How do i keep my charcoals from becomming too hot in my grill while cooking?

Question

It seems whenever i cook chicken,burgers etc, the fat drips on the coals and makes them even hotter and start to flame burning the food. I have tried spritzing water but all this does is create ash on my food. Any ideas????

Answer 1

Always place your coals where you will have indirect heating. (a cooler spot on the grill)...I place the coals on one end and leave the other end empty....Brown your food on the hot end and transfer to the cool end to complete cooking.
Aluminum foil will prevent flare-up also.

Answer 2

First step - throw the misting bottle in the trash.

I recommend always piling your briquets to one side. Before lighting the charcoal, be sure the air vents are all open. This will allow for more efficient lighting of the briquets. Don't use too much charcoal. Use just enough to get the job done. If your cooking for the entire neighborhood, you can always add more charcoal later to keep the temperature up. You want to make sure the coals are red with a tinge of gray around the edges. If the fire is still flaming above the grilling surface, it is too hot.

Piling the briquets to one side provides a "hot spot" on which to sear the meat. Searing is done quickly so you'll have to keep an eye on the grill during this step. It also helps retain the juices and you get the great grilling marks we all love so much. Since most of the cooking is done during this step, the meat should only require a few more minutes of heat depending on the size and density of the meat you are cooking.

Move the meat off to the cool side of the grill and put the lid down. Adjust the air vents to lower the amount of air getting into the grill. This will reduce flame-up because the juices won't drip directly on the hot coals and the fire won't have the a lot of available oxygen. It will also have a bit of a convection effect, allowing you to finish cooking the meat to the desired doneness without getting your fingers well done in the process.

Answer 3

Many recipes for grilling things like steaks, boneless chicken breasts and burgers recommend grilling over a direct-medium fire (350°F to 375°F or a 4 second hand count) on a covered grill. Grilling with the cover closed (but with all air vents open) helps to give you a consistent temperature and reduce flare ups.

For grilling times for steaks, burgers, etc. we use the cookout calculator at charcoalbob.com. Enter the items to be grilled and it will give you instructions for how to grill these types of things to the doneness you want, and so that everything comes off the grill at the same time. It also has charcoal grilling tips.

If you're grilling things like whole chickens, ribs or chicken pieces with the bone in, you will want to use the same temperature of fire, but divide the coals or move them to one side so that the food is not directly over the fire (aka "indirect grilling method"). Be sure to put a drip pan underneath the area where the food will go to catch the drippings.

With either method, always grill with the cover closed unless the recipe specifes otherwise. This should help with flare-ups, too.

Answer 4

When using a charcoal grill, I pile the charcoal in a type of pyramid in the center. This way, when the heat is too great over the middle of the grill, you still have the outside rim to use to cook meats that drip. I would never use a water bottle with charcoal, just pile the coals a little neater next time.

Answer 5

Two main ways to control:

1. Use the air vents to regulate the amount of oxygen feeding the coals.

2. Use fewer coals when cooking burgers and chicken.

Answer 6

Use the lid to control oxygen flow... For a kettle grill, have the bottom vents fully open and use the top vents to control air flow, start with half open. When you get a flame up, put the lid on.

If your grill doesn't have a lid, then buy one with a lid.

In my early days of grilling, I tried the mister bottle and, like you, I found that misting only caused ashes on the food.

Answer 7

Let the coals die down further before starting to cook and cook closer to the outside, and keep the coals in the centre.
Alternatively, scrape the coals to one side and cook on the other.

Answer 8

a fire needs oxygen to burn so the best way to keep it under control is to starve it of oxygen. when a fire gets too hot, i close the vents on my grill (both in the lid, and on the bottom) for a few minutes. then once it slows down, open the vents just a little. happy grilling!!

Answer 9

what ever you do dont put foil on your grill. Then you have turned your grill into a frying pan.
Less Coals, and always have a safe (cooler space) to take food on the grill space.

Answer 10

Spread the coals further apart or use less coal, and/or raise the grill surface away from the coals.