Tell me about charcoal grills

[Talley56]

Bought my first charcoal grill earlier this summer.  It was a CharGriller on sale around Father’s Day.  Since then I have been learning about charcoal grilling.  I had my first cookout a few weeks ago with some friends over and it went well.  Did some burgers, hotdogs, and a few grilled chickens for one guy who can’t do red meat.  I would recommend throwing some wood chips in along with the charcoal.  You can get them at places like Home Depot.  They add a little extra flavor.  Also, don’t be fooled by “match light” charcoal.  It claims you don’t need to add lighter fluid but that hasn’t been the case for me at least.

[plenzmd1]

42 minutes ago, Talley56 said:

Bought my first charcoal grill earlier this summer.  It was a CharGriller on sale around Father’s Day.  Since then I have been learning about charcoal grilling.  I had my first cookout a few weeks ago with some friends over and it went well.  Did some burgers, hotdogs, and a few grilled chickens for one guy who can’t do red meat.  I would recommend throwing some wood chips in along with the charcoal.  You can get them at places like Home Depot.  They add a little extra flavor.  Also, don’t be fooled by “match light” charcoal.  It claims you don’t need to add lighter fluid but that hasn’t been the case for me at least.

Talley , you will taste a noticable difference if you use real hardwood lump charcoal instead of briquettes, I use Cowboy

 

https://tinyurl.com/yxpacetb

 

and then light with this

 

https://tinyurl.com/y27mpl6z

 

all you do is shove some paper in the bottom of that thing filled with with the lump and it 10 minutes you be good!

 

 

no lighter fluid, no binders etc..only natural wood , you will notice the difference

[SoTier]

On 8/12/2019 at 7:44 PM, Gray Beard said:

A lot of people avoid using lighter fluid.  They say it gives the food a chemical taste.  The TV cooking shows almost always use a chimney contraption to light the charcoal with some crumpled paper.  I’ve used a chimney for lighting charcoal, and it works but it takes longer than lighter fluid. 

 

Lighter fluid only "gives the food a chemical taste" when people don't wait until it's burned off -- and the charcoal or briquets are ready for grilling by having turned gray.  Ya gotta have some patience with charcoal, but it's well worth it for taste.  I have used Webers for years.  I currently have 2: the bigger newer one at home and the older one at the camp.

[stony]

Just now, SoTier said:

 

Lighter fluid only "gives the food a chemical taste" when people don't wait until it's burned off -- and the charcoal or briquets are ready for grilling by having turned gray.  Ya gotta have some patience with charcoal, but it's well worth it for taste.  I have used Webers for years.  I currently have 2: the bigger newer one at home and the older one at the camp.

100%.  I've never had an issue with lighter fluid imparting a bad taste.   It's slightly quicker than a chimney and easier (I'm lazy).  

[Talley56]

2 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Talley , you will taste a noticable difference if you use real hardwood lump charcoal instead of briquettes, I use Cowboy

 

https://tinyurl.com/yxpacetb

 

and then light with this

 

https://tinyurl.com/y27mpl6z

 

all you do is shove some paper in the bottom of that thing filled with with the lump and it 10 minutes you be good!

 

 

no lighter fluid, no binders etc..only natural wood , you will notice the difference

Good to know, thanks.  I saw some YouTube videos where they used the chimney and newspaper but haven’t tried it yet.  I may have to

give it a shot.

[plenzmd1]

5 minutes ago, Talley56 said:

Good to know, thanks.  I saw some YouTube videos where they used the chimney and newspaper but haven’t tried it yet.  I may have to

give it a shot.

It really is so much easier than lighter fluid...and you will notice the taste difference!

[CookieG]

52 minutes ago, Talley56 said:

Good to know, thanks.  I saw some YouTube videos where they used the chimney and newspaper but haven’t tried it yet.  I may have to

give it a shot.

If you're buying a chimney (and yes, it is the only way to go)..buy the Weber one and not the cheap knock offs. I bought one once for about $5.00 but sometimes the fire would go out before the coals were lit. They fall apart quicker also.

 

As to wood chips, soak them for a half hour before, then make sure to shake off the  excess water.  It adds smoke and keeps the chips smoldering longer.

 

For slow and low cooking, I don't know how the Minion Method works for your type of grill, but it works great on a Weber Kettle grill. (Use wood chunks, not chips with this method and intersperse them in your pile of coals.

