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PREPARING TO USE YOUR GRILL
Before cooking with your grill, the following steps should
be closely followed to both cure the finish and season the
interior steel. Failure to properly follow these steps may
damage the finish and/or impart metallic flavors to your
first foods.
• Brush all interior surfaces including grills and grates
with vegetable cooking oil.
• Build a small fire on the charcoal grate or pan, being
sure not to lay coals against the walls.
• Close lid, position dampers at approximately one
quarter turn open. This burn should be sustained for at
least two hours. Begin increasing the temperature by
opening the dampers halfway and adding more
charcoal. Your grill is now ready for use.
Rust can appear on the inside of your grill. Maintaining a
light coat of vegetable oil on the interior surfaces will aid
in the protection of your grill. Exterior surfaces of the grill
may need occasional touch up. We recommend the use
of commercially available black high temperature spray
paint. NEVER PAINT THE INTERIOR OF THE GRILL!
Please see information regarding Uncoated Cast Iron
Grates below.
First Time Use:
Before using a cast iron grate or other cast iron cooking
tool, wash it thoroughly with a mild dishwashing liquid to
remove the protective wax coating applied for shipping.
Rinse with hot water and dry completely with a soft cloth
or paper towel. NEVER ALLOW TO DRAIN DRY OR
WASH IN A DISHWASHER. Now season the grates to
prevent rust and sticking.
Seasoning:
A solid vegetable shortening is recommended for the
initial seasoning. Spread a thin coating of solid vegetable
shortening over the entire surface, including all corners,
with a paper towel. Do not use salted fats such as butter
or margarine.
Preheat grill for 15 minutes; carefully place grates in the
grill. Allow the grill to heat grates for 1 to 1 ½ hours. Allow
the fire to burn out on its own, and leave cooking grates
in grill until they are cool. Your cast iron cooking grates
are now ready to use.
To Prevent Rusting:
Re-season your grates frequently, particularly when new.
If rust occurs, it is an indication that the grates have not
been seasoned enough or the seasoning has been
burned off. Clean with a heavy brush. Reapply vegetable
shortening and heat as indicated above to re-season the
grates.
Maintenance:
Do not do a burn-off after you grill, but rather leave the
cooking residues on the grates to keep a protective
coating on the cast iron. Do a burn-off just before you
grill. The more you use your cast iron grates, the easier
the maintenance will be.
Store in a dry place. If you store your grates for an
extended period of time, apply a light coating of vegetable
shortening, then wipe dry with a paper towel.
GRILL MAINTENANCE
Frequency of clean up is determined by how often the
grill is used. Make sure coals are completely extinguished
before cleaning inside of the unit. Thoroughly rinse with
water and allow to air dry before using again. Wipe out
the interior of the unit with a cloth or paper towels.
When finished cooking, and the unit has adequately
cooled, clean out all remaining ashes. Ashes collect
moisture, which can lead to premature rusting and decay.
Periodically coating the interior surfaces with vegetable
oil will aid in the protection of your unit. Also, occasional
touch up of the exterior paint will be required. Black, high-
temperature spray paint is recommended. NEVER PAINT
THE INTERIOR OF THE UNIT.
Cooking Surface: If a bristle brush is used to clean any
of the grill cooking surfaces, ensure no loose bristles
remain on cooking surfaces prior to grilling. It is not
recommended to clean cooking surfaces while grill is hot.
COOKING TIPS
Building Your Fire
1. Stack charcoal briquettes or wood into a pyramid-
shaped pile on top of the charcoal grate. We
recommend using 2 pound (approximately 30
briquettes) to start your fire, adding more as needed.
2. If using lighter fluid, a chimney starter, electric starter,
or other type of fire starter, light your fire according to
the manufacturer's instructions.
3. Always light the fire with the grill lid open.
Leave lid open until briquettes are fully lit. Failure to do
this could trap fumes from charcoal lighter fluid in grill
and may result in a flash fire when lid is opened.
4. Never add charcoal lighter fluid to hot or warm coals as
flashbacks may occur causing injury.
5. You are ready to begin cooking when the pile of
briquettes ashes over and produces a red glow
(approximately 12 – 15 minutes).
6. Depending on your cooking method, either leave the
briquettes in a pile or spread evenly across the
charcoal grate using a long-handled poker.
WARNING
Always open lid BEFORE opening the ash door
to check fire or fuel.
