Charcoal & Wood Chips

If you’re using a smoker box on a gas grill, soaking your smoke chips for at least 30 minutes is a smart move. Because gas grills have high airflow, dry chips tend to vanish in a flash of fire rather than providing flavor. By soaking them, you essentially buy yourself an extra 15 minutes of smoke time while the water evaporates. Just be sure to drain the excess liquid before adding them to the heat; you want damp wood, not a puddle. If you find your chips are still burning too fast, try wrapping them in a tin foil pouch with a few small holes poked in the top to restrict the oxygen.

The safest and most efficient way to put out charcoal is by “starving” the fire of oxygen. Simply close the lid of your grill and shut both the top and bottom vents completely. Without a fresh air supply, the embers will naturally die out. If you’re in a hurry and need to move your grill, you can use the “drowning” method, but you have to be extremely careful. Use a fine mist from a garden hose or a spray bottle rather than a bucket of water; dumping water onto hot charcoal creates an immediate cloud of scalding steam and can send hot ash flying. A better alternative is to use long metal tongs to move the hot coals into a dedicated metal bucket filled with sand or water. Never dump hot coals directly into a plastic trash can or onto dry grass, as they can stay hot enough to start a fire for days.

For a clean flavor without that chemical “aftertaste,” a chimney starter is the way to go. Stuff a few pieces of crumpled newspaper or a couple of fire-starter cubes into the bottom compartment, fill the top with your charcoal, and light the paper. In about 15 to 20 minutes, the coals at the top will start to turn a light gray color with a soft orange glow. At that point, carefully dump them into your grill. It’s faster, more consistent, and you won’t have to worry about your steaks tasting like lighter fluid. It’s a game-changer for anyone who grills regularly.