Its disheartening when you prepare and light your grill, only for a sudden rainstorm to roll your way. When the rain begins to fall, you may assume that you can no longer grill. After all, grilling requires a hot fire, and water can extinguish fires. While its difficult to grill during severe rainstorms, though, light showers shouldnt stop you from grilling. By taking a few basic precautions, you can easily grill during light showers.
For example, charcoal briquettes and water do not go together. Leaving charcoal out in the rain or even outside and exposed to fog, high humidity or dew means the briquettes will not light efficiently if at all. To avoid this, always store your briquettes in a cool, dry place.
Build a Hot Fire
To grill in the rain, you must build a hot fire. The hotter your fire, the better protected it will be from the rains cooling effects. Its not uncommon for grills to reach an internal temperature of over 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, grilled meats will develop a seared exterior that traps their juices. Unfortunately, rain can lower the internal temperature of your grill. As moisture settles on your grill, it will lower the internal temperature.
Here are some tips on how to build a hot fire in the rain:
- When using charcoal, choose lump charcoal rather than charcoal briquettes.
- When using cooking wood, use kiln-dried firewood rather than fresh or air-dried firewood.
- Add a large pile of charcoal or cooking wood.
- If your grill is wet, dry it before adding charcoal or cooking wood.
- Light using tinder and kindling in the bottom center of your charcoal or cooking wood.
- Open the dampers so that air can flow more freely through your grill.
- If your grills temperature begins to drop, add more charcoal or cooking wood.
When grilling in the rain, keep the lid closed to protect the burning charcoal or cooking wood from moisture. Whenever you open the lid, rain — or at least moisture vapor in the air — will enter the inside of your grill and potentially extinguish your fire. Therefore, you should try to keep the lid closed as much as possible when grilling in the rain.
If you want to make sure that the charcoal you buy will be good when you need it, then consider purchasing high quality Heat Beads BBQ Briquettes, that’s because they are proven resistant to abrasions, crushing, impacts, and water penetration. The binders and the formulation process for making BBQ briquettes make them stronger than typical charcoals because the material is compressed, which makes them resistant to moisture and does not allow water to penetrate.
However, higher quality charcoal can be dried-out and used, although, it will typically only be good for slow burning and will give off much more smoke as it burns. Mixing dried charcoal among new charcoal is a clever way to get the best use out of them next time you BBQ, without negatively affecting the food you are grilling. Unfortunately, when charcoal does get thoroughly wet, it is often best to just buy a new bag of good quality charcoal to replace it, rather than go through the hassle of trying to dry and use it.
There are different types of charcoal, and the quality or grade of the charcoal will determine if ‘any’ of it can be saved when it gets wet. The best thing that can be done is to pour the charcoal out of the bag onto a dry surface, separating the driest ones from the most drenched charcoal, and then place them outside on cement to dry in the sun all day. You will then flip the coals once they are dried on one side. Unfortunately, cheap charcoal will usually crumble when it gets wet, rendering it totally useless, as it will turn too powered as it dries.
It happens sometimes, even to the most seasoned BBQ chefs, charcoal can get wet when weather changes unexpectedly. For example, when preparing for a family BBQ party it is not uncommon that charcoal that is left outside gets rained on. Charcoal can even get wet when stored in a garage or shed, as moisture can seep into charcoal bags if not properly sealed or stored securely. What can you do when charcoal gets wet? That is a question many people have pondered, as the first thought is if the charcoal can be saved, or not?
Pit Master Pro Tip | How to Keep Your Fire Going In The Rain
FAQ
Is charcoal bad if it gets rained on?
What happens if activated charcoal gets wet?
Can Kingsford charcoal get wet?
Can wet charcoal catch fire?
Can charcoal go bad if it gets wet?
Charcoal can go bad if it gets wet, depending on the type of charcoal it is. If the charcoal is cheap, it will probably crumble after getting wet. Just buy a new bag in this case. If the charcoal is of better quality, all you have to do is leave it out to dry and it should be good to use again! Charcoal can still be used, even if it has gotten wet.
Can you use charcoal if it’s wet?
Depending on how wet we are talking, charcoal may either be able to be used with little no to effect, or won’t light at all. If it’s only been drizzled on by the rain, or stored in slightly damp conditions then you have a good chance of drying it out.
Can charcoal be dried out if it rains?
If it’s only been drizzled on by the rain, or stored in slightly damp conditions then you have a good chance of drying it out. Particularly if you are using high quality charcoal briquettes, or the best lump charcoal you can get your hands.
Can charcoal be repurposed if it gets wet?
If your charcoal only got a little wet then it’s possible to revive it to its former glory. For those that have absorbed a lot of moisture, you can try but there’s a possibility they are too far gone. To dry out your charcoal, carefully dump the bag onto a dry surface. Take the lump charcoal or charcoal briquettes that look salvageable.