When is a charcoal BBQ ready to cook on? It’s a common query among charcoal BBQ owners, and I found myself wondering the same thing earlier this summer.
You can have one of the best charcoal BBQs on the market, but if your coals aren’t hot enough, you’ll find it pretty difficult to cook a quality meal. Flames can be misleading, and whether or not the charcoal should be white depends on the type you’re using.
To help you determine when your charcoal is ready on a BBQ, I checked in with a panel of BBQ experts and chefs.
There are a few things you need to know before buying a charcoal BBQ, but one of them is that the most common types of charcoal are lump charcoal and briquettes. If you’re wondering when a charcoal BBQ is ready to cook on, it’ll come down to the type.
Briquettes usually produce a tell-tale layer of white ash when they’re ready to be cooked on (well, above).
‘The charcoal is ready when it’s mostly covered in grey or white ash,’ says Luca Mastrantoni, Head Chef at Ekstedt at the Yard. ‘That means it’s hot and burning evenly.’
You’ll need to watch out for a few other signs that your charcoal is ready, too.
‘You should see a red glow under the coals, and there shouldn’t be big flames or thick smoke anymore,’ Luca explains. ‘If you can hold your hand above the grill (about five inches) for 4–5 seconds before it gets too hot, it’s ready.
If you’re using lumpwood charcoal, though, it can be a little trickier to tell if your charcoal is ready. For one thing, that signature white ash signal doesn’t apply.
‘When using all-natural lumpwood charcoal, you don’t have to wait until your charcoal turns white before cooking on it,’ says Ben Forte from Kamado Joe. ‘That used to be the case when using briquettes, as it was treated with very harsh chemicals, which you had to burn off before use. But you know better than to use that!’
Big K Chilla-Grilla Restaurant Grade Charcoal is Amazon's Choice for lumpwood charcoal.
So, how do you tell when lumpwood charcoal is ready to be cooked on?
Well, like briquettes, lump charcoal will usually stop flaming when it’s ready to be cooked on.
‘The charcoal will smoke a lot and will have large orange flames when it is initially burning,’ explains Jack Godik, Sucre’s Executive Chef. ‘If this is happening, it’s not ready yet. When there’s no more smoke and the flames have died down, you’re probably nearly there.’
There’s also a heat test you can perform (with care) to determine if your charcoal is ready for grilling.
‘It varies depending on how I am using it or what I am cooking, but a good rule of thumb for me is: can I hold my hand above it for two seconds before having to move it?’ says Anthony 'Murf' Murphy, co-founder of The Beefy Boys. ‘If the answer's yes, then that's perfect steak cooking temperature.’
You’ll need to make sure you know how to light a charcoal BBQ properly to get the most out of your BBQ.
‘The quickest and best way to achieve this is to invest in a charcoal starter,’ says Anthony. ‘They are quick, clean, and efficient, and you'll be ready to BBQ in half the time.’
I usually have luck with Weber's Lighter Cubes, which you can buy from Amazon.
