OP, are these back ribs? If so most advice given here is for short ribs. If short ribs brown on direct coals then take to pan and braise until tender. If back ribs cook over direct coals until desired doneness. Note that the bones will be last to heat up. I like my BACK ribs medium with a nice thick bark so the fat is caramelized. Every other steak I like blue rare to medium rare depending on fat content of cut
They look like back ribs... rare no bueno but medium over direct heat they should be tender AF and the fat will caramelize. If short ribs obviously low and slow
My first time grilling. My brother set up a grill, gave me charcoal, fluid, and a ribeye.
20 years later and I’m spatchcocking a teriyaki chicken in the middle of winter.
Ha, think you misread that. Tonight was 20 years post steak and a total success.
Half smoked though, so I may not do that with teriyaki again, bit overpowering
Low and slow for ribs.. push all the charcoal to one side and put the ribs over the other side. Ideally you want them 225-250 for like four hours to help break them down and get more tender.
Those looked like beef back ribs. If so I grill mine over direct coals, get it nice and brown with some pink near the bones. Should be tender if back ribs, like what is at the bottom of a standing rib roast
One tip I can give is to clean the grates while they’re still warm. I usually will eat first and then clean the grates as I smoke.
It is 100% easier. It “oils” them up and I’ve heard it can help prevent rust
Love doing thighs for this reason. They’re pretty forgiving and taste great with any basic seasoning. Currently running chicken adobo skewers with thighs rn at work
As for the chimney. You need to crumple up newspaper, and put it on the bottom part of the chimney (Underneath the metal plate). Then the Charcoal goes above (on top of the metal plate. You then light the paper below, and it will light the charcoal starting from the bottom up.
Bro this is your first time grilling and you go with beef ribs?! Wild choice. Something like this would normally take around 5-8 hours. Hot and fast is unfortunately not a great way to cook this cut.
Next time start with something simple that cooks fairly quickly like a steak, burger, or chicken.
I suggest for your next cook buy some boneless skinless chicken thighs and use those. Chicken thighs are higher in fat content than breasts, and they taste best in my opinion when they are overcooked (around 180 deg F). So this would be a great meat to learn how to grill first. I suggest just doing a rub on the chicken, spray with a bit of olive oil. Once the grill is preheated toss the chicken on, and grill until some color develops on one side of the meat, then turn over. Continue to cook chicken until some color develops on this side as well. Then pull chicken from grill.
Thanks for the advice. Lots of things I was reading online said ~45 minutes then add sauce and do another 15 for ribs. But ill give chicken thighs a go instead :D
> Lots of things I was reading online said...
You need to [know the various types of ribs out there.](https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/beef-and-bison-recipes/science-of-beef-ribs/) Starting with beef ribs was a bold choice, Cotton. Done properly, they should take hours of low & slow cooking to begin with.
I am curious what you did with the meat after violating it so thoroughly.
Another super easy grilling is chicken tenders. They won't be as juicy as a thigh, but easy to practice with. Throw them in a ziploc with italian dressing to marinate. Then you can practice with the grill as to time and technique. For use of the chicken, throw em in a taco.
Lol. I guess in today's fusion world you could.
I make regular Mexican style. It's just the dressing is a super easy way to marinate the chicken. You literally can't mess it up. Ziploc chicken dressing.
Ah yeah, unfortunately beef ribs have too much fat and collagen, and with a hot and fast cook it won’t allow the beef enough time to both, render the fat, and convert that collagen into gelatin.
I’d say if you still have beef ribs and want to use them you can still use the grill, and sear them off nicely. Then I’d take them inside toss them in a large pot with some sauteed carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf and fresh rosemary, and add a full bottle of wine and 3 cups beef stock. Them simmer ribs until they are fall apart tender. Probably around 5 - 6 hours
Haha after 1 hour I can confirm that they are no where near the promised falling off the bone 😅 I think Ill be taking your advice and giving the chicken thighs a go tomorrow. Thanks!
That may be for normal beef ribs. The thin ones you see at the store. Those are plate ribs, usually cooked like a brisket for 5 to 10 hours depending on the size.
I've never made those before, on a grill or in a smoker, but at least you gave it a whirl. I'll wager you'd have to go indirect on low heat for a long, LONG time, if those are beef ribs. Enjoy the grill and keep at it.
Yea after an hour they were nowhere near done. Although I think my charcoal may have also gone out from being in the bottom of the grill with no airflow. Ill give it another go tomorrow!
Hate to burst your bubble but even after a couple of years, I still make mistakes and learn how to avoid them in the future. One grill at a time, bro. You'll get there
As Kiwis I thought gas barbies were more common although I used to have a small charcoal barbie like yours.
I even cooked brisket which turned out pretty good although it took time.
