Charcoal is widely used in the culinary world, especially in grilling. That’s because charcoal adds a delicious smoky flavor to the food. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that charcoal is the go-to fuel and is preferred by professionals to infuse flavor into foods. However, many people don’t feel safe cooking or grilling with charcoal, which is why we are sharing some other ways to cook without using charcoal.
Charcoal Substitutes
- Use Open Fire
First of all, the simplest way of replacing charcoal is to cook over an open fire – it is all about cooking over a direct flame. It’s common for people to roast their hot dogs and marshmallows over direct flame during camping (it works well for on-stick foods). However, if you don’t want to use charcoal for cooking, it’s recommended that you light up an open fire and put the grate or grill over it to char the vegetables and burgers. In addition, you can opt for a cast iron Dutch oven to make chili or soup.
- Use Hot Coal
In case you want to replace charcoal because the food doesn’t need much heat, it’s recommended that you opt for hot coals. It’s a great way of using a cast iron Dutch oven for baking or if you just want to keep the food warm. For this purpose, it’s recommended that you put a Dutch oven on the layer of hot coals and then add more coals on the top.
Secondly, you can also try wrapping your food in the foil and putting it in the hot coals. If you want to use foil, you can cook vegetables, fish, and potatoes. Some people also make sandwiches as it can melt the cheese pretty well.
- Rocket Stove
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that rocket stoves are pretty new and are easier to build. In addition, they tend to burn hot with a bit of fuel and have minimal emissions. The rocket stoves are perfect if you are in an emergency and have to cook food or if you want an extra burner to boil water. As far as the building of a rocket stove is concerned, you can opt for cinder blocks.
- Solar Oven
The solar ovens are perfect for people who want an energy-efficient option. As the name suggests, solar ovens utilize sunlight to turn on the oven and cook the food. The solar ovens are portable, simple, and easy to use. What we love about solar ovens is that you don’t need to worry about fuel or cleaning up the fuel debris.
- Pit Oven
The pit ovens are designed to utilize the ground. To illustrate, you have to dig a pit in the ground and build a fire directly in the pit until the fire transforms into coals. However, if you don’t want to build a fire directly in the pit, you can add hot rocks or coals into this pit and add food to cook. Once the food is added, you can use aluminum foil to cover everything and add a layer of soil. These are commonly known as underground ovens and are recommended if you like to cook outdoors frequently.
- Brick Oven
The brick ovens are perfect for people who don’t want to use the charcoal too much and have a huge backyard. The brick ovens are extremely efficient and are economical to build. For instance, it can be used to cook pizza, and the efficient design promises quick cooking. These ovens promise uniform heating, which means all the ingredients are properly cooked.
- Newspaper
Rather than using charcoal as a starter, you can also opt for a newspaper as it’s the simplest way of burning the coals. However, to use newspaper, you must ensure that the grill doesn’t have any residual ash or dirt and is placed in the draft-free zone. In addition to this, you must open the vents before placing newspapers and allow oxygen flow in the right direction.
The Bottom Line
The bottom line is that charcoal is a great way of cooking as it lends an amazing flavor to the food, and the meat will be tender and juicy. In addition, it produces more heat. However, charcoal has a short cooking time and can be challenging to clean up. So, try the substitutes mentioned in this article (the permanent ovens are recommended if you grill frequently).