Gas Grilling 101: How To Get Grilling Today!

So you just purchased your first state-of-the-art gas grill - just in time for the 4th of July barbecue. Congratulations! Now you just need to figure out how to grill great steaks on it by this weekend.... 

Welcome to Grilling 101! Here you'll find the basics of what you will need to know to get off to a great start. Grilling is an enjoyable pastime that should end with great food. But it is important to understand the basics of your grill, how the heating works, and a few techniques to help you get the most out of your grilling experience.  Let's get started so you can fire up your new grill, and impress your guests this Independence Day!

The Basics

Propane gas grill. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Don't let your gas grill scare you.  Sure, it may seem like a giant piece of fire-breathing metal that can singe your eyebrows and sear a whole cow, but you can handle it!  There are just a few basics you need to know about your grill before you begin cooking on it.  Now, for this discussion, I am assuming that you already have your grill assembled and it's on your patio ready to go.

First, many gas grills have ignition switches powered by batteries, so be sure that your batteries are good. If you press the ignition button and it doesn't click, stop. If you are smelling gas as you turn the dial, something went wrong.  Again, stop. Turn off the gas and read the lighting instructions again.  If you replaced the battery and the ignition still doesn't click, you need to get it fixed. Most serious grillers keep grilling matches handy just in case the ignition lighter fails. Remember to read your owner's manual to find out exactly how to light your gas grill with a match if necessary.

The next most important concept to remember is to be sure your propane tank actually has gas in it. There is a gauge on the tank structure that measures the gas in the tank.  Pay attention to it.  Also, you can install a special gauge to let you know how much gas is left in the tank. Invest in one of these gauges if you want a more accurate measure of when you are running low.  When you are trying to get dinner on the table, it's not a good time to realize you are out of gas. Many gas grill cooking fans keep two gas tanks on hand; one on the grill and one as a backup. It's a good idea, especially if you do a lot of long cooking periods, like rotisserie cooking.

The Heat

Once you are all set and ready to go, you need to understand how your grill heats. It will likely take a few times cooking on it to understand where the hot and cold spots are on the cooking surface. Many people don't consider how important it is to place your food properly on the gas grill. But, when you learn how to use the heat effectively, your grilling enjoyment will increase tremendously.

The cooler spots, also called 'indirect' heat, are great for grilling vegetables and other side dishes, while the hot areas are best for searing or charring meats. When you make use of the different spaces on a grill's cooking area, not only do you have food that comes out perfectly, but you also have food that comes out on time. We really dislike letting food get cold while waiting on other dishes to finish cooking!

The best way to begin to get acquainted with your grill is by holding your hand over the different areas to see where it feels hottest. You can also get an infrared thermometer that will give you more exact measurements, but your hand will usually suffice. Either way, be sure you figure out where the heat is high, medium, or low. Then follow your grilling recipes to get the best results.

The Technique

When talking about grilling basics, of course we have to include steak! So, we'll start there. It is very important that your steaks be at room temperature before putting them on the grill.  If the steak is cold, it will toughen up as it cooks.  Now, if you ask friends about the proper grilling technique for steak, you may hear from some to “only flip once.” This is a common misunderstanding among beginning and even some intermediate level grillers. The idea of only flipping your food once really only applies if you are cooking a steak rare.  Otherwise, it's difficult to do. There are two main flaws with this type of reasoning.

Steaks on a grill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you place a piece of room-temperature meat on a 350 to 400 degree grill, even if you oil the meat or the grill grates, the meat is going to stick to the grill as the oil burns away.  And, if you leave a piece of meat on a 350 to 400 degree surface for 5 to 7 minutes before you turn it, you could be biting into a burnt piece of meat rather than the juicy steak you were expecting.  A minute or two just to sear the meat surface first will suffice, so, flip, flip, flip, flip is just fine. Your grill manual will have some great advice on this as well. 

Now let's talk chicken. If you've been stocking up on boneless, skinless chicken breasts for grilling season, stop!  The bone and skin both help keep the chicken moist and flavorful.  You can always remove the skin and the bone before serving if you like. You'll save a ton of money - and your chicken will be much tastier!

