Cooking with Charcoal?

"Check Out These Great Tips!"

Cooking with charcoal

Get the most out of cooking with charcoal. Nothing beats the taste and joy from charcoal grill cooking.

No matter what time of the year it is, lets bring out the grill and get grilling!

On this page we've highlighted:

• Charcoal Grilling Guidelines (useful tips)

• Advantages of Charcoal (why we love it so much!)

• Types of Charcoal (different charcoal you can buy)

Who needs a gas grill when you got charcoal!!! Come on, you know i'm right!

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"Charcoal Guidelines"

• Check your surroundings, grill on a heat proof surface. Grill away from over hanging brushes and trees. Be out of the way of children playing. Never grill indoors or even in your garage. (incase you don't have household insurance)

• Clean your grill!! You don't want any left over ash and food from your previous BBQ. (you don't want to taste last weeks chicken)

• While cleaning inspect the BBQ, make sure it is safe to grill on. No cracks or rust. (it mustn't fall apart in the middle of a BBQ)

• Follow manufacturers instructions on how to use the grill and how to light it up. Check out Lighting a Charcoal Grill for a quick and easy way to get a fire going!

• The most easiest and quickest way to light a grill use a Charcoal Chimney Starter. (get yours now)

• Look out when handling hot coals, never maneuver them with bare hands. Watch out for charcoal sparking, especially when using cheaper brands of charcoal. (please no burning your hands)

• Charcoal has a tendency to heat up unevenly. Always stoke the coals and move them around to make sure they all light up. Visit Charcoal Grill Tips for more great tips!

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"Charcoal Grill Cooking"

Charcoal Grill Cooking

The advantages of charcoal grilling, is firstly it is much tastier then gas grilling.

Charcoal gives off a delicious smoky taste which gas grilling cannot give as gas burns cleanly.

The dry hot heat penetrates meat quickly and caramelizes the exterior of the meat. Charcoal barbecues are less expensive then the gas grills, and portable because they generally smaller.

Carrying a bag of charcoal around with you is no hassle at all, it fits easily in your car or boat. Charcoal is readily available at most convenient stores, they don't all fill up your gas tanks with propane.

It boils down to either taste or convenience in the end. Personally I will always prefer a charcoal barbeque, just for the pure enjoyment of sitting round the grill getting the fire started.

That enjoyment has become a part of our Sunday barbecue tradition, cooking with charcoal just seems to full fill the whole barbecue experience.

If you are looking to purchase a charcoal grill? - Check out our Best Charcoal Grills. (yay, free recipes!)

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"Advantages of Charcoal"

• Flavour - Most cooks will agree charcoal gives of an unbeatable taste.

• Charcoal grills are far more economical than gas.

• Charcoal is a readily available fuel source.

• Burns hotter than gas.

Disadvantages of Charcoal

• Takes a long time to heat up. (so...have a drink)

• Tends to heat up unevenly, prone to hot and cooler spots. (makes grilling more fun)

• Can be highly unpredictable with your grilling times. Due to unpredictable heat. (makes for unpredictable taste)

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"Types of Charcoal"

Types of Charcoal

There are three basic types of charcoal which we normally cook with. Depending on the food you grilling and what taste you after will depend on the charcoal you use.

• Compositions Briquettes: Made from scraps of wood, which are held together by parafin. Normally the cheapest to buy. This type of charcoal is more prone to cold and hot spots.

• Natural Briquettes: Made from charwood and held together by starches. This tye of charcoal gives off a less smoky taste to the others.

• Charwood: Made from burnt lumps of wood. Probably the best charcoal to buy as it burns clean and gives off a great smoky taste.

Great...are you ready to light up your grill? You better be!!!