New Flavors in Savory Summer Grilling for 2026

Even heat distribution is crucial, and it's attained by adjusting the vents to let oxygen in and out and stacking the coals to produce indirect and direct cooking zones. Charcoal does not include water, allowing it to reach those white-coal temperature levels that create the best sear on a steak or char on a cob of corn.

Sure, there are numerous types of charcoal grills, from barrel formed to flat-tops. Even a basic Weber Original Kettle grill (premier in Consumer Reports' "Finest Charcoal Grills of 2020") can outshine the others just based on its timeless shape, which is optimum for heat flow.

If you desire the highest-performing, most heat-efficient charcoal-burning grill on the marketplace and cost isn't a deterrent, consider a Kamado, whose designs include The Big Green Egg (see opposite page). Fuel. Select lump charcoal over briquettes. Lump burns hotter. Zerkel also likes to include cigarette smoking (experienced wood) chips, which give a more intense, smoky flavor.

Modern Flavors in Savory Home Grilling to Try

Forget the lighter fluid. Buy a chimney. This hollow metal cylinder with a bottom grate holds the charcoal. You utilize newspaper and matches or an air-driven lighter to help the charcoal ignite and never ever have food that tastes like lighter fluid. Image by Aliza Baran Tighten up your poultry game.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

One failsafe method is to opt for thigh meat, which has more fat and for that reason greater juiciness and taste. Purchase bone-in, skin-on breasts and prepare them carefully over indirect heat.

The method you prepare this lean white meat makes a distinction, too. To keep it from losing its precious juices, "I would burn it and move it to the cold side of the grill" to cook gradually, he states. He also purchases entire chickens, cuts them up and has parts he can cook differently grilled thighs, poached (in liquid on the stove) breasts for ramen.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

Season your meat with salt and let it come to room temperature. (You can even season it approximately 8 hours before cooking and let it being in the fridge.) Position the steak on the hottest part of the grate and burn it for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Mastering a Perfect Griddle Burger

Move the meat to the cooler part of the grill to complete it off to whatever temperature you like. Fall in love with veggies. A preferred on the Zerkel grill is cabbage. "I'll put a half-cabbage on the 'cold' side of the grill, get a good char on it, and it softens and becomes something else" something fantastic, he says.

"The crust it forms will likewise help it different" from the grate without falling apart, he says. Before using it each time, Zerkel scrapes the grate and cleans it down with oil.

Weber Original Kettle 26," $329 at Town Ace Hardware (2170 N. Prospect Ave.) Advocates declare the big benefit is the taste it imparts to food that tantalizing smoky taste. However Zerkel, a professional chef who's accustomed to using a stove's knobs and temperature level controls with precision, likes this method of cooking for its unpredictability.

Picture by Aliza Baran The Big Green Egg can bake, slow-smoke, saut and sear. If rate is no object, this grill simply may be for you. Image courtesy of Didriks You might have heard of this contraption a green, egg-shaped ceramic grill that can cook a pizza at 700 degrees in minutes and smoke a beef brisket at 220 degrees for 14 hours.

Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers

The Big Green Egg is a grilling financial investment that may make sense if you prepare to use it a lot. The Fein Brothers co-owner keeps his Egg in routine rotation in summer season.

Top 2026 BBQ Tips for Gourmet Cooks

The Egg does not need much charcoal, and for those who hate cleansing grills, this one is low-maintenance. To purchase: Especially fantastic for steaks, ground meat and pork ribs, bone-in roasts, chops.