First Charcoal Cook

[Tinnmel]

I did my first cook over charcoal.  Did chicken and a sirloin roast.  The chicken had a bit of lighter fluid taste, but the sirloin was great.  The smell of it cooking was like walking through the state fair.  I love that smell.  Here's a plated picture.  Look how nice that beef is.  Would you believe that my wife took her slices and put them in the microwave to cook more.  She's not looking for burnt like  Kimmie, but she missed on perfectly cooked beef. 

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[drbiggles]

  Awww, congratulations !!!!  YEAH!

xo, Biggles

[smokeasaurus]

I gotta ask about the chicken having a slight lighter fluid taste. My brother will not let the coals get completely gray when he starts cooking and his food tastes like fluid. When the coals are completely gray the fluid is completely burned off. If you squirt the fluid and it gets to the bottom of your grill, that can cause the flavor as well.
I light my coals with a chimney starter with Weber starter cubes. I can also light my coal with a weed torch (lotsafun) 

Not tryin to be a fancy pants here and preach, i just want you to enjoy cooking over charcoal like I have for the last 30 years

Here is my current stash

[Barry CB Martin]

Congrats man and welcome to Live Fire -

If you don't have a chimney - which I recommend you get the best one I've found on the market --- brand starts with a W.  I also use a propane torch to get things going...ahem.   

a couple of things you will learn is the "tornado effect" where after you get the coals ready and spread out a couple of them might get hotter and that increases air flow at that point, just ever so slightly, and that adds more heat in that area and it builds.  One of the joys of cooking over live fire is learning to recognize these sorts of things and managing them as they happen...

cool school dude.

[smokeasaurus]

another little charcoal trick is when after the coals are lit and you have them arranged, you can tap them with tongs to knock the initial coating of gray ash off of them for a little extra hit of heat to start your cook.

[CaptJack]

I'm hav'in nothin' but fun with charcoal

[sparky]

I'm hav'in nothin' but fun with charcoal

me 2.   

[drholly]

I'm hav'in nothin' but fun with charcoal

me 2.   

me 3 but I admit, I like to start a live fire from time to time as well... 

David

[smokeasaurus]

The thing about charcoal is that you can get such a good flavor from it, but if you try to cook too soon (using lighter fluid) you can have a terrible meal.

Makes ya wonder how many folks have done that and went out and got a different type of grill the following weekend?

[mikecorn.1]

Looks good

[Hub]

You can see in my posts about my PBC that I was reluctant to use lighter fluid.  However I couldn't find my chimney and bought some Kingsford brand fluid.  Waited to cook until all gray, also.  No lighter fluid taste at all.  Eureka!

Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I used lighter fluid a lot and usually bought the cheapest brand.  Frequently got the petroleum flavored results, too.  That's why I bought the chimney I've misplaced.  Long story short I like the Kingsford fluid.  It doesn't smell too bad to start with, burns cleanly, and doesn't go FFFFFVVVVVOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM BANG when I put a match to it.

Hub

[drholly]

You can see in my posts about my PBC that I was reluctant to use lighter fluid.  However I couldn't find my chimney and bought some Kingsford brand fluid.  Waited to cook until all gray, also.  No lighter fluid taste at all.  Eureka!

Way back when dinosaurs roamed the earth I used lighter fluid a lot and usually bought the cheapest brand.  Frequently got the petroleum flavored results, too.  That's why I bought the chimney I've misplaced.  Long story short I like the Kingsford fluid.  It doesn't smell too bad to start with, burns cleanly, and doesn't go FFFFFVVVVVOOOOOOOOMMMMMMM BANG when I put a match to it.

Hub

Yup and let the coals go 20 minues - no fluid taste or smell. Even my brother can't tell!

David