Fires For Grilling

Fires for Grilling

Grilling over a gas flame offers something in the way of exaggerated browning which does enhance flavor. However, there is so much room for improvement! The improvement comes at a cost of a little time and effort but the expense can be so much less. Gas grills are expensive! I have used gas grills but I have never owned one and am sure I never will. I grilled for years on a piece of stainless steel mesh (bought for next to nothing at a home improvement center) resting on a few bricks. And let me tell you a little about the nature of fire-making materials.
Natural gas, propane and butane have nothing to contribute to the flavor of foods grilled over them. Charcoal is much better but can easily be improved on. About charcoal: briquets are made of charcoal dust mixed with coal dust and bound together with another non-charcoal contaminant. I doubt you want to flavor your grilling with these non-charcoal substances. Lump charcoal has none of these so I suggest you try that. Charcoal from Mexico is all natural lump type and is not very expensive. All charcoal is made by heating wood very hot in conditions where there isn't enough oxygen for it to burn. This drives off all the stuff that makes wood smoke so flavorful. That is quite a loss but is easily remedied: when the charcoal is ready for grilling, tap the coals to remove ashes and cover with a layer of small twigs you have gathered, perhaps while the coals were getting ready to use. These twigs should be a something like a quarter to a half inch in diameter and can be just about any common hardwood. Pecan, maple, oak, and mesquite all work well. Apple is wonderful and hickory is an obvious choice. The layer of twigs will burn to embers in a very few minutes and these embers will give a wonderful flavor to whatever you are grilling.