Beginners Guide to Using a Charcoal Grill
Вставка
- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- Starting out on a charcoal grill can be a steep learning curve if you are starting from an easy to control gas grill. You have to master lighting charcoal, how to lay out your coals, and vent settings. That can be pretty intimidating for beginners starting out on their first cook on a weber kettle or other charcoal grill. Here is the ultimate beginners guide that will get you grilling on your new charcoal grill in no time.
All of these should be available locally, but I've included links here in case they are helpful:
Weber Master Touch 22": amzn.to/3yNat7o
Charcoal Chimney : amzn.to/3vxFcDz
Grill Brush: amzn.to/3wGsZMW
Inexpensive instant read thermometer: amzn.to/3wGdmVO
Equipment I use to make the videos:
www.amazon.com...
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
I’m 24 grew up without a dad to show me how to use a grill, thank you 🙏
Same boat brother. Enjoy the summer my man, we eating good.
Same
Bruh
Yo mom couldn’t do it?
I had a dad, but he never showed me how to grill (or much of anything, honestly), so I learned on my own. I'm the only one I know that actually puts effort in grilling/bbqing, rather than just throwing a piece of meat over some heat; usually with less than ideal results.
Who is watching this on July 4th because you told everyone you know what your doing?!
😂
This is hilarious!
Dam thought I was the only one
I feel seen.
😂😂😂😂😂😂
Dude this video is clear, concise, and stragiht to the point. Much appreciated for us noobies who have no idea what theyre doing with a gas grill let alone a charcoal grill. Thank you so much
Glad it helped. You won't be a noob for long.
Dude your videos have helped me so much. Straightforward and concise, simple editing and no bs. Love it. Idk how you don’t have a million subs
Finally. Someone who speaks my language. Thank you for your attention to detail.
You got it Drew! I just wanted to make a video of the things I wish I knew when I started.
Great video for a husband who always picks up a new hobby monthly - this month it is charcoal grilling!
It's a good month to do that. You might get hooked and keep grilling in the rotation!
Super helpful, especially the explanation of the smoke color! I've never cooked on a charcoal grill but will have to due to some accommodations in a few weeks, so I was super intimidated; but your guide made it seem much more manageable and was super detailed for someone like me lol. Thank you!
I'm glad it helped. It's a bit of a learning curve, but a lot easier if you know the basics.
Mate I've been researching and watching videos for the past 2 days, and yours has been the most concise I have found. This is exactly what I was after. Like and subscribed, please keep up the good work
Good video. You never know who’s going to need some good solid tips to start off. With so many people getting into grilling smoking in the last year, this is a good guide for them to have.
It's true. It'll be interesting to see if they stick to it now that the restrictions have been reduced or eliminated.
@@GrillTopExperience only time will tell 😃
Cooked on a portable charcoal grill yesterday for the first time. This was extremely helpful 😊
Awesome! The first of many I'm sure.
Thanks man , I've never cooked on charcoal Before and am going to start this summer. Was a bit nervous but this video makes me feel more confident
Very good video, thank you! We also use a kitchen towel filled with sugar, folded into a ball, and coated with vegetable oil to light the charcoal/wood. It works like a bomb.
I absolutely love how you explain this. Easy to understand and follow what you are saying. Thank you, thank you so much 🙏☺️
As someone who just got my first Weber, this is much appreciated. Successfully had my first cook last night making burgers using this video as a guide. Everything came out great.
That's awesome! Thanks for reporting back. Here is to many good cooks in. your future.
Just got my first Weber, and I'm super excited to try it out. Your video was a great primer for this newbie. Plus it doesn't hurt that you're nice on the eyes 😁
This is a great video I have a kettle and offset smoker that I've been using for years but there's too many people out there I think everybody's a pro I am not a pro but I am tired of all my friends coming over and asking me questions now I can just tell them to watch your videos because there's always somebody new hardly any of the other UA-camrs don't take the time with the new people as always thank you for the time you spend on your videos so that they can have a simple understanding I'm getting started of course if I'm going to do a low and slow I always have two or three people hanging out all day just to watch and learn it's always fun to show them as long as they don't drink all my beer hope your day is filled with good health and happiness and once again thank you very much
I don't have an offset and I bet I could learn a bunch from you. Thank you for sharing the content with your friends and I'm glad it is useful. I'm trying to find a balance between helping the new guy and having advanced tips for people who have been doing it a while. BBQ watching should be bring your own beverage :)
These are great tips! Thank you. Just bbq'ed my first piranha on my Weber and oh man, was it great! *Subscribed*
It'll keep getting better! Thanks for the support!
