Did you know that the average person grills twice a week and around 70% of grill owners use gas powdered grills over wood or charcoal? It’s no secret that a grill is an investment, but many owners would say it is worth it.
If you have a grill or are planning on getting one, your goal is probably to make your food taste better. You can’t achieve this dream without first learning the best grilling tips for an effective and delicious cook.
Keep reading to learn seven essential grilling tips.
- Work With a Clean Grill
No matter what you are cooking, one of the most important grilling tips is to start with a clean grill. In between uses, you should use a metal brush to clean the grates. It’s easier to do this when the grill is hot.
You can preheat the grill with the lid closed for up to 15 minutes. Depending on the grill you have, the coals will begin to glow red or the gas burners will be on high to reach 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Keeping your grill lid closed during the preheating process and the cooking time will keep the grates hot enough to sear your food. It also quickens the cooking time and can help prevent your food from drying out.
Fat and juices will vaporize in the grill and trap smokiness to allow more flavor. Keeping the lid closed is also important for preventing flare-ups because it limits oxygen.
If flare-ups happen to occur, they will char your food unpleasantly. Keep a spray bottle filled with water nearby to allow you to dampen flare-ups that might happen.
This heat will loosen bits and pieces of food hanging onto the grate. This step of the process can help with cleanliness while preventing your food from sticking when you start cooking.
You’ll want to replace your brush if bristles become loose.
- Don’t Move Your Food Around
When grilling out, you want the best cook on your food. To do this, you should move your food around as little as possible. Flipping meats once is ideal for most cuts.
If the meat is stuck to the grill, let it cook more. Doing so will allow it to unstick itself when it is ready for flipping.
It’s also important to avoid squeezing or flattening meats out. This can actually lead them to dry up because you are squeezing out fat and moisture.
- Use a Meat Thermometer
Learning how to grill for the first time often involves using a meat thermometer. Experienced cooks find it hard to tell a meat’s temperature even by touching it.
With a simple and cheap purchase, your confidence in grilling will skyrocket because you’ll never have to worry about undercooking or overcooking your food.
Other tips to get the right cook involves monitoring your time by using a timer.
When grilling in colder climates or in areas with higher altitudes, the cooking time will be longer. Hard blowing wind can cause a lower temperature on a gas grill and raise the temperature of a charcoal grill.
Let your meat come to temperature on a counter for around 30 minutes before placing it on the grill. This tip will help your meat cook more evenly.
If you need a rare sear on meats like tuna, chilled and straight to the grill is the better option.
- Rest Your Meats
After cooking your meats, let them rest and leave them unsliced for about 5 to 15 minutes. This allows the juices in the meat to redistribute.
The general rule of thumb is the bigger the piece of meat, the longer the resting time should be. If you want juicy results, resting meats is key.
Quality meat is best enjoyed after it has rested. Beef grades will tell you about the quality of your meat.
For example, wagyu beef grades are important to note for grilling. You can learn more about what they are by clicking the link.
- Don’t Over Char Meat With Bones
To avoid eating meat covered in black, thick char, cook meats with bones on high heat then move to lower, indirect grill heat.
With this method, you’ll be able to cook your meats all the way through without overcooking the outside.
You can start your meat in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes before putting them on the grill as well. This is a great technique for ribs.
You’ll want to learn about direct heat vs. indirect heat to understand grilling tricks better.
Direct heat is when the fire is directly below the food. This cooking method is best for small, tender pieces of food that cook in less than 20 minutes.
Indirect heat is when the fire is on either side of the food and is best for large cuts of meat that take longer than 20 minutes to cook.
- Keep Your Menu Simple
Unless you are cooking for yourself or a few people in your immediate family, sticking to a simple menu is best. There’s nothing more stressful than trying to serve multiple types of meat to various people.
You’ll be dealing with different cooking times, not only for proteins but for veggies as well. Having too much on the grill can result in overcooking and other errors.
- Avoid Using Lighter Fluid
Although lighter fluid is commonly used, try to avoid it when you can. This liquid product evaporates and causes chemical fumes under your food.
Lighter cubes and chimney starters are a cleaner alternative and happen to be the more effective option.
Grilling Tips You Didn’t Know You Needed
Some people get a grill and just wing it… pun intended. Grilling meats and other foods take a level of finesse that you can achieve with a few simple tips.
Instead of jumping in headfirst without a plan in place, use this guide to help you make the best meals possible. Grilling tips come in different forms, but these tips are sure to level up your cooking.
For more articles on foods and the culinary arts, check out the other posts on our website.
