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New to the Charcoal Grilling Scene. (1 Viewer)

Soulfly3

Soulfly3

Footballguy
Show me the light. 

Bought a pretty standard Weber grill, as I wanna get myself into the charcoal game. Got some natural hardwood lump charcoal, and all the gear I need.

Didnt go for the chimney, as I wanna start from the basics... And I figure getting it lit won't be difficult with a little peanut oil soaked paper and the charcoal in a pyrmid above it.

Got my famous jerk chicken marinating for tomorrow (recipe stolen straight from a jamaican farmworker)...

So... I wanna get this chicken on point... I know charcoal can get rip roaring hot, and I wanna get that initial sear... and I know all about indirect cooking, but how does that happen with the charcoals spread and such? Do I literally have to remove the top grill and move all the charcoals?

Gotta be a better/easier way... Thanks guys. I wanna be done with propane... I wanna man up.

 
I don't know how big your grill is, but can you just use charcoal on one side of it and cook indirect on the other?

 
Cowboysfan8 said:
I don't know how big your grill is, but can you just use charcoal on one side of it and cook indirect on the other?
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Hmmmmm 18", so for tomorrow's purposes I think this would work, since it's only 3 chicken quarters for the wife and I. 

In the future, when doing more, likely not. 

Wanted to start "small" and make sure i learned the ropes before I invested in a big boy toy

 
Soulfly3 said:
Hmmmmm 18", so for tomorrow's purposes I think this would work, since it's only 3 chicken quarters for the wife and I. 

In the future, when doing more, likely not. 

Wanted to start "small" and make sure i learned the ropes before I invested in a big boy toy
Click to expand...
?

 
need2know said:
Get a kamadoe Joe or Green egg.  Thank me later
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they had both at the store I was in today. And if the wife wasnt there, likely walked out with one of them... $1500 or so, later...

But she gave me the stare, and figured Id show her what a useful investment a small one would be, and why I NEEDED to upgrade... I will. 

They both looked so nice. Will have to do some serious reading

 
One thing you can do is form a double layer of coals on one side to be the Hot side, and a single layer on the other to be the Warm  side. Sear on the hot side, then move over to the warm side to cook. 

ETA : get a chimney starter. 

 
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If you want to slow cook something, like ribs or a pork butt, separate the coals to both sides and place your meat in the middle (heh heh). You'll need to add more coals every hour or so to keep it hot. 

 
How long do the coals stay hot enough to cook? 

Meaning... how long could I go without having to replenish? GUessing 45min or so?

As I said, starting with chicken first, to test the waters... 

 
Webber owner here.

Let the charcoal burn until it turns white.  Then move them all to one side, and put foil trays, or half cut cans filled with some water on the other side.  This will make the chicken more moist.  I like to put tin foil on the grates, as chicken tends to stick.  I slice holes in the foil, and roll up the sides a little.

Crack the top & bottom vent.  It should stay around 250 if the coals have whitened.

Put the chicken on, and only open it at 30mim.  & 1hr. To baste & flip.  Then put it on another 20-30 for about 1:30 total.

Put the chicken in a cooler after for 10min. 

I do this with the Cornell University Chicken Recipe, and it's always $$$.

 
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Soulfly3 said:
Some great tips here. Beautiful..

If it turns out, I'll post some pics, as if this was instagram. 
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It's kind of hard to screw up chicken.  I'm sure it will go great, and people will be patting you on the back.  Good luck!

 
1. Get a chimney. You said you want to start with the basics. It is part of the basics.

2. Don't knock that standard Weber Kettle. Ceramics are nice and look great in the backyard, but that ####### Kettle is the F150 or Toyota Camry of grills. It'll do everything, and usually the only reason to upgrade is because you have money to burn (nothing wrong with burning money for the hell of it, but that's usually what it is).

3. With chicken and most everything else, a 2-zone fire is your friend. 

 
Soulfly3 said:
How long do the coals stay hot enough to cook? 

Meaning... how long could I go without having to replenish? GUessing 45min or so?

As I said, starting with chicken first, to test the waters... 
Click to expand...
About an hour. You can add charcoal to the burning sections a few pieces at a time. If you want to cook an additional hour, add 5 or 6 briquettes. 

If you're cooking with lump hardwood, I'm  not sure how it would differ. I normally just use briquettes. 

 
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Soulfly3 said:
they had both at the store I was in today. And if the wife wasnt there, likely walked out with one of them... $1500 or so, later...

