Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook, and it’s great for those nights that you want to throw something on the grill but don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it. However, there are some things you need to know before you fire up your grill. This guide will show you how to do BBQ right so that your next grilling experience is as enjoyable as possible!
Table of Contents
Pre-heat the grill.
Pre-heating the grill for 15 to 25 minutes on high heat will help to warm up the metal of the grill, which will allow it to heat evenly and prevent food from sticking. It also helps to prevent food from burning and makes it more likely that your steaks will cook through before the outside burns.
If you don’t have a chimney starter (or can’t find one), we recommend using lighter fluid instead. The reason why we don’t recommend using lighter fluid is because it contains chemicals that are bad for our environment. If you want an alternative that doesn’t use chemicals or fire sources, simply preheat your coals in a small pile inside a tin foil packet with holes poked in it—this should do the trick!
Use a chimney starter for charcoal grills.
Charcoal grills are a staple of any BBQ. If you don’t have one, get one—they’re cheap and easy to find. But don’t just buy any old charcoal grill: use a chimney starter instead of lighter fluid! All you need is some newspaper and some dry kindling or wood shavings.
The best way to start your fire is with newspaper balls soaked in vegetable oil (or another flammable substance). The oil makes sure the paper catches fire quickly and burns even more so, creating enough heat for the coals beneath it to ignite as well. Once the paper has burnt up completely, remove it from inside of your grill and add some crumpled pieces of newspaper on top of what remains inside there (just like you would do if you were lighting kindling indoors).
Next add more pieces until they start catching on fire themselves—you might need another “layer” later on but not necessarily right away since this should keep going for quite awhile after being lit up once again! Now place some pre-soaked kindling underneath where those new burning papers used to be; this will help get things nice and hot without needing too much effort put into them (like when starting over with another batch).
Now let’s talk about how long does it take before meat can go into our ovens? For example steaks take around 15 minutes per side depending on thickness while chicken takes anywhere between 30-45 minutes depending on size/shape/etcetera.. Some people like doing BBQ at home because they know exactly what goes into production – no additives or preservatives etc., which makes sense if we’re talking about food safety concerns..
Don’t use lighter fluid.
It’s a bad idea for a variety of reasons, but the biggest one is that it’s toxic and can be flammable. When you’re grilling barbecue, you want to keep your food from tasting like lighter fluid (or anything else that might be in your kitchen cabinets). You also don’t want any explosions or fires on your hands as you try to cook up some delicious meat for guests or family members.
Instead, opt for chimney starters when starting up your grill—they’re safer than lighter fluid and less toxic too! Chimney starters are also more efficient than traditional methods of getting charcoal started because they get more air into the coal than other methods do—meaning you have hotter coals faster.
Ditch the grocery store barbecue sauce.
So you’ve got your grill ready, the coals are lit and you’re ready to cook. Before you get started, though, it’s important to give your barbecue sauce some thought.
If you buy store-bought barbecue sauce—even if it says “homemade” on the label—it won’t taste exactly like what’s made from scratch by someone who knows what they’re doing. The reason for this is simple: most commercial sauces use high fructose corn syrup as their base ingredient instead of real sugar or honey; this allows them to be more shelf stable and less expensive than other options but makes them taste artificial as well.
In fact, many mass-produced brands contain ingredients such as propylene glycol (a chemical used in antifreeze) along with preservatives like sodium benzoate that can lead to health problems when eaten regularly over time!
Instead of buying commercially produced sauce at a store near you (or online), consider making your own at home using real ingredients like tomatoes, vinegar and spices like garlic powder or onion powder–and steer clear of those nasty preservatives altogether!
Do use a dry rub.
Using a dry rub is a great way to add flavor to your meat. The best part about using a dry rub is that it makes the cooking process even easier. Rubs are easy to make, and they can be applied before or after grilling your meat. Dry rubs help seal in moisture, which makes for juicier cuts of meat—this is especially important when grilling thin pieces like chicken breasts and salmon fillets.
You can apply dry rubs directly onto raw food (like steaks), or you can add them into marinades before you cook your food with them on top of the grill. It’s best if you use kosher salt rather than regular table salt when making your own spice mixes at home because salting foods after cooking gives off more flavor than doing so beforehand (and remember: don’t overdo it!).
Use wood chips for smoking meats.
The best way to smoke meats is with wood chips. There are a few ways to do this, including:
- Using a smoker box. A smoker box is a small metal container with holes in it that you fill with wood chips and add to your grill or smoker to add smoke flavor without adding too much extra fat or flavor. They’re easy and convenient but can be expensive if you’re looking for an authentic smoking experience (like when making jerky).
