Technique
What an adjustable charcoal tray actually does
You cannot turn charcoal down. Everything you can do about heat comes from three things, and grate height is the one you use while the food is already on.
The three levers
- How much fuel you light. Decided before you start and awkward to change once you are cooking.
- How it is banked. A deep pile under one half and a thin scatter under the other gives you a hot zone and a rescue zone.
- How far the food sits from it. The only one you can change instantly, mid cook, with food already on the grill.
Most charcoal grills give you the first two and fix the third. That is why so much charcoal cooking comes out black outside and cold inside: the fire is too close, and the only available response is to move the food somewhere that is equally too close.
Why distance matters so much
Radiant heat falls away sharply with distance. Small changes in the gap between coals and food produce large changes in how fast the surface cooks, while the inside heats at roughly the same rate regardless.
That gap is the entire game in skewer cooking. Close, and you get a hard fast crust on lamb before the centre overcooks. Further back, and chicken thigh has time to come up to temperature without the marinade turning to carbon.
Using it in practice
Cubed lamb and beef
Coals up, close, hot. You want colour fast. These cuts are forgiving in the middle and the surface is the point.
Chicken, especially marinated
Coals down. Chicken needs to reach a safe internal temperature, which takes longer than the outside needs to colour, and most chicken marinades contain sugar in some form. Start lower, lift the coals near the end if you want more colour.
Minced kebabs
Start moderate rather than fierce. Minced meat has no structure until the outside sets, and a hard fire before that point drops it into the coals. Once it has set, bring the coals up.
Vegetables and halloumi
Coals down, further away. They need heat rather than sear, and halloumi splits and leaks if you rush it.
Which of our frames have it
The F1 and its skewer version have a height-adjustable charcoal tray, and it is the main reason to choose the F1 over a simpler frame.
The F2 uses a pull-out tray inside an enclosed body, which trades some height adjustment for wind resistance and easier topping up mid cook. On the F2 you do more of your control by banking the coals.
Keep reading
See the frames
Three sizes, each as a flip grate or racked for skewers.