Can I use Charcoal grill to make Tandoori foods? Tandoori Grilling Barbeque

You can cook foods prepared for Tandoor in a charcoal grill, and vice versa. Grilling is also called Barbecue

In the olden days, a 55 gallon oil drum was sawed off in half lengthwise on its sides. One half was used as a grill base and the other half as a lid. This basic principle remains same to-date,

In the grill base, when the charcoal is burned, it transforms into embers radiating heat. With the lid closed you also have hot air trapped. The temperature may rise up to 500º F. The food is cooked by a combination of radiated (25%) and convection (75%)heat.

Newer models have added infra-red burners within grill base, increasing the amount of radiated heat.

In a Tandoor, the walls radiate the infra-red heat. At the peak, the temperature can reach 900º F. Normally, it is allowed to cool down to 550º F for making Tandoori chicken. The food is cooked by a combination of radiated (greater than 60%) and convection heat (less than 40%). Higher the infra-red heat, juicier are the foods (more juices are retained and not lost to hot air).

Similar to the Grill, the top of Tandoor is covered by a lid to make Tandoori Chicken, just like closing the lid on the charcoal grill.

Foods cooked in a Tandoor are juicier than the foods cooked over charcoal grill because of higher temperature and higher amount of radiated heat.