It’s a beautiful afternoon and you have decided to spend it grilling a wonderful meal for your family. Everyone is ready to dig in, but the food has a distinct taste to it. You realize you taste lighter fluid! Gross! Can you really taste lighter fluid on your grilled foods? Something has gone terribly wrong. How do you avoid this scenario? Don’t worry, there are several methods to keep this from happening to you.
Allow plenty of time for the charcoal to burn to avoid the taste of lighter fluid.
If you begin cooking too quickly, you run the risk of your food tasting a bit like lighter fluid. You will want to be sure to wait at least 15 minutes before beginning. A good rule of thumb is to allow the charcoal to turn completely gray before beginning. This will ensure all of the lighter fluid is burned off.
Don’t use pre-coated charcoal to grill.
Using charcoal that comes pre-coated may be simple to light, but it increases the chances that you will taste lighter fluid. There tends to be more lighter fluid than you might need or use already on these. Avoiding this will up the chances of having delicious grilled food to enjoy.
Using something other than lighter fluid will prevent your food from having the unwanted flavor.
There are numerous options to help you light your charcoal grill without lighter fluid. You can grab some sheets of newspaper to light your grill. Make small balls of newspaper and bury them under the charcoal. Light those on fire and wait for the charcoal to catch. You can also use things like a charcoal chimney or piling in a charcoal pyramid to avoid any needed additives to light the grill. Using these techniques will definitely stop the taste of lighter fluid!
Clean your grill grates after lighting to avoid the taste of lighter fluid on your food.
Once the grill is lit, you can soak some paper towels in oil and use tongs to clean the grates of your grill off. This will ensure that there is no accidental lighter fluid on your grates to cook into your food. An added bonus to this step is that your food won’t stick to your grates afterwards as well! This is an excellent step to take no matter how you lit your grill, and you won’t have to taste lighter fluid.
Use a non-charcoal grill!
At Juniper, we offer not only the wonderful Kamado Joe® grills, but also Memphis Wood Fire Grills pellet grills. A Memphis Wood Fire Grill may be the best option for those of you who are ready to avoid charcoal grills altogether. With this awesome option, you simply place the pellets into the correct chamber, press a button, and your grill is lit! You can even control the temperature with your smartphone. Not only will this simplify the lighting process, but also the grilling process. You won’t ever have to taste lighter fluid again.
If you are looking for more help and guidance at becoming the grilling master of your backyard, the staff at Juniper is happy to help answer any questions you may have. We offer a selection of Kamado Joe grills as well as the Memphis pellet grills. Either option, natural charcoal or pellet, is a great addition to your backyard oasis. With these tips, you won’t ever taste lighter fluid on your food again.