With that said, perhaps you're a fan of crispy chicken skin.  In that case, another technique that is often misunderstood is how to get the skin crispy without drying out the chicken.  Many grillers mistakenly believe that crispy skin comes from grilling chicken at a high heat.  It's exactly the opposite.  Set your chicken skin side down on medium heat directly over the heat source until the skin chars nicely, then flip over and move to indirect heat, keeping the grill only on medium heat.  Close the grill and let the chicken cook until it's done. This technique ensures crispy skin and chicken that is cooked through without the outside burning up.  Slow cooking is the trick to perfectly juicy chicken and crispy skin.

See how easy it is to grill with just a few tips?  Once you get a grilling success or two under your belt, you'll be ready to expand your repertoire.  But I bet you return to these classics over and over again so you can show off your skill as a Grill Master!

Now get your grilling tongs at the ready, and prepare for some tasty grill recipes coming later this week just in time for the 4th of July!

3 Easy Tricks to Grilling Restaurant Worthy Steaks Like A Pro

This week we're celebrating the quintessential grilling holiday - that being, of course, the 4th of July! All across the country, in cities, small towns, and farmsteads alike, we'll be firing up those barbecue grills. And of course, one of the tastiest and most popular grilling items is the good old steak!

Over the past month, you have mastered the basics of your grill and now you are ready to start showing off your skills a bit more - just in time to serve perfect steak at your 4th of July barbecue this week! What better vehicle to grill with bravado than the classic – grilled steak.  There are three simple things to do to acquire restaurant quality perfection when it comes to grilling a nice beef steak. Let's get started.  My mouth is watering already!

1. Learn to Turn for Perfect Grill Marks

Have you ever envied those amazing sear marks you see on steak in restaurants? Be honest. You wish you could duplicate that at home. Well, it is a lot easier than you think. All you need is a hot grill, a pair of tongs, and at least a little knowledge of geometry. Yes, geometry.

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First things first; make sure your steak is at room temperature.  Then, make sure your grill is nice and hot. The searing comes when the meat touches the extremely hot surface and begins to char the outer layer of meat. Once you have your first set of grill marks, and here's where your geometry comes in handy, turn your food at a 45 degree angle onto a new hot area of the grill.

You can also imagine making the letter 'V' with where it was laying and where it is going to lay. Also, be sure that the grates are hot where you are moving it too – if they are not hot, your grill marks will not be as prominent. Now your steak will look like it came from a five star restaurant.

Once you have the grill marks set on the top of the steak, you can flip your steak and you can continue cooking the steak until it's done to your liking. That's the bottom side and no one will see it, so it's not necessary to score it... unless you're absolutely hooked on this bit of fun.

2. Pick Up Steaks and Move

Now your presentation side is done and you just have to finish cooking the rest of the meal. This is where a giant grilling myth is busted. Many people think once you set your food on the grill, you are not supposed to pick it up, move it or even look at it until the suggested time is up.

Moving your steak, or other food, around on the grill helps ensure you get even cooking and can even help regulate internal temperature and doneness.

For instance, say you have a steak that you want to prepare to medium well. You have created your grill marks and flipped it over. The bottom is starting to look done, but it is still only medium in the middle. Instead of keeping the steak where it is, chancing that the bottom will get burnt so the middle is medium, why not move it to a cooler part of the grill and close the lid. This slows down the cooking of the outside of the steak while acting like an oven to cook the rest to its desired doneness.

3. A Good Steak is Pretty in Pink

While the USDA and other organizations still warn against undercooked meat, there are plenty of meat-loving grilling maestros who really don't see the reasoning.  A good cut of meat that has been grilled until it resembles charcoal is an abomination to the whole experience.  Steak will get tough as it gets closer to well-done simply because it's drying out. 

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

That's not to say that you have to eat meat that is rare to have a delicious steak.  But, if you cook the smithereens out of your steak, making sure it loses all its pink color on the inside, you will be left with a less than enjoyable result on your plate.

You have to take into account that the steak continues to cook after you remove it from the grill.  It's not a lot, but it is enough to go from done to well-done if you're not careful.  For this reason, always take your steak off when you are thinking “Just one more minute.” 

