FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Waiting until charcoals turn white before cooking

Dave Bugg

wrote:
>
Someone told me that when cooking with charcoal, I should wait for
> them to turn white before cooking (they told me to wait about 45
> minutes), and the reason was because black charcoal leaches something
> toxic. Any comments or suggestions?

If you're talking briquettes rather than real lump charcoal, then it has
more to do with making sure all the briquettes are ignited and stabilized to
reduce temperature fluctuations. Some folks fire up briquettes with starting
fluid,a petroleum derivative, --- can we say YUCK --- which does add
unpleasent flavor to the food; but so do most briquettes. Kingsford, for
example, uses a mixture of anthracite coal (yup, that stuff in the ground)
and fir tree char (which you would never use for real barbecue, unless you
love the taste of turpentine). It is then bound together with starches and
other binders. No amount of burning will remove the off-taste that is
inherent to these products.

Best: Lump charcoal started with a chimney starter.

Next best: If you are going to use briquettes, look for a brand which does
not use coal or starch as fillers. Some of the Royal Oak briquettes are in
this category. Then use a starter chimney or electric starter to get thing
going rather than petroleum products.

Bottom of the barrel: Use minimal starter fluid if you must use starter
fluid.

Here's a good source of information: http://www.nakedwhiz.com/ceramic.htm

--
Dave
www.davebbq.com