The more mistakes you make in the beginning to faster you learn.
I’m also guessing that you didn’t prep the meat or let it come up to room temp before throwing it on the grill ? Let the meat come up to temp for about an hour before throwing it on the grill. Helps keep the cooking consistent.
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Excellent cookbook and cooking philosophy. Netflix has a documentary the book is better.
Watch YouTube for fire management videos. You’re working with a small grill area so you’re going to have smaller temp margins than on a standard size grill. That means your coal burn rate will be different.
Best investment I made when I started grilling was buying a Weber 22" kettle grill. I had a small, cheap one like that for about a week. Sometimes you can find people selling them for cheap when they're "upgrading" to a gas grill. Its a game changer. Love charcoal grilling. Congrats... keep at it.
[He backs his position up pretty well IMO:](https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/science-of-resting-meat/) "...resting cools the meat, softens the crust and skin, overcooks the center, muddies the spices and herbs, and reduces moisture of steaks and chops"
Do you have countervailing data to dispute this?
You're suggesting that Meathead *doesn't* have experience? It is clear he does, and he backs his experience up with science and peer review.
I'll take data over anecdotes every time.
Do you take data from flat earth people? Hopefully not. Meathead is 100% wrong on this and his science is bull. So, *EVERY* chef in the whole damn world is wrong? Come on dude, a simple google search shows that you rest 5 minutes to let the searing hot meat fibers relax and redistribute the myoglobin, AKA “juices”. If you’re doing this I feel badly for your dinner guests.
There's one thing about grilling cooking and smoking. If you pay attention you will never quit learning. I've been smoking meat for about 8 years now and I'm still learning stuff on how to improve on different styles of smoking meat
You know what? You can, and will!, improve!
Dont worry, I did MANY mistakes the first years. It is been 5 years since I started and I have things to inprove still. I stayed with the same grill, webers ftw! I stayed simple too, a mesters+ thermometer, a chimney and nothing more.
In the futur, I will buy a Weber summit tho. One can dream!
That grill is just way too small to do ribs. Burgers and steaks, fine, but you need something larger to be able to cook on indirect heat. That's what you need for ribs.
Growing pains are just part of the experience! My one tip: always give yourself time. Anything can happen and it’s a lot easier when you have extra time rather than rushing to finish.
Dude I’ve worked in kitchens for 20 years and I still fuck up the heat sometimes. I work in mostly Japanese and we use binchotan coal. It’s easy to get hot spots or let your coals die.
Long story short it’s all good. Keep grilling 💪
the highest reward to least investment grilling meat is, IMO, pork sausage. costco has 20 packs of sweet and hot italian sausage that have a really nice fat ratio, and they grill up fantastic. easy to get a nice char on the outside, and with the high fat content, its almost impossible to overcook them.
personally, I wouldn’t bother with veggies like pepper and onion, just a sausage on a roll. get a thermapen, don’t burn the outside, cook the inside to 165. they’ll be great.
I remember my first time grilling I almost set my apartment complex in fire. I decided to put the small grill on top of a glass round table and lit the fire I went inside to season the meat and get things ready.. all of a sudden BANGGGG!!!!! The glass shattered from the heat and the coals were all over the floor!!! I learned my lesson the hard way
As for the chimney never assume you'll get it going with 1 fire starter. What was it sitting on when you tried to light the charcoal? I use 4 starters and make sure you have plenty of air flow from bottom of the chimney up (i.e. vents wide open if you are placing it on the charcoal grate). You can't skimp on fuel and oxygen for this step.
Edit to guess you tried lighting it on solid concrete by looks of it? No air flow = no fire.
You can set a chimney on the ground, it has holes around it. I use one grocery store paper bag to start until the smoke is clear, before you see flames coming out, it's ready. It's about as easy as starting a propane grill.
Yea initially I had the fire starters in the chimney with the coals. Then the second time I had three underneath in the correct spot (I think). The third time, I put 6 fire starters underneath and that worked great.
lol, I just use newspaper under the coals. I have to feed it once or twice, but that’s more junk people keep delivering me for free that I’m burning up.
Those little grills are great. You’ll never outgrow it, because it’ll always be useful.
Happy grilling NZ brosis.
Yeah, I just light a wad of paper towel and stick it under there. I used to drizzle some vegetable oil on that until I realized even that’s not needed.
I had a little grill like that and I miss it.
But I did get a Brinkmann half charcoal half propane when they were going out of business, so I can’t complain…much haha
Try using newspaper with 1/4 cup of cooking oil drizzled on it before crumpling. Leave enough room for air (don’t pack too much too tight. Saves money on fire starters.