Remove your steak with tongs not a fork. Poking holes in the steak will let the juices run out.  And please do not slice into the meat to see if it's done!  This is a major no-no. Instead, use the hand test.   With your hand open, feel the flesh under your thumb.  That's how a rare steak feels.  Close your hand;  that's how a steak cooked medium feels.  Clench your hand tight;  that's how a well-done steak feels. 

Remove your steak before it has the 'clenched hand flesh' feeling.  Set your steak on a warm plate or cutting board and allow it to rest for 3 to 5 minutes while you dish up the rest of the meal.  Then and only then cut into the meat.

Another reason for leaving your steak a bit pink inside is for leftovers.  If you're like me, you are thrilled to see that little piece of steak in foil the next day in the fridge.  Now you can pull it out, slice it thin, and use it in a fajita or an omelet or other great dish.  But, if the steak is overcooked already, it will just get tough as you cook it more.  In tomorrow's breakfast or lunch, your medium-rare to medium steak will lose its pink, but not its flavor if you're careful and don't over-heat it. Remember this simple rule, you can always cook food more, but you can never cook it any less.  So keep that steak at least a little pink inside.

By keeping these three tips in mind, you will create a perfectly grilled steak that will amaze your family and friends.  You'll wonder why you ever wasted your money ordering steak at a restaurant. And maybe you never will again!

Be sure to check back in the next couple of days for some tasty steak recipes for your 4th of July barbecue, as well as the rest of the grilling days of summer.

Speed Up Your Grilling - 5 Tips For A Faster Meal

Grilling can sometimes be a bit of a process. From marinating your food, to waiting for the grill to heat up, and standing there watching and turning, turning and watching, it can be sort of tedious.  But, only if you let it be. 

If there was a way to speed up the process, wouldn't you jump all over it like a sizzling steak? Sure you would. Well, here are five tips for quicker grill meals that will get you from start to finish faster, and with very tasty results.

Grilling chicken (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Plan Ahead Marinade

If you know you're going to marinate your food, prepare the marinade the day before, or even earlier.  Allowing the food to marinate while you are sleeping or at work is a nice time saver.  This long marinating time won't work for everything, but when you can do it, like for hearty foods like chicken, or for lighter marinades, go ahead and give it a try.  It's a great time saver.

Even if you don't want your food to actually sit in the marinade more than an hour or so, you can have a bowl prepared in the refrigerator so when the time comes, you pull it out, plop in the food, stir it up, and it's ready to do its magic.

The Right Temp is Room Temp

Pulling a piece of meat out of the refrigerator and slapping it down on a hot grill is just asking for problems. When a piece of meat is cold throughout, two things happen.  The meat will cook faster on the outside than on the inside, resulting in an over-charred piece of meat that surprises you with a terribly under-cooked inside. This also results in a tough chewy meat. The fibers of that ice cold meat actually seize up when confronted with the heat. You want your meat's fibers relaxed when they hit the flame, so they can ease into the idea of being turned into your dinner, happily turning juicy and tender for you.

Whatever you are grilling, whether it is beef, chicken, pork, seafood, or even vegetables and fruit, let them come to room temperature before you begin to grill. A quick tip here is to take it out of the fridge at least an hour or two before you plan to cook it, or just let it marinate on the counter at room temperature to begin with. It's really a misconception that food can't stand a little time out of the refrigerator before spoiling - especially if you're going to cook it on a nice hot grill.  Letting the food come to room temperature will help speed up the cooking time, keep your product evenly cooked, and ensure that you get the tender juicy results you want.

Pint Size Helpings

Chicken parts, meat parts, fish fillets, and more can usually stand a bit of portion reduction.  If you have an hour and a half, you can rotisserie cook a whole chicken.  But, you can throw on chicken cutlets and they'll be done in minutes.  If you're in a hurry, look at your ingredients and ask yourself if they can be cut in half, made thinner, or diced.

This is more than about just cutting a piece of meat in half, it's about getting crafty with your cooking.  One inch squares of pork on skewers will make a faster dinner than a pork roast.  Potato wedges cook faster than whole potatoes.  If you want your salmon to cook in ten minutes rather than 30 minutes, cut that whole fillet into four pieces.  Think tapas-size dishes on the grill for a shorter time from grill to table.

