Getting Started!

If you’re a girl that’s needing help starting your grill, here are 3 popular ways to get the coals golden! Read the article below for lighting tips!

Lighter Fluid (My least favorite) - Lighter fluid is the traditional way to start your charcoal. It works, but can be difficult and messy.How to use it - Start by building a pyramid-shaped pile of charcoal in your grill or barbecue. It helps to have a small indentation at the top rather than a point. Turn your bottle of lighter fluid upside down and firmly squeeze for about 3 to 5 seconds, aiming the fluid into the indentation at the top of the pile of charcoal. Close and store your lighter fluid and then light the charcoal with a match. I recommend using long fireplace matches to avoid burning your hands! The coal will immediately ignite in flames. However, flames are not the goal, you want the charcoal to get hot enough to start burning themselves, developing hot, glowing embers. This takes some time. Some tips are to give the charcoal some time and avoid wind. Wind will blow out your fire. However, you don't want to cover your grill just yet because it needs oxygen to get ignited. Your charcoal is ready when most of the briquettes have a layer of grey ash developed over most of their surface. If your charcoal stops burning before it is lit and does not seem to be progressing, you occasionally need to add more lighter fluid. Try to avoid using too much and be careful, it will flare up as soon as you spray more lighter fluid on those hot coals! Pros - Lighter fluid is available everywhere, cheap and it does work, eventually. Cons - Lighter fluid is much less reliable in getting your charcoal lit, often taking several tries before your coals are ready. It can take longer than the other methods. Also, you are using chemicals, like kerosene, to ignite your charcoal. While this does burn off before you add your food theoretically, I definitely don't want chemical aromas or fumes in or near my food.


Electric Charcoal Starter - These are basically a metal loop attached to a handle which plugs into a standard power outlet. The electrical supply creates a current in the metal loop which heats it to very high heat, similar to an electric stove burner. This heat is used to ignite your charcoal. These electric charcoal starters are generally available in home supply stores and anywhere grills and barbecue supplies are sold.How to use it - Spread a layer of charcoal briquettes on your charcoal grate in your barbecue. Next, lay the metal loop of your electric charcoal starter on top of this layer of charcoal. Then cover the starter with more charcoal. Plug in the electric starter and wait. After about 8 to 12 minutes the coals around the starter have ignited sufficiently, getting a grey ash covering their surface, to get the rest of the coals around them started. Unplug your charcoal starter and remove it. You may need to wait a while longer before the rest of your charcoal has ignited and the majority of briquettes have a layer of grey ash on their surface. Pros - The electric charcoal starter is an easy way to start your grill. You don't need to deal with flames, flammable materials or matches. There are no chemicals involved and it is reusable. Cons - Obviously, you need an electrical outlet nearby your grill for this to work. If you are grilling at a park, beach or campground, this may not be practical. Occasionally these can take a bit longer to start your charcoal but are generally faster than using lighter fluid.

Charcoal Chimney Starter - This is my personal favorite way to start my charcoal! Chimney starters can also be found in most home supply stores and anywhere grills and barbecue supplies are sold. I recommend finding the largest chimney you can find so that all your charcoal can be started in one step. I personally use the large Weber brand chimney starter which is widely available. Otherwise, after the charcoal in the chimney is dumped out, you have to add more briquettes that take time to ignite off of the initial charcoal. If you have a very large grill, another option is to use two or more chimneys at the same time to get your charcoal ready.How to use it - The chimney is basically a large cylindrical metal tube with a large handle and a metal grate in the middle to hold your charcoal. The bottom edge has holes in the metal sides to light your fire. The first step is to fill the top portion of your chimney with charcoal. Fill to just below the top rim, but avoid over-filling it. Next, crumple up two or three pieces of newspaper and place them in the bottom part of the chimney from below (below the grate holding your charcoal). You don't want so much that it is packed tightly as it needs some oxygen circulation to light easily and burn hot. Set the chimney down inside your grill on the charcoal grate. Now light the newspaper. This is best accomplished using long fireplace matches which you introduce through the holes in the bottom of the chimney. Light in multiple places to ensure all your newspaper gets ignited. If you don't have long matches, you can lift up the chimney and use a lighter or small match to light the newspaper. Now just sit back and wait! The burning newspaper inside the chimney will ignite the lower charcoal. As this burns the flames will ignite charcoal higher and higher in the chimney. Keep an eye on it, but wait until there are small flames starting to be visible near the top of your chimney and you can see the lower levels of charcoal glowing. At this point simply tip the chimney over and pour out your burning charcoal on the the charcoal grate in your grill. They are ready to use when there is a layer of grey ash covering most of the briquettes. Pros - The chimney starter is easy to use. It ignites all your charcoal quickly and does not require any chemical starters. It is reusable and lasts a long time. Cons - Very rarely, your charcoal will not ignite with the first try and will require the addition of one or two more pieces of wadded up newspaper. Otherwise, the only downside to the chimney fire starter is that you need a few pieces of newspaper handy to get it lit!I hope this helps you with your lighting questions!

