After a long winter, you’re going to want to get outside again. You don’t want to be stuck in the house after the last year, but it’s not clear what will be open or not.
What’s the next best thing if you can’t sit at your favorite restaurant? Grilling at home.
Last year, grills were hot commodities as people sought ways to entertain at home. Grilling was so popular, beef prices shot up 10%.
If you’re just joining the grilling game, you want to make sure you know how to grill. It’s a different type of cooking that requires a good eye and even better timing.
Read on to learn the top grilling tips so you can cook with confidence.
Choose Your Grill
The type of grill that you use makes all the difference in the type of food you cook and cooking times.There are three very common types of grills. Each has its own advantages and drawbacks.
Gas grills are your typical propane grills.These types of grills are known for being easy.They’re easy to operate, easy to clean, and easy to cook on.
The major advantage of a gas grill is that you can easily control the heat, so your food doesn’t get burned in spots and raw in others. The disadvantage is that gas grilled food doesn’t have the flavor that other types of grills deliver.
Pellet grills use compressed wood pellets as fuel.These pellets give off a lot of heat and they’re easy to work with.You can still control the heat and the flavor of the food. Some pellet grills are used as smokers, which give you more opportunities to slow cook your food.
Charcoal grills are still used by a lot of people.They’re inexpensive and come in many shapes and sizes.The big drawback to charcoal is maintenance. You have to dump out the ash from the charcoal.
Charcoal grills are known for delivering incredible flavor to grilled foods.
Quick Tips for Buying a New Grill
You need to keep a couple of things in mind if you didn’t buy your grill yet. Set a budget and stick to it. You can easily drop more than $1000 on a grill and not need it.
Plan ahead of time where you’re going to put the grill. You need to make sure that you’re grilling in a safe space away from your house. You never know when food flares up and your siding burns as a result.
One other consideration is if you live in an apartment or development community. Your lease or HOA rules may state if you can have a grill, what type, and where it needs to be set up.
Choose Your Food
What are you planning to grill? This impacts your planning and timing of the food. You also need to make sure your food is safe to eat.
You’ll figure out quickly that fish cooks much faster than beef. It can also make a mess of your grill, so you should get a fish basket to cook with.
Beef, pork, and veal need to cook to 145 degrees to meet food safety standards. Chicken should reach 165 degrees.
If you really want to geek out, get a thermometer that connects to an app. You can read the temperature on any device with the app.
Prepare the Grill
You should do an inspection before you fire up the grill. You need to make sure you have enough fuel for dinner, otherwise, you can wind up with half-cooked food.
The other thing you do is a quick spot check. Make sure the grill is clean and there are no gas leaks. This is especially important if you’re using your grill for the first time this season.
Grill Your Food
The impatient just want to light the grill up and throw food on it. You need to let the temperature rise so it will properly cook food.
How long it takes to warm up depends on your type of grill and the size. Generally speaking, gas grills will warm up the fastest.
Once your grill is properly warmed up, you should lay out the food so everything is ready at the same time. Burgers and chicken are usually first. You can throw on hot dogs or wings next.
After that, grill up your veggies. You have to keep in mind that vegetables and meat should be separated to prevent any bacteria contamination.
Clean Up
After you enjoy your meal, you still need to clean up. It makes the grill last longer and makes life easier the next time you grill.
Make sure you clean out the inside of the grill and dispose of charcoal and wood pellets safely. Brush the grill to remove any food and drippings.
Tricks for Grilling Success
The best thing you can do when you’re learning to grill is to experiment. Grilling changes the flavor of food and it’s a chance for you to see what you like and don’t like.
There is a lot of information about grilling out there. You can expand your knowledge by reading a grilling guide to learn about things like vegan grilling.
One final tip, keep the temperature low when you grill with sauces. This prevents the sauces from burning and slow cooks your food.
The joy of learning how to grill
Did you learn a thing or two about how to grill? It takes a bit of practice and patience to get it right, but grilling regularly is a great way to learn. Besides, you get to eat the food that you grill. It’s rewarding when your grilling adventures get better and better.
For more great food tips, be sure to click on the Food tab at the top of this page.