 

https://virtualweberbullet.com/fireup2.html

 

If I do ribs, I can keep the temp at 225 -250 for at least 6 hours without lifting the lid.

 

Experiment with it, have fun. Trust me, you can do a lot more than burgers and hot dogs with it.

 

 

[sherpa]

Risking a minor diversion....

Does anybody here make their own charcoal?

I purchased the necessary drums to do it a couple years ago, and I have an immense supply of oak and hickory.

Add to that the cost of lump, which we use a lot of, and I was going to do it.

 

Still haven't.

 

By the way, cooked a seven pound hen yesterday.

Dry brined for two days, then 225 until it was 135 internal, then 300 at the grill until it was 165 internal.

Breast side down for the first hour and a half, then breast side up to finish.

Aluminum foil tent for 25 mins.

It was the best. 

Edited September 3, 2019 by sherpa

[Westside]

Grills???

Pffffftttttt

Do it like a real man would! Go into the woods, cut a tree down, spark rocks together and then, you got yourselfa fire!!!!

[KD in CA]

13 hours ago, plenzmd1 said:

Talley , you will taste a noticable difference if you use real hardwood lump charcoal instead of briquettes, I use Cowboy

 

 

Yup

[plenzmd1]

9 hours ago, sherpa said:

Risking a minor diversion....

Does anybody here make their own charcoal?

I purchased the necessary drums to do it a couple years ago, and I have an immense supply of oak and hickory.

Add to that the cost of lump, which we use a lot of, and I was going to do it.

 

Still haven't.

 

By the way, cooked a seven pound hen yesterday.

Dry brined for two days, then 225 until it was 135 internal, then 300 at the grill until it was 165 internal.

Breast side down for the first hour and a half, then breast side up to finish.

Aluminum foil tent for 25 mins.

It was the best. 

never even thought about making my own lump( that sounds dirty BTW) but god bless if ya do!

[CLTbills]

On 8/12/2019 at 7:15 PM, Augie said:

My son is looking into a nice charcoal grill. As you may already know, I’m far too lazy and convenience oriented for such things. If I had room for both, I would have both, but I don’t. I know there was already a thread on this a while back, but I went back 20+ pages and searched “grill” and came up empty (but got some laughs looking at the old threads!). 

 

Any advice on what works best for you? Pros and cons? Anything to avoid? Best and worst brands? Best value? I know a lot of you know this stuff inside out. I know @plenzmd1, @CountryCletus, @Gugny and others are pros in this regard. Your suggestions are appreciated. Thanks! 

 

 

.

Honestly, I think my favorite thing that I’ve ever purchased is my Big Green Egg. A bit pricey, but absolutely worth every penny. Can do anything with it. Grill, smoke, bake; you can make pizza on it, etc. I haven’t touched my propane grill since... and I have a really expensive Coyote grill. But it doesn’t even begin to compare! Best thousand bucks I EVER spent. I’ll be using the living hell out of it all football season. I’ll get up early and get a small pork butt or some ribs smoking and hopefully have it ready by 1:00... maybe even throw some wings on. You cannot screw up something with it. I’ve noticed things like chicken especially stay way juicier when grilling them on the egg, plus it has such awesome flavor.

 

And as as someone else mentioned... use hardwood lump charcoal, not the briquettes that taste like damn lighter fluid. 

 

 

22 hours ago, Talley56 said:

Good to know, thanks.  I saw some YouTube videos where they used the chimney and newspaper but haven’t tried it yet.  I may have to

give it a shot.

Honestly, just buy a looftlighter or something similar. There are other brands that make the same thing.. Big Green Egg has one called Eggniter but it’s the same thing... but it literally takes a minute or less to light the lump charcoal. For 60-70 bucks, it’s definitely worth the convenience.

[Gugny]

I don't get all the hate I'm seeing for Kingsford charcoal.  I swear by the stuff.  I've never tasted anything but great flavor.  Lights fast (chimney) and it holds heat forever.

[plenzmd1]

23 minutes ago, Gugny said:

I don't get all the hate I'm seeing for Kingsford charcoal.  I swear by the stuff.  I've never tasted anything but great flavor.  Lights fast (chimney) and it holds heat forever.

its Ranch..nuff said