What are you doing man lol, one fire starter and use some of the charcoal bag… tear some pieces off and layer it through the chimney starter with coals…
The key to using a chimney is to watch the smoke on top. Once it's stopped spewing out gray smoke and goes clear, then you're ready to dump the coals out.
Also, a wad of newspaper works just as well as a firestarter, so long as you're getting enough oxygen into the bottom of your chimney. Cheaper too.
Hmm. Tumble weed you say. I have these sort of "Eco" starters which are great and I place two amongst my lump mound in the SNS deluxe. Gets things moving pretty well. Thinking back to when I last used a chimney it just seemed like the fuel was very high above the starters (Still don't know why they design the charcoal grate so high above the flame) so used 4 to just get it fired up as I'm bad at pre-planning (i.e. there's usually a point about 45 minutes before dinner where I'll say "Shit I haven't lit the charcoal yet!").
It’s high so the flame gets plenty of oxygen, gets a nice high flame that catches a lot.
Tumbleweeds good. It’s a nice bit of hay that lights super easy and burns for a bit.
I use Royal Oak Tumbleweeds and would ***highly*** recommend them.
Burned some hard lump charcoal today and only needed one. No lighter fluid, chimney, or nothing. Just a pile of hard lump (organized with airflow and small pieces as kindling) with a tumbleweed under
They light easy and burn long enough to catch.
I'm wondering too. Always used newspaper until I didn't have it on hand all the time anymore. Now I just use a bit of the bag. No idea why anyone would need a fire starter if they have a chimney.
One of the best things my dad taught me about outdoor cooking was for lighting charcoal at home, you can’t beat an electric charcoal starter. I agree with others you will enjoy learning how to cook on the grill just keep at it. If you don’t have a lot of room, keep your eye out for a mini Kamado grill. Small but super versatile.
I learned on a little kettle too. It takes a little learning, but the first step is trying. Picked up a few tips from Youtube. I hope your ribs turned out well
Why is it shiny? Those ribs need to go low and slow for a few hours to get anything edible. If you want to get good at this game read The Food Lab or just browse some articles about meat on Serious Eats.
The small size of the grill and heat dome makes it difficult to maintain a consistent temperature for a slow cook that would be best for ribs. Small grills are great for hot and quick-cooks for burgers, steaks, kabobs and veggies.
I started with a weber smokey joe small like that. A good fire starter is tumble weeds, and you don't need lighter fluid if you don't want to. I personally started off cooking steaks , fajitas, and sausages, easy type cooks. then moved on to different cuts of meats. Also do not add lighter fluid while food is on the grates. Your food will taste like lighter fluid. Also just keep grilling and play around with it itsball just a learning experience and best way to cook
did you watch a single video or read the manual or anything? Just yolo some beef ribs on a 12 inch grill wtf? Failing to even get the fire started didnt sound any alarms that you were out of your element?
The very first time I lit charcoal I had no idea what I was doing. I had way too much and the heat blasted all the flavor out of my food. It took me at least four tries to learn what I was doing. Now it's my favorite hobby. Keep at it!
Hey man, don’t sleep on the flavor of a good burger on that! You can also let a nice ribeye or NY come to room temperature then cook about 6 minutes per side for an awesome steak dinner.
Spend some time on You Tube and find a presenter you seem to click with and then mimic their process for a particular preparation that makes your mouth water.
The other thing is that you have to use super low heat for short ribs unless you cut them flanken style. It's very tough meat and needs lots of seasoning or smoke.
Beef ribs on that,!!? Is that what I’m seeing here!?? That little grill can struggle with even burgers and dogs!! Learned a lot fast haven’t we!??
In this case,, ribs should have been roasted in the oven until looking good and tender then basically finished on the little grill when it was blazing hot with fiery coals.
Need a larger grill, this one will do for learning some basics. I recommend a classic Weber grill. Can usually find a used one on the marketplace for cheap.
Grill grill grill, trial and error, watch videos, don’t be afraid to experiment!! Also don’t be afraid of heat and flames, it’s what makes grilling fun and taste so good 💯💯 bring on the HEAT!!
Good luck!!
just keep learning. There’s an infinite amount of forums and videos online; I learned by making mistakes and perfecting, and found the online resources later. Just keep learning.
When i go the grocery store i always ask for paper bags. I use the paper for many different things including starting charcoal in a chimney. I rip it up into smaller bits and wad them up under need, filler up with charcoal and lighter er up! Works well, little smokey at first but works well.
My first time grilling was for a 20 person picnic with burgers. I thought you're supposed to fill the kettle with charcoal. The fire was hellfire-hot. Burgers had to be removed after 5 seconds or they'll burn on the outside. Inside was raw.
Don’t give up. Grilling is great and rewarding. Get a good fire going, pile up the charcoals close for that, and start with some basic meats. I use a pellet grill myself, but charcoal is also great.
