Charcoal grills, school me. Please

[4651feeder]

Watched a Youtube grilling video last week and the guy said everybody that wants to be anybody or at least impress their neighbors is getting this style of igniter.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MRQWLMY?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Ask my offspring the grocer to bring a bag of Kingsford home today and the reply led me to believe it's right up there with toilet paper and hand soap in current popularity.

 

[Usmccookie]

Watched a Youtube grilling video last week and the guy said everybody that wants to be anybody or at least impress their neighbors is getting this style of igniter.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07MRQWLMY?tag=duckduckgo-d-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1

Ask my offspring the grocer to bring a bag of Kingsford home today and the reply led me to believe it's right up there with toilet paper and hand soap in current popularity.

Interesting...

I have some charcoal already. The wife surprised me with a couple bags and a huge thing of lighter fluid.. i think she wants a grill too. Lol

 

[rosejm]

From 30 years of charcoal/wood cooking (in all kinds of weather), the chimney starter & newspaper is the way to go.

Always works (no electric, no fluids), though burn rates/temps vary based on product.
Also allows you to make more to add when the original starts to fade, as needed.

Lots of options available, you can also make your own from empty #10 cans.
Almost all of them will need some tweaking (more/bigger holes in various places) to get the right airflow.
This biggest issue I've witnessed using them is when the fuel is packed in too tightly.

You'll also want a set of heavy leather gloves (welding can work, whatever you'd wear for a fireplace) and a pair of tongs/pliers/hooks for moving coals, grates, ash cans, etc...

Then you can start looking for cast iron stuff (watch out!): https://www.indianagunowners.com/fo...r-preparedness/384495-cast-iron-cookware.html



P.S. the biggest change from gas to charcoal -- airflow is now controlling your heat, so keep the lid CLOSED while you're cooking

 

[DoggyDaddy]

It's much better than tasting lighter fluid.

And if you really like the taste of lighter fluid, you can always squirt a little on your burgers, steaks, whatever after you pull them off the grill.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I have a fairly large "Master Forge" that I think came from Lowe's. It's a bit more money then a kettle grill, but not much more. You get a propane lighter (a little bottle of propane hooks to it and you can use the gas to light your charcoal) a second higher rack (great for your foil wrapped veggies or soaked corn in the husk), and has quite a bit more room on the main grill. You can put all the coal on one side if you don't need all the room and then have a "warming area" for things that finished first and need to stay warm while others cook or to melt cheese on your burgers, etc. It also has a shelf on each side. I've had it for probably 7-8 years and it's held up fine, but I do leave a cover on it when it's not in use.

 

[femurphy77]

And if you really like the taste of lighter fluid, you can always squirt a little on your burgers, steaks, whatever after you pull them off the grill.

One word: MARINADE!

 

[DoggyDaddy]

One word: MARINADE!

Yeah, but your food has a tendency to burst into flames when you put it on the grill after marinading it in lighter fluid.

 

[markholst]

Weber. Definitely get a Weber. Use a chimney. GFS has good lump charcoal for a decent price.

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[KellyinAvon]

Get a chimney! A Weber chimney lasts me 4 years (a clamp will be needed for the last 1.5 years, the top rivet goes after so many uses.)

 

[Rick Mason]

Something to keep in mind is how many people you're going to be feeding at one time. An overly large grill wastes expensive charcoal producing heat you don't need to cook a small amount of food, but a too small grill with a lot of people means some have to wait to get enough food cooked. You can use a small amount of charcoal in the larger grill, but it becomes much more inefficient doing that. Look at your primary use, and compromise one way or the other. With my wife and I being empty nesters, we just need a small hibachi for a quick charcoal grill of burgers, dogs, or even chicken parts.

And yes, +1 on the charcoal chimney. There are other ways to start charcoal, but that is the easiest I have found.

 

[Rick Mason]

I see you're in NWI. Was at Bailey's yesterday and saw they had a good variety of smoking/grilling wood available pretty cheap.

 

[edwea]

Just to reiterate an upthread comment...Spring for the cover. I never did and had to replace grills every few years due to rusting out. My wife insisted on the cover for the last one we bought and I'm glad she did. It still looks quite new after several years of regular use (2-3 times per week throughout the year). It will be money well spent. And the charcoal chimney is essential. For what it's worth, we got a CharBroiler from Lowes. It was about $150 iirc and has been the best grill we've had.

 

[Usmccookie]

I did it!
I went with the 22" Weber. Got the built in thermometer model. Went with the chimney, and that was the best tone i had lighting a grill. I eff web used the old charcoal that'd been sitting in there garage when i bought the house. The wife bought the match light stuff and it reeked of lighter fluid.

Our first meal was a couple of new york strips, oinion and bacon that were amazing.

I thinkntonight i will try my hand at some burgers. Or shrimp.. not sure yet..

 

[DoggyDaddy]

Congrats! Happy grilling!

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

Enjoy!

 

[GLOCKMAN23C]

A side note, if using lighter fluid, when done properly you shouldn't taste it.

 

[JettaKnight]

If you're really cheap, and want something that does last forever, dig a pit.

I feed kabobs to 50 people from this small pit. Slap on a grate, a cook about anything. Wrap up a tenderloin in salt and a towel and toss it directly on the coals.

https://www.instructables.com/id/Kabob-Pit/

 

[AtTheMurph]

I’d go with a Weber 22 inch about 74 bucks and tax at Walmart for a basic grill. They also have a off brand for 40 bucks. It all depends on how fancy you want. Some of the grills use propane to light the charcoal but that’s about as much as a cheap gun.


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I use a Charcoal chimney and start the paper underneath with a propane torch i found in a vacant lot about 12 years ago. I have replaced the propane bottle once however so not as economical as I had hoped. But works good.

 

[ghuns]

I have a chimney starter. Pretty much hangs on the wall.

I grill on my Weber year round and usually at least 3 nights a week.

I prefer the electric starters like this...

It can be used with a chimney starter, but I just place it on the bottom rack, dump old charcoal from the previous day on top of it and plug it in. Takes about 5-10 minutes to have fire.

I put some new charcoal in my two charcoal baskets and use an old coal shovel to scoop up the hot coals and dump them on top.

 

[JettaKnight]

I've adapted an air mattress pump using some plastic and copper tubing to supercharge my charcoal chimney!