Disclosure:  I participated in sponsored post for Socialstars. I received product samples/promotional items to thank me for participating. The opinions expressed in this post are my own.

I got off my gas with my Kingsford Charcoal Grill as part of a sponsored post for Socialstars. #GetOffYourGas. Now Its your turn.

Gas or Charcoal? is possibly the most heated debate since Chicken or Egg? The war between charcoal and gas grilling is one that burns brighter than the debate between Mac and PC users. I know as I have been on the gas grill side for as long as I can remember. Yes, it is true. Then I took the Kingsford #GetOffYourGas challenge and started to realize that nothing gets past a charcoal grill! Charcoal grilling is a lot of fun. Even simply watching the food cook and listening to the sounds of sizzling steaks or hot crackling coals warms you up! There is so much more you can do when it comes to opening up the imagination on the barbecue plus charcoal produces a nice smoky flavor that you can’t get with gas. The whole neighborhood also gets filled with that unmistakable aroma.

As you can probably tell by now based on some of my recipes, I am a big fan of outdoor BBQs and grilling. My family grills at least once a week between late Spring and early Fall. It is a ritual we enjoy at our house. Sometimes I BBQ for just my wife and kids while other times my backyard is filled with extended family and friends.

We just got back from our annual family vacation, this year in Europe (2 weeks visiting family) so we didn’t do as much grilling as we are used to especially since being in the Adriatic seafood is big on the menu. That being said there is one traditional meat dish known as cevapcici (a mix of ground beef, pork and lamb which is shaped into little hot dogs) that was a must while we were there. So after coming back, one of the things I wanted to do was grill and with this past weekend being Labor Day Weekend and the official end of summer it was a must, not that it means the end of grilling, not at all. In fact it simply means grilling more and grill right. Time for some steaks, cevapcici and steak skewers.

I will say, grilling with charcoal has a wonderful taste that you can not get from gas grilling and to think I am just learning about how to make my new experience even better. Nothing is able to replicate that classic grilling taste like high quality charcoal. The ability to do light smoking on the grill is a plus as well. You can either add soaked wood directly to the coal or placed in a packet of aluminum foil with holes punched in the top. After such a great barbecue meal my family was happy once again.

Here are some major tips I learned that can help you make your grilling a more pleasurable one:

• Grilling pros who cook on a charcoal grill know that using lighter fluid to start a fires is a major no-no. Even though the lighter fluid “burns off”, their fumes can add a chemical taste to your food. Use paraffin wax cubes or a chimney starter to light your coals.
• Create a 2 zone heating grill by placing the grills on one side of the grill leaving half the grill free of coals. This way you can sear your meats to keep the juices in and then slow cook the rest of the way to create the perfect inside temperatures.

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Time for you to grill up a storm like I always do and take the art of charcoal grilling to even greater heights. For some great grilling tips check out Grilling.com.