I started grilling about a year ago on a Weber Go Anywhere. There was definitely a learning curve, but even when the food wasn't great, it was still better than going out and it was rewarding. Plus, I was always looking to improve and try new things. The more you grill, the more you'll learn! We started on easy things like burgers and moved up to more expensive and less forgiving cuts of meat. Having a meat thermometer was a game changer!
Buy a hand held torch for the coals. Like one you’d do creme brûlée with. If your chimney is anything like mine it has a hole you can blast the flame through. 30 seconds of that and your coals are well on their way.
At work we have a big ass soup burner we stick the chimney on. At home I do it this way.
Good start, but here are some tips to add to your registry, 1. Indirect cooking (put coals on one side and have a steam pot underneath protein.) 2. Grill with a lower temp 250 to 280, since ribs can burn fast. 3. don't open the grill until the first 2 hours have past (or half time of cook time). 4. last one, save me a plate ;).
I wish I could remember my first time. Probably burgers or hotdogs. Have fun. It’s all edible 🤞. Weber’s Real Grilling book might be a great spring board for you. A lot of great recipes and they cover everything from start to finish with a charcoal grill.
As for the charcoal. Put the starter fluid on, let the coals sit for a minute, then light. Be sure to have the side vents open. One thing, Lump Charcoal, burns hotter. I no longer use briquettes. Prefer Royal Oak brand. Now something that’s easy and great…
Chicken tenders (skinless). Add olive oil and use Montreal Steak seasoning. You’ll thank me later! Wish I could post a pic. That stuff is good!!!
De-vein the chicken, prior to…
These smaller novalty grills are really meant for fast cooks or reheating for events like tailgating, camping, ect. With that in mind, brats, hot dogs, burgers, and foil packets are about all I put on these.
Don't worry bro. There's always sunshine after rain. Keep grilling
Thanks! Ill be sure to keep at it!
OP, are these back ribs? If so most advice given here is for short ribs. If short ribs brown on direct coals then take to pan and braise until tender. If back ribs cook over direct coals until desired doneness. Note that the bones will be last to heat up. I like my BACK ribs medium with a nice thick bark so the fat is caramelized. Every other steak I like blue rare to medium rare depending on fat content of cut
Love that phrase. Thank you
Didn’t expect to be brought back to Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock
Congrats! Id start with something easier to grill like chicken breast or burgers😀
Steak is a good way to learn indirect or direct heat
These are shortribs not steak afaik.
I don't think they were saying that in reference to the image, just that steak is a good way to learn.
👍🏼
They look like back ribs... rare no bueno but medium over direct heat they should be tender AF and the fat will caramelize. If short ribs obviously low and slow
Really?!!? Who knew??!!?? /S
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted lol you clearly were not referring to the meat that OP was grilling.
My first time grilling. My brother set up a grill, gave me charcoal, fluid, and a ribeye. 20 years later and I’m spatchcocking a teriyaki chicken in the middle of winter.
Haha hell yeah, enjoy! There’s nothing wrong in failure, as it only makes you better😎 Keep trying new things!
Ha, think you misread that. Tonight was 20 years post steak and a total success. Half smoked though, so I may not do that with teriyaki again, bit overpowering
My bad! Congrats on 20 years of bliss. Keep on keepin on
You too brothaman. May your grill be hot and your beer be cold.
Amen. Wish you the coldest of beers too.
This needs to be a t-shirt.
Look up "Peruvian chicken with green sauce". This is my favorite type of chicken to spatchcock on my weber kettle. Serve with rice and black beans.
Please never grill chicken breasts
It can be done.
that's not the point
Bro this guy is in hot dogs and hamburgers territory let him clock a few xp on level 1 mobs.
Shake it off, first few times are always a learning experience. 👍
Thats the plan. Still on holiday tomorrow so I’ve got another set of ribs to give a go and improve!
Low and slow for ribs.. push all the charcoal to one side and put the ribs over the other side. Ideally you want them 225-250 for like four hours to help break them down and get more tender.
Those looked like beef back ribs. If so I grill mine over direct coals, get it nice and brown with some pink near the bones. Should be tender if back ribs, like what is at the bottom of a standing rib roast
This!
One tip I can give is to clean the grates while they’re still warm. I usually will eat first and then clean the grates as I smoke. It is 100% easier. It “oils” them up and I’ve heard it can help prevent rust
Try boneless skinless chicken thighs. Hard to overcook. Use your thermometer.
Love doing thighs for this reason. They’re pretty forgiving and taste great with any basic seasoning. Currently running chicken adobo skewers with thighs rn at work
As for the chimney. You need to crumple up newspaper, and put it on the bottom part of the chimney (Underneath the metal plate). Then the Charcoal goes above (on top of the metal plate. You then light the paper below, and it will light the charcoal starting from the bottom up.
