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Lighting
1. Always use high quality charcoal. We recommend
using a Charmate Chimney Starter which speeds
up the lighting process and avoids the dangers
associated with charcoal lighter fluid. Directions for
use can be found with the Chimney Starter.
2. If you do not use a Chimney Starter, stack charcoal
briquettes or wood into a pyramid-shaped pile on
top of the charcoal grate or ash pan. We recommend
using 2kg (approximately 45 briquettes) to start
your fire, adding more as needed.
3. If using lighter fluid, saturate the charcoal
briquettes with lighter fluid and let it soak in
for approximately 5 minutes. If using a chimney
starter, electric starter, or other type of fire starter,
light your fire according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
4. Always light the fire with the grill lid open. Carefully
light the charcoal and allow to burn until covered
with a light ash prior to closing lid. This may take up
to 30 minutes, if you use a Chimney Starter this may
take less time.Failure to do this could trap fumes
from charcoal lighter fluid in grill and may result in a
flash fire when lid is opened.
5. Never add charcoal lighter fluid to hot or warm coals
as flashbacks may occur causing injury.
6. You are ready to begin cooking when the pile of
briquettes ashes over and produces a red glow
(approximately 12 – 15 minutes).
7. Depending on your cooking method, either leave
the briquettes in a pile or spread evenly across the
charcoal grate using a long-handled poker.
Smoker Maintenance
Frequency of clean-up is determined by how often
the grill is used. Make sure coals are completely
extinguished before cleaning inside of the unit.
Thoroughly rinse with water and allow to air dry
before using again. Wipe out the interior of the unit
with a cloth or paper towels. When finished cooking,
and the unit has adequately cooled, clean out all
remaining ashes.
DO NOT OVER CLEAN, AS THIS CAN CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE
SURFACE OF THE METAL AND CAN VOID THE WARRANTY.
Ashes collect moisture, which can lead to premature
rusting and decay. Periodically coating the interior
surfaces with vegetable oil will aid in the protection
of your unit. Also, occasional touch up of the exterior
paint will be required. Black, high-temperature spray
paint is recommended.
NEVER PAINT THE INTERIOR OF THE UNIT.
Cooking Surface: If a bristle brush is used to clean any
of the grill cooking surfaces, ensure no loose bristles
remain on cooking surfaces prior to grilling. It is not
recommended to clean cooking surfaces while grill is
hot.
Know when your fire is ready
Successful charcoal grilling depends on a good fire. The
general rule for knowing when your coals are ready for
grilling is to make sure that 80% or more of the coals
are ashy grey. Using caution, arrange the hot coals on
your charcoal grate based on your desired method of
cooking. Here are a few steps you can take to adjust
the temperature of your fire:
- If it is too hot, spread the coals out a bit more, which
makes the fire less intense.
- Partially close the vents in the grill, which reduces
the amount of oxygen that feeds the fire.
- Use the indirect grilling method, with coals to either
side of drip pan and the food over the pan rather
than directly over the coals.
- In the event of a severe flare-up, spray the flames
with water from a squirt bottle. Be careful, spraying
with water tends to blow ashes around and make a
mess.
- Add briquettes 2 or 3 at a time to increase the burn
time. Allow 10 minutes for coals to ash over before
adding more.
Smoking and Slow Cooking
Remove the cooking grill from the firebox and build
your fire on top of the fire grate in the firebox. Either
charcoal or wood may be used, but wood is the
recommended fuel for its rate of burn and the flavour
it imparts to the food being cooked. Most seasoned
hardwoods are good for smoking such as hickory,
mesquite, pecan, oak, and many other fruit woods.
