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Even heat circulation is crucial, and it's attained by changing the vents to let oxygen in and out and stacking the coals to produce indirect and direct cooking zones. Charcoal does not include water, allowing it to reach those white-coal temperature levels that produce the best sear on a steak or char on a cob of corn.

Sure, there are various types of charcoal grills, from barrel shaped to flat-tops. Even a fundamental Weber Original Kettle grill (premier in Customer Reports' "Finest Charcoal Grills of 2020") can outperform the others just based on its traditional shape, which is ideal for heat flow.

If you want the highest-performing, most heat-efficient charcoal-burning grill on the market and cost isn't a deterrent, consider a Kamado, whose models consist of The Big Green Egg (see opposite page). Pick swelling charcoal over briquettes.

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Forget the lighter fluid. Buy a chimney. This hollow metal cylinder with a bottom grate holds the charcoal. You utilize paper and matches or an air-driven lighter to help the charcoal ignite and never have food that tastes like lighter fluid. Photo by Aliza Baran Tighten up your poultry game.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

One failsafe strategy is to go with thigh meat, which has more fat and for that reason higher juiciness and taste. Don't like dark meat? Purchase bone-in, skin-on breasts and cook them thoroughly over indirect heat. Zerkel likewise suggests marinading the breast ahead of time and butterflying it slicing open the breast to make 2 cutlets.

The method you cook this lean white meat makes a distinction, too. To keep it from losing its precious juices, "I would burn it and move it to the cold side of the grill" to cook gradually, he says. He likewise buys entire chickens, cuts them up and has parts he can prepare in a different way grilled thighs, poached (in liquid on the stove) breasts for ramen.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Season your meat with salt and let it come to space temperature. (You can even season it as much as eight hours before cooking and let it sit in the fridge.) Position the steak on the most popular part of the grate and burn it for two to 3 minutes on each side.

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Move the meat to the cooler part of the grill to complete it off to whatever temperature level you like. "I'll put a half-cabbage on the 'cold' side of the grill, get a great char on it, and it softens and ends up being something else" something fantastic, he says.

"The crust it forms will also help it different" from the grate without falling apart, he states. Before using it each time, Zerkel scrapes the grate and wipes it down with oil.

Weber Original Kettle 26," $329 at Village Ace Hardware (2170 N. Prospect Ave.) Supporters claim the big benefit is the taste it imparts to food that tantalizing smoky taste. But Zerkel, an expert chef who's accustomed to using a stove's knobs and temperature level controls with accuracy, loves this method of cooking for its unpredictability.

Picture by Aliza Baran The Big Green Egg can bake, slow-smoke, saut and sear. If rate is no item, this grill just may be for you. Picture thanks to Didriks You might have heard of this contraption a green, egg-shaped ceramic grill that can cook a pizza at 700 degrees in minutes and smoke a beef brisket at 220 degrees for 14 hours.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

The Big Green Egg is a barbecuing investment that might make good sense if you prepare to utilize it a lot. Todd Minkin does. The Fein Brothers co-owner keeps his Egg in regular rotation in summer. What does he like about it? "Because of the density of the ceramic, it holds its temperature level well.

Savory Dinner Ideas for the 2026 Grill

The Egg doesn't need much charcoal, and for those who loathe cleansing grills, this one is low-maintenance. To purchase: Particularly excellent for steaks, ground meat and pork ribs, bone-in roasts, chops.