Did you know that seven out of every ten adults in the United States of America own a grill or a smoker? Everyone wants to grill like a pro when they have family and friends over for a big barbeque, but there are certain grilling tips that you need to follow for the best results.
Following grilling recipes will have you grilling meat and smoking meat like a professional in no time. If you’ve ever worried about your abilities when it comes to grilling food then worry no more. You’ve come to the perfect place to learn more about grilling food that everyone will love.
Continue reading to learn more about the top seven grilling tips you need to know before your next barbeque.
1. Make Sure Your Grill Is Hot
A necessary step to take when you’re grilling food is to ensure that the grill is hot before you start. This gives the food you’re grilling a nice sear to the outside. It also helps to keep all of those tasty juices in the center for the best flavor possible. Another benefit of making sure the grill is hot is it keeps the food from sticking to your grill.
Adding meat to a hot grill also helps by killing any harmful bacteria that live on the meat. This prevents illnesses like food poisoning and salmonella. It is a good rule of thumb to give your grill a solid ten to fifteen minutes to heat up before putting food on it to cook.
It is also vital to know the right temperatures for grilling. If you want low heat then keep the temperature between 250 and 300 degrees Fahrenheit. For medium heat, you’ll want the temperature around 300 to 350 degrees, and for medium-high heat, you’ll want it around 400 degrees.
2. Start With a Clean Grill
Another important grilling tip that will help you grill like a pro is to always use a clean grill. Using a clean grill when grilling meat will ensure that you get the right flavor. A dirty grill will cause the flavor to get contaminated by the residue leftover from what was previously grilled.
A good approach to take when you’re wanting to clean your grill is to use a sturdy brush and heat your grill until it is nice and warm. The heat makes whatever is sticking to your grill a lot easier to remove with the use of the brush. You should also remember to clean your grill as soon as you’re done using it in order to save time for the next time you grill.
3. Oil Your Grill Grates
A good route to take when you’re grilling lean meats is to oil your grill grates before you get started. This strategy keeps these lean meats from sticking to your grill. Applying the oil is a much safer alternative to using a cooking spray on a hot grill since this leads to potential flare-ups.
Pour oil on a paper towel and then use your grill tongs to apply the oil to the grate evenly. If you’re not comfortable with that process then you can always use a grill-safe piece of aluminum foil on the grill. This helps you cook your meat on the foil rather than the grill grate and eliminates the annoying sticking.
4. Don’t Move Food or Open the Grill Lid
One of the worst things you can do if you’re trying to keep all of that delicious flavor in the food you’re grilling is to move it around too much while it is cooking. Most foods require one time being flipped during their cooking process for a nice even grilling. If you move the food too much it will end up getting cooked unevenly and won’t taste as good. It also adds time to the cooking process.
Another consideration to make is that since you’ll only need to flip your food once, you should only open your grill lid once. Keeping the grill lid shut holds all of the heat inside of the grill and ensures that your meat is grilled and seared to perfection. It also speeds up the time needed for cooking which keeps the meat from getting too dry. For more information, click to find out now.
5. Use a Meat Thermometer
When it comes to grilling meat, a meat thermometer is a necessity. A meat thermometer is great because it helps you check the temperature inside of the meat to make sure that it is well-cooked and ready to eat.
Here is a closer look at the internal temperature that different types of meat need to be at:
- Rare beef – 125 degrees Fahrenheit
- Well done beef – 160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Ground beef burgers – 160 degrees Fahrenheit
- Pork – 145 degrees Fahrenheit
- Chicken – 165 degrees Fahrenheit
One thing to remember when it comes to grilling meat is that the meat’s temperature will continue to rise another five to ten degrees after you take it out of the grill.
6. Let Meat Rest After Grilling
You should always let meat rest as soon as you remove it from the grill. A good rule of thumb is to let it sit for somewhere between five and fifteen minutes before slicing into it or eating it. The larger the piece of meat is, the longer it needs to sit.
The added bonus to letting the meat rest is that the juices redistribute themselves throughout the piece of meat. This makes for. a more tasty piece of meat for you and your guests to enjoy.
7. Wait To Add Sauces
One thing you should always do when grilling meat is waiting until the end of the grilling process to add the sauces. A good timetable for adding the sauce you want is around five minutes before the grilling process is over.
If you choose to add the sauce to the meat too early in the process it will burn and cause your meat to stick to the grill. It will also ruin the flavor of the meat you’re grilling.
Use These Grilling Tips to up Your Grill Game
People take grilling food seriously and if you want to keep up then you’re going to want to follow these grilling tips. Make sure you practice food safety and use a meat thermometer. Try to avoid moving the meat around too much and don’t open the grill lid more than you have to. Remember to always wait until the end to add any sauces to the meat.
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