Outdoor Grilling
How to master your grill with little effort and deliver great results.

Ahh, the wonderful smell of barbecue season is upon us. As you walk down the street in your neighborhood do you smell the enticing aroma of grilled steaks or salmon fillets? There is nothing better than a warm evening shared with family and friends on the deck or patio, feasting on a delicious, grilled meal.

Definition: Grilling vs. BBQ

A lot of people use barbecue and grilling interchangeably, however there really is a difference. Barbecue is actually a cooking technique. It is the process of cooking meats slowly, over indirect heat (charcoal or wood) over low temperatures (180 to 300 degrees F). Barbecuing works well for large, inexpensive cuts of meat, since the process of applying indirect heat for a long period of time breaks down the cartilage and connective tissues, turning them into gelatin while the fats baste the meat as it cooks.

Grilling on the otherhand involves cooking meat over direct heat, at high temperatures for shorter periods of time. This process is perfect for smaller cuts of meat, fish, and chicken pieces not to mention the less traditional grilled vegetables or fruit.

Essential Equipment

Of course you will need several tools, not to mention the grill itself. Should you find that you are missing something please visit the Glutenfreeda shopping mall. You will find all the items available through our affiliate Cooking.com.

Gas Grills:

The advantage to using a gas grill is the short time required to heat up the grill to proper cooking temperature. These are ideal for grilling but they can also be used for barbecue using indirect heat.

Charcoal Kettles:

Easily used for grilling and barbecuing. Disadvantage is that you have to wait for the coals to heat up before grilling. The advantage of using a charcoal kettle is the charcoal adds a nice flavor to your grilled meats.

Knives:

Good quality, sharp knives will help you in preparing marinades, meats and fish. A well stocked kitchen should have a chef’s knife, boning knife, butcher knife, carving knife and a paring knife. Always keep your knives clean and sharp.

Cutting Boards:

Make sure to keep your cutting boards used for meat separate from those used for preparing vegetables. This helps prevent the spread of bacteria. Always thoroughly wash cutting boards after each use.

Thermometers:

There are several thermometers available for a wide range of prices. Many of them will give you similar results. You may want to have a couple on hand. An oven thermometer placed inside your grill will let you know the internal temperature of your grill. An instant read thermometer, digital read or alarm/probes will give you the internal temperature of your meat — very important because this will let you know when the meat is thoroughly cooked.

Injector: Allows you to inject flavor inside the meat.

Charcoal Chimney:

A chimney is a wonderful way to start your charcoal. Not only is it an ecologically friendly way to start your coals it is also fast and easy.

Other Useful Items:

Oven mitts

Aluminum trays

Measuring cups and spoons

Mixing bowls

Basting brush

Wire brush

Large grilling tongs

Large grilling spatula

The Basics

Getting Started

Always start with a clean grill. Contrary to popular belief, the fire will not kill off any leftover stuff stuck to the grill. Scrape the grill with a heavy wire brush and rinse grill with soap and hot water. Wash your hands and all utensils, boards and anything else coming in contact with raw meat. To avoid any cross contamination, do not use the same bowl or place to transport meat to and from the grill unless you thoroughly wash and dry it in between.

Lighting a charcoal grill

Never, ever use gasoline to light your coals. If possible use a charcoal chimney — this will eliminate the need to use lighter fluid or other aids. If you have to use lighter fluid, be careful not to overdo it, because you may end up with food that tastes exactly like the lighter fluid.

Grill Temperature

For grilling, make sure that your grill is hot (375 to 550 degrees F). You should not be able to hold your hand over the grill for more than 2 seconds.

Meat Temperature

Always start your meat or poultry at room temperature. If you place the cold meat on the grill it will not only take longer to cook but it will affect the tenderness of the end result.

For safe temperatures for cooked meats see the following chart:

Woods

Often hardwoods are used to lightly introduce special flavors to your grilled feast. The rule of thumb is that any good hardwood will do such as hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, alder, grapevines, maple, oak, peach or pear, pecan or sassafras. Chips or chunks of wood can be used. Soak either the chips or chunks in water before using. To achieve the smoky flavor of the wood you can either lay the chips or wood chunks on the coals (preferably not directly under the meat), or if using a gas grill, wrap the soaked wood chips in foil, poke holes to let the smoke escape and lay over the lava rock in your grill.

Grilling Fish, Meat & Poultry

Skewers

Make sure to soak wood skewers first to prevent them from igniting over the grill. Cut foods intended for skewers into even pieces and try to leave some space between items to allow even, rapid cooking. Experiment with this method with this months wonderful Sesame Grilled Shrimp with Miso Dipping Sauce.

Grilling Fish, Meat & Poultry

If using marinades with fish, make sure not to marinade for over 30 minutes. The acids in most fish marinades (particularly in citrus or vinegar) will actually begin to prematurely cook the fish. Don’t let this dissuade you though, these marinades or bastings add so much to the flavor of grilled fish. Try Grilled Salmon Steaks with Citrus & Herbs for a quick and easy grilled dinner.

Seasoning is, as always, extremely important. Of course, salt and freshly ground pepper are going to be your mainstays, however, there are many other ways to add flavor to your meats. In our Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Pineapple Salsa, we seasoned the pork with salt and pepper and used the pineapple salsa to enhance the flavor of the pork. Quite simple and delicious, not to mention low fat. Rubs are another way to add incredible flavor. A rub is a mixture of dry ingredients, usually herbs, salts, sugars and spices. The combined dry ingredients are rubbed all over the meat prior to grilling. If your rub contains any sugars it will caramelize as the meat cooks, creating a delicious coating. This is demonstrated in our Grilled Spiced Steaks with Onion Marmalade.

Final note on grilling fish, meat and/or poultry. If you are going to apply a barbecue sauce, make sure that you apply it towards the end of the cooking time otherwise you will find that the sugars in the sauce will burn before the meat has reached the proper doneness.

Grilling Vegetables

Grilled vegetables are a wonderful way to prepare side dishes to your summer evening meals. They are quick and simple to prepare, not to mention usually low fat. Most vegetables can be grilled, just make sure that they are cut in even slices to ensure even cooking and they are cut in large enough pieces so they won’t fall through the grill. If you find your vegetables falling through the grill, thread them through some soaked wood skewers. Harder vegetables will obviously take longer to grill then your softer summer vegetables like tomatoes and zucchini.

Marinades

Acid based marinades will help tenderize your meats. This includes marinades consisting of citrus (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit juices), red/white dry white wines, vinegars, worcestershire sauce, soy sauce and ciders. Meat and poultry can usually be marinated up to 24 hours, depending on the level of flavor your are looking for. Fish marinades should be limited to 30 minutes and under, since the acids will actually begin to cook the fish prematurely. Keep your marinating meat covered and refrigerated if you are planning on marinating for a lengthy period of time.

Storage

Always store raw meats under proper refrigeration. Make sure the temperature of uncooked meats is kept under 40 degrees F. Cooked meats should be kept at a minimum of 140 degrees F. Marinades should be prepared and stored in non-reactive dishes or in zip lock bags. Don’t leave marinades standing at room temperature for long periods of time. Don’t reuse leftover marinades without first boiling to kill off any bacteria.

There are many great things about grilling: fast, fun, easy, delicious, little mess, low fat…and did I mention delicious? Enjoy those summer evenings — dust off your grill and create a grilled masterpiece. (Remember — practice makes perfect!)

Research was gathered from the following sources:

"The All New All Purpose Joy of Cooking", Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker, Copyright 1997.

You may purchase the Joy of Cooking on Amazon.com . It is a wonderful cookbook, with an abundance of information. It even has a few gluten-free recipes!