Nothing beats the flavor and fun of a meal cooked on an outdoor grill. If you’ve purchased a charcoal grill, you’re ready to get it set up and start cooking. It takes just simple series of steps to ensure that you’re on your way to a great grilling experience.
Get Ready
Make sure that you have a level surface on which to put your grill. Your grill should be away from overhangs, brush, trees, buildings, or anything else that might catch on fire. Be sure that your grill is outside and out of the wind.
Give your grill an inspection to be sure all the parts are stable and that the ash kettle is firmly attached. Before using the grill, coat the grilling surface with a non-stick spray. Follow the manufacturer’s directions for any curing that may need to be performed.
Put the charcoal briquettes in a pyramid in the middle of the grill. A good rule of thumb is about 30 briquettes for every pound of meat to be cooked. If you are using starter fluid, use about a half cup and allow it to soak into the briquettes for a few minutes. If you prefer not to use fluid, use pre-treated charcoal or put some crumpled newspaper beneath the pyramid. Before lighting, be sure the vents at the bottom are open. After the coals have burned about ten minutes, and the flame has died, rearrange the coals into a single layer in the grill. At this point, you can put the lid on the grill.
Get Cooking
After about 20 minutes, check to see if the coals are ready: if so, the majority will be covered in white ash. Test the grill to see how hot the coals are. Carefully hold your hand, palm down, over the grill at cooking height (where you will have the grilling surface) and count how long you can hold it there. The rule of thumb is that two seconds means a high heat level and 5 seconds means a low heat level.
Be sure that all of the meat or vegetables that you intend to cook are above coals. Do not rely on a visual inspection of meat to determine whether it is thoroughly cooked. A meat thermometer is a must for avoiding food-borne bacteria. Be careful to keep raw meats from touching any vegetables you might be grilling, and do not char the meat or you may cause unhealthy chemicals to form in the meat.
Once you have determined that the food is thoroughly cooked, remove it from the grill and place the lid back on the grill. The charcoal should burn out on its own, but do not attempt to move or empty the grill until you are certain that all fire is out.