Fire up the grill! Summer is all about barbecues and get-togethers. We all love a good afternoon and evening but we hate it when someone has to call 9-1-1 because of misuse of the grill. So to avoid that trouble and to ensure a good time from beginning to end, here are some quick grilling tips for beginners and reminders for pros.
- Know if you want a charcoal or gas grill.
Charcoal: gets very hot, must hand-light, must be burning for at least 20 minutes before cooking can begin, there will be ashes, constant and consistent temperature can be tricky, REAL FIRE.
Gas: more expensive than charcoal, easy to clean.
- Before lighting a charcoal grill, always remove ashes from previous cook session.
- Clean your grill before cooking! Do this after preheating – you can just scrape it off.
- Know what you want to grill.
- Don’t press down on meats during grilling – they lose juices!
- Aim to flip items only once.
- Soak wood chips in water before throwing them onto charcoal – this gets a great smoky flavor.
- Have a fire extinguisher readily available.
- Do not grill next to or under things that are quickly and easily flammable like plants.
These are some basic tips and tricks to follow during this grilling season, and of course there are many more that pertain to the cooking part specifically. Those you should look up once you decide what you will be grilling.
And, the most important thing is to exercise your safety! Do not light the grill in an unsafe area and always have a fire extinguisher ready. Unfortunately, some people do run into accidents and can get arrested, even if they truly didn’t mean to cause danger or harm.