Use Only Clean Grill Grates

I know, some of you think that there is flavor in that dirty grill grate of yours. There might be some flavor, but I’m not sure it would be healthy to use them.

Always make sure that your grates are clean before putting any meat on the grill. This does two things. One, it allows for fat being rendered from the meats to help sear the meats. Two, it keeps your meats from sticking. Most meats that stick to the grill do so because they are being cooked on top of leftovers from your previous grilling session.

An easy and cheap way to clean your grill grates is to crumble up a large piece of aluminum foil and scrub the grates. This works much better than a grill brush and is less messy than a grill stone. When the grates are free of all the leftovers, spray the grates with a non-stick cooking oil and scrub one last time. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to clean the grates.

Low and Slow or Hot and Fast

To determine how hot to grill your meats, you must first know what food you’re grilling. Items such as steak, hamburger, chicken, and vegetables do well at medium high to high temperatures. Meats such as pork shoulders, Boston butts, whole turkeys and whole chickens need longer to cook and will require a lower temperature.

Charcoal Selection

There are several choices when it comes to charcoal these days. They all have different burn characteristics. Natural lump charcoal is better suited for fast, high heat cooking methods. It gets to temperature faster, has less ash, and has absolutely no additives.

Charcoal briquettes burn much slower than lump and are more suitable for low and slow cooks. They burn much more consistently than lump and require less attention. Although there are additives to bind briquettes together, they contain nothing harmful.

Know the Cooking Temperature

Most grills and smokers come with a built in temperature gauge. However, most don’t tell you at what temperature your food is actually cooking. To find out the cooking temperature, take a wired temperature probe, stick it through a whole potato and set the potato on the cooking grate. Make sure that the tip of the probe is sticking out of the potato and lying parallel to the grate. This will measure the actual cooking temperature. The built-in gauge is only giving you the air temperature above the cooking area. These two different readings can vary as much as 75 degrees.

If You’re Looking, You’re Not Cooking

Every time you open the grill lid, you lose heat. It takes time for the heat to recover. Leave the lid closed until it’s time to check the temperature of the meat.

Use Tongs Instead of a Fork

Use tongs to turn meat instead of piercing it with a fork. When a fork is used, the meat is punctured, allowing tasty juices to escape.

Store Raw Meat in the Refrigerator

Always store raw meat in the refrigerator until you are ready to put it on the grill. Leaving meats out at room temperature can be dangerous to your health.

Poultry Has Its Own Rules

When cooking any type of poultry, always take extra food safety precautions. Wash hands immediately after handling the meat or anything that has touched the meat. Never use the same cutting board, utensils, or dishes that have come into contact with uncooked poultry without thoroughly cleaning them first.

Sauce Meats at the End

Baste grilled meats with sauce the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking. There are a lot of sugars in most barbeque sauces that can burn easily if cooked for too long.

Never Mash a Hamburger on the Grill

Mashing a hamburger flat while on the grill allows juices (flavor and moisture) to escape. Flatten your burgers before they go on the grill.