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No one can deny those delicious dishes of Barbecue. However, things like coal, smoke, oven, time, and baking heat might stop you from that thought of preparing your own food.
Do not worry, we are here to help! Scroll down to learn how to cook on a charcoal BBQ now!
Just like when baking in the oven, it’s a good idea to preheat the grills before placing the food on them. After the coals have burned out, pour them into the outdoor equipment (not cover it). Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes for the entire surface to heat up before placing the food on top.
Besides the pleasant sizzling sound, this also saves you time when placing food. However, you also need to make sure it’s clean before starting anything.
Temperature And Time Control
These are two very important factors when cooking on charcoal bbq. If not well-controlled, your dishes will lose their fresh taste and produce harmful substances. Here, each type of food will require a separate standard:
High Temperature
The coal will reach 700 degrees in 5-10 minutes; this is the ideal temperature for dishes like burgers, steaks, onions, popcorn, etc.
Baking at a high temperature helps you preserve the delicious taste of food and helps it retain the sweetness inside. You can lower the heat at any time by closing the vent, but don’t close it completely.
The trick here is to divide the outdoor cooker into two parts: one with more coals and the other with less. It’s like when you control the heat levels in a microwave. You’ll cook foods in a hotter area and then move them to a less hot area so they don’t burn.
Don’t forget to let your food rest for 5 minutes before serving. Also, it would be better if you had a lower astral liner to catch the juices they secrete.
Medium Heat
It would help if you cook foods like chicken, sausages, pork chops, or vegetables and fruits like eggplant, pineapple, etc., with care. Or else, they will lose their protein content.
Baking at a moderate temperature of about 500 degrees and for 25 – 30 minutes will be best. Excessive heat can burn them and produce harmful substances to your health.
Low Heat
Culinary experts often discourage people from baking on low heat (300 degrees). Baking at low temperatures means increasing the cooking time greatly, and the longer you bake, the drier the proteins will become.
As noted above, you can cook foods on high heat first and then leave them in the low heat area so they don’t cool down before eating.
How To Extinguish The Charcoal Barbecue?
Once the oven is no longer needed, you can extinguish it just as easily as you lit it up. Close all vents on the bottom and top of the barbecue kettle to stop the oxygen supply to the coals. After a while, the coal will turn off completely.
At this point, you can remove the lid and reopen the bottom vents to let the oven cool down faster. Make sure your coal barbecue has cooled completely before replacing it.
Getting Rid Of The Ash And Charcoal
After the Barbecue party, you need to carefully handle excess coal and ashes. You’ll want to keep it unburnt in a box for later. As for the burned coals, please put them in a stainless steel can and leave them overnight. Make sure it’s cooled down before you throw it away so you don’t get hurt by your trash bag.
If your coals are pure wood charcoal, they still have many effects even after burning them all. Hence, you can keep them to compost or fertilize the plants.
Mistakes When Cooking On A Charcoal BBQ
Pour Half-Burnt Wood Coal Into The Oven
It would help if you waited until you saw the grey ash layer of the coals before putting them in the oven. Half-burning coal will make it difficult to control.
Keep The Entire Grill At The Same Temperature
You should divide the blister into two different temperature zones: the high-temperature zone (keep at least 75% coal) and the lower temperature zone. This keeps your food from burning while you’re baking the rest of the food.
Above is a detailed guide on how to cook on a charcoal BBQ. Weekend barbecues may not go well if you are not familiar with the process. We hope that the information we have mentioned in this article will help you overcome those troubles and have an enjoyable time.
If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to leave them below. Thank you.
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