Although Charcoal Grilling For Beginners is primarily for the charcoal grilling beginner, everyone is welcome to join the fun. This is the spot for everyone that enjoys the art and the flavors of charcoal grilling. So if you consider yourself a beginner charcoal grilling enthusiast or a seasoned pro, charcoal grilling for beginners is the place for you.
I’ll share tips and tricks for charcoal grilling and I’ll also research and review the best grills, tools, accessories, and recipes for you. Charcoal grilling doesn’t have to be hard, intimidating or expensive. No matter if you use the most expensive charcoal grill on the market or a pit dug into the ground. I just want everyone to know about and enjoy the magnificent flavors that the charcoal grill can produce. I hope you enjoy the posts on this site and feel free to share your own opinions, recipes, tips or recommendations.
Charcoal Grilling For Beginners
Why Charcoal?
Ever since man has been able to make fire he has had this primal urge to cook his brontosaurus steaks over the open flame and to this day that urge still exists in all of us men and women. We don’t know what it is but we just get a great feeling of accomplishment when we fire up the old grill and produce a masterpiece fit for a King or at least a group of hungry family members. Everyone loves a good old-fashioned cookout and nothing makes it taste better than charcoal.
There’s nothing like the smell of a charcoal grill wafting through the neighborhood on a warm summer afternoon. That unmistakable smoky aroma of food cooking on a charcoal grill is one of those summer pleasures we look forward to all winter long. We look forward even more to the smokey flavors combined with some awesome seasonings and/or sauces that make for an unforgettable mouthwatering experience. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
The Joy Of Charcoal Grilling
When someone mentions the words grill, BBQ or charcoal I’m like a little puppy because my ears stand up, my tongue hangs out and my tail wags uncontrollably. Just because I really enjoy it. Not just eating it but actually grilling it. It seems like the more I do it the more I want to do it. I don’t know if it’s all about the grilling or if it’s the fact that I get to hang out with some really cool people. I can’t wait for the weekend because I know someone is going to BBQ. Even if it’s not me, and it’s always, “DA bomb.com”. (I hope that’s not an actual website). Charcoal Grilling For Beginners is our way of sharing our passion for charcoal grilling with the world.
Benefits Of Using Charcoal
- Flavor:
The number one reason that I prefer to charcoal grill is flavor, whether you use lump charcoal or briquettes with some wood chips added for smoke, the flavors are unmistakable.
- Fuel Cost:
In my opinion, charcoal is much less expensive than propane. A $10.00 bag of charcoal can last just as long if not longer than a $20.00 canister of propane.
- Grill Cost:
The price difference between a charcoal grill and a gas grill can be astronomical. You can get a decent charcoal grill for much less than $100.00 and decent gas grill will start at $100.00 or more.
- Repair and Parts:
Most low to mid-level Charcoal grills won’t have a lot of moving parts like knobs, buttons, burners etc. to malfunction and need replacement. So odds are you won’t have to run to the hardware store in the middle of a cookout to find the part that just broke.
So, Now You Need A Grill Right?
The Weber Original 22 inch Kettle grill is the grill I recommend for the beginner. The main reason why is because of its simplicity and ease of use. It’s small enough for you to practice with smaller meals and large enough to entertain for family and friends. It’s easy to clean and maintain and the price is affordable at right around $100.00. This isn’t the only grill in this category but is probably one of the best in its price range. However, If you need something a little smaller there are plenty of portable/tabletop grills out there for you to choose from.
Why This Grill?
Because, if you don’t want to spend a lot on your first charcoal grill and you want something to get the job done at all your backyard barbecues. I suggest that you try this one out.
- At less than $100.00 on Amazon, it fits just about every budget, and because it’s made by Weber, you know it will last for many years to come.
- Whether you are just a beginner or a seasoned backyard grill master. I’m sure you will be happy to have this grill working for you at your next backyard cookout.
- You can read the full review on this grill [here].
A Must Must Have Tool For The Beginner
I call this a must-have for the beginner because it just makes lighting the grill much less intimidating. The item I am talking about is a charcoal chimney starter. This little gadget can start your grill without the use of messy starter fluid. All you need are some crumpled up newspaper pages, some charcoal and you’re good to go. It can get your grill going faster than the traditional method of using starter fluid and you won’t get that petrol taste in your food. In my experience, this is the way to go when lighting your charcoal grill. You can get one for about $15.00. I imagine you won’t regret adding this little gadget to your BBQ tool kit.
Now that we know the benefits of charcoal grilling, how to buy your new grill and how to easily get the fire going, it’s time to call up the friends and family, fire up that grill and show off your skills.
But Wait, What Can I Cook On The Grill?
You can cook just about anything on the grill. Including but not limited to steak, chicken, pork, seafood, veggies and even desserts and fruits.A lot of people just like to throw some burgers or hot dogs on the grill for a quick meal but the choices are basically limitless. You can check out my post on what to look for when selecting meats to go on the grill and a few recipes to get you started. I will add more recipes on a regular basis. So be sure to check back often.
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Now that we know the benefits of charcoal grilling, how to buy a grill, how to light your new grill and what to put on it. It’s time to call up the friends and family, fire up the grill and show off your skills.
