If You Have a Grill, There’s a 90% Chance People Will Expect You To Feed Them Tomorrow

If you own a grill, you might want to start stocking up on meat today because your friends and family are counting on you them to feed them tomorrow. A new survey found that 90% of people with a grill end up firing it up on Memorial Day.

So if you’re the one who’ll be firing it up this weekend, here are 7 Memorial Day grilling tips to keep in mind:

#1.)  Trim the fat.  Fat burns really fast, and if there's too much of it, it makes the meat charred and crispy.  Trim it down so there's only about a quarter-inch of fat on the edges.  It'll also keep the grease from dripping and causing flame-ups.

#2.)  Marinate more.  Most people don't marinate long enough.  To do it right, soak the meat in a marinade for 12 to 24 hours, and keep it in the refrigerator.  Use one to two cups of marinade for every one-and-a-half to two pounds of meat.

 #3.)  Oil the grill.  It'll keep the meat from sticking, and it won't be such a big deal to clean the grill when you're done.  Just take a brush and spread olive oil evenly over the entire grilling surface. 

 #4.)  If you’re out of lighter fluid, use salad dressing.  If you pour salad dressing over the charcoal, the oil should act as an accelerant. It doesn't say what KIND of salad dressing to use, but I'm assuming that ITALIAN works better than BLUE CHEESE.

#5.)  TURN UP THE HEAT.  If you have a gas grill, set it to "high" when you first put the meat on.  It'll seal the outer layer and trap the juices.  Just don't forget to turn it back down after a few minutes or it'll burn the meat.

#6.)  Increase humidity.  To keep the meat moist while you cook it, put a pan of water . . . or even an open can of beer . . . next to the grill.  It doesn't seem like it would make a difference, but it keeps the air around the grill more humid.

#7.)  Don’t mess with the meat.  Once it's on the grill, leave it alone until you're ready to flip it.  Ideally, you should only flip it once.  And pushing down on it with a spatula or stabbing it with a fork too many times dries it out.

Source: Webber, Kaboodle