Smoking, Grilling and Meat, We had Questions

Since we’ve been testing the Chargriller Akorn, cooking with charcoal and leaving our gas barbeque to rest, we’ve been compiling some questions. Thanks to the team at Chargriller, we’ve been able to get some answers from Aussie Pit Boys team member Trevor Dawson. These guys know how to cook meat not just for your family but for competition standards.

The Char Griller comes in a variety of sizes, is the benefit of the bigger ones simply fitting more on the grill or does space add to the cooking experience/change what is possible?

The Akorn Junior or Side Fire Box is perfect for taking in the car for picnics or away camping. The larger Char-Grillers are all different in what they do. The Kamado style grills are suitable for direct and indirect cooking. They have a smaller cooking surface, but hold constant temperature using minimal fuel for a longer period as they are insulated or made of ceramic. The other grills in the Char-Griller range have a larger cooking surface that can be used for direct or indirect cooking and can add the Side Fire Box for offset cooking, expanding the cooking area even further.
The benefits of using a bigger grill means there’s extra space for bigger cuts of meat, or to cook larger
quantities and also to have more space to run two separate zones of heat on the one grill.

The instruction manual suggests using lump charcoal which is harder to find than the briquettes, can you explain this a little further, as to why?

Lump charcoal is just as easy to find as briquettes, Bunnings has a larger range of Lump Charcoal than they do Briquettes. Lump Charcoal is a natural product and provides a better flavour, with a cleaner burn.

Some wood chips suggest soaking for an hour prior, some want to be left in a foil wrap but dry, what is the best way to use wood chips when cooking with the char griller?

There’s no benefit to soaking wood chips, personally I think it’s a waste of time. Just put the woodchips straight onto the lit coals as you want to get the smoke into the meat as quick as you can before it seals, normally the first 45min.

For anyone starting out, wanting to make that perfect brisket we’ve seen you do, what are some of the beginners tips? And how many goes might it take before we get it right?

Use a basic rub of 50/50 salt and pepper with a dusting of garlic powder. Cook the Brisket in the indirect position at 225F. Once the Brisket reaches 165F internal temperature, wrap it in foil with 100ml of beef stock and put back on the grill. Continue to cook until it probes like butter with a skewer. Open the foil and let the heat vent for 10 minutes. Wrap back up in the foil and in an old towel, then rest it in an esky for 2hrs – 6hrs until you are ready to eat. It will still be piping hot after 6 hours so no need to reheat.