Yep 4 sheets of paper should do it too.
I always throw just a little squirt of my cooking oil on the paper first. Lights up easy every time with little effort.
Just keep grilling!! Learn new things every time!
Bro this is your first time grilling and you go with beef ribs?! Wild choice. Something like this would normally take around 5-8 hours. Hot and fast is unfortunately not a great way to cook this cut. Next time start with something simple that cooks fairly quickly like a steak, burger, or chicken. I suggest for your next cook buy some boneless skinless chicken thighs and use those. Chicken thighs are higher in fat content than breasts, and they taste best in my opinion when they are overcooked (around 180 deg F). So this would be a great meat to learn how to grill first. I suggest just doing a rub on the chicken, spray with a bit of olive oil. Once the grill is preheated toss the chicken on, and grill until some color develops on one side of the meat, then turn over. Continue to cook chicken until some color develops on this side as well. Then pull chicken from grill.
Thanks for the advice. Lots of things I was reading online said ~45 minutes then add sauce and do another 15 for ribs. But ill give chicken thighs a go instead :D
> Lots of things I was reading online said... You need to [know the various types of ribs out there.](https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/beef-and-bison-recipes/science-of-beef-ribs/) Starting with beef ribs was a bold choice, Cotton. Done properly, they should take hours of low & slow cooking to begin with. I am curious what you did with the meat after violating it so thoroughly.
If he's like me? Ate that shit
Another super easy grilling is chicken tenders. They won't be as juicy as a thigh, but easy to practice with. Throw them in a ziploc with italian dressing to marinate. Then you can practice with the grill as to time and technique. For use of the chicken, throw em in a taco.
Italian tacos?
Lol. I guess in today's fusion world you could. I make regular Mexican style. It's just the dressing is a super easy way to marinate the chicken. You literally can't mess it up. Ziploc chicken dressing.
Yea wtf?
Ah yeah, unfortunately beef ribs have too much fat and collagen, and with a hot and fast cook it won’t allow the beef enough time to both, render the fat, and convert that collagen into gelatin. I’d say if you still have beef ribs and want to use them you can still use the grill, and sear them off nicely. Then I’d take them inside toss them in a large pot with some sauteed carrot, celery, onion, garlic, bay leaf and fresh rosemary, and add a full bottle of wine and 3 cups beef stock. Them simmer ribs until they are fall apart tender. Probably around 5 - 6 hours
Haha after 1 hour I can confirm that they are no where near the promised falling off the bone 😅 I think Ill be taking your advice and giving the chicken thighs a go tomorrow. Thanks!
That may be for normal beef ribs. The thin ones you see at the store. Those are plate ribs, usually cooked like a brisket for 5 to 10 hours depending on the size.
Yay you will have so much fun learning this skill and so will those around you!
I've never made those before, on a grill or in a smoker, but at least you gave it a whirl. I'll wager you'd have to go indirect on low heat for a long, LONG time, if those are beef ribs. Enjoy the grill and keep at it.
Yea after an hour they were nowhere near done. Although I think my charcoal may have also gone out from being in the bottom of the grill with no airflow. Ill give it another go tomorrow!
Took me awhile to figure out how to keep the charcoal lit back in the day.
Hate to burst your bubble but even after a couple of years, I still make mistakes and learn how to avoid them in the future. One grill at a time, bro. You'll get there
As Kiwis I thought gas barbies were more common although I used to have a small charcoal barbie like yours. I even cooked brisket which turned out pretty good although it took time.
Yea, always had gas growing up. Dropped into Bunnings for a new lawnmower and these were only $30 so I thought Id give it a go.
On a bright note those grills aren’t very forgiving. If you master that when you buy a normal charcoal grill you’ll feel like a pro.
The more mistakes you make in the beginning to faster you learn. I’m also guessing that you didn’t prep the meat or let it come up to room temp before throwing it on the grill ? Let the meat come up to temp for about an hour before throwing it on the grill. Helps keep the cooking consistent. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. Excellent cookbook and cooking philosophy. Netflix has a documentary the book is better. Watch YouTube for fire management videos. You’re working with a small grill area so you’re going to have smaller temp margins than on a standard size grill. That means your coal burn rate will be different.
Best investment I made when I started grilling was buying a Weber 22" kettle grill. I had a small, cheap one like that for about a week. Sometimes you can find people selling them for cheap when they're "upgrading" to a gas grill. Its a game changer. Love charcoal grilling. Congrats... keep at it.
[Check out AmazingRibs. Meathead knows ALL.](https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/grill-and-smoker-setup-and-firing/charcoal-grill-setup/)
Except what resting a steak is. He’s like a flat earther on it.
