The heat wave a few weeks ago prompted me to go out and buy two things; an air conditioner and a barbeque. A charcoal barbecue to be exact. I’ve barbecued on a gas grill many times, but a charcoal grill is very new to me.
The day I brought the barbecue home, my brother came over for dinner and did all the actual grill work. He lit the coals and grilled the meat and veggies as I did all the prep and then watched.
When it came time for me to actually grill something on my own I was a little nervous. I got home, put some paper in the bottom of the grill, added the coals, covered the grill and then lit the paper. I walked away to prep everything. When I came back, the paper was a burnt, but the coals never caught fire.
Strange.
I added more paper, lit it and walked away again.
This time I came back a little sooner to check on the coals. Once again, the paper had burnt but the coals never lit. At this point I was tired, hungry, and very frustrated. I contemplated calling my brother for help. But I stopped myself. I am an independent woman, I own my home, pay my bills, kill my own bugs, I should be able to barbecue without a man!
So I tried one more time. This time I crumpled the paper into really tight balls so it would burn longer. I washed the dishes while keeping an eye on the barbecue. I watched the smoke pour out of the vents, then calm down slightly. My hopes faded a little as a kept washing. Then, as I was drying the dishes I saw it; the shimmer of heat around the barbecue. You know that scene in Cast Away where Tom Hanks pounds his chest and yells “I have made fire!”? That’s kinda what it felt like (except I had matches).
Unfortunately the meal was a bit of a flop. I didn’t let the grill get hot enough, so the fish stuck and then crumbled as I tried to flip it. And my potatoes were undercooked, so I had to finish them on the stove. Overall I’m going to count this as a success. Mastering the grill isn’t going to happen overnight, but I’ve got the first step down.
What She's Having 
You’re definitely one step ahead of me – I’ve never manned a real grill without man supervision before in my life. Only a george foreman (does that count?). But congratulations on your so far success! I find it very impressive :)
I have always been afraid of the george foreman, I’m worried it will get all smokey and the smoke detectors will start blaring, so I think it definitely counts!
I bought my charcoal grill 3 years ago and had similar experiences, but now couldn’t live without it in the summer. It does take some time to learn, but is well worth it. A couple of things: I use four full sheets of newspaper to stuff into the chimney starter and use a lighter to light it at various spots – also try putting the starter to one side of the grill so you can angle the lighter right underneath it and light the paper. You can oil your grill by dipping metal tongs in a small bowl of oil and running them over the grate. Potatoes are hard to cook through on the grill, but you can microwave them for 4-7 minutes first and then grill them, or toss them with oil, salt, pepper and herbs and wrap them in foil to finish on the grill. Thanks for visiting my blog and enjoy your new barbecue!
Thanks for the tips, I’ll try them tonight!
charcoal grills do need you to adjust timing etc–but don’t you just love the flavor so much more? YUM!
I’ve never grilled with a charcoal grill before…getting the hang of gas has been hard enough for me lately! I’d say you were successful too…the hard part has to be learning how to start that grill! Best of luck in your future grilling adventures :)