For the sake of correspondence, you wrote to your collier uncle about how you would love to try out his world-famous charcoal briquettes. So your uncle, in all his good intentions, sent a ton of his best lumps, and now you don't have the slightest idea what to do with a hundred-or-so bags of charcoal. How are you supposed to get rid of all those sooty sacks without offending your well-meaning relative? Worry not: what better way to make use of good charcoal than by having one large outdoor cooking party in your backyard?
Cooking is a great outdoor activity as well as a superb way of bonding with your family and friends. Cooking with charcoal improves that experience even more. There are two popular ways to cook with charcoal: grilling and barbecue. You may think that they're just the same, but there are subtle differences between the two.
Strictly speaking, grilling is cooking food directly above the source of heat. The food sits atop the charcoal embers via metal grates – the grills. The heat radiating from the embers cooks the food. Grilling is hotter, and the food is cooked faster than barbecuing. Often, grilled food has distinct burn stripes, or grill marks, where the grill touches the food. When grilling, you may want to try harder charcoal briquettes for fuel.
Barbecuing, in turn, is slower than and not as hot as grilling. In addition, the source of heat is indirect; the coals can be dispersed at the side or a little further from the food being cooked. Also, smoke itself is a factor in barbecuing, where aromatic coals contribute to the flavor of the meat or vegetable being cooked. Marinating, or the process of soaking the food in seasoned liquid such as soy sauce or lemon juice, is also a big factor in barbecuing, although there is also some marinating process in grilling.
In terms of what food to cook, the following are your best grilling or barbecuing bets: steaks, hot dogs and sausages, burger patties, pork chops, chicken breasts, wings and thighs, fish, corn cobs, potatoes and mushrooms.
Whether you like fast-paced, red-hot grilling, or the delicate, elaborate art of barbecue, it's a wonderful feeling if you know your party is a success, with a lot of satisfied faces about, chomping on their last bits of steak or corn cob that you cooked yourself. Heck, you might want to write to your uncle again for more charcoal, or better yet, invite him to the next backyard party.
Your Popup Blocker Must Be Off