Buying Your First Charcoal Grill

Once you've decided to own your own grill the first thing you would do is check out the different kinds of grill available and check out the pros and cons of each. When you finally decide that a charcoal grill is the perfect one for you, you then find out that there are different kinds of charcoal grills too, and again each one has its own advantages and disadvantages. So you have to find the right one that suits your purpose.

If you travel a lot and the places you visit often are the kind where you can use your charcoal grill, then you need to look at charcoal grills that are smaller in size and travel-friendly. These smaller sized charcoal grills would be extremely handy for camping, tail gate parties and small family cook-outs. Smaller charcoal grill are relatively cheap and you can buy one for an extremely wallet-friendly price of $10 or $15. If you will be using your charcoal grill for a larger crowd, then you should consider the larger sizes.

When buying a charcoal grill, besides the size of the grill, safety should be your prime concern. Charcoal grills use fire and hot embers for cooking and cooking is normally done when guests are around. If the grill is unsteady and falls over, hot coals could fly off in all directions and this could be real fire hazard. You should buy a grill which has sturdy legs as well as a sturdy structure. If the grill has flimsy, shaky legs at the outset, it will just get worse while barbequing is in progress.

The more expensive charcoal grills could have safety features that are built in. They may have smothering valves or a water reservoir. It is always a chance that an accident could occur and your grill could get too hot or get out of control. These safety features automatically kick in and help prevent potential fire hazards.

A charcoal grill uses charcoal briquettes as well a lighter fluid as fuel to cook the food. Charcoal cannot be re-used but it is rather inexpensive and available in plenty at any local store, grocery store or gas station. Charcoal should be light and must be stacked in a pyramid for the best results. It must be allowed to burn for a while, till the fire goes out and used only when red embers of charcoal are burning.

Getting the grill and the meats ready for barbequing is the fun part, whereas cleaning up after the party could be a real drag. But if you intend to keep re-using your grill over and over, it is equally important to make sure it is properly cleaned after every use to prevent the formation of rust. Charcoal grill should only be cleaned after they have cooled down completely but you will find they do take a long time to cool down. One option is to leave the grill open and let the fire burn itself out. Be sure though not to leave the fire unattended as it can be a potential fire hazard. The faster option is to close the grill, cutting off the oxygen supply to the fire. Clean the grill as soon as the grill has cooled off sufficiently. Food debris left on the grill for too long can harden, making it even more difficult to clean off later.

Clean off all the grill surfaces using a wire brush and then spray the surface with spray cooking oil. Remove the racks and then clean them with dishwashing soap that has grease fighting properties.

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