Do not use lighter
fluid
or instant light charcoal when adding a
dditional
charcoal to an exis
ting
fi
re.
This can be dangerous, and will leave a lighter
flui
d
aft
ertaste on your food.
Do not a
tt
empt to empty the ash pan of burning charcoal pieces or hot ash. Wait un
ti
l the ashes and
grill have completely cooled before emptying the grill.
See the “Cooking Methods”
section
for more informa
tion
on barbecuing and slow smoking.
COOKING METHODS
You can use your GRILL to cook three di
ff
erent ways – depending on the type of food, and how you
want to prepare it.
GRILLING
Grilling is cooking directly over the
fi
re, using direct heat. This method is the quickest and works
well for foods that are tender before you cook them – including steaks, beef or pork tenderloin,
burgers, hot dogs, sausages, chicken, seafood, etc. Vegetables are also wonderful when grilled.
Grilling uses very high temperatures that are over 325
°
F. When cooking at these temperatures, it is
important to carefully watch your food to keep it from burning. Also, close the lid to put out any
grease
fla
re-up that may occur when
flipping
burgers or steaks.
BARBECUING
Barbecuing is cooking using indirect heat and smoke. This method takes a li
tt
le longer, but can be
used for nearly any kind of food you want to cook (including those above). As barbecuing uses lower
temperatures and longer cooking
ti
mes – this method works best for cuts of meat that need
time
to
tenderize – such as ribs, brisket, pork shoulder, wild game, etc.
Barbecuing uses temperatures from 225
°
F to 325
°
F. Try to maintain 275
°
F for op
ti
mal results. Use
your imagina
tion
when barbecuing, as the possibi
liti
es are endless!
SLOW SMOKING
Slow smoking uses much lower temperatures and much longer cooking
tim
es. Slow smoking is
actually a way to cure meats rather than cook them. Slow smoking is ideal for turkeys, chickens,
beef briskets, cheese and sausage.
Slow smoking uses temperatures that range from 140
°
F to 225
°
F. Most slow smoking recipes call for
the use of saline brine that helps preserve the meat and avoid bacterial contamina
tion
during the
cooking process. The temperature gauge on the outside of the hood provides an accurate reading of
the cooking temperature inside the grill
fi
rebox.
7