The charcoal grill has to be carefully managed during the process.
A lot of mistakes are made when it comes time to keep the grill safe and ensure it remains lit. This is why it’s important to remain diligent and ensure the right measures are taken.
One question you will have is, do you cover the charcoal grill after lighting?
You should cover a charcoal grill after lighting it. This will help regulate the heat, maintain the flame, and protect it from surrounding conditions (i.e. weather and debris).
While it is not incorrect to leave the lid open for a charcoal grill, it is still not the most efficient method. You are going to be exposing the charcoal grill by doing this and it is better to avoid such a situation.
This article is going to showcase the advantages of covering a charcoal grill after lighting it and why it’s important to go down this path.
Benefits Of Covering Charcoal Grill After Lighting
1. Helps Regulate The Heat
The main issue has to do with heat regulation.
You are going to have fluctuations in the temperature when the wrong measures are taken. This occurs when you are not focused on regulating heat and don’t take the time to understand how the grill will do.
It’s important to dig through this and ensure you are trending down the right path before the grilling begins.
If you close the lid on a charcoal grill, it will be much easier to retain heat.
This will allow the heat to rise quickly and then you get to start grilling faster. This is what you should be aiming for with a grill.
If the lid is kept open, it is still going to get hotter. This will simply take longer and that is a waiting period you might not want to deal with.
Just taking the time to close the lid is going to speed up the process and that is ideal for those who are looking to get started as soon as possible.
2. Improves Grilling Experience
You will want to think about the grilling experience.
It is important to dive deeper into understanding how the grilling is going to be done. You are not going to enjoy a consistent grill if you are not closing the lid.
It is going to become prone to the surrounding conditions and that is not good for the grill. It will also make it harder to get the type of results you are hoping for.
The best option is to close the lid on the grill and then let it sit for a few minutes after lighting it. This is going to let the grill prep and get hot enough for you to use it.
It is common to want to rush the process but closing the lid is the right way to go.
3. Safer
You will also want to take the time to think about overall safety.
When you are using a grill, you are going to need to think about the safety of the setup. It should not be exposed to the environment as that is going to either cause it to stop or it is not going to work as you want it to.
The right setup is when you close the lid on a charcoal grill and let it heat up.
Look into this when you are preparing a grill for a grilling session at home.
4. Helps Protect The Flame
When a grill does not work, it is often the flame that is the issue.
You will want to look at the charcoal grill’s flame and ensure it is protected. With the charcoal set up at the bottom, it is going to be enough to keep the smokiness you are going for from the food.
However, this is only going to happen when you are taking the time to keep the flame safe in the grill. Otherwise, it is going to peter out and you are not going to enjoy the results that you see.
This happens often and you are going to want to dive deeper into this as you are pinpointing what your options are.
Final Thoughts
Do you cover the charcoal grill after lighting?
You should cover the charcoal grill after lighting it. This will help preserve the flame, regulate the heat, and make sure the grill is protected from the environment (i.e. the weather and the debris).
It’s important to look into this as you begin figuring out what will work and what won’t for the grilling session.
Something as simple as closing the grill’s lid is enough to speed up the process and optimize it for a good grilling session.
Look into this as you are preparing a charcoal grill and setting the charcoal into place. If you do this well, you will get it to stabilize faster.