Always open the ash door slowly. Never attempt
to look inside the grill while opening the ash
door when the grill is in use.
Failure to follow these instructions could result
in injury.
Unburned gas can accumulate and cause a
flash fire if the lid is not opened first.
Know When Your Fire is Ready
Successful charcoal grilling depends on a good fire. The
general rule for knowing when your coals are ready for
grilling is to make sure that 80 percent or more of the
coals are ashy gray. Using caution, arrange the hot coals
on your charcoal grate based on your desired method of
cooking. Here are a few steps you can take to adjust the
temperature of your fire:
-If it is too hot, spread the coals out a bit more, which
makes the fire less intense.
-Raise or lower the adjustable charcoal grate.
-Partially close the vents in the grill, which reduces the
amount of oxygen that feeds the fire.
-Use the indirect grilling method, with coals to either side
of drip pan and the food over the pan rather than directly
over the coals.
-In the event of a severe flare-up, spray the flames with
water from a squirt bottle. Be careful, spraying with water
tends to blow ashes around and make a mess.
-Add briquettes 2 or 3 at a time to increase the burn time.
Allow 10 minutes for coals to ash over before adding
more.
3
Direct and Indirect Grilling
Direct Grilling - For most grilling, the ignited coals are
spread in a single layer under the food. This is called
direct grilling and is appropriate for relatively quick-
cooking items such as hamburgers, steaks and most
seafood. The single layer of coals emits even, steady
heat, whether the grill lid is open or closed, and
represents the way most people grill. For more control,
pile some of the coals on one side of the grill where they
will emit intense heat. You can move the food around on
the grill, setting it over the very hot coals when you want
to sear it or when a thick piece needs to cook a little more
quickly. You can also use the adjustable charcoal grate
and dampers to control the temperature in your grill.
Indirect Grilling - For items that take longer to cook, you
will want to use indirect grilling. This method is for long,
slow cooking in a covered grill. For indirect cooking, the
coals are piled two or three coals deep on one side of the
grill, or divided and piled on two sides. This leaves an
empty space next to the coals or between them. Food
cooked over indirect heat is often started over direct heat
and then moved to the cooler (empty) part of the grill for
even, slow cooking. To make the heat as even as
possible, construct two piles of coals. It is common to
place a metal drip pan in the empty space beside or
between the coals, which is filled with water, wine, beer,
broth, or a combination. Place the food directly over the
drip pan. This injects a little extra moisture into the
cooking environment and also catches dripping juices,
which makes clean-up a little easier and reduces the
possibility of flare-ups. (Remember to keep a spray bottle
filled with water on hand to extinguish any flare-ups.)
Once you get used to the indirect method, you may prefer
to use it for more grilling tasks. Although it may take a
little longer, it is an excellent cooking method and a sure
way to prevent the food from burning and to promote
even cooking.
Grilling with Wood Chips/Wood Chunks
For a more robust smoke flavor while using charcoal
briquettes or lump charcoal, try adding wood chips or
several wood chunks to the fire. Wood chunks are
available in a variety of natural flavors, and can be used
alone or in addition to charcoal. As a general rule, any
hardwood that bears a fruit or nut is suitable for cooking.
However, different woods have very different tastes.
Experiment with different woods to determine your
personal favorite, and always use well-seasoned wood.
Green or fresh-cut wood can turn food black, and tastes
bitter.
Our Recommendations:
Chicken - Alder, Apple, Hickory, Mesquite
Beef - Hickory, Mesquite, Oak
Pork - Fruitwoods, Hickory, Oak
Lamb - Fruitwoods, Mesquite
Veal - Fruitwoods, Grapevines
Seafood - Alder, Mesquite
Vegetables – Mesquite
USDA Recommended
Internal Cooking Temperatures
Ground Meat
Beef, Pork, Veal, Lamb..................................160°F
Turkey, Chicken.............................................165°F
Fresh Beef, Veal, Lamb
Medium Rare...................................................145°F
(let stand 3 minutes before cutting)
Medium............................................................160°F
Well Done.........................................................170°F
Poultry
Chicken & Turkey, whole..................................165°F
Poultry Parts.....................................................165°F
Duck & Goose..................................................165°F
Fresh Pork
Medium Rare...................................................145°F
(let stand 3 minutes before cutting)
Medium............................................................160°F
Well Done........................................................170°F
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