I was gifted a small BBQ and I want to use it today. I have set it up on a stack of eight double bricks (the sort with holes in the middle) and made sure it isn’t under any part of the awning. And a hose very nearby.
I will buy some charcoal and lighter fluid today. Now, I hope to BBQ a steak or a chicken breast and an ear of corn.
I have watched my husband enough times to know some basics, but I’m not sure how many pieces of charcoal to use and how to know when it’s ready to use. Also, there is no lid, so how might that affect things?
I appreciate your input.
Note: Discourse thought this topic was similar to one about whether or not you’ve ever been hit on by your high school teacher. I sort of was, but not at a bbq.
If you are just doing a couple of steaks, you will just need a single layer under one part of the grill and a thicker/hotter layer on another side . Pull out steaks an hour before putting on the grill so they can come to room temp. Light your charcoal - I prefer a chimney starter instead of using lighter fluid but basically, you want all the coals to “catch”, you’ll see little corners of ash on each corner. Once they are started, spread them out and I usually let grill heat up for about 10 min. You can do the hand test- on your hotter part you should be able to hold hand over for 1 sec , on the single layer 2 (maybe, its been a while since I needed to do that) . On the hot side, sear your steaks 2 min , move to a right angle and another 2 min then do the same on the other side before moving to the cooler side of the grill. Then a lot depends on the thickness of the steak, at this point I HIGHLY recommend a meat thermometer. Cook to your desired temp and let it rest.
For chicken- use boneless chicken thighs - more flavorful and you can abuse them a little while you are figuring out the grill and they’ll still come out fabulous.
For corn, pull back the husks (do not remove!) and scrub all the silk off the ear. Then rewrap the husk around the ear and let it soak in water until you are ready to grill. Drain and place on the side of the grill while you tend to the steak, turning regularly. The husk will char, but the corn will steam cook. When the steak is ready, pull back the husk and get some char on the corn directly. You do this while the steak is resting. By the time the corn is done, the steak has rested and is ready to devour.
I’ll second the meat thermometer suggestion. It takes the guess work out of doneness.
Recommend a digital one that works with batteries. You can also use it to check the temperature of what you cook in the oven with it (don’t leave it in the oven).
Yeah, over the years, I discovered that was my favorite way to do corn. Some people do directly on the grill, no husk (which is the way I used to do it – and it can work out fine, but can dry out the corn if you’re not careful), and some do the whole cook in-husk (which gives you perfectly fine steamed corn, but if I’m grilling it, I want char and some of that flavor). Doing the initial cook in the husk and final char over a hot grill gives you the best of both worlds. Plus it does seem to impart some of the herbal character of the corn husk itself. And it’s less finicky than grilling without the husk to start with.
Oh, and if you don’t want to shell out the $100 for the pen (which I have), get the lollipop version. I have one pen and two lollipops here, and I don’t find much of a quality difference between the two and actually use the lollipop a bit more. The pen is a faster and slightly more accurate (according to the specs) and precise (it goes down to the tenth of a degree instead of a whole degree like the lollipop.) But it doesn’t really matter to me. Both work extremely well. And the pop is $35.
Don’t be afraid of heat. I’ve seen people get inferior results because they use too little charcoal, or they have the grill set too high. Your steaks will be better if the temperature is blistering.
Many sauces have sugar in them. Sugar burns. If you use one of these sauces, either apply it to the meat after cooking, or don’t put the meat directly over the coals. Otherwise your food will be covered with carbon.
Some things should not be cooked with direct heat. Generally speaking, big cuts like pork shoulder, whole turkey (or turkey breast), and things that require long cooking to get tender (like brisket) should be done with indirect heat. Bank the coals to one side of the grill and put the meat on the other side. If you have a really thick steak, you can sear it over the coals and finish it with indirect heat. Hot dogs are better with indirect heat (they blister and burn easily).
One common mistake is to move the meat around too much. Don’t keep flipping your steak or burgers if you want good browning. Try to flip only once.
If you like your steaks rare (I do) it is easier to sous vide the meat at 120 F for an hour or two, then Pat dry and put on the grill for a very quick sear (2 minutes a side).
I’m not picking on you, as all the advice in this thread has been solid IMHO, but the OP will discover that anything about BBQ and grilling will be full of different opinions, and much common wisdom will turn out to be more superstition than truth.
I’ve found the same about poking steaks with a fork. I use tongs because, well, they are made much better for fliipping a steak. But I’ve never noticed a properly cooked steak be noticeably less juicy because it was poked with a fork a couple of times. The thing’s not a balloon that pops and all the moisture escapes or something, after all.
When you are grilling meat, there are two aspects to getting a good result. One is high heat to cause the browning on the outside. This makes the meat tasty. Two is low heat to allow the meat to cook without drying out. As you can imagine, these aspects conflict with each other. So what is typically done is to put the meat over very high heat at first to get that outer char and then move it to low heat to let it cook throughout. With your grill, this can be done by moving the coals to one side so that there is a hot side and a not-so-hot side. Start on the hot side and then move to the cooler side. Beef will be easier to cook than chicken. Chicken tends to dry out on the grill in most cases. Using the dark meat of the chicken will often work better on a grill since it has more moisture.
Veggies are pretty easy on the grill since they have tons of moisture. You can put them directly over hot coals for as long as you like and they just get more roasted and delicious.
It would be better if your grill had a lid so that the top side stays warm. I find it a little bit trickier to get a good result without a top, unless it’s something simple like burgers or hot dogs. For steaks and chicken, I like the consistency of having the lid.
As you can see from all these comments, there’s a bit of an art to grilling. I would recommend getting a book like this one that covers a wide-range of grilling options. It will have more detailed instructions and pictures that will convey the steps better than can be explained here:
And since this is your first time grilling, I would recommend doing something really simple like burgers. It will take a few times grilling to get the feel of your setup. Burgers will cook up no problem on a grill like yours. Once you feel accomplished with burgers, then try other stuff like steaks, which can be a bit trickier to get right.
For burgers, you can put them straight on the heat. You can see when to flip them when the top side gets a grey/brown shade rather than red. Flip them and keep an eye on the juices coming out of the top. At first they may be pinkish, but after a while they will be clear. The clear juices are typically a sign that the burgers are cooked properly. Take one off and cut it in half to see that it’s cooked throughout.
Small like a Smokey Joe? We had a square/flat sort and it was a challenge to get the coals hot, maintain the heat long enough to grill everything. The airflow underneath left something to be desired.
+1: use a coffee can or chimney starter. I think the weber is under $20. You’ll be surprised how fast the coals get going and you can skip the starter fluid flavor.
+1: get a thermometer you can stick in the meat. Mine from amazon was about $15.
One trick a friend uses, but of course be judicious: a leaf blower can feed more air to the coals if you’re trying to get them going.
