Vegetables falling through the grate
Thin or round vegetables end up in the coals. This is a geometry problem rather than a cooking one, and no adjustment to heat or timing fixes it.
Work out which one it is
Each cause below lists the signs that point at it rather than at the others. Start with the signs, not with the fix.
The food is simply narrower than the gaps in the bars.
commonSigns it is this one
- The food is a spear, a bean, a small mushroom or a loose ring.
- Losses happen at the moment of turning rather than during the cook.
Why it happens: A green bean is six to ten millimetres across and a standard grate gap is wider than that. Nothing about the fire changes this, which is why every source that mentions equipment for these vegetables reaches for a basket, a mat or a skewer rather than adjusting the time.
What to do
- Lay spears and beans ACROSS the bars rather than along them, so each piece is supported at two points. — during cook, partial
- Use a perforated basket, a grill mat or skewers. Iowa State names all three for exactly this. — next time, reliable
Next time
- Decide the containment before lighting the fire, not after the first spear is lost.
An onion slice relaxed into loose rings and went through in pieces.
occasionalSigns it is this one
- The slice came apart into rings as it was turned.
Why it happens: An onion is concentric layers joined only at the root, so a slice is a stack of rings held by nothing once it softens. Turning it early is what separates them.
What to do
- Leave a little of the root end on each slice, or push a skewer through the side before it goes on. — next time, reliable
Next time
- Cut through the root rather than across it.
What this covers
This is BBQHQ’s diagnosis for it fell through the grate, on the foods below.