Learning to grill has been humbling. I'm considered a great cook by my friends and family, but only recently started grilling.
Managing my fire is still a mystery. I get my charcoal hot, but the temperature always bottoms out when I close the lid, even when the vents on the top and bottom are open. The charcoal also seems to burn off very quickly, with even a full chimney of charcoal starting to burn off and die after 30 min. I usually have to add more coals halfway through, and often get weird uneven cooks.
The food is still edible and decently tasty, though, and that's the main thing.
by masala-kiwi
12 Comments
Looks good from my house bud. How long are you leaving the coals in the chimney before you dump and use them? Using quality coals?
Don’t overthink it. Once you get used to lighting the coals, it will all make sense.
It’s hard to point to anything specific but I’m assuming your coals are either under-lit or over-lit. When dumping coals, put them in a pile on one side of the grill so you have indirect and direct heat choices. Watch some YouTube videos to get a feel for it.
While probably not the source of your issues, I’d recommend getting the Weber branded chimney. I had one that was similar to yours and noticed that it was both much smaller than the Weber chimney and took 10 more minutes to get up to temp. I’m sure there are other great brands (if not better) but I know the Weber one works well so I’m pointing to that one.
My man, you are doing a great job. I would not complain about being served that sumptuous feast… what seasoning did you use? … As you continue to play, you could experiment with direct and indirect heat. That was a big game changer for me. It takes time to be a master(so I hear… lol I know i am still learning) hang in there. We are all in this together.
Looks awesome to me! Enjoy. Charcoal is cheap. Keep it simple. Watch YouTube. Report back!
Lump charcoal like Royal Oak burns hot & fast. When I BBQ chicken thighs in my Weber I use Kingsford briquettes (burn slower/longer)
& cook them off-heat.
I like to sear them at the end when the coals are low/hot.
To make that chicken in less than an hour and to make it easy as possible, get a vortex. It’s indirect heat so you won’t burn it and it is super easy to use. You just keep the vents wide open and rotate the lid 1/4 every ten minutes. You’ll get crispy skin as well.
if i can give you a few bullet points of unsolicited advice…
— always have a hot and cool zone
— if you need temps to rise, airflow is your best friend. crack the lid. blow on the coals. use a fan or leaf blower to get more air on the fire.
— if you are grilling something over direct heat, do not step away from the grill. the direct heat is intense and thats how you get burnt meat like the ends of your chicken. stay on it. if it looks like it might be too hot, slide your meat over to the cool side of the grill. if you have to step away for a minute, slide your meat to the cool side of the grill and let it cook on indirect heat for a little while.
— get an instant read meat thermometer. it is your best friend. it will allow you to know when you can and cannot walk away from the grill. it also obviously tells you when your meat is ready.
— normally im not a huge fan of buying accessories for your grill, but a slow n sear from sns is a pretty useful tool to have. the crummy baskets that weber provides are a waste of money.
Things looks a little charred and un-even. Looks like you are already headed in the right direction with chimney starter. Stack the briquettes overflowing to the top of the chimney. Start with a little paper underneath not packed too tight (I’ve seen folks still use lighter fluid which is a no for me). Make sure you let the coals burn until they are white top to bottom and flames are coming out the top. That ought to be enough coals to spready them evenly on about half the grill you have (I always use my wood grill brush to spread them). Put the grate back on and the cover on and wait for the grill to even out and the grates to get hot(about 3 minutes). For what you have on the plate I would:
Put the spatch-cocked chicken on first. Start skin side up because the bottom can take more heat. Maybe 4-5 minutes before the first flip (don’t peek constantly….let it cook). Put it skin side down based on how cooked the bottom side was in that time. Usually less. Once the skin is looking good on the top, put it on the non-coal part of the grill and let it coast to cook the middle.
Don’t husk the corn before you grill it. It depends on how good the corn is, but it doesn’t take much direct grilling with the husk on to get it done. Add the drummies at the same time as the corn if they are thick enough. For the corn maybe 10 minutes total time rolling it until the husk blackens on full cook. Keep poking the spatch cocked chicken with a bare finger…it should be somewhere between the feeling of the webbing of your thumb and forefinger when you are making a fist and when you are letting it go limp. Once the spatchcocked chicken firms up tent it on a plate with tin-foil over it next to the grill. The cabbage takes almost no time at all (at least for me). Just give it a little scorch.
If you want to learn to charcoal grill, focus on cooking one item great every time. Don’t use 6 different kinds of things at once like you are showing. That is for us maestro’s. Start off with making one good grilled thing and have your partner make the side. Grilling is easy when you have multiple things of the exact thickness and ease of cooking. Cooking a bunch of dissimilar stuff together is where the magic of experience helps.
Keep it up! It takes time.
If you’re worried about charcoal dying out on you, then lay a bed of unlit charcoal on the grill grate. Dump your lit charcoal on top of the unlit coals. You’ll get a “burn down” effect.
Your top vent is temp control. It shouldn’t be open too much, opening lets out the heat. The bottom vent is for oxygen control.
Natural charcoal will always burn hotter and faster than standard charcoal. I typically used a mix. If you’re struggling with burn times, just get a bag of basic standard Kingsford. It’s the easiest charcoal to control and keep lit for a long time. Just don’t get matchlight
You should have a hot side and cool side of the grill. You only want the chickens on the hot side long enough to get a good sear on them. Let em cook through on the cool side of the grill. Arrange your coals so that they are all on one side.
Looks good from here!
🤘🏾🤘🏾🤘🏾