Whether you're using charcoal or gas, grilling is a delicious and easy option for low-fat and healthy cooking.
Grilling is easy and convenient. Cooking outdoors usually means less clean up and more time to socialize with family and friends. Knowing the basics of grilling can make the job even easier.
Basic Grilling Know-How
- One of the most overlooked tools in a chef’s grilling arsenal is a meat thermometer. Verifying internal meat temperature is the most accurate way to make sure that food is thoroughly cooked. Thermometers also help avoid over cooking.
- Weather affects grilling. If the temperature is cool or it’s windy, allow more time for your food to cook thoroughly. The same for extremely hot days; time may need to be reduced slightly.
- Keep the flavor, lose the weight. Fat can be trimmed to about 1/4-inch, keeping in the taste but reducing potential flare ups from fat dripping into the flame.
- Don’t pierce meat. Piercing causes juice to flow out of the food and with the juice goes the flavor.
- If you’re trying out a grilling recipe for the first time, follow instructions closely. Customize for taste and seasoning in the future.
- Most foods cook better with the lid down. Food will cook more evenly and thoroughly. If you must lift the lid, add a few extra minutes to the cooking time.
- Charcoal briquettes usually take about 25 minutes to heat up completely.
Best Grilling Tools:
- Meat thermometer
- Long-handled Tongs, spatulas, and knives.
- Mitts
- Grill Brush
- Timer
- First Aid kit
Indirect Versus Direct Grilling:
Direct Grilling is simply cooking directly over the fire. Indirect Grilling is cooking off to the side of the fire, allowing the heat to cook the meat “indirectly”. Leaving the lid down in indirect heat is even more essential than when cooking with direct.
Safety Sense
Being mindful of dangers in advance is an important part of grilling. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission offers these tips:
- Check burner tubes for blockage (insects, spiders, or food grease) Cclear blockage and push it through to the main part of the burner.
- Check for cracked, brittle gas tubes. Check for sharp bends in the tubes.
- Move the hoses far away from hot surfaces and dripping hot grease.
- Keep the drip tray or can clean and free of debris
- Check for leaks; always follow manufacturer's instructions if you smell gas or when you reconnect the grill to the LP gas container.
- If you find a leak, immediately turn off the gas. Don't attempt to light the grill until the leak is fixed.
- Keep lighted cigarettes, matches, and open flames away from a leaking grill.
- Keep grills at least 10 feet away from the house or any building.
- Do not use the grill in a garage, breezeway, carport, porch, or under a surface that can catch fire.
- Do not attempt to repair the tank valve or the appliance yourself, always use the services of a qualified appliance repair person.
- Never use water to put out a fire on a gas grill.
- In case of flare up, turn burners off (in gas grilling). Gas or Charcoal, move food off of fire.
- Use long-handled tools and long barbecue mitts to prevent burns.
- When charcoal grilling, never use lighter fluid after the fire has started. Only use fluid to soak briquettes before starting the grill.
The copyright of the article How To Grill and BBQ Food in Seasonal Cooking is owned by Elizabeth Richards. Permission to republish How To Grill and BBQ Food in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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