Charcoal Grill

Learning Your Way Around a Charcoal Grill

There is nothing quite like a barbeque with chicken, burgers, ribs or steaks sizzling away on a cool summers evening with your favorite drink in hand. The aroma just keeps drifting on the breeze till you can hardly wait for the taste of true barbeque. You know it is bound to be delicious when the master griller is on duty cooking everything to perfection. The meal is served with your choice of delicious meats, plenty of homemade side dishes and good friends to talk with while enjoying a great meal.

That is what grilling is all about; good friends and mouth watering food from the grill. You have to admire the grill master because he went through the learning process just like you will. The art of grilling on a charcoal grill takes a bit of time; obviously success is near at hand with a bit of practice. Whether you have achieved perfection on Weber charcoal grills or a Cajun charcoal grill; what counts is that you have earned the master griller title (eventually).

Let’s look at a few key pointers for learning your way around a charcoal grill. Hopefully this will remove a few doubts and concerns that you may have had about achieving a great status as a griller.

Choosing a Grill

When looking at charcoal grills give some thought to any features that would come in handy; you might as well spend an extra couple of dollars to get the model you really want. Consider what size is needed whether you are cooking for the family or you frequently serve several guests.

A portable charcoal grill with wheels should be an absolute must. You never know when you are going to need to move a hot grill even just a few feet, having attached wheels could really be a life saver. Search until you can find one with an igniter; saves a lot of hassle having to buy lighter fluid to start the fire. Models that include lids with hinges are awful handy for controlling flames and providing the secret smoky taste!

Well designed portable charcoal grills should provide convenient access to an ash pan; helps save on a messy cleanup. A nice option includes a grate on the top and bottom for good air circulation. Vents from left to right or top to bottom can be used to control the smoke in and around food.

The depth of a portable charcoal grill should be a minimum of 10 inches or more for controlling flames and the right amount of space for the charcoal. Shape can be important according to your preferences. For the best even heating look for a circular design or oblong designs provide the ability to move the charcoal a greater distance from the food, controlling flare ups.

Tips for Lighting

Always clean out old charcoal and ash from a previous fire in portable charcoal grills so there is nothing blocking the ventilation areas. Not inserting the grill until it is time to cook has several benefits. Meat will not stick as much to a cool surface and it is not tainted from the charcoal starter. Leaving the vents wide open assures plenty of oxygen to get the fire going.

Most old timers do not believe the extra expense for fancy brand name charcoal makes any difference in starting a fire; use your own judgment or preference. Dump in the charcoal briquettes till it covers the entire surface of where you want the fire to burn. The main trick here is to evenly disburse the briquettes and form a slightly raised cone shape in the center. If you are not satisfied with the way they are burning later you can move them around with a stick till the fire is burning properly.

Squirt the charcoal with lighter fluid only in the B.B.Q, wait at least 30 seconds before you use matches to light the fire. Light many places near the outside edges of the pile of briquettes. When you can feel the heat rising from the charcoal and there is a red glow and the charcoal is turning gray then you are ready to begin cooking. If it is not burning properly now is the time to rearrange the coals till you get it right.

Weber charcoal grills are well made and you might take a peak at a Cajun charcoal grill and see what they have to offer. Take your time and look at several charcoal grills before making a decision. Everybody has a break in period learning to create perfectly smoked or grilled masterpieces; with practice comes excellence!

I will provide you a few different options for preparing and cooking Pork Chops.

B.B.Q Pork Chop Recipe:

The first thing you always want to do when buying meat is to purchase the best cut possible. Spending less is not always the best bargain when trying to prepare a good meal. Meat can be very tricky when you’re not use to B.B.Q. I like to take out the pork chops and let them sit for 15 to 20 min in room tempter and season them with garlic salt and pepper on both sides. This allows the meat to come up to tempter but also allows for some marinating time as well. Once you’re ready to cook place them on the grill and allow 8 min a side. Once you have got a good seer on both sides, you want to just put a light rub of B.B.Q sauce on and let it cook for a couple min on each side, this will give you the taste of B.B.Q, and plus really adds a kick to your meat.

Oven Cook Pork Chop Recipe:

I start the same process for the oven just like I would for the B.B.Q, you always want to let meat sit out for just a while to come to room tempter, you will always find it to be more moist and plus you get a better taste out of it. When I cook my pork chops in the oven, I like to use the broiler because you get a good crisp on the other side, and still juice in the middle. I use the same seasoning, garlic salt and pepper on the outside, plus I like to just put a light spread of garlic butter on the top. You will find that it brown up really nice, and just has the most amazing taste. With pork you always have to be careful how you cook it, cause you don’t want to under cook it, but you don’t want to overcook it either cause it will dry it out. So put your rack in the middle of your oven, and set your broiler to high, and give each side about 5/8 min depending on how thick, and once you think they’re ready , take the time to cut one open and check to make sure.

Pork Chop Recipes Sides:

I like to make garlic red potatoes when I cook pork chops. There easy to prepare, just cut them up into quarts sizes, and place in a bowl. I use extra virgin olive oil and season them whit bell pepper flakes, garlic, salt, pepper, and Lawry’s season salt, and mix it up all together. Place the potatoes in a glass dish with some cut up onions and bake on 400 degree for one hour. You will need to go in and stir them up once in a while, but you will not be disappointed. I also end it with a nice vegetable, like green beans and A salad.