But she gave me the stare, and figured Id show her what a useful investment a small one would be, and why I NEEDED to upgrade... I will. 

They both looked so nice. Will have to do some serious reading
Click to expand...
I got a joe as a gift.  One of the best things I ever got.  I was always just a simple Weber guy.  Never again.  Used it today.

 
You can get these charcoal holders to help create direct and indirect locations on your grill, or you can put a brick or two in there to keep the hot coals on one side.

Get a chimney. I'd recommend the Weber because the inside is cone shaped and seems to light better.

If you're in a windy location, I'd recommend these starters rather than newspaper in the chimney.

 
Alright, Im gonna go this or next week to get a Chimney. 

Might get some charcoal briquettes too, and do a 50/50 with the hardwood and charcoal...

But for the jerk, it had to be hardwood for that authentic taste.

T-minus 4hrs

 
mr roboto said:
This makes no sense. 
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Ha. I wanted to learn to start from absolute scratch and then move "up"

Lighting things in the most primitive way (aside from rubbing wood together for friction)... Just a match, some paper, charcoal, pyramid'd wood.

I understand the chimney is basically that, but it still simplifies the process.. I want the absolute barebones to start.

I'm getting a chimney 100%

 
MikeIke said:
If you want to slow cook something, like ribs or a pork butt, separate the coals to both sides and place your meat in the middle (heh heh). You'll need to add more coals every hour or so to keep it hot. 
Click to expand...
I have never done ribs on a charcoal grill but bought some baby back racks yesterday. Any recommended links on this? Mainly looking for cooking advice, but also interested in rubs.

 
Quez said:
Webber owner here.

Let the charcoal burn until it turns white.  Then move them all to one side, and put foil trays, or half cut cans filled with some water on the other side.  This will make the chicken more moist.  I like to put tin foil on the grates, as chicken tends to stick.  I slice holes in the foil, and roll up the sides a little.

Crack the top & bottom vent.  It should stay around 250 if the coals have whitened.

Put the chicken on, and only open it at 30mim.  & 1hr. To baste & flip.  Then put it on another 20-30 for about 1:30 total.

Put the chicken in a cooler after for 10min. 

I do this with the Cornell University Chicken Recipe, and it's always $$$.
Click to expand...
Never tried the bolded. Is this recommended just for chicken?

 
I'm gonna crack the lid in about 20min (the hour point) to see where things are at.

For all I know, the chicken hasnt cooked one bit LOL. It's kind of exciting, and nervewracking. 

 
Just wanted to mention that Lowe's currently has the 18.6 lb Twin Packs of Kingsford Blue on sale right now for $9.88 each. It says limit 2 but they let me by 5 twin packs so along with my 2 bags of Kingsford Competition Charcoal I'm set for a while. I think they have this same sale for the 4th of July and Labor Day. 

I agree with the rest, get a chimney and if possible get the Weber one. It has extra holes in it which will allow your coals to get white hot faster. 

 
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Everyone has their own style, but I cook chicken on higher temp - 350 or so. I don't bother with marinating, just a couple hours in a brine and some spices. Boneless breasts - flatten them out and they take about 30 minutes. Bone-in breasts or thighs about 45 minutes.

 
Just bought a Weber Chimney, feel like an animal now, I wanna grill agan. 

Jerk Chicken turned out awesome. Best Ive ever made... You just cant replace that wood fire taste. Man, oh man.

But this chimney is gonna save my sanity.

 
HellToupee said:
Never tried this , is it worth the extra $ ?
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IMO, no. I've only used it once in my smoker though. I'm going to use it again today to cook 2 racks of ribs in my WSM so I may change my mind. It does seem to get hotter while using it in my Weber Kettle however. Gets a better sear on my steaks. 

ETA: I bought it at Costco when it was on sale for 14.99 for two 15lb bags.

 
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Kingsford briquettes are fine for everyday grilling 

I've tried lump but sometimes it gets too damn hot.  Use lump for my smoker 

 
Amused to Death said:
Anyone ever try the Vortex?  I picked up a Weber kettle last fall off of Craigslist and haven't used it much (yet).
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What is it, just a steel ring to do indirect? Seems like you could make one easily. 

 
Soulfly3 said:
Ok, I am 1000000% getting a chimney, jesus almighty
Click to expand...
To start the chimney, I use a small tuna can with about a 1/4" of denatured alcohol in the bottom. Light the alcohol which will get the charcoal started.

 
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