We know—you already are the master of the grill at home. And you probably do turn out some pretty mean burgers and steaks, but we can all use a refresher—or you may be surprised by some of these tips—on how to get the best results barbecuing. Follow them and you may find neighbours dropping by regularly to get some more from your ’cue.
Do preheat your grill
Think ahead to when you want to be eating and turn on your barbecue so that it has at least 15 minutes to heat up to the right temperature. If you want it at high, that’s about 400 to 450 degrees. When your barbecue is preheated before your food hits the grill, you can get a great sear on your meat.
Do clean the grill off when it’s hot
Any stuck-on debris will be easier to clean off when the grill is hot, so before you put any food on it, use a wire brush to scrape off any residue. You’ll make your task easier the next time you grill if you also scrape off the grill once you’re done barbecuing.
Don’t place food on unoiled grills
Your grilling job will be easier if the food doesn’t get stuck to the grills, and you can help prevent this from happening by oiling the grills—soak a paper towel and use your tongs to swipe it across them.
Don’t press on your burgers with a spatula
Maybe there’s a natural need to fuss with your meat on the grill, but when you press on top of a burger with your spatula or tongs, all your doing is pressing out the juices that you want to stay in the burger.
Do buy a thermometre
Avoid letting precious juices pour out of your meat when you slice into it to check how done it is; instead, use an instant-read thermometre to tell you if the internal temperature of your meat.
Do invest in some accessories
Metal skewers and grill baskets can expand your BBQ repertoire. Make your own kabobs with exactly what you want on the skewers rather than just sticking to the ready-made ones from the grocer. A grill basket makes it simple to grill things like veggies, tofu and fish (all of which can sometimes get stuck to or fall through the grill.
Don’t let flare-ups happen
It’s almost exciting when the flame flares up, but it can be unhealthy for you. This fire can cause carcinogens to form on your food. You can help reduce the number of flare ups by trimming excess fat from meats.
Do let your meat rest
Even though your mouth is watering and you’re dying to dive right into the meat you’ve just taken off of the grill, if you slice into it right away, you allow all of the juices to come right out. Instead, let your meat rest on a platter (not the one you used to bring the raw meat to the grill, but a new, clean one) and tent it loosely with foil for about 10 minutes.
