Help a charcoal BBQ reerun...
 

OK... so I now have three grills on my back porch. My smoker, obviously for smoking. My propane grill for when I want a grilled steak in 15 minutes. And now, my new charcoal grill for when I really want to grill.

Now... I haven't grilled on charcoal in YEARS, and I wasn't very good at it then, IIRC. So... any of you charcoal grillmasters out there want to offer some tips? I did buy a chimney starter, so getting the coals going isn't a big deal -- I don't like lighter-fluid, or lighter-fluid treated charcoal.

Also, any place around the I can get lump charcoal?

Walmart, Ace hardware, tons of places carry lump.

She's lump! She's lump! She's in your head!

Those guys never got the recognition they deserved.

Three grills, alright...it's not a party until you've got all 3 fired at once. Ive done that with my 2 (gas, smoker)...

Price Chopper also carries lump, which is the way to go when grilling.

Something I've been using here of late to start my charcoal is the Strike-A-Fire from diamond. It's like an over grown match.

Damn you! :cuss:

Must get song out of head....:banghead:

Lump lingered last in line for brains
And the one she got was sort of rotten and insane

Good start with the Chimney. Lighter fluid sux.
Lump hardwood charcoal is another "must have." The Kingsford briquettes are the devil.
If you're not going to be smoking anything on this grill, I'd say a thermometer isn't that imperative. Just make sure your air vent(s) are at the right "openage" to properly adjust the heat so things don't burn on the outside and are raw on the inside. Keep the grill grates as clean as you can. Using a grill brush after every use while the grate is still hot does the trick. Rub a little cooking oil on them when they're cold before you stoke up the fire so your food won't stick as much.
When doing a good cut of steak, please, please, please don't mess with it too much. Just a little extra virgin olive oil, kosher salt, and fresh cracked pepper. Let it sit for 30 minutes+ and then throw it on the grill. Nothin' better than that.
Keep the lid closed as much as possible to prohibit flame-ups. The less oxygen in the chamber will prohibit this and still keep the fire nice and hot.

That's all I got right now. If I remember anything else, I'll post.

Happy Grilling,

I can get lump from local Kroger. It's everywhere.

I, too, once got frustrated with charcoal grilling and did the gas thing for several years. But I never really enjoyed the gas, and I gave charcoal one last try a couple of years ago. Buying a good stainless steel grill helped, but I find the chimney to be the biggest difference. Being able to get charcoal started quickly (its' ready to go in 20 minutes) and easily replenish the supply for long grills made it a much more enjoyable experience.

I'm never going back to gas. Never.

Also, I'd recommend Stephen Raichlen's books on grilling. Not only do they have good recipes, they have some very good grilling techniques. I like this one:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Temperature control is my biggest problem while charcoal grilling. I never know what to do with the vents to increase/decrease the heat.

So what valid reason do you have for not entering the BBQ contest at Nzoner's?

open vents = increase oxygen which feeds fire increasing heat
close vents = decrease oxygen which starves fire decreasing heat

Get you a charcoal lighter box. Looks like a tall tin can with open ends. It has a rack in the middle to hold the charcoal. You stuff newspaper in the bottom and the flame burns upward to get the coals ready. Then dump into your grill. We use it at the games so we don't have to bring lighter fluid-works great and only takes about ten minutes and the coals are ready.

Thanks for the other tips, but I got the cooking covered... I'm a pretty damn good cook if I do say so myself. Salt prpper, oil and a little garlic is my usual good steak fixin's. Not like the damn father-in-law who insists on marinating EVERYTHING.

Bastard once marinated my filet mignon. :banghead: I damn near kicked his ass.

That was, however, the LAST time he ever marinated anything. I had brought over these steaks, bacon wrapped filet mignons -- not the fake kind either. Anyway, there was pie but they had no whipped cream so I took 10 minutes to drive to the store and back. When I got back, all of the filets were sitting in red wine, worchester sauce, etc. I flipped out! Told him never to do that again -- a marinade is okay for a cheap cut of meat, but when I bring good steaks I want MEAT flavored meat.

In any case... he doesn't even marinate my cheap steaks anymore. It's better that way, really.

If you question this statement, put a Hefty bag over your head and pull on the strings tightly for about 4 minutes.