Nothing says summer days like the smell of your barbecue. Grilling can be a faster way to get dinner on the table if it’s done right. Whether you’re looking to cook kebabs or a juicy steak, you need to know the basics. Here are 10 grilling tips and tricks you can use next time you want to grill.
Basic Grilling Tips
1. Let your grill warm up. All gas grilling gurus agree that a pre-heated grill gives the best results. It sears food on contact and helps prevent sticking. Fire up your grill and let it preheat for about 15 minutes. Aim for 450°C 550°F for high, 400°C 450°F for medium-high, 350°C 400°F for medium, 300°C 350°F for medium-low, and 250°C 300°F for low heat.
2. Clean your grill grates. It’s easiest to clean grill grates when the grill is hot. After pre-heating, use a wooden grill scraper to remove any charred bits left over on the grates. Then, do it again as soon as you’re done cooking.
3. Oil your grill. Sometimes lean food sticks even with the cleanest of grills. Help prevent sticking by oiling the grill right before the food goes on with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel. Hold the towel with grill tongs so you don’t burn your fingers. Don’t spray a hot grill with cooking spray or oil!
4. Keep it sanitary. Move any platter that held raw meat right away and grab a clean one to use when your food comes off the grill.
5. Keep food from falling. A grill mat is great for keeping your food in place while it’s cooking. A mat will keep your grates clean, but still give you rich grill marks. It also allows delicate, small foods to cook without sticking or falling through the grill grates and keeps the flavors of the foods from mixing.
6. Put a lid on it. Keep that lid closed! Peek only when it’s necessary to turn food or check doneness.
7. Check your meat’s temperature. Get a meat thermometer to accurately tell when your food is cooked to the temperature you want. Check the meat with the thermometer in the same spot so less juice runs out. Remember, the temperature will rise a few degrees once it’s off the heat.
8. Watch for flare-ups. Keep an eye on your grill for flare-ups. They occur when fat drips onto the heat and catches fire. You can reduce flare-ups by using a grill mat or cooking with lean meat, trimming off the excess fat, and removing poultry skin.
9. Even out your food. Hot spots are bound to happen with any type of grill so move your food around if you notice things aren’t cooking evenly.
10. Let your meat rest. Allow meat to rest (tented with foil) for about 10 minutes before serving. This lets the juices redistribute evenly for the best and tastiest results.
Grilling Recipes
Now that you know the grilling basics, you can try grilling some of our favorite recipes.
- Juicy Lucy Stuffed Burgers
- Pineapple Grilled Salmon
- Grilled Loaded Nachos
- Grilled Veggie Flatbread
- Grilled BBQ Chicken Pizza
- Smoky Beer Can Chicken With Potato Wedges
Do you have any grilling tips for new grillers? Tell us in the comments below.
No comments yet.