Gathering with friends or family in the backyard or at picnic points without any barbeque is impossible. And when it comes to the topic of barbeque and grilling, there are many ways for it, but the oldest and the most pleasant one which spreads its aroma and taste into the food is the charcoal grilling method. People everywhere around the world like to grill through this process of charcoal as it is a primitive and very adventurous practice in the grilling domain.
But there are many chances of danger that prevail when grilling through charcoal, and they are related to how one can put the hot charcoal into sleep. It might be seen as an easy task by just throwing water over it, but that is not the case. Here we will guide you all about all the activities concerning your charcoal grilling.
How You Can Put Out A Charcoal Grill
Now when food is prepared and enjoyed there, you are with the duty of how you can put out a charcoal grill. This kind of grilling is different from other procedures as it is somehow complex to light it down quickly and safely. There are specific hazardous results when putting it down wrongly one can face; which comes in the form of hand burning or excessive smoke in the eyes or face or other by now, we will be telling you how you can put your charcoal grill out.
Marinating is required for a tasty and flavorful meat pie, but you can cook without it. Lots of people add only salt and pepper. That is okay too.
Why We Have The Need To Extinguish Charcoal
I think knowing why to cool off coals in the grill is more important first than knowing how we can put out charcoal on a grill. As talked early, assume that you are finished preparing your food on a grill and are now away from it, and suddenly your kid runs towards it and touches it; what will happen?
There will be a severe burn on their hand or on any part that just touched the grill because of lighted up coal inside it, which keeps the grill heated all time. Or consider your pet just collided with the grill hard and knocked it off. Afterward, coal inside is spread across the floor; there is much possibility that those scattered burning coals can ignite a fire if anything in fuel shape is contacted with it like cotton or carpet. Moreover, semi-finished coals can also be reutilized when you again desire to cook a grilled meal for yourself or for your family or friends.
Steps To Put Out Charcoal | Proper Methods
At first, you must know the types of equipment or supplies you will need to cool that fired-up coals safely.
- Gloves which are heatproof
- Grill brush
- Scooper or can also use a spoon but metallic
- Tongs ( grill tongs )
- Aluminum foil
- A metallic bucket of water
METHOD #1 TRADITIONAL METHOD
If you have a lot of time and are not in a hurry, then we would say this traditional way; the primitive way is much more likely to be very safe. You have to close the lid of the grill and give a rest of 48 hours to it so that it can cool the coals by itself.
For this, follow this procedure;
1) Wear heatproof gloves to avoid any burns and heat when handling a grill
2) close the lid and bottom of the grill so that the oxygen supply can be stopped
3) Then be patient and wait for around 48 hours so that it can be cooled off
4) After cooling, remove the remaining solid pieces of charcoal safely and scoop out ashes from it. Afterward, wrap the cooled off charcoal and ashes into the aluminum foil and use a metal brush to clean the grill nicely.
METHOD #2 WATERWAY
Through this method, there leys a great misconception about spraying water on overheated coals to cool them, but it’s not like that. It is very dangerous to do this as spraying water straight over to coal can give cracks and can cause a hot Smokey smoke into your face, which is harmful.
1) Prepare your gloves
2) Close the lid ad bottom ventilators to cut off oxygen
3) Wait for an hour; during that time, prepare a bucket of water.
4) After an hour, use a pair of metal tongs to pick a hot coal slowly and put it in a water bucket for cooling.
5) After gradually removing all from the grill, use aluminum foil and dry them in sunlight for a day or 2 so that you can use them again.
METHOD #3 OPEN LID WATERING
I will say that the final method to us for putting out a charcoal grill is very easy and effortless.
You need to pour a bucket of water or spray it over burning leftover coals; make sure you are a few steps away from the grill
1) Wear gloves
2) Fill a bucket of cold water one is preferred
3) Make yourself away from contacting grill
4) Then slowly spray water over the grill
5) After this, use tongs, remove coals, dry them in sunlight or anywhere, and use them again for better purposes.
How To Start A Charcoal Grill
First, let’s discuss how we can initiate the charcoal grill to please ourselves with its Smokey and tasty flavor. As written above, worldwide, people tend to lean for charcoal grilling when they have to grill meat, bird, fish, or whatever that are wishing. I personally believe what people like the most in charcoal grilling is its smoky taste and aroma, which is inflicted in the dish when it’s been prepared. It would be best if you had any of the below strategies to start the charcoal.
- Lighter fluid usage
- Usage of a charcoal chimney starter can also help you to initiate
- By the help of old newspapers or any paper fuel which can then light up charcoal when the paper is put below it
- In last or by electrical charcoal starter
After deciding on the strategy, you need to have an effective charcoal product that can burn and heat the meal correctly and provide a good amount of heat.
Charcoal Products
Hardwood and lump charcoal
As lump charcoal is natural 100%, it burns and provides good heat and does not leave many ashes compared to others.
Many cooking experts suggest using lump charcoal as it provides a high amount of heat that cooks meals properly and is very best for a searing purpose. Besides this, chefs also recommend using hardwood charcoal, which is uneven but provides clean and good heat.
Briquettes
These are cube-shaped byproducts made from wood, coconut shells, and other plants. These are lump charcoal substitutes that are evenly great like a lump and provide a good amount of heat for grilling, which is up to 2.5 hours long-lasting if you are using branded briquettes that provide fewer ashes and give out much heat.
Ways To Use And Light Your Charcoal Grill
Moreover, knowing how to use a charcoal grill and light it up is also essential. For that firstly, you have to clean the bottom of the grill from ashes which might be there from the last time preparation and for this carefully remove the grate and also try to clean your grates also through a clean cloth or with any sponge; we will suggest using lemon juice which will erase all stubborn residue easily and will clean it up like a new one.
Afterward, you have to open the bottom windows to let air flow so that when charcoals are lighted up and are heated, they can get extra fuel in the form of air which increases their heating energy.
Lighting up the grill
The following essential part is how you light your grill with charcoal.
As mentioned above, the best ways are by:
1. Electrical charcoal starter.
2. With the newspaper or any means of the paper.
3. Or with a chimney starter.
These are some methods that are safe and easy to use for lighting your charcoal.
Final Thoughts
In last, grilling is a very fun activity to practice. One enjoys time grilling with family and friends and spends time outside of the home or daily routine, which gives a thrust in one’s life. One must also be aware of how to use charcoal grilling as it is the best, in my opinion, way of grilling because of its aroma and Smokey taste, which it spreads over the meat or food. But one must also know how to put charcoal out of the grill safely so that no harm can be caused when we are putting out charcoal. In this post, we have covered everything from how to cook on a charcoal grill to how we can put out charcoal from the grill.
I hope that this post was help full to you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can charcoal briquettes be reused?
Yes, you can definitely reuse it until you have not used the water method to cool charcoal. Take them out and rest them in a place to cool and dust out the ashes, and you are ready to reuse them in a better way.
How long will it take for a charcoal to burn out
For the coals to cool down completely, it can take around two days so that they can burn out by themselves. If you try to remove them earlier, it can cause a hazard of burning.
How can we avoid emergencies?
There may come a time when fire from the grill can get out of control and cause severe harm to anyone near. In this case, you can arrest flare-ups quickly through the lid by closing it and all possible means of oxygen like closing vents. In this case, you have to quickly cut all supplies of oxygen. In last, if the situation is even worse than this, at last, you have to use a fire extinguisher.
