How much charcoal does this grill need?
1370000
It depends on what you are cooking, grilling and/or smoking. Charcoal amounts vary depending on the amount and type of food being cooked. For example, if I roast a whole chicken, I place about 2 quarts of charcoal on one side of the grill. I know that approximate amount of charcoal will keep my grill at the temperature required to roast the chicken without over cooking it. If you are going to grill fish or veggies for 4 people, you would obviously use less coals.
1370001
Pretty big so can use lot if want too, but use the funnel starter to adjust the amount for the amount grilling. Well made grill, but took awhile to build.. Would recommend.
1293049
It's good for pretty much any amount of food. I would just use less charcoal and it would still cook great.
515998
Do not put too much lit charcoal lumps onto the main pile of lump charcoal. Watch the temperature gauge, it understates by 50 degrees, so when it shows 200 it is actually around 250. Be careful with the vents opening, do not let them open too much or the temperature will run away from you. Good luck.
2048370
NewEgg.com $77 The Char-Griller portable grill or side fire box can be used as a table top grill, or for horizontal Texas style smoker. 250 sq. in of primary cooking surface. Sliding drawer for easy access to coal and ashes. Can be used as an accessory for model No. 2222 Pro Deluxe Grill and model No. 5050 Duo Gas and Charcoal Grill Attaches in minutes.
2081412
The cooking surface is approx. 13" X 22", which is plenty for me as it is usually just my wife and myself. However if we do have company there is plenty of roo to add more charcoal and food to the grill.Since I bought it, most of what i have cooked has been the direct method and only used half of the cooking area. I did use the indirect method where I placed split chickens on half and charcoal on th other half. Works Good.
1380406
Charcoal or propane will get the job done. This is a great buy and product! We absolutely love ours and use it all the time to grill bacon, veggies and steaks. Invest in some sos pads to keep it clean ; )
2048371
NewEgg.com $77The Char-Griller portable grill or side fire box can be used as a table top grill, or for horizontal Texas style smoker. 250 sq. in of primary cooking surface. Sliding drawer for easy access to coal and ashes. Can be used as an accessory for model No. 2222 Pro Deluxe Grill and model No. 5050 Duo Gas and Charcoal Grill Attaches in minutes.
15674
Kingsford gave their regular charcoal a makeover and now the charcoal lights faster than before so depending on what you are cooking and how hot you want the grill to be, you can be ready to go in about 15 minutes versus the 30 - 40 minutes that it used to take. Take a peek at this site for more info: http://busycooks.about.com/od/outdoorgrills/a/howtogrill.htm The article has an embedded link to another article that has additional information. The Performer is a great grill, and it's one of my favorites. The Touch-N-Go ignition is tops! The other favorite is the Weber Baby Q. I like to use that one sometimes during the week when grilling items that don't take much time to cook.
1956926
We got our PK Grill for a lot of reasons - they have a very good reputation, my husband and myself both grew up with our families cooking on them, they have a lot of cooking area for the size, and are very well made. We both prefer charcoal grills, but if you don't, then make sure you allow the coals to burn down as much as possible, this cuts down on a strong charcoal flavor, and you can get small wood chips (hickory, mesquite, apple wood, cherry wood, pecan, etc) which will also cut back on charcoal flavor. As far as the grill goes, we couldn't recommend a better one!!
2184158
I have the charcoal only model, but there is a model (Go-Anywhere Portable Propane Gas Grill Model # 1141001) that uses a small propane tank.
202133
Pure charcoal, but I was very disappointed when it arrived. It is cheaper if you can buy it locally at a specialty garden store. Depends on how much you need.
1125023
The cooking area is 4 burners. Not huge but sufficient for my family needs. Please see the Swiss Grill website for exact details.
570246
I strongly invest in buying a Weber (or other) Chimney Starter for $15 to light your charcoal. Two sheets of crumbled newspaper in the bottom (I add a tablespoon of old frying oil to extend the burn time per Alton Brown as insurance), charcoal (lump preferably, the briquettes generate a lot more ash) goes on top, light the newspaper, and 15 minutes later you are ready to go; I've almost never had a failure. Versus paying an extra $50 for the Platinum with its propane starting system, plumbing, buying/replacing propane, ignighters, flashups, plumbing, etc.
1466147
I use the Cowboy lump charcoal. I use about half of the 8lb bag in a 12 hour cook.
2248867
They are about 1.5" by 1.5", but come in a sheet that contains 12 squares. You break off two at a time, easily and use one or two depending on how much charcoal you have. One is usually enough to start the grill. Two works if you want to get more charcoal burning more rapidly.
873343
Only way to add coal is through a pass through hole in the top grate. Because if the design, lump charcoal can burn very slowly for about 4 hours. Adding coal to a slow cook is a problem with all Kamado style cookers. The answer is to find the right vent setting and use enough lump charcoal.
1752378
Personally, I have found the portable kitchen outdoor grill the perfect size for a family of 4 or 5 people. It cooks great and uses less charcoal. A great alternative is the 22 inch Old Smokey outdoor grill. It's not quite as pricey. Just be sure and get the 22 inch grill.