Crackling charcoal and the smell of smoky grilled meat is the ultimate barbecue experience for many. It reminds us of holidays, eating outdoors, a hot summer night or a winter evening out on the porch with a blanket and heater. We cannot wait for those lovely meals in our back garden. But getting that barbecue started is where many of us are hesitant. Are you wondering how to get your first meal on the BBQ in 45 minutes? We are here to help!
Starting a Charcoal BBQ
There are different ways to start up your charcoal BBQ. Naturally we choose the safest way. This is how to start your charcoal BBQ in three steps.
Step 1: Lighting agent
When lighting a charcoal BBQ, you always need a lighting agent. This can be wood chips, lighting fuel or lighting cubes. Please be aware not to use chemicals such as spiritus or kerosine. These will leave a bad smell when lighting and this smell will transport into the flavour of your meat, possibly causing damage to your health.
Step 2: Charcoal or Briquettes?
One griller can be a fan of charcoal and others use nothing but briquettes. It’s a matter of preference. But what is the difference? We will help you find out!
Charcoal is often used for barbecues without a lid. Charcoal can easily reach high temperatures and burns quicker than briquettes. That’s why charcoal is advised to use when preparing thin meat or when grilling on direct heat. But be aware that because charcoal burns quicker, you also need to use more!
Briquettes are perfect for barbecues with a lid. Briquettes remain hot for longer than charcoal, but do not reach the same temperature. Luckily, the lid on your barbecue will compensate for this difference in temperature. Briquettes are a good choice when grilling indirectly or when preparing thicker pieces of meat.
Naturally you can combine both methods to grill the perfect meal!
Step 3A: Starting the BBQ (without briquette starter)
Light the barbecue 45 minutes before starting to grill. Take off the gridiron and add about a handful of wood chips or another lighting agent to the bottom of your barbecue. Place the gridiron on top and fill up your barbecue with charcoal or briquettes. If you do not have a gridiron on your barbecue, you can place the charcoal or briquettes with the lighting agent. But keep in mind that to start a fire you need air. So do not fill up the barbecue too much. Now light the lighting agent with a long match and wait until the charcoal or briquettes turn slightly white. The first meal can now be prepared!
Step 3B: Starting the BBQ with briquette starter
If you have a briquette starter you will only need 30 minutes of preparation time before starting to grill your first dish. Fill up the starter for about ¾ with briquettes or charcoal. Add a handful of wood chips to the base of your BBQ and once they burn properly you place the briquette starter on top. After 30 minutes you can turn over the briquette starter and separate the hot coals or briquettes. You can now start grilling!
Our 5 BBQ tips!
We have consulted our master grillers for tips and tricks to make your BBQ a big success.
- Do not rush the art of barbecuing. You don’t want your meat to be cooked on the outside but raw on the inside. The trick is to first sear the outside of the meat on a high temperature. After, you can cook the meat on a lower temperature. This will make sure the meat stays moist.
- To ensure the best flavour, we advise you to first rub your meat with a dry seasoning and to then marinade it with a liquid seasoning. And marinating the meat one day prior to grilling will give you an even better taste!
- Make sure to let your meat first reach room temperature before starting to prepare it. Take it out of the fridge 25 minutes prior to cooking. This will also decrease the chance of burning the meat.
- Is your meat sticking to the gridiron? Do not pull it! Just wait a few minutes, the meat will detach on its own.
- The best way to grill fish is to place it on a piece of aluminium foil on the less hot side of your BBQ.
Enjoy the BBQ season!