- Using a smoker bag. If you want more control over how much smokey flavor gets into your meat, use a smoker bag instead of just throwing in random hunks of wood into the firebox as soon as possible—you’ll have total control over how much of that smoky goodness ends up in your mouth!
If you’re grilling steaks, invest in a good steak thermometer.
If you’re grilling steaks, invest in a good steak thermometer.
Knowing when your meat is done is just as important as knowing how to cook it in the first place. Steak should never be well done, and medium rare will give you more flavor than medium or even medium well.
Make sure you get the temperature right before taking them off the grill! A good steak should reach an internal temperature of 135 degrees Fahrenheit for maximum tenderness and juiciness. The best way to do this is using a high quality digital thermometer with a probe that allows you to monitor internal temperatures from afar without opening up the grill too often or losing heat from escaping steam during testing (which can affect your final product).
Try cooking on indirect heat.
The first way to avoid flare-ups is to cook the meat on indirect heat. This is when you don’t put the meat directly over the flame and instead use another method, like a gas or charcoal grill with a lid. You can also use an oven, like on Thanksgiving when you’re cooking your turkey breast side down in its own juices. The point here is that if you have flames reaching up and touching your meat directly, it will burn and taste bad.
The best part about cooking with indirect heat? You can control not just how hot your grill gets but also how fast it heats up by using either high or low temperatures on your propane tank (for example).
Keep your grill clean and oiled with an onion dipped in canola oil.
Keeping your grill clean and oiled is important, especially if you’re using a charcoal grill. To do this, simply cut an onion in half lengthwise, dip it in a little canola oil and use that to clean the inside of your grill. You don’t want to use a brush for this because it will clog up with bits of meat and other debris that can then burn and smoke. Instead, just rub the onion over the grates and let them soak up any excess grease or dirt that might be there.
When cleaning up spills on your concrete patio or deck (or wherever else you have your grill), never use water—it’ll make things worse by causing more smoke! Instead use towels soaked in soapy water or even clothespins clipped onto wet fabric rags if you don’t have any liquid soap available right now (this is called “wringing”).
Invest in a good barbeque brush and spatulas.
There are two things you need to get right when it comes to barbeque: the grill, and the meat. The first step is to invest in a good barbeque brush and several good spatulas. A brush will help clean your grill after each use and remove any lingering bits of food or grease, which will improve flavor and prevent smoke from building up on your grill between uses. Spatulas will allow you to flip the meat without damaging it so that it doesn’t lose its juices, which results in dry meat or flare-ups (they can also be used as makeshift tongs by holding one end with your hand while using the other).
To make sure your rub sticks well but doesn’t burn off during cooking time: Coat both sides of each piece individually with olive oil first before applying rub mixture all over surface area evenly from edge—use thin coatings rather than thick ones so nothing gets burned off due to excessive heat buildup underneath surface area where you’ve applied too much oil/rub mixture! If there’s too much then simply wipe off excess until no more residue remains on top side(s) – this way everything should cook evenly throughout entire length without burning off completely underneath surface areas where extra oils might’ve been applied too thickly thus causing flare-ups later down road when grilling dinner tonight.”
Don’t grill cold meat.
One of the most important tips for grilling is to never cook meat that’s been chilled. While it may seem like a good idea to pop your steak in the freezer for an hour or two before cooking, you’ll actually be doing yourself (and your guests) a disservice. Cold meat will not cook evenly and will shrink more than it would at room temperature. Since it shrinks less when cooked at room temperature versus frozen, it won’t shrink so much when seared on the grill causing parts of the meat to burn before others have finished cooking through which can lead to an unpalatable piece of meat if not done right!
The same goes for chicken breasts—chop them up into bite-sized pieces so they cook evenly across their surface area and avoid burning if you don’t want dried out chicken breast pieces instead of moist tender ones!
Always start with cold meat when cooking!
- “Always start with cold meat when cooking,” says Jamie Oliver. “You want it to go into the pan at room temperature, so that you don’t end up drying it out. Once it’s cooked, take it out of the oven immediately and let it rest for a few minutes before serving. You can also keep your meat warm in a low oven before serving if you need to prep other dishes ahead of time.
- Make sure your grill is well-oiled before placing any kind of food on top! This ensures that nothing sticks (and potentially burns) while cooking—which is kind of important for things like burgers or sausages where there’s no way around flipping once they’ve been put into place!
- Buying larger pieces means more surface area gets exposed as they cook through—so less chance for anything sticking around inside; this applies especially well when grilling chicken breast halves versus boneless thighs/legs (both work equally well here).
Conclusion
If you’ve tried to grill before and found that it doesn’t come out quite right, we hope these tips will help you. It can be easy to get frustrated with the process, but remember that everyone has their own way of doing things! The most important thing is to have fun and enjoy yourself while cooking—the food will taste better if you do.