Grilling Basics- Using A Charcoal Grill

Charcoal can be intimidating but with the easy steps outlined below, you are sure to be a grill master in no time! Here are secrets to grilling an awesome inaugural meal on your kettle. I broke in my new kettle with steaks but you can grill anything you want and still follow the tips below.

• Before preheating the kettle, make sure that the dampers on the bottom of the kettle and the damper in the lid are completely open.
• Remove the top cooking grate and hang  it off the handle.
• Fill your chimney starter up halfway (about 50-60 briquettes) with charcoal.
• Using the bottom grate (charcoal grate), place 2 lighter cubes under the chimney starter and light them. Wait 10-15 until the charcoal has completely ashed over.

• Use a grill mitt to evenly dump the ashed over charcoal onto the charcoal grate. A good way to set-up your grill is to put all of the lit charcoal onto one side of the grill, this way you have a safe zone or a place to do indirect grilling.
• Place the cooking grate in the grill over the charcoal grate.
• Put the lid on the kettle and double check that the lid vent is completely open. Your grill will need to preheat for 10-15 minutes.
• While the grill is preheating you can prepare your steaks.
• Put a little bit of olive oil on the steaks. Note: you need to take your steaks out of the fridge to let them come up to room temperature.
• Season the entire surface of the steak with your favorite seasoning (mine is simple: salt, pepper and garlic).

• Use the hook on the inside of the kettle lid to hang it off the bowl or use the lid bale if you have that feature on your kettle.
• Next time you grill, this is the point where you would brush the grates clean using a Weber stainless steel brush.
• Place the steaks on the cooking grate on the part that is over the coals, close the lid and set a timer for 3-4 minutes.  Lookin’ ain’t cookin’! Keep the lid on until your timer goes off.
• Once the timer has gone off, while using a glove, remove the lid and hang it from the bowl. Flip the steaks using tongs and place the steaks back on the side over the coals. Put the lid back on the kettle.
• Set your timer for another 3-4 minutes. Then check the steaks with an instant read thermometer to make sure they are done to your liking. Here is a guide to help you interpret internal temperatures.  
• Once you take the steaks off the grill, it is important to let them rest! A good rule of thumb is to let your food rest for about 20-30% of the total cook time. It took 8 minutes to cook the steaks so I am going to let them rest for about 2 minutes before cutting into them.

Enjoy and grill on!