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A good thing to have when you are grilling is to go buy a empty squirt bottle and when you get home fill it with water. So when you are grilling you can squirt water on the flames to keep them down. It also comes in handy if you want to steam some food.
By Teresa L S. from Campbellsville, KY
I can use a potholder and remove one tin of food that might finish quicker (zucchini for instance) and add another food to the grill. I can even keep the removed tin in an oven if I really want to keep it warm.
It's easy and portable. You can reuse your tins and not waste aluminum foil, which always seem to rip anyway.
By AHA! from North eastern PA
Save onion peels to toss onto hot coals when grilling. They will add extra flavor to your grilled foods.
By fossil1955 from Cortez, CO
Save that sawdust "manufactured" in your home workshop, soak a handful in water and spread it across the charcoal in your outdoor grill just before you throw on those slices of steak. The smoke from the particles of wood (any kind) will add a notable flavor to the meat.
By duckie-do from Cortez, CO
This is a grilling tip. I've heard that people will grill in the spring, and everyone gets ill. This tip should stop that.
Every time my husband starts up the grill, he puts it through what he calls a "sterilization process." We have never become ill. After your coals are heated up, and you spread them out, close the grill cover about ten minutes or so, it allows the grill to become hot. Keep the vent open during this time, so the charcoal gets oxygen, and can stay hot. Then, take a scrubber brush, and scrub the grill grates clean. Leave this to heat a few minutes before putting any meat on the grill.
We have never become ill from grilled meat this way, and we do this every time we grill.
Source: The source is ours. My husband learned it from his daddy.
By Carol L. from SouthBend, IN
To add extra flavor while grilling, save the loose skin on onions and garlic to toss into the fire just before grilling meats or vegetables. Throw dry fennel tops on the fire when grilling fish.
By Brenda
Do you like moisture in your meat after grilling? When grilling meat, salt it after cooking. If you salt meat or poultry before grilling, the salt will draw out the moisture and make it dry.
Make extra barbecued meat and freeze in paper cupcake liners. Place in the freezer. When frozen, place in a large gallon freezer bag. When you want a quick meal, take one out, microwave until hot, and place meat on a bun.
I have a grill wok that is made to grill veggies, but sometimes my family would prefer the less healthy side dishes. I put frozen french fries in the grill wok and cook them while I am grilling hamburgers. They taste great with a smokey flavor. An added benefit is that I did not heat up my kitchen.
When grilling outside, keep a spray bottle of water to control the flames of the grill. Don't pour water onto the charcoal as it cools the temperature which will have to reheat before cooking continues.
Do you use barbecue sauce on meat, poultry or even fish? I purchased a package of 3 brushes at the dollar store in our area and use one at a time to spread the sauce on the protein that I am grilling.
When it's cold during the winter months, my outdoor Holland grill lid sticks due to a little grease buildup around the edge. It's really hard to open and we use the grill several times a week, so this became a real problem.
Cook onion and garlic in oil till tender. Add the next 7 ingredients and simmer 10 minutes. Tear off four 12 inch lengths of 18 inch heavy duty foil. On each piece place 1/4 of the meat; top with vegetables.
When cooking your meats with wood for flavoring, (ex. hams or smoking turkey), sassafras or wild cherry wood brings the flavoring out best of all.
Always use tongs when turning meat on the grill. This way you'll avoid piercing the meat, which causes it to lose its natural juices.
To prevent flare-ups when barbecuing, place lettuce leaves on the hot coals before barbecuing fatty meat. The lettuce will blacken but not ignite.
When grilling outside, grill extra food, freeze it and then you have dinner done for several meals. This saves time, coals or propane, and saves heat in the kitchen. We do this all the time and it's great.
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I make chicken drumsticks on the outdoor gas grill. First I boil it in water until its done, and then I spray the racks well on my outdoor gas grill with PAM and heat the grill. The problem I am having is, when I put the chicken on the grill and turn the drumsticks to brown the other side, the chicken sticks to the grill rack and I wind up losing lots of the pieces of the chicken because it sticks to the racks. How can I prevent this from happening? Thanks for any advice.
P.J. from Delaware
At your grocery store get PAM for the Grille!!! Before you start the grill, spray the racks, let sit 1-2 minutes then turn on the heat to medium. Neighbor has done this and works well for him. I use it on my George Foreman Grill and clean-up is fast and easy!
