Semi-Helpful Tips for Grilling

semi-helpful hints for grilling

When determining if your coals are hot enough, remember that bright red coals are too hot (so cut their oxygen supply); black coals are too cool (give them more time or more oxygen). Coals that are too cool can cause the food you’re cooking to pick up the flavor of the lighter fluid that hasn’t burned up completely.

For a different flavor in your grilled food, try sprinkling dried herbs that you’ve soaked in water, fresh herbs or garlic cloves onto the coals.

Food that needs to stay on the grill for longer than an hour will require fresh coals (if you’re cooking with charcoal and not gas). The rule of thumb is to add ten coals an hour. You can add these to the edge of your pile of hot coals, or start them in a separate fire place and add them as they reach the right temperature.

If your barbeque is going to be a big one, do as much work as possible the day before.  This will cut down on your stress level and increase your enjoyment tremendously!

Once your grill has reached the right temperature, oil it to keep the food you’ll cook from sticking. To do this, use a piece of paper towel that you either fold or crumple up. Dip it into a bowl of oil—whatever kind you prefer to cook with is fine. Rub this across as much of the grill as it will cover, dip it in the oil and repeat until the cooking surface is covered.

Whether you’re using a gas grill or charcoal, if the grill doesn’t sizzle when you put the food on, your fire may be too cool.

A piece of meat with a bone in it will cook faster than a boneless piece. The bone carries the heat to the inside more quickly.

For a juicier hamburger, add 1/2 cup of cold water to the beef before forming it into patties. Don’t squeeze the greese out when you’re cooking the burger.

Turn foods with tongs instead of a fork to avoid piercing them and so losing their juices.

For the tenderest steaks, only turn them once.

If you’re going to use wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before placing the food on them. This will keep them from burning.

To avoid tears when cutting onions, try cutting them under cold running water or briefly placing them in the freezer before cutting.

To keep hot oil from splattering, sprinkle a pinch of salt or flour into the pan before frying.

Meats with a lot of fat (i.e. flavor) can be parboiled (i.e. boiled in water for a length of time) to reduce their fat content. A lot of people achieve this same result by wrapping the meat in foil and baking it in the oven. Times and temperatures vary.

One lemon yields about 1/4 cup of juice; one orange yields about 1/3 cup of juice. Remember this when making citrus marinades.

Marinating meat is easier when you use a Ziploc bag. The marinade is contained and so doesn’t make a mess, and the meat is easy to move around.

When marinating foods in a plastic bag, be sure to squeeze out as much asir as you can from the bag. 

When using a dry rug on a piece of meat, lightly coat the meat with oil before applying the rub. 

Always marinade meats in the refrigerator. If you’re going to use a container (instead of a Ziploc), using one that’s non-metal.

Lemon juice rubbed on a fish before cooking will enhance its flavor and help maintain a good color.

Scaling a fish is easier if you rub vinegar on the scales first.

When grilling fish, allow ten minutes for each inch of thickness -- one inch equals ten minutes.  (Don\'t overcook it!)

When boiling corn, add sugar to the water instead of salt. Salt will toughen the corn.

To pep up corn on the cob that\'s no longer as fresh as it once was, add one teaspoon of salt to equal parts milk and water instead of just water, then boil. 

If flare-ups occur when you’re cooking on a gas grill, do not squirt the flames with water. Simply close the lid and reduce the amount of gas the fire is getting.

Any grilling recipe that mentions aluminum foil is referring to heavy-duty foil. Regular foil can work in a pinch, but it will require several layers at least.

Never serve cooked meat on the same (unwashed) plate you brought the raw meat out to the grill on. The cooked meat can pick up harmful bacteria from the raw juices.

Never leave your lit grill unattended. We know several people who have lost their homes or decks to fast-burning grill fires.

The sooner you clean your grill after you’ve used it, the easier it’ll be.

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