Know When Your Fire is Ready
Successful charcoal grilling depends on a good fire. The general rule for knowing when your coals are ready for grilling is to make sure that 80 percent or more of the coals are ashy gray. If you have less than that, the coals are not ready, and if all of them are glowing red hot, the fire is probably too hot. Here are a few steps you can take to adjust the temperature of your fire:
-If it is too hot, spread the coals out a bit more, which makes the fire less intense.
-Partially close the vents in the grill, which reduces the amount of oxygen that feeds the fire.
-Use the indirect grilling method, with coals to either side of the charcoal grate and the food over the other side rather than directly over the coals.
-In the event of a severe
-Add briquettes 2 or 3 at a time to increase the burn time. Allow 10 minutes for coals to ash over before adding more.
THE HEAT OF THE COALS
seconds you can |
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hold the palm of |
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your hand 4 inches |
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above the coals | temperature range (Fº) | visual cues | ||
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HOT COALS | 2 | 400 to 450 |
| barely covered with |
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| gray ash; deep red glow |
MODERATELY HOT | 3 | 375 to 450 | thin coating of gray | |
TO HOT COALS |
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| ash; deep red glow | |
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MODERATELY HOT COALS | 4 | 325 to 375 |
| significant coating of |
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| gray ash; red glow |
MODERATELY COOL COALS 5 | 300 to 325 |
| thick coating of gray | |
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| ash; dull red glow |
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