Who else is here to learn to not blow themselves up.
Edit: I know the difference between the two but I seen alot of videos of people blow themselves up with charcoal and lighter fluid
Ha ha! It's hard to blow yourself up with charcoal if you stay away from lighter fluid. You've got this.
EDIT: Spelling
It's charcoal, not propane dude
😂😂😂
You know you’re a beginner when you don’t know gas from charcoal 😂
Hahah I'm here to learn not to burn my food
I love your videos. They are short and informative. You could pass as a young Clark Gregg!
Absolutely agree that the extra expense for an ash can catcher is worth the upgrade. Grill rake and oven mitts are also useful tools. Two more tips... if using foil, go heavy duty vs something super thin, and not all charcoal is the same. Try a few different brands, as some create a ton of ash, burn super quick, or give off different flavors. Happy bbqing!
Heavy duty makes a big difference. Double wrapping the regular stuff isn't the same! I'd echo what you said about charcoal and add that they should stick to a brand for a bit. All of those differences can make it hard to get things dialed in when you are starting out. One of my favorites produces a ton of ash but has great flavor.
I just suddenly realised that I don't have a lot of the skills that my Dad & Grandad had, with one of these skills being how to use a BBQ, I want to rectify that so I can start inviting friends & family over to my house for outdoor BBQ's
Thanks for the intro, suffice to say I'm now subscribed
The Art of Manliness had a long list of those kinds of skills. Thanks for taking the plunge into grilling!
You clearly explained and covered everything I was wondering about,thanks now to grill my first burgers!
Nice! I hope your burger cook goes well. I hope to cut down the learning curve a bit, but you'll get better each time you do it.
followed your advice, got a pretty good result. thanks!
Great little video for beginners, especially the comments on temp management!
You may want to explain the "white smoke" comment for them, though; if someone is just starting out they might not know what the significance of that might be.
You are right, I didn't explain why white smoke is bad. I'll make sure I include that in an upcoming video.
For the love of God, DO NOT USE A WIRE BRUSH. You use an onion or something like that to clean the grill. It'll save your life and save you a hospital visit
Save your life??? What you mean?
@santaanaluna4563 using a wire brush can cause the little thin bristles to come lose and get caught in the grill. So then the next time you cook on it you'll end up with metal bristles that could endanger your life. Your throat could bleed etc.
Those brushes are different now where I live.
First timer here. This video is good help. Thank you
Thanks for the tips homie happy camping 🇺🇸🔥
I happen across your playlist and it's great!!! Thank you so much!!! I learned a lot. I changed from propane to charcoal bc we notice the different taste in the foods. So I got rid of my old gas grill and bought the Weber premium charcoal grill. Thanks again for these videos they are super helpful!!!
I'm glad they've helped. The best teacher is practice! I'm sure you'll love your new grill.
I probablyyyy should have watched this before grilling…but knowledge is power & this vid was so well done. Thx❣️
You'll get it figured out. Thanks for watching it at all!
Im assuming works all the same I have a rectangle one with a rotisserie feature on it.
Perfect video for what I was looking for, short and basic. Bought a little square portable grill, and it has wents front and back and two on top, was so confusing to use 😅 but I think this video helped me understand more how to use it
Every grill is a little different, but the principles are the same. Good luck!
Really great video, simple, well explained, well edited, and concise. Thank you sir 👍
Thank you for the detailed explanations, VERY helpful!!!
Nice video ma, when I buy i house this will be incredibly useful.
Good info esp for the air vents. Can you do a little more on those?
Is the color paper really necessary? Seems odd to skip lighter fluid cuz of the chemicals then put a circular with colored ink and a ton of chemicals in the chimney
I want to grill today and have never done it before. What do I do if I don't have a chimney?
With anything lighter fluid or match light, I just let it burn out longer to ensure it’s completely worked its way out. Leaving it open while it burns off gets it hot and lets it really clean up and get fully lit.
great guide. greeting from germany
I just bought a basic portable grill so dosent have charcoal starter! So how would i know or make the charcoal white before actually cooking ? The fire kept going out for me yesterday and the chicken that i cooked did not look so good 🤦♂️ it came out blackish
You are going to want to buy a chimney starter. The cheap ones work, but don't last as long. That'll help you get coals lit in a consistent way.
This guy is a legend
do I need to soak the wood chips in water before adding them?
