Cooking on Charcoal Barbecue Grills – Finding the Essentials

If you do a lot of camping and go on picnics very often, then this article will definitely interest you as it talks about the most exciting part of camping. Grilled fish, steaks, and loads of veggies! How does this menu for your camp sound? Forget the boring canned food and dried instant eats for your picnic and carry portable stoves, propane tanks, grills, and fryers to treat your taste buds with mouth-watering BBQs.

The modern market offers several modifications from multi-functional gas grills, worry-free pallet grills to electric models suitable even for indoor cooking. However, from our point of view, cooking on classic charcoal barbecue grills can open up new tastes for the adventurous barbecuer. The most effective methods of cooking on charcoal have for some time been a contentious topic among enthusiasts. That is where the fun lies in charcoal cooking; however, discovering your style and your own unique flavor.

Finding your own preferred technique when you cook on charcoal barbecues is all a matter of choice. The burn time, the shape of the charcoal briquette and the perceived quality of the briquette producer are parts of finding the ideal cooking methods. Lots of charcoal barbecue cooks like the subtle smoky aromas of all-natural charcoal. Users of the all-natural charcoal state that the use of binders and fillers during the manufacture of the briquettes alters the final taste of the food.

Charcoal BBQ Grill Characteristics

In its simplest form, a charcoal grill is simply a brazier, possibly on supporting legs, with a wire grill for supporting the food above the heat. There is no venting system in these very simple affairs, and heat is adjusted simply by moving the wire frame even further away from the heat.

Grills that are more complicated utilize vents to allow or prevent air from moving into the grill and altering the temperature. A conventional example of this is the well-known Weber grill.

Why Is a Charcoal BBQ Grill?

A few advantages to charcoal barbecues are the fact that they are less expensive to buy initially. Besides, you won’t find it difficult or confusing in usage even if you had no cooking/barbecuing experience before.

Chefs believe charcoal to be the best in terms of taste and smell. The vaporized juices dropping down into the grill simply act to improve the taste. Many people really feel that a gas barbecue doesn’t have the same feel to it. They take pleasure in the preparation process of lighting charcoal and then cooking with it.

How to Choose the Best?

Charcoal barbecue grills are the best companions for tailgating and outdoor camping. There are various portable models readily available, and the choice is determined by your requirements only. Consider how many individuals you’re likely to cook for before you make a decision. A square or rectangular cooking surface is usually thought to be a lot more efficient because you typically have many more cooking areas for a given size.

Models with fold-up legs are generally handy when you’re going someplace where there aren’t any tables to set your grill on. The durability of materials should be an additional issue in your decision. Stainless steel, even though costly, is really robust and easy to look after because it will not rust. A baked-on enamel finish will also improve the life span of your grill. Cast iron can also be durable; however, it will demand care to prevent rusting.

Basics about Cooking Outdoors

Now when you decide on the preferable grill model, it’s time to conduct the trial. Let’s set for a picnic! But leaving your homes shouldn’t stop you from enjoying tasty recipes. Make your picnics interesting and memorable by cooking outdoors.

When you plan your trip, start packing in advance not to miss out on anything. Pack everything that you would need, from the grill to portable stoves, for safe and hassle-free cooking.
Get basic equipment like fuel, frying pans, saucepans, potholders, tongs, forks, cutting knives, long propane lighters, and BBQ utensils. The important point associated with carrying outdoor essentials is that you should know how to manage space when you carry them. Carrying too many things is just not possible while camping.

It is always good to have the emergency ration of fuel (charcoal in our case) in case your barbeque grill runs out of fuel while cooking. With charcoal, it’s enough to pack it thoroughly to avoid dirt and mess. But if you have a gas grill, you should be more careful. When you transport propane tanks, always place them upright on the floor of the rear end of your car. Before you start cooking, check for leaks in the propane tank by brushing with the soap-water solution. Set up the propane tank in a well-ventilated area.

We highly recommend complementing portable grills with stands. Thus, you’ll be able to set your grill at a comfortable height for cooking and be sure of safety and stability. Moreover, some stands provide additional storage/cooking space (side tables, bottom shelves, niches) that cannot be overestimated.

Everyone knows that meat and fish or vegetables need different cooking time. Also, it’s better to set meat closer to fire when tender fish and vegetables require less heat and a larger distance. That’s why many users get additional cooking grates. If your grill space allows, try to buy an extra grate for delicate food to set it. Thus, you’ll be able to cook several dishes simultaneously with different temperature rates.

After the usage, the grill has to be lit with the lid kept open. When you are done with cooking, close the lid and wait until it cools. Never cover the grill until it is completely cooled.

Conclusion

Cooking on charcoal barbecue grills is fun and interesting without much effort. Here we tried to share the basic information about the grill. Hope they will help you find your model.

However, the real key would always be an experiment. Feel free to try different brands of charcoal and cooking methods. This is the only secret for discovering a taste that’s uniquely your own.