Have a great WEEKEND and HAPPY GRILLING!!!

Grilled Orange Glazed Porck Chops!

I love bone-in rib chops, cut about an inch thick, and dressed them simply in kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a dusting of Goya's Adobo seasoning. Have a couple extra lemons and/or oranges on hand for spritzing while they cook. Ive been blessed to have an orange grove outside my yard.

Then make the glaze!

1/4 cup Orange Marmalade
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp soy sauce
dash of red pepper flake
1 heaping tsp of corn starch
Put the corn starch into the cool orange juice, mix well and set aside.
Combine the rest of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and slowly bring to a simmer, add the OJ mixture, stirring well. Bring to a boil and let the sauce thicken. Turn off the heat and let it set.

Start the chops over medium heat (you can hold your hand about 4 inches away from the grill for about 5 seconds) and leave them where you put them down for at least 2-3 mins until they have grill marks. Lift them, and rotate them 90 degrees, and let them set another 2-3 mins. Then turn them over and repeat the process.
After the chops are marked, move them to the cooler side of the grill, spritz them occasionally with the lemons and/or oranges, and rotate the chops a quarter turn every 4-5 mins.

After about 20 mins on the cooler side of the grill, test with a thermometer and remove the chops when they reach 155 degrees. Cover them with foil and let them set for at least 5 mins. The temperature will rise about another ten degrees before serving.

Buffalo chicken skewers

Cast of Ingredients: boneless, skinless chicken breast & store bought buffalo sauce wing sauce, salt & pepper & favorite veggies as the side item

Slice chicken into bit sizes cubes and let marinade in the wing sauce

add a pinch of salt & lots of fresh cracked pepper, then thread chicken onto metal skewers

place on screaming hot grill

cook for 5-7 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the meat & how hot your grill is, flipping the skewers to make sure each side gets cooked through & those great grill marks

Finished product. Yummy, easy and with a veggie on the side a very healthy balanced dinner

Rosemary Veggie Skewers

Cast of Characters: Onion, squash, zucchini, mushrooms, salt, pepper & 4 long rosemary sprigs

Slice veggies & combineRemove rosemary leaves from bottom 3/4 of sprigs. (Soak rosemary branches in water before cooking to avoid burning or flare up) Thread sprigs with veggies alternating for interesting pattern & colors

Add skewers to hot grill

flip after a few minute or when grill marks appear. Once they come off the grill I sprinkled with garlic, salt & pepper seasoning.

Finished product. Great for entertaining or just a fun summer veggie dinner for 2!

Meet our Grills!

~ALLIE~ I have a Weber One Touch Silver: Heavy-duty plated steel cooking grate, 18.5 inch diameter cooking area, color: black

Ryan-I have a Green Egg, I love it! I cook on it at least twice a week. They have one for everyone's outdoor cooking needs with five sizes ranging from Mini to Extra Large. You can use the EGG® year around in all climates, even in freezing temperatures or during pouring rain. You will find it more versatile than any outdoor cooking appliance on the market, whether comparing it to gas or electric, because the EGG is a smoker, a grill and an oven all rolled into one. I can say I'm EGGdicted! and my goal is to become an EGG HEAD one day. (The Green EGG has a yearly festival and all of the "Egg Heads" have grilling contests) Sound fun? I sure does to me!

Do you like to grill? If so tell us about yours!

WHO SAID GIRLS CAN'T MASTER THE GRILL?

Here you will find two girls that can grill better than any man out there! :) Watch for fun recipes and techniques. Meet us and our grills post coming soon!