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USING CHARCOAL AND WOOD
CHARCOAL
Your ROYAL OAK CHARCOAL GRILL is designed to burn either charcoal briquettes or natural wood lump
charcoal. These two types of charcoal have different attributes. Briquettes typically provide longer burning
times than lump charcoal. However, natural wood lump charcoal burns hotter than briquettes. Using the
charcoal pan access door to add more charcoal makes both briquettes and lump easy and convenient for
extended cooking times. SEE “ADDING ADDIITONAL CHARCOAL” SECTION.
SMOKING WOODS
Adding smoking woods to your ROYAL OAK CHARCOAL GRILL is an easy and effective way to create
wonderful flavor combinations for all types of grilled, barbecued, or slow smoked foods. Wood chips are
typically used for shorter cooking times, whereas wood chunks are better for longer cooking times.
When choosing smoking woods, the rule of thumb is to use a fruited hardwood from a tree that bears a nut, fruit,
or berry. The most popular and widely available smoking woods are hickory and mesquite. Hickory imparts a
milder flavor while mesquite is more intense. Other common wood varieties are oak, apple, pecan, cherry, etc. It
is important to never use pine, cedar, or kiln dried wood. Also, any smoking woods should be well cured since
green wood still contains all the sap and moisture needed to keep the tree alive and will impart a super
strong-tasting smoke that will turn your foods black. Also, when you try burning green wood, it is more difficult
to reach a good temperature due to the moisture in the wood. Well-cured wood lights easily, maintains
cooking temperature, and produces a great tasting smoke flavor that is not too strong. The amount of smoke
flavor imparted to your food can be controlled by the type of wood you use and by the length of time the meat is
smoked. Barbecuing typically adds more smoke flavor to food than grilling, due to the longer cooking times.
You can also control the amount of smoke flavor by wrapping meats in aluminum foil for the last part of the
cooking process. Cook meat for 1/2 to 2/3 of the total cooking time, or until it looks to be the perfect color.
Then wrap the meat in foil and finish cooking the meat until done.
USING DRY RUBS, MARINADES, AND SAUCES
DRY RUBS
Dry rubs serve the purpose of adding flavor to your meat. They are used by mixing together spices and then
rubbing them into the surface of the meat. Dry rubs eliminate the need for marinades, which can be messy and
time-consuming. When barbecuing with a dry rub, the rub itself permeates the meat during the cooking
process.
MARINADES
There are two schools of thought on marinades. One says that marinades tenderize an otherwise tough cut of
meat, and also flavor it. The other school says that the barbecuing process itself will tenderize a tougher cut of
meat, so a marinade is unnecessary except to further flavor the meat. Whatever your reason for using a
marinade, it is the best way to get certain liquid flavors into meats that might otherwise be difficult, such as:
beer, fruit juices, soy sauce, etc... A plastic bag makes marinating easy. Place the meat in the plastic bag, pour in
the marinade, and seal. Always marinate meats in the refrigerator, never at room temperature. Remove the
food from the plastic bag before grilling.
SAUCES
Nowhere in cooking is there more variety and individuality than in the sauces. While dry rubs influence the
flavor of meat before and during the cooking process, the sauce is the final completion of the flavoring process
and the final statement of your own individuality as a barbecue chef! Experiment with different sauces to see
what best suits your taste. For example, you may find that a robust sauce that goes well with pork will
overwhelm seafood (and vice versa). If you desire to baste your meat while it cooks, avoid sauces with tomato
or sugar, since they burn easily. Also, you might try adding the sauce during the last ten minutes of cooking to
avoid burning.
