Close Or Open Vents When Grilling

Close Or Open Vents When Grilling! Ventilation holds special importance since the beginning of the industrial era. Every device or machine that burns fuel to do anything requires proper ventilation. The same is the case with the charcoal grill, but the need for adequate ventilation is directly related to the food you are cooking in the griller. Most people find it challenging to manage the grill vents properly. Therefore, keeping that in mind, we have made a detailed guide on closing or opening vents when grilling. So, let’s not extend it further and jump into the main idea.

Purpose Of The Lid And Vents

The first thing you have to keep in mind in a griller is the nature of the food you are cooking in. the lid above the griller allows you to control the temperature from both sides. This means the food will get equal heat from below as well as above. Therefore, if you are cooking light vegetables or small chicken pieces in the griller, you don’t need to put the lid on the griller. However, if you are grilling big meat pieces or something that is not easy to cook, you have to put the lid on it.

Vents on the other side are those points that allow air to pass in the griller. With the help of these spaces in the grill, you can control the heat; if you want steady and low heat, you can close the vents; however, if you wish coals to get heated up efficiently you can open up the vents.

The main idea behind this activity is that the oxygen comes into the grill as the vents get opened up and vice versa.

The vents on the bottom control the amount of oxygen supplied to the coals. In contrast, the vents on the top determine the intensity of the existing heat.  

Things To Keep In Mind While Starting Your Grill Close Or Open Vents

The part vents play in starting is very important. Charcoals need to be as exposed to the air as possible at the start. The amount of oxygen decides the fire on charcoals. Therefore, you have fully opened the grill vents at the start, including top and bottom vents.

Best Way to Start A Charcoal Grill

It is totally okay if you already have a traditional grill and don’t want to buy the latest one. You can enjoy perfect grilling with a traditional grill as well. In fact, they burn steady and long, giving a unique smoky flavor to the food. But before we know other things about the grill, let’s answer the question: when grilling, do you keep the vents open or close?

Well, vents play an essential role in maintaining the temperature inside the grill. Therefore, you have to learn how to utilize them. You have to keep all the vents open at the start because when you are lighting up a grill, it needs oxygen inside. However, once you have placed the charcoal inside the grill, you can easily control the temperature with vents. All you have to do is open the vents when a high temperature is required and close the vents if you want light grilling. When Grilling Do You Keep The Vents Open Or Closed?

Note: never close all the vents while grilling. Flames can come outside, and there is a possible chance of loss.

How To Control Vents and Light Up The Grill  

• Put the newspaper or any other paper in the lower section of the chimney.
• Put some charcoals in the chimney.
• Take a lighter and slowly burn the newspaper.
• Don’t do anything until the charcoal inside is covered with the grey ash.
• Wait for at least 20 minutes
• Remove the top grate and use gloves to hold the chimney
• Put the charcoals into the grill

How To Adjust Vents During The Cooking Process Close Or Open Vents

As mentioned earlier, you have to keep the vents of the grill wide open at the start. However, with the time the heat is increased, it might become too much for the thing you are cooking. So, once the grill is started correctly, you have properly regulated the vents to control the optimal temperature for the food.

The central concept is not to cut the oxygen supply totally, so you only have to close the bottom vents three quarters. This is the best way to keep the heat low and controllable.

In addition to that, you have to keep the upper vents just like the lower vents. This will ensure that no excess air is escaped.

When You Are Done Cooking Food 

When you are done cooking, now it’s time to cool the grill. Therefore, you have to close all the vents to cut the supply of oxygen and take a water shower to cool down the coals. In this way, you can easily wash your charcoal grill.

When washing the charcoal grill, you have to keep all the vents close at the start, but in the end, you have to open them and clear them properly. In case you don’t clear it properly, it will not work fine in the future.

What Things You Can Grill On Low Heat

Grilling on low flames is never recommended, but some foods require a low flame. Experts always recommend grilling the larger pieces of meat on low flame. If the larger pieces of meat are cooked on high flame, it will be left uncooked from inside. Fattier fishes are an example of it. You cannot grill salmon on high flames. Most of the inside part will be left uncooked.

Conclusion 

The vents and lid play an essential role in the airflow of oxygen to the charcoals. Vents actually control the amount of heat. Therefore, it is vital for you to go through all the tips and tricks mentioned above to have a good grilling experience.

Everyone demands for food that is completely cooked, and the taste is not sacrificed at any cost. And if you are able to proceed with the tricks we have mentioned above, we are sure you will never get stuck while grilling anything. We hope you have gone through the instructions carefully and all set for the world’s best grilling experience.