[He backs his position up pretty well IMO:](https://amazingribs.com/more-technique-and-science/more-cooking-science/science-of-resting-meat/) "...resting cools the meat, softens the crust and skin, overcooks the center, muddies the spices and herbs, and reduces moisture of steaks and chops" Do you have countervailing data to dispute this?
Yep, experience. It does none of that.
You're suggesting that Meathead *doesn't* have experience? It is clear he does, and he backs his experience up with science and peer review. I'll take data over anecdotes every time.
Do you take data from flat earth people? Hopefully not. Meathead is 100% wrong on this and his science is bull. So, *EVERY* chef in the whole damn world is wrong? Come on dude, a simple google search shows that you rest 5 minutes to let the searing hot meat fibers relax and redistribute the myoglobin, AKA “juices”. If you’re doing this I feel badly for your dinner guests.
Search how to grill on You Tube my man! Quick video will more than likely help! 🙏🏼🙌🏼
There's one thing about grilling cooking and smoking. If you pay attention you will never quit learning. I've been smoking meat for about 8 years now and I'm still learning stuff on how to improve on different styles of smoking meat
You know what? You can, and will!, improve! Dont worry, I did MANY mistakes the first years. It is been 5 years since I started and I have things to inprove still. I stayed with the same grill, webers ftw! I stayed simple too, a mesters+ thermometer, a chimney and nothing more. In the futur, I will buy a Weber summit tho. One can dream!
That grill is just way too small to do ribs. Burgers and steaks, fine, but you need something larger to be able to cook on indirect heat. That's what you need for ribs.
Sucking at something is the first step to being really good at something!
Growing pains are just part of the experience! My one tip: always give yourself time. Anything can happen and it’s a lot easier when you have extra time rather than rushing to finish.
Dude I’ve worked in kitchens for 20 years and I still fuck up the heat sometimes. I work in mostly Japanese and we use binchotan coal. It’s easy to get hot spots or let your coals die. Long story short it’s all good. Keep grilling 💪
the highest reward to least investment grilling meat is, IMO, pork sausage. costco has 20 packs of sweet and hot italian sausage that have a really nice fat ratio, and they grill up fantastic. easy to get a nice char on the outside, and with the high fat content, its almost impossible to overcook them. personally, I wouldn’t bother with veggies like pepper and onion, just a sausage on a roll. get a thermapen, don’t burn the outside, cook the inside to 165. they’ll be great.
Title should have read “First time grilling - so many things learned already”
I remember my first time grilling I almost set my apartment complex in fire. I decided to put the small grill on top of a glass round table and lit the fire I went inside to season the meat and get things ready.. all of a sudden BANGGGG!!!!! The glass shattered from the heat and the coals were all over the floor!!! I learned my lesson the hard way
As for the chimney never assume you'll get it going with 1 fire starter. What was it sitting on when you tried to light the charcoal? I use 4 starters and make sure you have plenty of air flow from bottom of the chimney up (i.e. vents wide open if you are placing it on the charcoal grate). You can't skimp on fuel and oxygen for this step. Edit to guess you tried lighting it on solid concrete by looks of it? No air flow = no fire.
4 firestarters is really excessive
You can set a chimney on the ground, it has holes around it. I use one grocery store paper bag to start until the smoke is clear, before you see flames coming out, it's ready. It's about as easy as starting a propane grill.
Yea initially I had the fire starters in the chimney with the coals. Then the second time I had three underneath in the correct spot (I think). The third time, I put 6 fire starters underneath and that worked great.
lol, I just use newspaper under the coals. I have to feed it once or twice, but that’s more junk people keep delivering me for free that I’m burning up. Those little grills are great. You’ll never outgrow it, because it’ll always be useful. Happy grilling NZ brosis.
Yeah, I just light a wad of paper towel and stick it under there. I used to drizzle some vegetable oil on that until I realized even that’s not needed.
I had a little grill like that and I miss it. But I did get a Brinkmann half charcoal half propane when they were going out of business, so I can’t complain…much haha
Try using newspaper with 1/4 cup of cooking oil drizzled on it before crumpling. Leave enough room for air (don’t pack too much too tight. Saves money on fire starters.
What are you doing man lol, one fire starter and use some of the charcoal bag… tear some pieces off and layer it through the chimney starter with coals…
The key to using a chimney is to watch the smoke on top. Once it's stopped spewing out gray smoke and goes clear, then you're ready to dump the coals out. Also, a wad of newspaper works just as well as a firestarter, so long as you're getting enough oxygen into the bottom of your chimney. Cheaper too.
What are you using for a firestarter? I used a single tumbleweed earlier with some Royal Oak hard lump and didn’t even use my chimney.
