A Guide to Grilling: Best Meat for Charcoal Grill

Updated: January 2025

Cooking meat can be intimidating, especially if it’s on a new grill or a cut of meat you’ve not yet prepared. However, once you know the general times and temperatures, grilling just about anything becomes much easier.

In this post, we’ll guide you through cooking different kinds of meats and proteins and discuss the best meats to grill on a charcoal grill. Part of grilling the right food means having the right accessories! 

Check out our awesome collection of grilling equipment to help you get the food done right. You can even shop by grill to get the perfect baskets and grates for your grill.

Cook Your Meat to a Safe Temperature

Meats need to be cooked to the proper temperature to keep yourself and your loved ones safe. Using a meat thermometer ensures that your meat reaches the correct internal temperature for both safety and optimal flavor.

Chicken

We’ve got a complete guide to grilling chicken, but it’s really about cooking the chicken all the way through without drying it out past the point of anyone wanting to eat it. 

For grilling chicken, the internal temperature should reach at least 165 degrees Fahrenheit. It’s crucial not to overcook your chicken—no one wants dry, tough meat. When measuring the internal temperature, make sure to avoid sticking the thermometer into the bone for an accurate reading.

Grilled chicken thighs are a great option if you’re looking for a flavorful cut. Grill them for about 10 to 12 minutes per side to ensure they’re cooked through.

Photo by Charlie Solorzano on Unsplash

Steaks

For grilling steak, the recommended internal temperature is 145 degrees Fahrenheit, which results in a medium steak—just a little pink in the middle. While some steak lovers prefer their steak cooked rare or medium-rare, it’s safer for less experienced grillers to stick to medium. A small streak of pink in the middle is usually fine for your health, but ensuring that you hit 145°F will help keep the food safe. 

The best way to achieve this is by grilling your steak over high heat, but be sure not to press it down and release the juices. For a perfectly grilled steak, sear steaks that are about an inch thick for 2 minutes, and thicker cuts can go up to 4 minutes per side.

Grilled Steak Recipe Suggestion:

For a richly flavored grilled steak, try marinating it in olive oil, garlic, and your favorite herbs for added depth. To infuse a smoky flavor, cook the steak over indirect heat for a few minutes before searing it on high heat.

Seafood

Seafood is one of the tastiest, most delicate things that you can put on your grill. You can go from having an absolute treat to a chewy mess in almost no time if you aren’t careful however, so keep a close eye on the cook times. And unfortunately, there is no real standard for temperature metrics that you are going to be able to use as an excuse to check the consistency of your food.

Whole fish cooks depending on its thickness. If your fish is about an inch thick, it’s going to take about 10 minutes. If it’s up to 2 inches thick, then your fishy feast may take closer to 25 minutes. Pay attention to the whole fish on the grill and always be aware of what is going on with it. 

Fillets usually cook in the same amount of time relative to thickness, but they will ultimately take a shorter time to cook because they are generally thinner. When you have a half inch thick filet, you will want to cook it for about 6 or 7 minutes.

If you have cubes of fish for kabobs, or even for tacos, you will need to cook those thoroughly, which takes about 8 minutes.

Grilled lobsters cook in 20 minutes if you’re preparing the whole thing, and about 10 minutes for just the tail.

Scallops are delicious but cook very quickly. If you want to put scallops on the grill, start by dabbing them with a paper towel. Next, coat both sides of the scallop in salt and pepper, making sure to get this rub as thick as you possibly can. Toss them onto the grill gently, and don’t move them once they’re set. It’s key for scallop crusting and sear marks that you don’t adjust them as soon as they’ve hit the heat and the metal. 

Allowing the metal and heat to put marks on them, allow them to cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, then flip. Take them off after 6 minutes tops. Large shrimp cooks similar to scallops, in about 5 or 6 minutes.

Hot Dogs and Hamburgers

Hot dogs take about 5 minutes on the grill, while hamburgers should be seared for 2 minutes per side. After adding another 3 to 4 minutes of cooking once you have a good sear, you’ll have perfectly grilled burgers with melted cheese and toasted buns.

Meat Thermometer

The first rule of cooking meat on the grill with a meat thermometer is to be absolutely certain you don’t leave the thermometer in the meat while it is cooking! The thermometer can heat up and cook the meat a little unevenly, and it can also release steam, juices, pressure, and all the other good stuff that meat has inside of it.

Avoid the Bone, Grill, and Fat

As mentioned, when using a meat thermometer, you want to avoid sticking it all the way to the bone. You also want to avoid touching it to the grill itself or sticking it into the fat. Your ultimate goal is to see exactly the temperature that the muscle and tissue has hit.

Don’t Overreach with the Probe

The thermometer generally doesn’t have to go all the way in when trying to figure out how far along your meat is cooked. If you overreach, you’ll risk putting the probe onto the other side of the meat. This can pick up temperatures from the bottom of the grill, which will not give you an accurate reading.

Resetting the Thermometer

Meat thermometers will heat up over time, or may simply be used for multiple cuts of meat, which is another thing to watch out for. If you measure your chicken that has been cooking for a long time and then want to measure a steak you just put on, you’ll need to reset the thermometer.

How to Reset the Thermometer

The best way to do this is with a small glass of ice water. Stick the thermometer into the ice water for a second and then clean it off. Do not touch the glass. This is also a good way to reset the thermometer if it gets off.

Once you let the ice water sit for awhile, you should be able to read the temperature on your meat thermometer at 32 degrees fahrenheit. That’s when you’ll know you can safely reuse it for the different dishes your preparing on the grill.

Strategies to Cook Meat Evenly

Cooking meat evenly can be a challenge, especially if you’re throwing a big backyard BBQ. Check out these strategies for keeping everything on track.

High and Low Heat Zones

If you pile the coals on one side of your grill, you can generally create a specified zone of slightly higher heat. This will allow you to get a quick sear on things like steaks without cooking the outside to a crisp.

Remember, you want sear marks, and you don’t want burnt edges. Making sure that your grill is evenly hot all the way over before tossing your meat onto it though should be enough to stave off any unwanted burnt spots. 

Also, beware of meat that is oddly shaped and may cook unevenly!

Ready to Light It Up?

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