Official OS BBQ/Grilling Thread

[jmik58]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

All this good looking food... I'm keeping track of who's in both this thread and the Fitness thread, lol

Move along ... nothing to see here.

[Curahee]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

I'm keeping track of who's in both this thread and the Fitness thread, lol

To be honest with you, Im surprised theres not more people in here.
I guess theres not as many people who like to grill as I thought there would be.

[Chef Matt]

Quote: Originally Posted by Curahee

To be honest with you, Im surprised theres not more people in here. I guess theres not as many people who like to grill as I thought there would be.

There are quite a few grillers here, I thought there was an actual OS Grillin' thread we were posting in some time ago but I can't seem to find it.

[Curahee]

Quote: Originally Posted by Chef Matt

There are quite a few grillers here, I thought there was an actual OS Grillin' thread we were posting in some time ago but I can't seem to find it.

Yeah I didnt see one either. I searched before I created this one.
Phobia made me think of it with his pics of dead squirrels! LOL

[jmik58]

What type of prep work or procedures do you guys go through to get the coals going?

I think my biggest point of amateurism comes through in the way I sometimes get the grill hot in 30 minutes, other times it seems like 90 minutes. Sometimes the coals won't take off, other times it's too hot.

I just do the ol' pyramid and burn, but I'm thinking the little charcoal starter "cylinder" is a must have.

Also, if I pull the trigger on a new charcoal grill (instead of gas) I'll definitely have to get one that has temp readings on it. Always before I was just happy to get the grill hot and didn't care if it was optimal for what I was grilling.

Anyways, any tips or steps you want to share regarding the process you go through up to the point of getting the food on the grill?

[Curahee]

I use a charcoal chimney. I swore off lighter fluid years ago.

For straight grilling this is what I do, and everyone may be different, so youll have to pick and choose whats best for you.

First, I buy 2 different kinds of charcoal, The Good Stuff, and The Cheap Stuff.
I fill the chimney with the cheap stuff because it burns faster. 2 sheets of newspaper in the bottom, light it up and coals are ready to dump in about 10 min.

I dump the coals in the grill, spread out, then add the good stuff on top.
Let the cheap stuff fuel the good stuff. Close the lid and wait for it to reach temp. Depending on the weather outside and the wind conditions, Im usually up to 350 in about 10 - 15 min.

Again, this is me and what works for my grill.

[Holic]

Quote: Originally Posted by jmik58

What type of prep work or procedures do you guys go through to get the coals going? I think my biggest point of amateurism comes through in the way I sometimes get the grill hot in 30 minutes, other times it seems like 90 minutes. Sometimes the coals won't take off, other times it's too hot. I just do the ol' pyramid and burn, but I'm thinking the little charcoal starter "cylinder" is a must have. Also, if I pull the trigger on a new charcoal grill (instead of gas) I'll definitely have to get one that has temp readings on it. Always before I was just happy to get the grill hot and didn't care if it was optimal for what I was grilling. Anyways, any tips or steps you want to share regarding the process you go through up to the point of getting the food on the grill?

It's really simple man. Head to Lowe's or Home Depot and pick up a Weber Charcoal Chimney. Paid about $10 each for mine years ago, they last forever and I use them 2-3 times a week or more. While there check for Weber starter cubes, if they have them great. If not, two pieces of newspaper will do. I also prefer lump charcoal over briquette charcoal for a few reasons. It gets hot faster, it burns hotter and it leaves very little ash.

Fill up the chimney with lump, have the paper underneath and light. In about 10-15 minutes you should be good to go to dump your lump. You'll know when the top layer of the chimney is nice and grey/white. Depending on what you're cooking, you may or may not need to add more charcoal. One full chimney of lump will get me to 400-450 usually.

[jmik58]

So I had to ease the anticipation a bit. I went out and bought the weber charcoal chimney today and some starter cubes along with some smoking chips.

I went to Wal-Mart and Home Depot and was surprised that WM had a better selection of charcoal grills. I'm sure HD will get more in within the next month as things warm up, but they were really trying to push their $500 gas and gas/charcoal combos. No thanks.