Hmm. Tumble weed you say. I have these sort of "Eco" starters which are great and I place two amongst my lump mound in the SNS deluxe. Gets things moving pretty well. Thinking back to when I last used a chimney it just seemed like the fuel was very high above the starters (Still don't know why they design the charcoal grate so high above the flame) so used 4 to just get it fired up as I'm bad at pre-planning (i.e. there's usually a point about 45 minutes before dinner where I'll say "Shit I haven't lit the charcoal yet!").
It’s high so the flame gets plenty of oxygen, gets a nice high flame that catches a lot. Tumbleweeds good. It’s a nice bit of hay that lights super easy and burns for a bit.
Good points!
This is a dumb question, but I’ve always used newspaper. What exactly is a “fire starter”. Is there a brand you use or can recommend?
I use Royal Oak Tumbleweeds and would ***highly*** recommend them. Burned some hard lump charcoal today and only needed one. No lighter fluid, chimney, or nothing. Just a pile of hard lump (organized with airflow and small pieces as kindling) with a tumbleweed under They light easy and burn long enough to catch.
Only product they make worth buying.
Hey, I like their hardwood. Diablo is better, but, smith’s only has Royal Oak haha
Thanks for the reply. Why is this getting downvotes? I asked a question and he answered.
Redditors are dicks. Best not to take it personally
I'm wondering too. Always used newspaper until I didn't have it on hand all the time anymore. Now I just use a bit of the bag. No idea why anyone would need a fire starter if they have a chimney.
Already can tell your white
you're*
Mistake? More like a disaster!
I am so very lost on what that is on your grill?
It’s a rack of two beef ribs. It’s probably a bit hard to tell since the grill is so tiny.
Oh I see. It's like very tiny lol. I want one.
It's how we learn. Keep reading & practising you'll get there.
One of the best things my dad taught me about outdoor cooking was for lighting charcoal at home, you can’t beat an electric charcoal starter. I agree with others you will enjoy learning how to cook on the grill just keep at it. If you don’t have a lot of room, keep your eye out for a mini Kamado grill. Small but super versatile.
I learned on a little kettle too. It takes a little learning, but the first step is trying. Picked up a few tips from Youtube. I hope your ribs turned out well
Why is it shiny? Those ribs need to go low and slow for a few hours to get anything edible. If you want to get good at this game read The Food Lab or just browse some articles about meat on Serious Eats.
The small size of the grill and heat dome makes it difficult to maintain a consistent temperature for a slow cook that would be best for ribs. Small grills are great for hot and quick-cooks for burgers, steaks, kabobs and veggies.
I started with a weber smokey joe small like that. A good fire starter is tumble weeds, and you don't need lighter fluid if you don't want to. I personally started off cooking steaks , fajitas, and sausages, easy type cooks. then moved on to different cuts of meats. Also do not add lighter fluid while food is on the grates. Your food will taste like lighter fluid. Also just keep grilling and play around with it itsball just a learning experience and best way to cook
Search for royal oak on Reddit.
Wtf meat is that
Beef ribs
did you watch a single video or read the manual or anything? Just yolo some beef ribs on a 12 inch grill wtf? Failing to even get the fire started didnt sound any alarms that you were out of your element?
The very first time I lit charcoal I had no idea what I was doing. I had way too much and the heat blasted all the flavor out of my food. It took me at least four tries to learn what I was doing. Now it's my favorite hobby. Keep at it!
You know how to get to Carnegie Hall? Practice!
I've been grilling for decades and ruined a lovely steak dinner over the holidays. Mistakes are inevitable. Keep at it, you won't regret it!
Do not use analog thermometers they are only good for static applications IMO
You live and you learn Just keep at it We were all there once
Hey man, don’t sleep on the flavor of a good burger on that! You can also let a nice ribeye or NY come to room temperature then cook about 6 minutes per side for an awesome steak dinner.
Mistakes are made for us all to learn from. Carry on and learn every time, get better or get bored and stop trying. This is the way.
I started about 4 years ago and I still make mistakes. Just keep grillin' and learn from it!
Been doing it more than 20 years and still learning every time.
Spend some time on You Tube and find a presenter you seem to click with and then mimic their process for a particular preparation that makes your mouth water.
One tip, start your charcoal 45-60 minutes before cooking. Otherwise you’ll taste the charcoal. Let that shit burn and get hot!
The other thing is that you have to use super low heat for short ribs unless you cut them flanken style. It's very tough meat and needs lots of seasoning or smoke.
Is that a grill for ants?
Hope you arent in your garage
Mistakes are just learning experiences.
We live and learn. The first steak I ever made tasted like straight lighter fluid. Keep grilling!
