Guide to Charbroiling

There are a wide variety of ways in which you can cook something, and grilling is definitely considered to be one of the more premium experiences. Microwaving food or cooking it in a pot doesn’t have nearly as good a taste as food that has been grilled, and so char broilers and grills are both very popular in diners and suburban houses where they are used in backyard parties.

If you’re new to char broiling, you might want to read up on some tips before getting down to it. And if you’re looking for some good char broilers, we’ve got a handy list right here. Before you begin, let’s quickly discuss the difference between char broiling and regular grilling, as well as which one to get in which circumstance.

Char Broilers VS Grills

 

Though the two appliances look really similar on the outside – except for a char broiler’s lack of a lid – they’re both actually quite different in both method of working as well as their construction. Grills, regular grills that is, are used for grilling outdoors. So if you’re looking to grill some burgers in your backyard on a Sunday afternoon, a char broiler is not what you’re looking for. Grills have a grate on which meat is placed, and under the grill is a container that holds coal or charcoal that burns away and cooks the meat. The lid can be closed on top of the meat to give it a smokier flavor if you want.

Char broilers on the other hand, come in a couple of different types, and do not have coal or charcoal being used as fuel. Char broilers either use gas or electricity as fuel for their burners. Char broilers are meant for indoor use, but can also produce a large volume of smoke and almost always require an exhaust system in whichever room they are used in. Char broilers are also not recommended for slow cooking of thick cuts of meat. That is something that is better suited for outdoor grills, so choose accordingly.

Choose the Type of Char Broiler You Want

As we mentioned above, char broilers come in broadly two variants; electric, and gas. So which one should you get? That depends on which one you’re more comfortable with. Are you okay with using natural gas to cook or are you too used to having everything run automatically on electricity? Do you want to add a slightly smokier texture to your grilled meat with a natural gas char broiler, or do you want to be able to quickly sear cuts of meat on an electric grill that keeps a consistent temperature? It all comes down to how you want to be able to use your char broiler, and what kind of cooking method you’re more comfortable with.

Firstly, Choose and Prepare the Meat Cut

Firstly, Choose and Prepare the Meat Cut

Naturally, before anything else, you need to choose the meat that you will be cooking. Due to char broilers not being too good with slow cooking, we highly recommend that your slices of meat not be too thick. Go for medium-sized cuts that will sear quickly and properly, instead of getting burnt on the outside and remaining raw on the inside. Also, you can’t just grab a raw steak from the freezer and throw it on the grill. That will lead to some awful cooking. Instead, you’ll have to wait for your cuts of meat to slowly warm up to room temperature before they’re ready to be char broiled. This is why it is a good idea to take the meat out of the freezer before you even begin setting the char broiler up.

Season Your Meat, and Your Char Broiler

Season Your Meat, and Your Char Broiler

You either bought pre-seasoned cuts of meat, or unseasoned ones. Grilling a raw cut of unseasoned meat mostly leads to disappointing results, so it is important that you follow whatever recipe you are using down to the last minute instructions. If you bought pre-seasoned meat, great.If you didn’t, even better.Most people who char broil often will swear by seasoning the meat themselves. It just has that special taste. Oil, spices, use whatever is required to season the meat. This is also something that can be done around the time the meat is thawing and you are preparing the char broiler.

What some newcomers might not realize however is that the meat isn’t the only thing that needs to be seasoned. It is very highly recommended that the grate of the char broiler be coated in a thin layer of oil before the first use of the day as well. Not only does this greatly enhance the flavor of the meat that is then cooked on it, it also prevents said meat from breaking off and getting attached to the grate during grilling.

Grilling the Meat

Grilling the Meat

Now for the fun part, cooking up succulent steaks or burgers or sausages or any other sort of delicious meat. Once you’ve char broiled a few times, you’ll be able to tell when the meat is done simply by looking at its color and texture and also from its smell. For beginners though, a meat thermometer is recommended. Different types of meat have different temperatures they need to reach to be considered properly done.

Depending on what kind of meat you cooked, and also what recipe you used, you might have to leave the meat on the grill for a bit longer after its done. This is done at a higher than usual heat setting, and is a step you take to make sure the fat melts off the meat and only leaves the good part behind. Once you’re done with the grilling and the party is winding down, make sure to thoroughly clean the char broiler so as not to leave any oily or fatty residue behind that might become much harder to remove later down the line.

Conclusion

Cooking your own meals is always great fun, and doubly so when it is done in the company of great people, be they friends or family. And grilling is one of the more engaging methods of cooking for such get-togethers, as everyone can jump in to smell the delicious meat being cooked and give their compliments to the chef, or just flip over a patty for fun. And if your home lacks a yard, or it is simply too cold outside, char broilers help you retain the fun grilling bit of a party while staying indoors.