Cooking over an open flame is the oldest know method of cooking and despite the numerous recipes for barbecuing, there are three basic tenets that recipes usually do not explain.

They are the heat of the coals, the proximity of the food to the heat and how long it needs to cook. Unfortunately, many outdoor grillers have had to learn by experience, wasting a lot of time and food before becoming the renowned grill expert they claim to be.

Since before the colonial years in America, people have been grilling food. The idea probably originated with the Arawak people who roasted meat on a wooden structure that was referred to as a barbacoa in Spanish. For quite a while the phrase was used to describe the structure on its own rather than the process of grilling.

Many backyard chefs firmly believe there is nothing that compares to the taste of grilling with charcoal, while others, who possibly had a bad experience, prefer gas. With a few simple tips, nearly anyone can enjoy the flavor provided by charcoal when cooking on their outdoor grill.

One of the most troubling aspects of cooking with charcoal is knowing how much charcoal to use. Typically, 25 to 30 briquettes are used for every pound of meat to be grilled.

Any home cook most likely has their particular special tools they use when they host a cookout or an outdoor BBQ. However, there are some tools that are important to have accessible regardless of what you could be cooking or how many people you might be serving.

Take into account that you will not use all of the tools whenever you have a barbecue, but you have to have them available so you won’t need to purchase them if you do need them.