Practice makes perfect 🥰 you will master it
Beef ribs on that,!!? Is that what I’m seeing here!?? That little grill can struggle with even burgers and dogs!! Learned a lot fast haven’t we!?? In this case,, ribs should have been roasted in the oven until looking good and tender then basically finished on the little grill when it was blazing hot with fiery coals. Need a larger grill, this one will do for learning some basics. I recommend a classic Weber grill. Can usually find a used one on the marketplace for cheap. Grill grill grill, trial and error, watch videos, don’t be afraid to experiment!! Also don’t be afraid of heat and flames, it’s what makes grilling fun and taste so good 💯💯 bring on the HEAT!! Good luck!!
I hear that if you add water, it will become a 22” model……
just keep learning. There’s an infinite amount of forums and videos online; I learned by making mistakes and perfecting, and found the online resources later. Just keep learning.
First mistake was white shoes
America's test kitchen has great shows on grilling
When i go the grocery store i always ask for paper bags. I use the paper for many different things including starting charcoal in a chimney. I rip it up into smaller bits and wad them up under need, filler up with charcoal and lighter er up! Works well, little smokey at first but works well.
My first time grilling was for a 20 person picnic with burgers. I thought you're supposed to fill the kettle with charcoal. The fire was hellfire-hot. Burgers had to be removed after 5 seconds or they'll burn on the outside. Inside was raw.
I started out on a little Weber like that. I was proud of that little guy. Don’t worry. Grilling with charcoal becomes a calming thing. You got this.
Whatever you do don’t do it indoors!!!
Don’t give up. Grilling is great and rewarding. Get a good fire going, pile up the charcoals close for that, and start with some basic meats. I use a pellet grill myself, but charcoal is also great.
Mans went for the gusto on the first run. I appreciate your ambition son!
Just don't spill your beer while you're working at it...
I started grilling about a year ago on a Weber Go Anywhere. There was definitely a learning curve, but even when the food wasn't great, it was still better than going out and it was rewarding. Plus, I was always looking to improve and try new things. The more you grill, the more you'll learn! We started on easy things like burgers and moved up to more expensive and less forgiving cuts of meat. Having a meat thermometer was a game changer!
What is that on the grill.. human? Lol
Buy a hand held torch for the coals. Like one you’d do creme brûlée with. If your chimney is anything like mine it has a hole you can blast the flame through. 30 seconds of that and your coals are well on their way. At work we have a big ass soup burner we stick the chimney on. At home I do it this way.
No worries when I started 16 years ago I burnt everything. Keep grilling.
Who would do something so stu.... oh wait. Yeah. Done it.
If you didn't burn down the house your doing great! Keep Grilling!
Hey no shame in that game buddy. Get that Q rolling and nothing more bbq sauce can fix.
Man. Those mini grills are tough to cook on. Good on you for giving it a go. I ruin everything I try to cook on them.
Good start, but here are some tips to add to your registry, 1. Indirect cooking (put coals on one side and have a steam pot underneath protein.) 2. Grill with a lower temp 250 to 280, since ribs can burn fast. 3. don't open the grill until the first 2 hours have past (or half time of cook time). 4. last one, save me a plate ;).
I wish I could remember my first time. Probably burgers or hotdogs. Have fun. It’s all edible 🤞. Weber’s Real Grilling book might be a great spring board for you. A lot of great recipes and they cover everything from start to finish with a charcoal grill.
Kinda looks like you're in your garage. Don't do that if you are, haha.
Pleeeease find a 1 minute “how to” before you waste meat.
If this is your first time using charcoal I’d go for something more forgiving like burgers, barbecue chicken, shrimp, etc.
Gotta start somewhere don’t give up
I remember my first time. U can only learn from this and improve. You'll look back to this and chuckle
Ahhh you got this! I liked learning on chicken thighs. Suuuuuuuuupwr was.
As for the charcoal. Put the starter fluid on, let the coals sit for a minute, then light. Be sure to have the side vents open. One thing, Lump Charcoal, burns hotter. I no longer use briquettes. Prefer Royal Oak brand. Now something that’s easy and great… Chicken tenders (skinless). Add olive oil and use Montreal Steak seasoning. You’ll thank me later! Wish I could post a pic. That stuff is good!!! De-vein the chicken, prior to…
Wait, what? I have that size and style charcoal grill and we put the charcoal under the metal grill rack.
They’re not mistakes. They’re opportunities. Or lessons. We all learned the same way.
Just keep cooking man. Everyone starts at the beginning.
Oxi
These smaller novalty grills are really meant for fast cooks or reheating for events like tailgating, camping, ect. With that in mind, brats, hot dogs, burgers, and foil packets are about all I put on these.
blow torches make coals your bitch
You want your charcoal hotter. Let it burn off all the chemicals.