Easy Grilling Tips and Tricks that Can Make You a Backyard Expert

Easy Grilling Tips and Tricks that Can Make You a Backyard Expert by Mark Hester You take great pride in the fact that you now have the latest and greatest Brinkman Barbecue Grill. Or maybe you just have a $29.00 special and a bag of brickets. Either way, a few grilling tips and tricks on how to properly grill food will turn any weekend griller into a backyard expert in no time. There are a few very simple tricks you should be aware of when you cook with your grill or smoker which can easily improve the flavor of your food and your cooking enjoyment. One good thing to do before you even begin is to get your meat out of the refrigerator or freezer to bring it to room temperature before your start to grill it. But don't defrost it for more than an hour though as this may cause it to spoil. Next prepare your cooking surface by rubbing cooking oil on the cold grates with a paper towel to prevent the food from sticking. Or, better yet use your tongs to rub a piece of cut-off fat over the grates after they are hot. Either method will keep the food from sticking and make cleanup much easier and less stressful. Always preheat the grill to an optimal cooking temperature prior to placing the first piece of meat on the grates. Turn gas grills on at least five minutes before starting. With charcoal it is recommended that you let the coals burn for up to 30 minutes. Make sure to prepare two heat zones inside your grill: A hot zone and a warm zone. With your gas grill turn one side to high and the other to low. With your charcoal grill move most of the brickets to one side. This will let you to move the meat around periodically to evenly cook all the pieces. You can also improve the flavor of steaks and chops by searing the outside of your meat over the hot zone before moving it to the warm zone to finish cooking. Never baste the meat with a BBQ or other sugary sauce until the very last minute or two. During barbequing or smoking meat the sauce is mopped on early and often, but the high temperatures of the grilling process will burn the sugar quickly and ruin your meat. Your best bet is to baste the meat with a vinegar sauce or marinade and put the BBQ sauces on the table for your guests to help themselves. Lastly, right after removing the food, take just a minute to scrape the grates with a scraper to clean the food off of them. It's best to do this when they are still very hot and it will only slow you down for about a minute or two. I hope these grilling tips assist all you weekend grillers with your next BBQ party. Once you master the basics you can feel comfortable experimenting with different foods and cooking techniques and in no time you will feel like a seasoned backyard grilling expert Mark Hester is the co-creator of The Weekend Grillers along with Jamie Clark of Derby City Sauces. If you love Grilling and BBQ or want more information on grilling steaks (including how to check the temperature of your grill) visit The Weekend Grillers Article Directory: Article Dashboard