GrillJunkie: More Grilling FAQs

Should I keep the lid up or down? What's the difference?

Whether your preference is charcoal or gas, grilling with the lid up, is similar to cooking over an outdoor camp fire. The heat from the flames is effective but having the lid up doesn't provide for an environment that produces the surrounding heat some foods need to grill properly. Again, it is an art, so be careful and ever watchful of what you are doing, because with the lid down the temperature will rise very quickly and can cause burning. Every time you open the lid you vent all the built up heat from the grill and slow the cooking process. Since grilling is best done fast and hot it is usually best to leave the lid down as much as possible. As with nay cooking method, there are always exceptions. Foods that just need to be warmed or that naturally cook very fast anyway can be done with the lid up. A hamburger really won't experience the difference since it is cooked by direct heat in only a few minutes. However a large roast or a whole chicken, which take much longer to cook, will need the added heat by having the lid down.

Indirect cooking always requires the lid down. But, as always, keep a close eye on your heat source and the food as flare-ups will happen much faster with the lid down.

Is piercing meat useful or does it cause dry out?

The effects of piercing meat while cooking is another one of the age old debates in cooking and, many would even consider it one of the most commonly held fallacies. In order to understand why, one must understand the moisture content of the meat itself. If the single piece of meat you were cooking was like a balloon filled with water then the act of piercing the meat would cause all of the liquid to escape and completely dry out the food. Meat however is not at all like a water-filled balloon which in essence is a single filled chamber. The fact is that meat has millions of cells that contain water, and although piercing may damage some of those water cells, it will not have a significant effect of the moisture level of the meat. A couple of jabs with a fork won’t make a significant difference, but a dozen or so will, so keep the piercing to a minimum.

How do I get a smoky flavor into food when using a gas grill?

Over the past few years, a popular trend or practice has been to try and add smoke flavor to grilled foods. The main drawback with gas grills is that the only smoke you get is from burning grease, unless of course you use smoke chips to add some flavor.

A very important point to make about adding smoke to grilled food, is that it takes time, hence patience, for the food to absorb the smoke flavor. If you are not planning on grilling your food for more than 20 to 30 minutes it most likely is worth the effort. If, however, the food you are preparing is going to be slow cooked or spend more than 30 minutes on the grill with the lid down, then you can consider adding smoke to your food.

The first and essential thing that you will need is wood, in the form of wood chips. Real wood, and dry like hickory, oak, mesquite, cherry, etc. Once you have your hands on some hard wood, you will then need to soak the wood in water until it is damp and saturated. Drain so it isn’t dripping.

You will then need something to hold the wood in so that it can smolder and produce smoke while not dropping ashes every where. This can be accomplished in either of two ways. Buy or improvise. You can either go out and purchase a smoker box for your grill (these can cost as much as $20), or you can grab some common household aluminum foil and wrap the chips loosely in aluminum foil being sure to punch a couple of holes in the top. The holes will let the smoke out. You can decide which is more economical or practical for you.

Is there an ideal way to light charcoal?

There is an easy way to light charcoal, and then there is the ideal way to light charcoal with the end result always focused on the taste of the food. In our opinion, the best or ideal way to light charcoal is to not use any kind of self-lighting charcoal, or any product with additives to make it start without lighter fluid. These additives are infamous for leaving behind an undesirable bad taste. In short, your charcoal should be clean, and when fully lit, produce virtually no “un-natural” smoke.

What does that mean for lighter fluids? While you might find it easier, and faster, to get things fired up with lighter fluid, it too can add an undesirable flavor to food. However, this can be avoided with a little patience. If you do use lighter fluid, be sure you leave plenty of time for all the flammable liquid to burn off, which will leave you with a nice smoldering heat source with minimal after taste. In order to properly use lighter fluid, please be sure that you place your charcoal in a nice neat pile and that it is not simply scattered around the grill. With this pile established, dispense a generous amount of lighter fluid over the entire pile, ensuring that each piece of charcoal has been covered with fluid. Timing is everything on this one. At this point, it is important to allow no more time between putting the fluid on the charcoals than it takes to close the lighter fluid can and safely store it, before you actually light the pile.

It is recommended to use a piece of newspaper with which to light the pile. It is important to establish plenty of flame to in order to get the charcoal pile burning as quickly and completely as possible. It is very important to note that you should never add lighter fluid to an already lit pile. Even warm coals will cause lighter fluid to vaporize and can cause an explosion. Safety is of utmost importance to all of our GrillJunkie brethren.

For the more sophisticated and patient cooks, another way to light charcoal is with the use of a charcoal starter tool or chimney. Charcoal chimneys are found in most any hardware store. A charcoal chimney allows you to get a good amount of coals burning completely and quickly without adding anything to the fire that you wouldn't want to add to your food. Charcoal chimneys also allow you to be able to get more coals going while cooking.

A chimney starter is essentially a cylinder with a grate near the bottom and a handle mounted on the side. Unlit charcoal is placed inside the cylinder, and then crumpled newspaper is placed under the grate, and is lit. The burning paper lights the charcoal at the bottom of the cylinder, and a "chimney effect" takes place igniting the remaining charcoal above.

If you choose to use a charcoal starter, be sure to read the directions very carefully as different manufacturers provide somewhat differing procedures, although in most cases the process is the same regardless of how much charcoal you're lighting or whether you're using briquettes or lump hardwood charcoal.