Barbecue and Grilling

Although I did not mention it in my first post a strong passion of mine is grilling and now barbecue. There is a distinct difference between the two. I have been grilling since just after high school so about 16 years now. I feel I am a high level griller. I have practiced and I think I know the right methods. First and foremost this post is inspired by my trip to the store. I just got back and I stopped myself from saying something to the guy who was ahead of me in line. He had match light charcoal AND lighter fluid- he also bought cigarettes but I will save my rant on that for another day.
Anyway- guys (or girls)- first- when you are grilling buy either regular lump charcoal (WITH NO LIGHTER FLUID ADDED) or the lump wood charcoal. Do not buy match light. It is for people who like the taste of lighter fluid. And to buy both at the same time indicates that you want to start a very large fire. I can only hope that this dude was interested in just creating a fire and not cooking anything. I can hope this because he bought no meat at all.
In any case- I am sure some are asking- WELL HOW DO I START THE FIRE? Here is how:

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10051&productId=100657893&langId=-1&catalogId=10053&ci_sku=100657893&ci_src=14110944&cm_mmc=shopping-_-googlebase-_-D28X-_-100657893&locStoreNum=4647&marketID=43

There are 10 gazillion of these on the market now and you should really try it. YES it takes a little longer (20 minutes) but it is worth it. Even if you are cooking for 1 or 2 it is worth it. It means all you need is a few sheets of news paper and the charcoal mentioned above. No fluid and no helper charcoal. This will improve the taste of the meat a WHOLE bunch. Also- do some research on cooking times. I cannot count the number of times I have eaten WAY overdone hamburgers, steak, chicken or whatever that was done on the grill by someone who had no clue what they were doing. The only thing that really bothers me is steak- the others I can take or leave but PLEASE do not ruin a good steak. for a decent cut of meat it will only need about 4 minutes on each side on a REALLY hot fire. This is for med to med rare. If you want it cooked more than that then so be it ( it makes it more dry and not as tasty) then cook longer. This is over a HOT fire- that is coals that you cannot get your hand near.
ALSO- REST the damn meat. Rest means you take it off the fire and wrap it on a plate with some tin foil. Let it rest for half the cooking time at least. This lets the juice redistribute. It do you do not rest you will ruin your steak.
Seasoning is so important. It is tough for a lot of people to OVER SEASON. Most people under season food. Make sure that you pick the right season and that you apply it liberally. Taste the season and see if you like it. If you doubt your own pallet then ask someone else to taste it.
I have various combos of season for steak depending on cut and mood.
Here are some:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Either kosher salt or season salt ( I am a little sick of season salt but I liked it for a long time)
fresh cracked black pepper. BOTH sides of the meat if it is any thicker than 1". if it is thin then just do one side.

I have others- do not be afraid to try new things.

Now- barbecue- this is a whole other post and I will handle later. I doubt that dude at the store was buying charcoal for barbecue so I will wait to post on that until I am inspired.