A charcoal barbecue is a cooking device that generates heat using charcoal as the primary fuel. The structure of the barbecue, also known as a grill, is made up of legs that support a barrel in which the charcoal can be heated. A grate or grill is placed over the coals, and the barrel is covered with a lid to keep the heat contained. Other features of the charcoal grill include vents on both the lid and the barrel, an ash catcher or tray, a lid handle, and wheels mounted to the legs for easy transport.
Charcoal is essentially wood or bone that has been sufficiently burned to the point where water is no longer present. All that’s left is carbon residue, which can burn quickly and hotly. For a charcoal barbecue, charcoal briquettes are commonly used as fuel, and some users will douse the briquettes with lighter fluid to get the coals lit. Barbecue purists, on the other hand, will not use lighter fluid at all and will instead use a charcoal chimney, which is a metal cylinder into which briquettes can be packed. Under the charcoal, a newspaper or other fuel can be lit, and the briquettes can be heated until they glow red inside the chimney. They can be dumped into the charcoal barbecue and spread out once they’re hot enough.
In comparison to propane grills, this type of cooking device has both advantages and disadvantages. Starting a charcoal grill takes much longer and is much more difficult than starting a propane grill, which entails simply turning on the gas and pressing the lighter. Propane grills are also typically larger and produce significantly less smoke, which can be both a benefit and a drawback. Larger grills require more energy to heat, and less smoke means less flavor in the foods you’re cooking.
Charcoal grills have the advantage of providing a more consistent heat, allowing foods to be cooked more thoroughly than on a propane grill. However, because the coals burn down over time and produce less heat, the temperature of the grill will fluctuate more quickly. When the wind blows hard enough, the charcoal will produce an ash by-product, which can be messy and end up on the foods being grilled.