Seven Secrets That Will Make You Better at Grilling
While we might not see the sunshine we've been longing for this weekend, the weather will be warmer than it's been in a while and since we've been cooped up for what feels like forever, now might be the perfect time to fire up the grill and get out of your four walls, even if only for a little bit.
If you're not a regular griller, it can be a little intimidating to take on the grill, but there's no need to stress because, with these handy tips, you'll have everyone fooled into believing you're a grill master!
- 1
Marinate Your Meat
Unless you're into eating meat that's as hard as a hockey puck, marinate it. While many bottles and packets say you can get the marinating job done in 20 minutes, it's really best if you let your meat soak in a marinade in the fridge for at least half a day, if not longer.
- 2
Oil the Grill
If you don't want what you're cooking on the grill to stick to it, make sure you oil the grill. To oil the grill, just dip a brush in olive oil and brush it over the entire grill and removing your food will be less of a fight.
- 3
Crank the Heat Up
Cooking on a gas grill? Crank that sucker up to high heat when you first put the meat on. By doing this, you'll create a seal on the outer layer of the meat and trap the juices inside. Remember though, you don't want to leave the grill set to high heat for too long. Only keep it super hot long enough to get a nice brown on your meat and then turn it down to a lower heat to finish cooking.
- 4
Stop Touching the Meat!
Do you feel like you need to flip or poke at the meat on your grill every couple of seconds? Are you a notorious meat flipper or poker? Stop! Once you put the meat on the grill, leave it alone until you’re ready to flip it and you should only flip it once. If you think you have to push your burgers down with a spatula, nope. That actually dries it out. And, if you stab your meat just don't, It releases the juices and...you guessed it, dries out the meat.
- 5
Increase Humidity
If you want your meat to be very moist it can be, put a pan of water next to the grill. I know, this doesn't seem like it would be enough to make a difference, but it does because it keeps the air all around the grill more humid.
- 6
Cut the Fat
Fat burns really fast and if there's too much of it on your meat, it's going to make your meat charred. So, unless you like meat that resembles a hockey puck, trim down your meat. This will also keep the grease from dripping and causing flare-ups.
- 7
Use Olive Oil as Lighter Fluid
I’ve never tried this so you're on your own with this one, but apparently it works. According to this video, if you're cooking on a charcoal grill, you can use olive oil as lighter fluid.