BBQ Expert

There are two ways to determine the temperature of the hot briquettes on your grill. You can use a thermometer in the lid or if your grill doesn’t have one, you can use the palm of your had to approximate pretty accurately the temperature of the grill.

The Hand Test

Put your open hand a safe distance over the burning charcoals on your grill. It shouldn’t be less than 5 inches away from the top of the cooking grate. This is the distance you use to measure the heat of the charcoals. Always pull your hand away if it is too hot. Also, make sure you are wearing nothing flammable that could catch fire and injure you.

If after placing your flat palm of your hand over the grate and you need to pull away between 2 to 4 seconds, your grill heat is considered, “high.” The temp is approximately 450 degrees F to 550 degrees F. If you need to pull away between 5 to 7 seconds then the heat is considered, “medium” and the temperature is between 350 degrees F to 450 degrees F. Finally, if it takes 8 to 10 seconds to pull your palm away then the heat is “low” and the temp is approximately between 250 degrees F to 350 degrees F.