Cooking Utensil

How to Put Out Charcoal Grill

A charcoal grill is one of the best ways of cooking your food. It will inject your dishes with a smoky flavor and produce more tender meat. There is just one problem: putting out the grill. Here’s what you need to know to do this safely.

Why Putting Out a Grill is Important?

Let’s start by talking about why following the right procedure to put out the grill is so important. First, it will ensure that everyone is safe. The coals in a grill can stay hot for up to 48 hours. This is plenty of time for an accident to occur. A child or a pet can burn themselves. Alternatively, they can knock over the grill and cause a fire.

Putting out the coals incorrectly can potentially damage the grill. Sometimes the steam can cause the charcoal grill to warp out of shape. To prevent this, here are the steps to follow to put out the grill safely.

Break up the Coals

Before you put away the grill, you’ll need to mix the coals a little. This will break them into smaller pieces. This will help them extinguish faster.

Fully Close the Vents

The first thing that you need to do is fully close the vents. This stops oxygen from getting to the coals. This is what will stop them from burning. How long it will take the charcoal to stop burning will depend on the number of coals you had and how hot they had become. Generally, it’s a good idea to leave the grill closed for between four to eight hours. This will ensure that they are extinguished before you move on to the next step. As you are waiting for the grill to cool, make sure that it is in a safe place. It should be out of the reach of children.

It can be tempting to use water to cool the coals. There are a few reasons why this might not be a good idea. First, the hot water will create steam. This has the potential to lead to cause burns. The steam also has the potential to damage the grill. It has been known to cause cracks.

Removing the Ashes

Once you have left them for eight hours, you can be reasonably confident that the ashes have stopped burning. But it’s best to be certain that there is no risk. Because of this, lay out the aluminum foil. You can use a metal bucket to scoop up the ashes and put them into the foil. This will help contain any lingering heat. The high temperatures would have melted through any plastic containers. If there are larger pieces that you aren’t sure about, use tongs to dump them in a bucket of water.

Salvaging the Charcoal

Sometimes, there will be some charcoal that didn’t burn. Shift through the ashes, looking for unburnt pieces. Remove these. You’ll be able to use them another day. This is a simple step, but it can end up saving you a lot of money over the long term. This blog goes into more depth about how you can salvage your used charcoal.

Disposing of the Ashes

When you have all the ashes on the foil, wrap it up. Then put it into a metal trashcan. By this point, there shouldn’t be any live embers. But if there are, the metal layers of protection will prevent a fire from breaking out.

Cooling the Grill Faster

I prefer this method because it allows you to salvage some charcoal. This is less wasteful and will help you save some money. But there is a way to cool the grill faster. In this case, you will need to shut the lid and give the coals ten minutes to cool down. Then, open the lid and spray the coals with water. Keep doing this until they are all extinguished. You can then bag them up safely. This article goes into more depth about this cooling method.

Conclusion

A charcoal grill is very easy to use and will add a lot of smoky flavors to your meal. If you want to experience it for yourself and want to know what to look for, check out this charcoal grills list. Once you have prepared your meal, you now know the right procedure to put out the charcoal safely.


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This post was last modified on September 20, 2021 7:53 am

Mary Lee

I'm Marry, a foodie with a love to cook and share my delicious dishes. You'll find me reading a good book when I'm not cooking.

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