I've found that it doesn't help to soak the wood chips in water. It's better to let them burn naturally.
This is why nerds are very important
Do you need a chimney tho?? Just a lil two person grill
very informative thanks
Thank you helped me out a lot I appreciate it
I hope to help people get over that learning curve. You've got this.
Thanks Bro🙏🏿 need more people like you
Thought you said “made from compressed saw dust and spiders”. Thanks for the tips.
Hi, do you put the lid on when cooking burgers and dogs?
I'll leave the lid on most of the time. Leaving it off lets more air in and makes the charcoal burn hotter. That could be good if you need it, but it can get too hot and burn.
@@GrillTopExperience thanks! And thanks for all the videos you share with us!!
Nicely done Ryan!
Thanks! Very informative and concise!
Yesterday i bought the char griller portable and bruqet chorcal and i failed to light the chorcal. Today i buy fluid and hopepully i can light the chorcal
Thanks Ryan ✌️💚💐 Very helpful tips 👌🌹💕🌸
How much smoke usually comes out?
Great job Ryan.
Thank you
I’ve been a dad for 2 years now and my fiancé is buying me my first charcoal grill I’m ready to go full dad mode so I’ll be watching all your videos because it’s
Now my turn to make some
Bomb burgers and grilled food 😂 and I have no idea what I’m doing
We all start somewhere. Keep grilling!
I love my 22 but I also have a 26inch and that’s really hard keeping temps right it feels like the coals put them selves out in it
Happy independence 😊
Really appreciate you sharing your tips. Great show !
Thanks! I'm over here living the dream making videos in my spare time and happy to share.
Is it acceptable to use pieces of oak from a wood pallet or are those treated with anything that would make them unusable for cooking? Thank you.👍
A lot of pallets are made of pine and you can't cook with that. I've seen a lot of nasty pallets and wouldn't risk it.
What’s the best charcoal brand that doesn’t have lighter fluid in it
I tested six different kinds of charcoal without lighter fluid in it in this video: ua-cam.com/video/tPib7lzsVKU/v-deo.html It turns out, you get what you pay for with charcoal briquettes. I'm working on a follow up with just lump charcoal.
I just bought my 1st charcoal grill and I got a huge problem. My charcoal lump is always goes out. I light my charcoal lump in a chimney with an electric lighter. Maybe after 10 minutes, I use a heat gun to make the charcoal very hot
I dump the charcoal in the grill and after 5 minute, it started to goes out slowly. I take my heat gun again and again.
I don't know what would cause that issue. Any idea that could solve my problem?
Thanks
Leave the lid off and open up the bottom vents all the way until the fire gets going and coals are almost totally covered with ash.
@@DavidStrother-c7j thanks, it's what I figured out few try after
I just got the sns grill grate for my weber char coal grill. Do I need to season the grill grate first? If so how?
They say to wash them with soap and water. Then get them hot on the grill and use them. I didn't season mine. If you sear a steak, you'll burn it off anyway.
@@GrillTopExperience Thank you so much for the quick reply. I was really hoping for one since i'm using it this evening. So very much appreciated, it put my mind at ease. :)
Cheers mate, this helped me a lot 👍
This is like going from automatic to manual, and I really want to develop the latter.
Great video! Subscribed!
It is very hard to get them evenly hot all around the section you are using on the grill
Thank you! So helpful! Subscribed!
Great information
great video
What if you tired all this and it still doesn’t work. My grill will still have smoke coming from it but my food still somehow doesn’t cook
Does your grill have a thermometer? It would be good to know how hot you are cooking.
This video is great
Do you soak the wood in water ?
No, several studies have shown it doesn't soak in as much as I would have thought. You'll end up with more dirty smoke.
Thanks good video. Im a grown man and i dont know how to grill its embarrassing to ask family or friends to teach me. People make me feel like less of a man for not knowing these things.
I think most people who grill and smoke food would be happy to share what they know. Everyone around them is probably tired of hearing about it. You'll learn from every cook you do.
My dad continuously pours lighter fluid on and can never keep the fire lit. The food is always either undercooked, burnt, or both. It always tastes how the lighter fluid smells and makes everyone sick.
God willing I can learn something here and give it a go myself this year! 😅
You've got this! Knowing what not to do is a great start. You'll have to invite him over and show him how it is done.
@@GrillTopExperience
Will do, I'll let you know how we get on. 😄
What's the right process for lighting my charcoal without a chimney?
