11 BBQ and Grilling Tips and Tricks You Need to Know

1. Warm it up: Take the meat out of the fridge and let it sit out at room temperature for 20-30 minutes.
2. Season meat liberally: Big, thick steaks need a lot of seasoning, so be sure to cover them liberally with salt, pepper and any rub before grilling.
3. Clean your grill grate: A clean grill will allow for non-stick grilling. Invest in a good grill brush and at the beginning of each cooking session, after you’ve preheated your grill, give it a good scrub down with the brush to remove any remains from the previous session.
4. Give your grill plenty of time to preheat: To gauge the heat of a fire, hold your hand about four inches above the grill grate and start counting: “One Mississippi, two Mississippi.”
5. Create heat zones: On a kettle grill, bank coals in the center. Sear food in the middle, where heat is highest, then move it to the outer edges of the grill to perfectly cook without burning. On a gas grill, leave one burner on high, another on medium.
6. Avoiding grill flare-ups: Flare-ups are an inevitable part of grilling.
7. Don’t move & don’t poke: Let your steak develop a seared crust on the grill before moving or flipping it. If you try to lift the meat before it’s ready, it’ll stick to the grates.
8. Skewer it: If you’re running short on time, instead of grilling large pieces of meat, cut meat into pieces and make kebabs.
9. Don’t sauce too soon: Be careful not to sauce food too early, especially if you are using a sweet sauce, as the sugars will burn.
10. Clean grill grate ...AGAIN: Clean the grill while it’s still hot to easily remove burned bits of food stuck to the grate.
11. KEEP it clean: You can keep the mess to a minimum by using a grill and oven mat.