~ Top 12 Grilling Tips ~
- Get it hot! Preheat your grill 15 to 25 minutes before you start cooking to make sure it reaches the right temperature (and to kill any bacteria). Your grill should be 400-450°F for high, 350-400°F for medium-high, 300-350°F for medium and 250-300°F for low heat. A properly heated grill sears foods on contact, keeps the insides moist and helps prevent sticking. While searing doesn’t “seal in” the juices (contrary to popular belief ), it does create improved flavors through caramelization. Temperature matters: grilling at the appropriate temperature ensures even cooking; medium is usually recommended. If the temperature is too high, beef can char and become overcooked on the outside before the interior reaches the desired doneness..
- Keep it clean and safe. Always keep your grill clean and away from anything flammable like lighter fluid, fences, your house, etc.
- Marinating“musts.” Always marinate in the refrigerator. If a marinade has been in contact with uncooked beef, it must be brought to a full rolling boil before it can be eaten as a sauce. Marinate meats from 20 minutes up to several hours or even overnight depending on the cut of meat, for tender, flavorful results. Apply sauces or mops a few minutes prior to completion of cooking time to avoid overcooking and burning the sugars/oils in the sauce. Apply spice rubs just prior to cooking.
- Brush it off. It’s easier to remove debris when the grill is hot, so after preheating, use a long-handled wire grill brush on your grill rack to clean off charred debris from prior meals. Scrape again immediately after use.
- Oil it up. Even on a clean grill, lean foods may stick when placed directly on the rack. Reduce sticking by oiling your hot grill rack with a vegetable oil-soaked paper towel: hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) Do not apply cooking spray to a lit grill. Lightly oil the cooking grate before placing it over the heat.
- Safety first. Food safety is a top priority, so keep these simple rules from the USDA in mind: avoid cross-contamination by using separate cutting boards, utensils and platters for raw and cooked foods; refrigerate foods while marinating; and never baste with the marinating liquid. (Make extra marinade just for basting or boil your marinating liquid first.) Never take beef off the grill and return it to the same platter that held raw beef unless the platter has been washed in hot soapy water.
- Turn properly. Use long-handled tongs for turning steaks; spatulas for burgers. A fork will pierce the beef causing loss of flavorful juices.Use a grill basket for foods that might fall through the grill rack or are too cumbersome to turn over one by one (vegetables, fish, tofu, fruits, etc.).
- A chimney starter makes starting a charcoal fire a breeze. Just place crumpled paper in the bottom of the chimney, fill it with charcoal and light the paper. In about 20 minutes the coals will be ready to spread evenly in the bottom of the grill—no kindling, no lighter fluid, no perfect pyramid required.
- Is it done? The best way to know if protein is fully cooked is to check its internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer. It registers in seconds, but s not heat-resistant so it cannot be left in food while it cooks. Insert the thermometer horizontally into the center of steaks and burgers to check the internal temperature.
Know correct internal temperatures: Cook burgers to at least 160 degrees F (medium doneness), until the centers are no longer pink and the juices show no pink color. Cook steaks to at least 145 degrees F (medium rare doneness). Beef will be very pink in the center and slightly brown toward the exterior.
- The hand test. To gauge the temperature of a grill without a thermometer, place your open palm about 5 inches above the grill rack; the fire is high if you have to move your hand in 2 seconds, medium if you have to move your hand in 5 seconds and low if you have to move your hand in 10 seconds.
- Tame the flames. Flare-ups happen when fat drips onto the heat source and catches fire. This causes carcinogenic PAHs (polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) to form and accumulate on your food. Meat licked by flames also tastes “off” and flames may char the outside of food before the inside has thoroughly cooked. In other words, flare-ups are caused by too much fat and too much heat. To reduce flare-ups, select lean cuts of meat, trim excess fat and when you turn meat on the grill move it to a different part of the grill.
- Give it rest. Let finished meats rest on a clean platter, tented with foil, for about 10 minutes before carving so juices can redistribute evenly.
