Cooking with a charcoal grill can provide a flavor that isn't found when cooking with seemingly more modern gas grills. A good charcoal grill will give the meat you cook a classic BBQ flavor. Charcoal grills come in many different styles and the one that is right for you will depend of exactly what you are trying do to. You can find grills that are portable and great for a picnic, right on up in size to large cooking pits built in backyards made of brick and cement.

What kind of charcoal grill is right for you? You need to think of exactly what you want it for. It is important to consider if portability is important, it is if you intend to take the grill with you on picnics or camping. You will also need to consider how much food you are going to need to be cooking at any time. The small grill that is easy to toss into the trunk may not serve you very well if you need to cook for five people. Consider the cooking area the charcoal grill you are considering will provide.

When cooking with charcoal grill safety is a major concern. The most important part of the grill in this respect are the legs. If the legs are not sufficient or are unsafe the whole grill will tip over. When a charcoal grill falls over it throws its load of extremely hot coals. Check to be sure that the legs of any grill you are considering buying has very sturdy legs that won't allow the grill to fall.

In addition to good legs some charcoal grills will provide a water reservoir that can be used to douse some or all of the coals if the heat becomes too much. Even if your grill doesn't have that feature you should keep a metal bucket of water around for dousing the coals when you have finished cooking. Let coals cool down first then you need to dump the coals into the water slowly, watch out for the steam that may be produced. Don't throw the water on the coals that will make a large mess.

Once you have your charcoal grill all picked out you will need to buy charcoal when you intend to use it. The coal is available at most supermarkets and hardware stores and is not at all expensive. In order to get the coal burning you will need to buy some lighter fluid. The coals are placed in the grill and stacked in a pyramid. Once stacked they are then doused in lighter fluid, after allowing a second for the fluid to soak into the pile it can be set ablaze. Allow the coal to get burning red hot, spread it around the grill and then enjoy cooking your dinner.