Help with BBQ Grill basics!?

We just bought a charcoal grill and need a bit of pointers.



1) how long should the coals burn to heat up to cook hamburgers?

2) Should the little air vents be shut and the lid be shut while its heating up?



Thank you!Help with BBQ Grill basics!?
they need to turn to grey ash. 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour. vents need to be open to allow air flow around coals. closing the vents will extinguish the coals. more air flow=hotter grill. less air flow=cooler grill. trial and error and patience are key. don't be surprised or disappointed at first.Help with BBQ Grill basics!?
put a thin coat of cooking oil on the grills %26amp; bake them in the oven for an hour. your food won't stick to them. after that, be sure to clean (with the bbq brush) %26amp; oil the grill either after you use it or before you next use it.

happy bbqing!
When more than 50% of your charcoal is amber red your bbq is ready to cook. When you are trying to make it hot sooner, let the vent be open, but when bbq is ready and you need to maintain the constant heat, close the vent. Lid should be left open all the time unless you are trying to smoke your meat or trying to create oven like effect (when you want all round heat)

eg. If you are cooking whole chicken you may want to close the lid so chicken does not get burnt on one side while it is still to be cooked on the other side.
Here are some grilling tips from charcoalbob.com. It also has a cookout calculator that will help you with grilling times.



From 6 CB Grilling Tips



Charcoal Grills - Open all vents in the lid and underneath your grill. Use enough charcoal to solidly cover the entire charcoal grate with a single layer of coals. Then stack the charcoal to light it (or use an ever popular chimney style charcoal starter).



Wait until the entire stack of charcoal has a thin layer of white ash, then carefully spread the hot coals to again create a single layer of coals covering the entire charcoal grate. Place the cooking grate over the hot coals, cover and allow it to get searing hot (approximately 5 minutes).



Grilling great burgers - Believe it or not, calculating grilling times for hamburgers is a true challenge. That's because many factors - including the fat content of the meat and how tightly the burgers are formed - can effect grilling times.



Another important consideration is food safety. The USDA recommends that ground meats such as hamburger be cooked to a minimum doneness of Medium (160掳F).



For best flavor and grilling results, many experts recommend ground beef that is around 80% lean. Also, do not press the burgers too tightly together, as this may increase grilling time (or result in undercooked burgers).