Juice from meat extinguishing charcoals when grilling?
I've never heard anyone else talk about this problem, but it seems to happen to me all the time:
I've been grilling regularly on a Webber charcoal grill for about a year. I have done my best to follow the instructions in the Webber manual about how to use the grill. I always use "the direct method" as I am usually cooking burgers or steaks, and frankly the results have not been too shabby so far.
But here's something I don't understand. When I cook a particularly juicy meat, especially a marinated meat, the juice always falls down on the charcoals, and it seems to extinguish many of them, at least partially. This wouldn't matter so much, except that it seems to lead to a big discrepancy in temperatures between the time I put the meat on until I flip, and then between the flip until the meat is ready. So if a recipe calls for 6 minutes on each side, after the first 6 minutes one side is super charred, and then I need to leave it on the second side for longer than 6 minutes to achieve the same. It's also painful because I often will grill a vegetable after the meat is done, and it always seems to take much longer than I expect.
Does anyone else have this problem? What should I do? I've seen drip pans at the store, but again the manual for my Webber suggests that these are only necessary when grilling by the indirect method.
Best Answer
As a fellow Webber'er and long time griller, I'm going to wager one of three things going on here:
- Your coals aren't hot enough. One of the biggest problems I see with folks and charcoal grills isn't waiting long enough for the coals. There's should be no visible flame and slightly more than half of the coals should be white. In a chimney starter - this is around 25 minutes for me. If you're using another method, YMMV.
- You don't have enough coals. If you've just got enough coals to spread a thin layer across your grill, then they won't keep heat well and they'll cool down fast. If the liquid hits them too much here, they won't heat back up well. They should be grouped together somewhat and generally a couple layers thick for best heat.
- There is waaaaay too much marinade still on your meat when it hits the grill. If its been soaked properly in the marinade, you don't need to have it still be gushing fluid when it hits the grill.
Pictures about "Juice from meat extinguishing charcoals when grilling?"
How do you extinguish charcoal after grilling?
How to put out charcoal after grillingWhy do my charcoals keep going out?
If your charcoal doesn't stay lit, there's a chance it doesn't have enough ventilation. Just like putting out a candle with a small cup (actually called candle snuffer) when there's no more air around, the charcoal extinguishes. The good news is that you must only allow some ventilation and try again.Do you let charcoal burn out before cooking?
But how long should you let the coals burn? Let the charcoal or briquettes burn until they're covered with white-gray ash (it takes about 5 to 10 minutes for the coals to get to high heat and 25 to 30 minutes to get to medium heat).How do you keep charcoal from flaming?
Charcoal is more likely to stay lit if it's stacked vertically rather than arranged flat on the bottom of the grill or smoker. Heat, as you may know, rises. Therefore, stacking your charcoal allows heat from the bottom coals to rise up and into the top coals.Perfect Grilled Steak On The Weber Charcoal Grill | Steak And Potatoes
More answers regarding juice from meat extinguishing charcoals when grilling?
Answer 2
Here is what I think is happening. Bear in mind, I'm going off some assumptions which I'll note in my response.
If you are following directions from Weber, you are probably cooking with the lid on (which you should). I think the amount of liquid being released from your meat is working against you. More steam than can be exhausted is being generated, thereby starving your coals of oxygen. As your coals cool, they will no longer boil off the liquids that fall on them, which amplifies the extinguishing effect.
Here are some suggestions, any combination of which may mitigate your problem (it will require some trial and error, but the results of even your failed trials should still be delicious):
- Dry your meat before putting on the grill. Try to get the initial rush of liquid out of your meat before cooking. You can do this by leaving it out at room temperature for 15-30 minutes, and patting it dry with paper towels right before putting it on the grill (going straight from fridge to grill will ensure maximum juices run out onto your cooking fuel).
- Use more fuel, and make sure it's fully-ignited.
- Go for depth, not breadth, with your charcoal. Only cover about half the charcoal grate with the same amount of fuel. Sometimes spreading your coals across the grate can create oxygen supply problems.
- Make sure you have enough airflow through the grill. Both the top and bottom vents should be open to 100% during direct grilling. Use the bottom vent to regulate temperature if you need it. If you feel you need extra airflow, prop the lid open a little.
Hopefully this helps. Good luck, and happy grilling!
Answer 3
Cook juicy things, like chicken legs and burgers, over INDIRECT heat. Leave the coals either on one side of the grill, or the center. And so place the food either beside or around the coals. The juices will fall around the coals and not on them. You can heat the grill up prior to cooking to still get a good char, then move them away from the coals, and cook with the lid closed.
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Dan Galvani Sommavilla, Dan Galvani Sommavilla, Gonzalo Guzman, Pixabay