I've personally never tried this, but maybe make a "bowl" out of foil, and put them on foil. Or, I've seen on tv the shows put oil on the grill too, instead of a non-stick spray. I may have to try this! hehe
I would change what I am using to oil the grill. Pam doesn't work well with high heat. Also try brushing some oil directly on your chicken legs before placing them on grill.
Pam has a new high heat version out. I just saw it and bet it works. If not I'd ask for my money back.
Instead of spraying the grill, spray the chicken legs, all sides with Pam (or brush with oil as previously suggested). I spray both sides of frozen burgers with Pam before grilling.
Since I have been cooking on my charcoal cooker I have been using Olive oil on all my grilles and racks and nothing ever sticks to them. Makes clean up later alot easier too.
I cook the best tasting BBQ chicken legs in the world. I microwave them first then put them on the grill on super high, while constantly turning them and putting Uncle Yammy's BBQ on them. They come out awesomel. I don not know what everyone else is talking about. LOW temps and putting the BBQ on at the end. Mine come out perfect everytime.
Hey, maybe try using tin foil and Pam on that.
How long do you microwave the chicken prior to putting it on the grill?
I cook mine raw on the grill. After a nice marinade, I put them on a very hot grill to sear them, then I lower the flame and move them to the upper rack to finish as I baste with sauce. When the juice runs clear from the fattest portion, they're done.
If you have a BBQ with 2 or 3 individual burners you should cook legs, back, thighs, etc, this way.
Paint on your marinade, and a little olive oil. Turn on all of the burners to high and close the lid. Leave the lid closed for 5-10 minutes in order to preheat the BBQ. Turn down the knob of one of the burners to the lowest temperature position ( example : Left side burner down, while right side burner stays on high ) and then place your chicken pieces on the left side of the grill and cook each side for about 10 minutes. You can then raise the heat on the left side to medium and put your BBQ sauce on before flipping it for another 2 minutes on each side.
Tip 1 : Never apply BBQ sauce before, or at the start of grilling. Always apply towards the end of the grilling process or else the sauce will most definitely burn )
Tip 2 : Keep the lid closed to prevent the chicken from drying out on the inside.
Don't cook your meat twice.
When your meat of any kind sticks to the grill, that means it isn't done and not ready for turning, all chefs on Food Network says this. My husband has a Weber grilling book and it give not only recipes, but cooking and turning times as well. It has never failed him.
Once your grill is clean apply some vegetable oil with a paper towel or a pis of cloth.Also when you marinate the meat add a little bit of oil this will help you do the grilling.
Tips for grilling meat. Post your ideas.
To make the most of your meat purchases, this summer. When grilling, use tongs to turn your meats rather than a fork. The fork holes in the meat allow the natural juices to escape thus leaving your meat dry, tough & tasteless.
When grilling out, if using charcoal. Light the coals & wait for them to get hot & white, spread them evenly on the fire rack. Sprinkle in more charcoal as needed to keep the fire at an even temperature.
Happy Grilling!
By T.H.
Use Wishbone Italian dressing for pork chops and chicken for marinade. It makes meats tasty and tender. The flavor is exceptional. Marinate in a ziploc bag for up to 24 hours in the fridge or you may freeze in the marinade and thaw in the fridge and the meat marinates as it thaws.
Great tip for grilling.
Linda
I parboil all my chicken and ribs before putting them on the grill. This ensures that they will be done before they are burned. Saves time too, because I parboil, package and freeze. So they are always ready to grab and by the time the charcoal is just right, you can have them thawed using the defrost cycle on your microwave. Also wait until the last few minutes to brush with BBQ sauce. If you add it too soon, it just burns.
Harlean from Arkansas
One of my favorite rubs for grilling meats is prepared yellow or brown mustard. Just rub the meat with the mustard and let sit overnight (in the fridge). Throw on the grill with the mustard still on it. Your meat will have a nice flavor but not a mustard taste. (I don't normally eat mustard)
When preparing to BBQ or grill (it's called different things in different places) and you have your meats in a marinade. It's ok to pour the marinade from the container or baggie onto your meat as it's being grilled.
Once your meats are ready to take off the grill, do NOT pour any leftover marinade over the meat, before serving, until you've been able to cook the marinade, on the stove.
You'll be saving your self a trip to the hospital. The marinade still has the bacteria of the raw meat in it. Cook it in a sauce pan on the stove to the boiling point. Then you can serve it with your meats.
By Terri
Would like a chart showing heat range for cooked status for all kinds meat..
I barbecued Rock Lobster and it stuck to the shell. Help. What am I doing wrong? It tasted great and was tender. Anyone ever have this happen?
By Jeanette from Sacramento, CA