3 Easy Steps To Grill The Perfect Steak?
In this post, I will explain how to grill the perfect steak in just a few easy steps. So easy that anyone can do it. Impress your friends and family with a mouthwatering steak hot off the grill.
Still unsure what grill to buy? Don’t get burned. Check out this post on Choosing the best grill. Learn what to look for when buying a new grill as well as how to clean, maintain and store your new grill.
We here at Charcoal Grilling For Beginners would like to welcome you and encourage you to look through this site and leave comments, opinions about charcoal grilling and BBQ and please feel free to leave your favorite grilling/BBQ recipes for everyone to enjoy.
Please feel free to leave a comment a suggestion or a charcoal grilling recipe below or on any of the posts. Check out some recipes and share one of your favorites for everyone to see.
Come on in
Happy Grilling!!!
Andre
Really liked your site, but it needs types of links and banners that cater to the BBQ Lifestyle of the Man within all of us. Even the Women like BBQ’s, and how to do them. I also think you need to put together more of your social media sites so that they all appear together on the side, or at the bottom of any articles. Other wise I am ready for BBQ Chicken wings guys where is the address?
Hi Susan
Glad you like the site. I will consider adding more links to my site although I tend to shy away from a lot of banner ads since I will quickly click away from a site that confronts me with too many of these ads. I’m still getting the hang of this social media thing so any suggestions on how to use them effectively would be appreciated. I find myself spending way too much time trying to feel my way around these sites and never getting much accomplished. Thanks for the input. again, any help on the social media thing would be appreciated.
I loved your article, it was very insightful and a very interesting read, I’m definitely going to share this on my Facebook page
I can’t wait to start throwing food on the barbecue this year, it definitely is one of my favourite ways of cooking meat, because it just tastes so damn good
Thanks again for the great article
-Finn
Thanks Finn
Veggies are pretty good on the grill too. Although, I am a true carnivore at heart my wife and my doctor say I should throw more green stuff in the mix. I just can’t keep the butter from falling through the grates and causing flare ups. : ).
I so much prefer charcoal grilling over gas grilling. The flavor is more smoky, whereas gas is kind of a bland taste. Do you prefer using lighter fluid or paper to start the charcoals? I prefer paper. I can taste the fluid in my meat. Great site. Very informative. Do you have any recipes for grilling?
Hi Andrew,
I prefer using lighter fluid, just because it’s what I have always done. But every now and then if I’m in a hurry I will use a charcoal chimney to get the coals hot a little faster. There are a couple of recipes if you click on the recipe tab in the main menu. I’m working on adding more as I build this site. If you have any that you would like to share please feel free to post them in the comment section.
Thanks for commenting
Hi Andre,
First of all, I want to say I agree that food grilled on a charcoal grill test much better! I grew up with a charcoal grill with my parents, but after getting married, we only use a gas grill because that is the one my husband grew up with :(. Anyway, for that reason, I can say the flavor is different.
I totally prefer to grill a good steak on a charcoal grill 🙂 I recommend everyone to try it.
Good post!
Hi Darmendra
Charcoal is best for sure. I guess gas will do if that’s all you have maybe you can convert your husband to charcoal. I’m sure if he tries it he’ll be hooked. Either way, it just about the joy of grilling.
Thanks for the comment
A girlfriend of mine says she makes the BEST grilled pizza on her charcoal grill, but I find it challenging to not burn the crusts… on a gas grill I turn the burner off on one side. Any tips for grilling pizza on a charcoal grill?
I’m with you… I look forward to bbq season and the mouthwatering smells wafting through the neighbourhood and the parks all winter long as well! We were at a picnic the other day and the smell of charcoal in the air was sooooo lovely! It brought back memories of my Dad’s old hibatchi grill… remember those? Do they even make them anymore? Or are portable charcoal grills more commonly the “Egg” style now?
Hi Marlaine,
Gotta love that smell. I’m not much of a pizza man on or off the grill. But I sure will do some research and experimentation and write a post on how to make the BEST grilled pizza, in the near future. So check back often. As far as the hibachi grill I’m sure they are as popular and widely used as ever.
we just got our own place and we don’t have a bbq griller yet. However, after reading your blog I am convinced that we should get one. Just a suggestion tho, try to elaborate more about the differences of a charcoal griller and the propane one. ( I am not sure if you already pointed this out, but let me know if you did?)
Also, put in some of your favorite recipes so we can start grilling! 🙂
Hi Carol,
Congrats on getting your own place.
I didn’t want to talk too much about gas grills on the front page. Because this is a charcoal grilling site. But I will post my opinion on charcoal vs. gas in an upcoming post. So stay tuned. I will also post more recipes. What kind of recipes would you like to see more of? Just let me know and I will do my best to get them posted. And Please feel free to share some of your favorite recipes. The simple burger recipe is perfect for the beginner. You should check it out. Simple Burger Recipe.
Thanks
Andre
I find the article very interesting, as mentioned the flavor we get by charcoal grilling is indeed unique and no match to propane grilling but I’m curious to know if we use different wood do we get that the same flour as we get by charcoal grilling?
thanks
Hi Thomas,
Glad you liked the post. I have found that different woods will definitely give a different taste than charcoal. I sometimes add a chunk of wood to the charcoal just to give it some variety.
I hope this helps