_Check the temperature of the fire before cooking food to prevent over- or under-cooking. For most of the recipes in this chapter, the fire should be medium-hot with a single, even layer of coals lightly covered with grey ash. It's relatively simple to judge the temperature of a charcoal fire. To do this, hold your hand, palm side down, at cooking height:
HOT - You can hold your hand over the coals for only 2 seconds.
MEDIUM-HOT - You can hold your hand over the coals 3 to 4 seconds.
MEDIUM - You can hold your hand over the coals 4 to 5 seconds.
_Be patient. If the fire hasn't cooled down adequately, do not be tempted to put your chicken on to cook - unless you like "blackened bird" a lot more than I do.
_If you're dieting and want to remove the chicken's skin, do so after cooking, not before. Without some kind of covering, the chicken will dry out and toughen before it finishes cooking.
_Turn chicken frequently, about every 5 minutes to insure even doneness and to prevent blistering.
_If flare-ups occur, remove the food for a few moments and sprinkle water lightly over the flames, or smother them by covering the grill. A friend of mine who works for a volunteer fire department keeps a laundry squirt bottle handy for flare-ups.
_To increase the heat, you can push coals together, add more coals or lower the grilling surface, or fan the fire and tap the ashes from the coals.
_To decrease heat, raise the cooking grid or sprinkle coals with a little water.