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How do I choose the heat setting on a charcoal barbecue?
By Tom | June 2, 2008
Danboy asked:
I have noticed on the back of a pack of sausages in the cooking instructions it says cook under a medium heat!
But what do I do with a charcoal barbecue where I can’t control the heat?
Rita
Topics: Recipes | 12 Comments »
12 Responses to “How do I choose the heat setting on a charcoal barbecue?”
Comments
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June 2nd, 2008 at 10:44 pm
You can control the heat with the amount of Charcoal you use!
June 5th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
Put the coals to the side and you can put them over high heat (directly over coals) or low heat (off to the side).
Last time I cooked bratwurst over high heat they could have turned out better. All the juice ran out. I cook them off to the side over low heat.
June 7th, 2008 at 5:14 pm
There is no way to control the heat with a charcoal grill just move the meat around to a cooler spot on the grill
June 9th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
You can try moving the charcoal to the sides of the bbq or off to one side leaving the center or one side without charcoal. Then place the sausages on the side with no coals. This is cooking with indirect heat.
June 11th, 2008 at 11:13 am
You put the coals all on one side of your bbq grill. Then move your meat closer or further away from them to control the heat.
June 14th, 2008 at 5:51 am
you control the heat with the amount of charcoal you use. also don’t use a lot of gas to start the fire.
June 16th, 2008 at 8:34 pm
don keep too many charcoal., if u think its nt enough, keep lil more..
June 19th, 2008 at 5:56 am
umm and dont mind the spelling but you can most likely spread out the charcoal in the grill that might help and the hole sausages thing they were probaly tacking about the stove in your home
June 20th, 2008 at 11:35 am
Heat on charcoal depends upon what you’re cooking. Steaks, you want high heat to sear it and lock in juices. Chicken, you want low heat, to cook it slowly and have it end up tender. Pork is somewhere in-between.
As far as temps, the amount of charcoal gives you the heat control. Lots of coals piled high (close to grate) is high. Just a few charcoals, scattered in a fairly thin layer, is low heat. You can even use indirect heat w/ charcoal. Pile coals on one side, put chicken or ribs on the other side w/ no coals, not directly above the coals. This gives flavor and low, slow cooking too w/o burning skin. You may try that w/ your sausages.
June 21st, 2008 at 2:52 am
You CAN control the heat in one or both of two ways.
Grill height – If you can adjust how far above the coals your grill sits, you can raise it to the next notch.
Charcoal spacing – With long-handled BBQ tongs or spatula, spread the coals out (after their glowing) so there’s some space between the coals. The more coals there are under whatever you cook, the higher the temperature. And conversely where you want it not-so-bloody-hot.
June 23rd, 2008 at 11:32 pm
use less charcoal for less heat
June 24th, 2008 at 10:46 am
Direct Heat
This works best for thinner cuts of meat that cook quickly: steaks, chops, burgers, kebabs, sausages, chicken breasts, fish fillets, vegetables, fruit slices, and so on.
Direct heat with a charcoal grill: (See our video on using direct heat on a charcoal grill)
One of the best ways to grill over direct heat it to make 3 different “zones” of heat level with your coals; that way, you can control the heat.
One zone should have a single layer of coals—this is where you sear meat.
Another zone should have a double layer of coals, where you will do your high-heat cooking.
The last zone is a safe zone with no coals, where you can put something that starts to burn or is finished cooking.
Either divide your grill into thirds to make the zones, or divide it in half for the single and double layers and just leave an outer ring where you place no coals.
Test the heat of your grill by holding your hand 6 inches above your high-heat zone. If you want to pull it away by the time you count to 3, you’re ready to cook.
For medium heat, you should be able to hold your hand above the coals for 5 seconds.
Put your meat on the high-heat side. Unless you are cooking something very thin, cover the grill to seal in smoky flavor. Turn the meat over after 2 minutes and put the cover back on.
You want to sear it for a total of 4 to 5 minutes on high heat. But if it seems to be cooking too quickly, use your moderate-heat side.
After 5 minutes, start checking the temperature of your meat with an instant-read thermometer and, once it is within 5 to 10 degrees of the desired temperature, put it on the safe zone, as it will continue to cook a little.
hope this helps. good luck and enjoy.