New Homeowner needing Charcoal Ideas

My daddy used Kingsford so I use Kingsford. I'll get downvoted but they've never failed me.

ETA: I can cook anything over them. Steak, burger, chicken.

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Master steaks and hamburgers first.

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This is the correct answer. Learn how hot your grill gets with food that is alright to undercook. Then move on to chicken and pork. Nothing worse then having folks over for bbq chicken then you cook it burned on the outside and rare inside.

Freedom loving count ramming Kingsford is the charcoal of champions.

On a side note about the chimney starter. Is anyone else frustrated that there is no more newspaper around? What else do you use in your chimney starter? I try to save some old junk mail.

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Paper towels and cooking oil.

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I've done that in a pinch. We get a monthly paper from a local place that delivers them free to all residents. And we get another one twice a month that is free as well. If they don't get rained on in the yard before I can grab them, I keep a few by the charcoal bags in the garage.

TBH I learned more about grills and grilling from smoking (on a grill not truly intended for smoking) than from actually grilling.

I had a Weber kettle and wanted to figure out how to smoke pork butts on it, and in so doing I learned a ton about how to control a grill and how temperatures impact meats and air flow and charcoal use.

I often skip ahead to buying nice things that exceed my abilities, and I'm glad I didn't in this instance.

Charcoal is always cheaper from a hardware store than the grocery store, and Lowes will usually run specials around holidays, stock up. I prefer Kingsford, but some people are fans of lump. I have never had good experience with lump. It either burns too fast, or burns too hot, or the bag comes with mostly sawdust, and I've been through many different brands. I will be downvoted for this.

Some people don't use lighter fluid, I do. But don't use an off-brand, use Kingsford. It seems more expensive, but you don't have to use as much, so it doesn't actually cost you more money. I will be downvoted for this.

If you decide to smoke something on your grill, wait until the coals are totally ashed over. The nasty blue smoke you get from coals that aren't all the way lit will make you sick and can even cause cancer.

Get a meat thermometer until you have enough experience and confidence to eyeball it. Stick the thermometer into the side of the meat, not from the top.

Take the meat off when the internal temp is 3-5* below where you want it, let it rest and it will continue to cook. If you are cooking alot of meat and piling it up on itself in a pan as you take it off the grill, you can take it off up to 10* below your target temp. The pile of hot meat will continue to cook itself.

Invest in cleaning supplies.

Invest in two tongs and two spatulas, one set will be your "dirty" tools for handling raw meat, one set will be your 'clean" set you use to removed finished meat and for serving purposes. You can get them color coded so you don't mix them up. Don't get anything with plastic on it. All metal. Don't use them as coal tenders. Find something else to poke your coals with.

If you don't have a side table, get a side table with enough room for plates, a pan, and cooking utensils.

Email tigerdroppings@gmail to order a TigerDroppings apron.

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It's next to impossible to mess up chicken thighs.

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I've done it. Just sayin'...

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On a side note about the chimney starter. Is anyone else frustrated that there is no more newspaper around? What else do you use in your chimney starter? I try to save some old junk mail.

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I just get those wax cubes from Weber. 5 bucks for 24 of them. They work perfect, every, single time. They work when wet. They work in windy weather. If you really want to keep paper around and save 20 cents, then use the wax cubes when you don't have paper around or it's wet/windy. I just use the cubes every time. They work much faster than paper, too...

Buy a Thermapen. They're even on sale now. Thank me later