7 Charcoal Grilling Tips & Tricks

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We have these 7 Charcoal Grilling Tips & Tricks for Summer Entertaining to make your event go as planned!

It's almost mid-summer and it's finally warm where we live! I am continually seeing friends in the southern states posting that their temperatures are in the 90's and 100's. Yeah, definitely not where we live! We live about an hour south of the Canadian border and we are lucky to see 80 degrees on a good day. I love warm weather though, the hotter the better! We live in an area surrounded by inland lakes so when the temperature finally does warm up we spend most of our time out on our boat.

Aside from boating during the summer months, we love to grill and entertain! Our winters are very long We literally get 7+ months of snow so when we finally get a few months of relief and warmer temps, we spend almost all of our time outside, and when it comes to cooking meals, we grill a lot.

Growing up, my mom only ever grilled BBQ chicken. From what I remember, I got really sick of it, really quick. Luckily my husband loves to grill and we both love trying new foods. And although I do like BBQ chicken, my favorite food to grill is steak. My husband has it down and only uses a charcoal grill so the flavor of our food is out of this world. He also makes the perfect melt-in-your-mouth medium rare steak on our charcoal grill that only take minutes to make. Paired with a side of freshly grilled asparagus it's so much better tasting than any gourmet 5-star restaurant could ever make!

We love Fareway Meat Market brand meats. Our favorite are the ribeye steaks which are perfect for summer grilling and entertaining. Fareway Meats have been around for over 80 years and pride themselves in Midwest raised and cut to order meats!

Not a steak fan? They also carry Iowa Cut Pork Chops, Boneless Pork Chops and 85% Butchers Blend Ground Beef, perfect for making delicious burgers on the grill! The best part of all? Fareway Meat Market is online AND delivers straight to your door. No running to the store when you can have it all shipped direct. So convenient and fresh!

Seriously though, nothing beats grilling and entertaining during the summer months. You're outside, the kids can run through the sprinkler while you're cooking and you can always grill extra meat to save for other meals.

We enjoy grilling steaks, pork chops and burgers to use for other meals later in the week. It saves us time AND money! For limited time head over to Fareway Meat Market where you can enter code MEATLOVER and save $20 off your first order!

Aside from having a variety of meats on hand ready to grill, you'll also need beverages for your guests! Southern Breeze Sweet Tea flavored iced teas are perfect for those hot summer days! They come in a variety of delicious flavors including peach and raspberry and they are ready in only minutes. Simply add the tea bag to cold water let steep for 5-6 minutes and serve pour over ice. No need for sugar or sweeteners either as they are already presweetened!

Want to try them for yourself? Head over to Southern Breeze Sweet Tea for FREE shipping on your first order!

While you're grilling and sipping your Southern Breeze Sweet Tea ,your guests are bound to get the munchies. We have you covered with Popchips! The new Zesty Jalapeno Cheddar, Buffalo Ranch and Barbeque will have your guests coming back for more! Made with real ingredients and popped until light and crispy. We promise you can't eat just one (ask my husband and kids!)

Summer entertaining doesn't have to be hard and we have you covered in the beverage, snack and grilling department. So, while your guests are enjoying themselves, let's fire up that charcoal grill!

7 Charcoal Grilling Tips & Tricks for Summer Entertaining

Have Your Menu Set: When entertaining during the summer months, you do NOT want to be stuck at the grocery store last minute trying to get all your food and drinks! We love having Fairway Meat Market ribeye steaks on hand as well as Southern Breeze Cold Brew Iced Tea and Pop Chips for our guests to enjoy!
Get Your Grill Ready for Grilling: No one wants to grill on a dirty grill. You will want to make sure you discard the ash, cleaned the grates off with a stiff bristled brush and oiled the grates prior to cooking. Oiling is often a skipped step but will definitely help your food not stick to the grates. Simply brush olive oil of vegetable oil over the grates after cleaning and prior to cooking. Make sure you also have enough charcoal on hand.
Lighting The Grill: This is the trickiest part of grilling, in my opinion, and my husband usually handles it. There are a few options for lighting your grill. The easiest method is to use a chimney starter. The other method involves stacking the cold coals in a pyramid shape or mound, squirt the lighter fluid over the cold coals and then light using a match or a lighter. Once the coals are covered in ash and grey in color (about 15-20 minutes) the grill is ready to go.
Arrange the Coals Correctly: For direct heat grilling you will want to arrange your coals evenly across the bottom of the grill. This method is ideal for direct heat and thin-medium cuts of meat, such as Fareway Steak.
Controlling the Temperature: Charcoal grills can be slightly temperamental compared to gas grills when it comes to temperature, but we have you covered. Most charcoal grills have lids with vents. You can close the vents so that less oxygen seeps into the grill slowing down cooking time. If you prefer a hotter grill, open the vents to increase oxygen in making the fire burn hotter.
Avoid Flare-Ups: If the grill gets too hot and flames start to shoot up, carefully move your food off to the side and wait until the flames subside. Again, keeping the lid closed while grilling will help lessen the chances of a flare-up.
Clean-Up: Once the grill has cooled, it's important to keep it clean for next time. A clean grill will also make flare-ups less frequent. Use a stiff bristled brush to clean the grates. If the grates are super dirty you can always soak them in the sink and use a grease cutting dish soap on them. Once the grill is clean and dry, always put the cover back on and make sure the vents are closed. Pulling the grill inside the garage or under a canopy on the porch will also keep your grill protected from the elements.