Summer is the much-awaited time of the year. With holidays around the corner and plenty of free time, grilling is one of the best ways to relax and enjoy. You will always cherish the lazy afternoons spent with your family, munching on your favorite delicacies. And what better way to do it than to use bonfire grills?
American outdoor grills add style to your backyard and help you cook efficiently. Alternatively, charcoal grills are less expensive and simultaneously deliver your incredible flavor. For the perfect summer grilling, here are 5 tips that you must follow.
1. Preheat Your Grill
You might want to just go ahead with your grilling to save time; however, preheating is necessary. When you grill meat straightway without preheating, it will require a longer cooking time, leaving the meat dry and overcooked. Preheat the grill for at least 15-20 minutes to ensure it reaches the right temperature. For a gas grill, turn the burners to the highest temperature possible and keep the lid closed.
Or, if you use a charcoal grill, use a chimney starter, where you should heat the coal pieces for about 25 minutes. After that, transfer these pieces onto your charcoal grill, shut the lid, and heat it for an additional 15 mins. Preheating also prevents the meat from sticking to the grill grates. This helps the meat to release itself and makes flipping a lot easier. Besides this, a hot grill gives a nice sear to your meat, adding extra flavor.
2. Avoid Constantly Opening The Grill
It’s hard to resist checking up on your meat every once in a while. However, repeatedly opening your grill will lead to a loss of heat and cause uneven cooking. However, if you’re cooking with a charcoal grill, constantly lifting the lid will allow more oxygen in, and coals will burn hotter.
This increases the heat temperature and results in burnt meat. When cooking with a gas grill, keeping the lid open can serve well when you want high levels of heat or when you are searing. Steaks and thinner pieces of chicken or fish are best suited for searing.
A meat thermometer notifies you when the meat is done. The internal temperature of the meat is crucial to gauge if the meat is over or undercooked. For thick pieces of meat, insert the thermometer probe in the center, avoiding bones or fat.
It takes 10 seconds for the thermometer to register the temperature. If you are cooking several pieces of meat simultaneously, check the smallest, the largest, and average-sized pieces. The smallest usually takes the least time to cook; if you cannot check its temperature, you might be left with overcooked meat.
3. Keep A Meat Thermometer Handy
A meat thermometer notifies you when the meat is done. The internal temperature of the meat is crucial to gauge if the meat is over or undercooked. For thick pieces of meat, insert the thermometer probe in the center, avoiding bones or fat.
It takes 10 seconds for the thermometer to register the temperature. If you are cooking several pieces of meat simultaneously, check the smallest, the largest, and average-sized pieces. The smallest usually takes the least time to cook; if you cannot check its temperature, you might be left with overcooked meat.
4. Maintain Different Temperatures For Different Burners
Gas grills have different burners ranging from six to two, offering other cooking options using the zone cooking method. To obtain optimal results, you must zone your grill based on temperatures. Some gas grills are provided with removable metal plates, which separate the grilling surface physically.
You can cook small and large chunks of meat side by side. On the other hand, in a charcoal grill, the coal and wood placement plays a role in maintaining different temperatures. You can also opt for direct heating for searing or indirect heating to slow cook your meat. This proves helpful, especially during flare-ups when you can segregate the meat until the flames cool down.
5. Clean Your Grill
After every session, you must clean your grill to prevent grease and debris build-up. This is because improper cleaning can also cause severe health conditions. Charred leftover food pieces stuck to your grill contain amino acids and chemicals that can cause cancer. Plus, unclean grills are also a fire hazard.
The built-up grease can go up in flames. You can wipe the grill down with the help of a damp cloth once it’s cooled off. You can also use a baking soda and vinegar solution to clean your grates—mix 2 parts vinegar with 1 part baking soda. Put your grill grates in a bag and add the solution. Let it rest for around 8 hours or overnight. Rinse the grates, and remove any remaining dirt using a ball of aluminum foil.
Conclusion
Grilling is one of the popular ways that allow individuals to cook outdoors and an excellent way to entertain friends and family members. If you are a newbie, it can take some time to get accustomed to the techniques. However, even the process of learning the art of grilling is fun. Remember to be safe while you experiment; hopefully, these tips can kickstart your interest in grilling.
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