Don’t have a luxury fire pit? Not a problem. Crank up the grill. Sure, it’s a little hillbilly. So what. Fire is cool. So is B & B Charcoal. Big, barbaric chunks of Oak. It’s the best I have found. Central Market sells it.
Protein of choice: Chicken legs and thighs. The JV error of backyard cooks it too high heat. The outside gets all perfect and the inside is still raw. Nothing like watching a guest’s face turn to horror when they realize they have a mouthful of raw chicken. I like a nice, mellow fire. Plus, it gives you plenty of time to drink beer.
This is what we are looking for. A nice char on the skin, and, hopefully, cooked all the way through. I promptly ate everything I grilled before walking away from the grill. Life is good.
I find that B&B tends to have too many pebble sized pieces. I would go with the Central Market or HEB brand.
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/lump.htm
True, but I think that happens when a bag gets handled too much. The bag I just opened is all giant chunks. I had to break a few of them with a hammer just to get them in the starter.
Looking at that chicken thigh makes me so hungry. And I just ate lunch.
Give Big Green Egg brand oak charcoal a try next bag, I find it to be superior to B&B (and more expensive, but you’re worth it–oh wait, maybe not, it’s around $23 for 40 lbs and B&B is like $12 for 20 right?). More reliably medium-sized chunks and much quicker to light. They sell it at BBQs Galore.