plastic garbage can. If there’s any heat still in them it will melt the can. I have a metal can I dump my ashes into and then I let them set for a day or two before I throw them away.
After the ash pan is empty just put the grill back together and your all ready for the next time you want to grill. If you want to do a deep clean on your grill then you should read my Step By Step Guide to cleaning your grill.
My Top Picks for Charcoal Grills
Char-Griller Super Pro
Made of heavy-duty steel, this grill will last for years to come with the proper care. With 850 square inches of grilling capacity, the Super Pro can hold up to 34 burgers at one time. This grill is also side fire box compatible, you can even turn the Super Pro into a offset smoker buy adding Char-Griller side fire box to it.
Check it out on Amazon by Clicking Here!
Weber Original Kettle
It’s hard to talk about grilling without talking about Weber grilles. The Weber Original Kettle grill is made with steel that has been coated in porcelain-enamel. With proper care this grill will last for years. It comes in different sizes so you can choose the size that’s going to best suit your needs.
Check it out on Amazon by Clicking Here!
Char-Griller Akorn
The Char-Griller AKORN Kamado Charcoal Grill, has everything you want from a kamado grill at a great price. Experience fuel efficiency, high temperature cooking as well as superior low and slow capability, and a 27 burger capacity. Lightweight, easy to maneuver but heavy-duty and built to last, the AKORN Kamado is the versatile grill you have been looking for.
Check it out on Amazon by Clicking Here!
Conclusion
There you have it using charcoal isn’t all that hard. It does take a little more time to get the grill heated up. But it’s worth it there’s nothing like the taste of food that been cooked over charcoal. As far as temperature control goes after a few uses you’ll know right where to set the vents to get the temperature you want.
Keeping your grill nice and clean and putting it away or keeping covered it when your not using it will insure that it last you for years. Now your all set to start grilling.
As Always, Happy Grilling!