Charcoal Novice

[St Marys]

I'm new to charcoal grilling and have a brand new weber master touch. I'm looking for a starters guide that covers the most basic basics: what charcoal to use, how to start it, when to start grilling, how to control temperature, direct vs indirect tips...everything. I've been grilling with gas for years, but prep, timing and control over charcoal are throwing me off my game. I'm looking forward to lots of practice this Spring. Any suggestions?

[1buckie]

Howdy & Welcome !!!!

Don't know that we have a single guide like that all in one place, but we can certainly help with setups & general guidelines & things to watch for....

You'll see some stories like this:

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/indirect-cooking-low-medium-high/

about how to set up charcoal & what then to expect..............

and brands....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/royal-oak-briquettes/

Here's some about setup & what works & problems encountered....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/frustration-just-need-to-vent/

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/effect-of-wind-on-at-ots/

Some charcoal basket experiments by Jammato.....

http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/charcoal-baskets-and-heat-experiments/

Here's a generalized map of ways to set up charcoal for different methods & heats....



For starting, most folks use a chimney starter, a little newspaper or a lighter cube underneath, fill the chimney all or part way with charcoal & in maybe 15 or so minutes, it's ready to go.....dump in the kettle, in whichever setup style you need & wait just a few for the kettle bell & grates to heat & you're good to go.....

Here's a "for instance"......chicken pieces, banked coals, going fairly hot, wood added for the second set of pieces,because the wife doesn't so much like smoked....

Chimney on the right with more startup coals getting ready...



Pretty fat banked coals.....this ends up being fairly hot.....



Taters on at almost 500f.....





Then, after they go awhile, the heat drops from the coals burning down & the chicken can start without getting dried out or burned....I usually go right next to the fire.....you can see it's hot right there, but not right above the coals, which you can also do for part of the time to get some crisp & char on the outside or the skin (this was skinless)......



Then for mine, a block or a few of wood for smoke flavor....



Tweety Platter....



Fill 'er Up.....



A different setup is like this brisket that's going right now....







Coals burn around in a circle, heating at a fairly low temp all night long.....slow cooking.....


It's a bit different......the obvious thing is "How Much?" & "How Long Will That Last?" as charcoal generally drops in heat over the length of the cook, compared to gas being mostly constant as it's applied.....
Part of that comes by doing, as not always can someone in a different climate or area answer exactly how many coals will produce what heat at your location.....generally, yes, but right on the nose is the craft of Weberology......

Another good thing to do is pick something you'd like to try, or something you had good success with on gas & ask about that particular setup.......start a thread in "BBQ & Grilling" & just ask......

There is someone here that will pretty much be able to answer ANY possible question you come up with....

Happy Master Touch !!!!!

[Ted B]

Check out one of Weber's cookbooks. Some of them have great starter guides as well. Whenever a friend enters the charcoal arena I loan them the art of grilling for a couple months.

[1buckie]

Check out one of Weber's cookbooks. Some of them have great starter guides as well. Whenever a friend enters the charcoal arena I loan them the art of grilling for a couple months.

Great Idea right there !!!!

[MINIgrillin]

Awesome map buckie! Those 2 posts sum it up. I was gonna suggest a Weber book also. In the front sections there are tutorials for starting, temp control, coal set-ups, timing. Give yourself 30 minutes or so to get coals lit and kettle heated before cooking. Get a Weber chimney..

Happy grillin! Fantastic choice on that Mastertouch.

[St Marys]

Wow! This is an awesome start. Thank you for the fast replys. The pics and charcoal map are particularly helpful. I have the chimney, have a lead on good smoke wood and will find the art of grilling....any idea where I can pick up a Tweety Platter?

[1buckie]

"any idea where I can pick up a Tweety Platter?"


99 Cent store......last I checked !!!!

[Jammato]

Buckies post is most excellent
Can I suggest a notebook till you get comfortable. That way you can compare cooks as they were. Not as remembered

[MINIgrillin]

Start small on the smoke then build up. It's easy to overdo it.

[Chuck]

My pro-tip (that I stole from someone around here I think) is to mark your sweep handle positions in relation to the approximate vent opening position. In this photo, I have mine marked at the 1/4, 1/3 (can omit this one to be honest). 1/2, and wide open settings. They are not linear, but it is fairly accurate. This will help you tell how far open the vents and make adjustments easiers without opening the kettle during a cook and trying to see through the food on the grate, coals, smoke,ash and similar that are inside.

[austin87]

+1 on marking your vent positions. I have mine marked at full closed, 1/4 open, 1/2 open, and full open.

[St Marys]

Notebook and vent marks. Done and done. Thanks to all!

[1911Ron]

Can't go wrong with the advice given so far !

[Jammato]

Notebook and vent marks. Done and done. Thanks to all!

most of all remember, have fun and be vreative

my weekend cook was not what I was dreaming of, it was a new thing and it did not do as I wanted, so I chopped it to bits and smothered it in BBQ sauce, no one even guessed I had failed miserably, they all raved about the BBQ sandwiches.

[toolhead]

One suggestion to share.

When i first started with charcoal...made mistakes of not getting charcoal hot enough before dropping food on grate...which will smother the coals from juices dripping...still a novice ..but definitely wana let the coals gray completely before getting food on the grate..

And grab plenty of kingsford this week at homedepot during the sale.