That depends on what you'd like to use instead. You can light firestarters in a pile of charcoal to light them, but that can take a while. I have a video in this series that looks at some of the alternative methods: ua-cam.com/video/VF8FflA3ZVs/v-deo.html
Home made starters : Cotton swabs /pads with a bit of tea light candle wax (beeswax)(paraffin wax) or vaseline (unscented petroleum jelly) and matches.
No one ever talks about altitude being a factor in temperature. I live at just under 8,400 feet so it's a big thing.
Maybe you should look up the beginners guide for charcoal cooking at high altitudes?
Excellent videos
Pediatrician here, love the video but the one change I would add is NO wire brushes, the wires have been swallowed when grilling.
Do you have any research on the types of grill brushes that caused injury? Some of the worst wire brushes easily shed bristles when they are brand new and most people use their brush well past their prime. Everyone has to decide which risks to avoid, mitigate, or accept. You can limit, but not eliminate, the risk by buying a high quality brush and replacing it early.
Hey Ryan! Great video. Always Important to go back to the basics even if your all ready a pro! This video is more for the noobies lol.
Everyone was a noob once. A lot of groups can be intimidating and it's good to create a spot where they can ask questions.
I really want a grilled hot dog and my husband is not here! 😭
Gotta learn sometime 😂
Today is the day. You've got this.
This is my first time writing a comment like ever but I love to talk about my dad so i’m going to anyways. June 14th 2024 two days before my birthday my dad passed away; he had just turned 50 a few weeks prior. Words cannot explain the confusion and pain and anxiety I feel all the time because there’s still a nagging little voice in the back of my head that expects him to walk through the door every night. Every day I sit on the couch he passed away in and I feel like I rot more and more. All I have now it my little brother and my mom who works full time at Mcdonald’s and is usually never home or is too tired to cook, this is my first step to trying to pick up my slack that i’ve been dragging around for years, and my first year ever having any celebration, or holiday without my dad being there and it hurts so fucking bad. But someone has to do it and I know my dad would want me to keep living and help my family. It’s so hard waking up in the morning and finding the will inside of me to keep living because with my dad gone I feel like there’s no reason for me to, he was my rock, my “dada” and this pain and hurt I feel will never ever be forgotten, but I will make him fucking proud I promise him that. It may not be immediately, or even soon, but I will. And it’s going to start with this video right here. Sorry for the yap haha, I just love talking about my dad. His name was: Sebastian Sr. I have no doubt in my mind he’s in heaven sipping on henny and listening to westside connections and all of his favourite rappers. Fly High Blue bird, and wish me luck on this grill LMAO 😅
Thank you
Still not sure I understand the vents or the temperatures needed to make a hot dog or brat. But got a lot of people coming over tomorrow so...😂
Perfect video
Dad never taught me to do this because I'm a girl, so here I am!
What if I don’t have a chimney?
They are really handy, but you can light charcoal directly in the grill with a couple fire starters.
I tried carchoal grilling 5 years ago and failed miserably because I didn't do any research ahead of time. made all the mistakes.
This time I'm going to try it agian but I'm watching videos like this first.
I do not trust wire brushes because i heard one time on the news this one guy had his intestines punctured by a stainless steel wire from the brush. I think the scrubbing pads are more safe.
Everyone has to decide what their risk tolerances are. I don't think they should sell the cheap plastic grill brushes that look like someone who had a hair transplant. There are some better ones out there that are a lot less likely to shed bristles.
I always recommend higher end grill brushes or even onion! I can’t tell you the number of times I have seen patients of mine come in with bowel obstructions due to wires from grill brushes. (I work in general surgery)
How much money do we spend
$69
I watched the video and I'm still clueless. I only have lighter fluid briquettes and I don't have any of this chimney BS. Dude is a professional yapper
Wow this is science
A little science and a lot of art.
Who all fatherless in here
I got a father I don’t want him to know I don’t remember
Father always had a gas grill and so did I but want to try something different
🥹🥹🥹
😢
I love my Mexican dad but he can’t cook for sh…
Seriously bro. wireless thermo?
Good
You said not to use lighter fluid, what if I used WD-40? asking for a friend…
I don't think that is what Steven Raichlen meant when he said "Keep it hot, keep it clean, keep it lubricated"
Why a chimney? Why not put charcoal and newspaper directly into the bbq? 🤔
You get more airflow in a chimney and it will light faster. Lots of ways to light charcoal though.
Didn't even mention the green egg which is a lot better at maintaining temperature
That's generally not a beginners grill unless you are Jimmy Fallon.
1:16 👀 lol 😂