Barbecue Preparation

• 1). Clean the pit. Even if your pit is fresh from the store, clean the cooking racks with soap and water. After you wash the grills, spray them with non-stick cooking spray. Your food will be less likely to stick and clean up is easier.
  
  Clean the pit floor of any fire residue from previous use. Your fire will start easier and burn better if there is no ash or residue in the pit.
  
  
• 2). Prepare your food. If you plan to marinate your food, remember that marinades take an hour or more, so begin early to ensure your food is ready to eat when people are hungry. Practice safety and refrigerate meat during the process to prevent food contamination.
  
  Some vegetables and fruit cook best When wrapped in aluminum foil. If you expect the food may fall apart during the cooking process, wrap it in foil first. Potatoes, corn in the husks, sweet potatoes, and very firm vegetables will do fine without being wrapped. Softer fruits and veggies do better in foil where they will retain juices and not disintegrate over the coals.
  
  
• 3). Build your fire. Place crumpled newspaper on the bottom of the pit. The paper will burn easily, and the air pockets help the fire catch easier. Place at least one layer of charcoal briquettes on top of the newspaper. Use plenty of charcoal so your pit will get hot enough to cook your food.
  
  Break off chunks of firestarter and place in between briquettes in various spots in the pit. It doesn't take a lot of firestarter and this will alleviate the need for charcoal starter and the taste it leaves on the food.
  
  Once you have your fire laid out, put the grills over the charcoal. This will prevent newspaper fragments from leaving your pit in flames. Use a long lighter or fireplace match to start your fire. Allow the fire to burn with the grill top and any side or bottom vents open so air circulates freely and the fire takes hold quickly.
  
  

Cooking Your Food

• 1). Once the fire has burned down to white-hot coals, add your food. Watch the food and baste as needed to keep the food from drying out. Turn only once, after the bottom side is as done as you want it.
  
  
• 2). Adjust the air flow vents as needed to maintain the temperature of your grill at it peak. You want your food to cook evenly.
  
  
• 3). When your meat is done to your satisfaction, set it on a platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil for about 10 minutes so the meat juices redistribute. Then enjoy.