One of the key benefits of cooking on lava is the smoky taste of foods. Other types of grills just can’t beat the authentic barbecue taste offered by charcoal. That being said, many people prefer the use of this cooking on lava.
Today in the present, it is a lot easier to cook Mexican dishes. It takes less time to prepare the foods. If someone wants to make homemade tortillas, there are iron pans that make it easy. Flans are made simply using spring form type pans.
Make sure you know the temperature settings of your gas grill. You will know if the lava rocks are already good enough for cooking if ¾ of them are covered in ash. That is the time you can place your food on the cast-iron grill bars already.
Choosing between charcoal and gas grill might put you in a difficult place. However, you might want to buy gas-operated grill. You can convert it anytime to a charcoal griller. How can you do that? Here are some steps you should use:
Step 1: Remove the propane tank of your grill first. Turn off the propane tank and remove the connected hose. Also remove the gas hose connected to the grill. There are also certain brands of gas-operated grills with base tubing. You might also want to remove the base tubing before attempting to grill using charcoal. This will avoid mishaps such as fire or even explosions.
Step 2: Remove the lava stones. These stones actually mimic the functions of the charcoal. Since you are using authentic charcoal now, you don’t have to use the lava stones any more. Set them aside and make sure you do not accidentally throw them away.
Step 3: Remove the grid of your grill. Refer to the manual of your grill on how to properly remove the grid. Make sure you do not damage the locks at the sides of the grid so you can still put them back.
Step 4: Get sheets of paper or discarded newspaper and crumple them up. Place them at the bottom part of the grill. This will help ignite the charcoal pieces.
Step 5: Place the charcoal pieces on top of the crumpled newspaper. Make sure you arrange them in a stacked position so they can easily ignite.
Step 6: Get a torch or matchsticks and light up the crumpled paper beneath. Also light up the charcoal on the sides. Use fan to keep the embers red and hot. Fan or blow it vigorously until the charcoal pieces flame up. Let the other charcoal pieces catch fire. Once grey ashes have already accumulated, spread the charcoal pieces evenly all over the bottom of the grill.
Step 7: Place a grill rack on top of the charcoal. Do not use the grid of gas grill as soot might accumulate and you might have a hard time cleaning it.
However, not all of us are grilling aficionados. Some people tend to burn their food resulting to the loss of moisture in the dishes. You can say goodbye to those problems now because here are some tips on how to grill your food properly.