Heat Control

The biggest challenge in grilling is controlling the heat. This is especially true for charcoal and wood-burning grills, but even gas grills have their idiosyncrasies. The reason heat control is so tricky is that every fuel and fire burns differently. The heat of a single charcoal or wood fire will vary, depending on how long it’s been burning (a charcoal fire loses 50° to 100°F every hour it burns). Grilling—especially charcoal grilling—is not like turning on the burner on your stove, which is why a mastery of heat control is so important.