Flip Your Lid

There are very few meals that should be made on a grill with the lid off. When you have the grill uncovered, the outside air cools the food and actually slows down the cooking time. Yes, even on hot days. Because if you think about it, most of your grilling is done at roughly 300 to 400 degrees, so even a 90 degree day is a lot cooler than the food needs to cook.

By keeping your lid lowered, your grill acts more like an oven so that your food cooks thoroughly inside as well as getting that nice grilling on the outside. Read your owner's manual for your grill and you'll find instructions and recipes for grilling particular foods.  Follow these instructions, close the cover, and you'll find your meal is done perfectly every time, and on time, too!

Divide and Conquer

Charcoal Grill (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Your grill has sections that are hot, and sections that are not so hot.  It just makes sense when you are trying to gain a few minutes on the grill to use those different temperatures wisely. While gas grills heat in the same pattern, you still need to know what that pattern is. Charcoal grills are a different matter; you can create your own patterns of hotter and cooler areas by arranging the charcoal.

Either way, you have to think about how you are going to arrange your food. Thinking about cooking on the various heats to best suit your food can speed up your cooking time. For instance, placing the meat on the hot section first to get a good sear, then moving it to indirect heat, frees up your hot section for more searing, such as to give your foil packets of veggies a good start. Then move those off to a cooler area to continue 'roasting' and use the hot spot again to give those pineapple slices some nice grill marks.  As you move the food around, everything finishes cooking at the same time and as quickly as possible.  Utilize all the areas of your grill to maximize the efficiency rather than moving food on and off the grill, cooking one food at a time.

Learning these few little methods to speed up your cooking time will make grilling much more enjoyable.  If you think of the process as long, tedious, and tiresome, chances are you won't be lighting your grill any time soon.  Make friends with your grill again.  But do it fast - summer grilling season is in full swing!

Memorial Day Picnic - Fun Grilling Ideas

Think of warm weather, summertime, and outdoor activities, and you'll soon be thinking of planning a picnic.  There's nothing like sharing food in the great outdoors to give you plenty of reasons to smile.

Italian sausage. A typical method of cooking is grilling, as depicted here. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Firing up the grill for a picnic usually brings on thoughts of hamburgers, hot dogs, and barbecued chicken. That's all dandy and certainly delicious, but wouldn't you like your grilled food to stand out a little from the rest?  Perhaps there are ways to present old favorites on the grill in new ways, or even try something completely different.  Here are a few thoughts about new ways to grill up some summertime dishes this Memorial Day (or just any warm summer day when you want to do something a bit special):

Rethink the Sauce
One popular ingredient in many grilled main dishes is barbeque sauces and other types of glazes and marinades. There are hundreds if not thousands of recipes to add more flavor to whatever you're cooking. If you have been grilling for many years, you've probably made your own sauces or have found a few favorites. But, maybe it's time to rethink those sauces.

Begin by experimenting with a whole range of ingredients.  Don't limit yourself to the ingredients you've been using.  We know you automatically pull out the mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, vinegar, and honey, but what else is there to make a sauce for the grill?

Take a look first in the fruit bin. Consider the lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and yes, even the watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, and kiwis.  Now, pull open the vegetable bin and grab the fresh tomatoes, cucumber, bell peppers, celery, onion, and even avocados.  Turn to your pantry and take out the apple jelly, orange marmalade, maple syrup, raisins, dried cranberries, red wine vinegar, tarragon vinegar, and all the dressings, including Ranch, French, Thousand Island, and Green Goddess.  And, don't forget the spice rack.  There is basically nothing off limits – grab it all.

Don't be afraid to grate, smash, or simmer ingredients together that you might never have used in the same sauce before. Combine contrasting flavors – savory with sweet, tangy with smooth, creamy with crunchy – until you have a unique sauce that you can call your own.

Now, marinade, glaze, or brush the sauce onto whatever you are grilling.  Try a fruity white sauce on meat; a tomato-based hot sauce on fish; or a savory herbed sauce on fruit.  Put it on the grill and see what happens.  You'll have completely new dishes that will perk up and surprise the taste buds.  And, isn't that what grilling is all about?

Rethink the Main Dish
If you're used to throwing a steak on the grill, but want to experiment with other cuts, try grilling full roasts.  With the right preparation and setup, you can put a big beef roast or pork roast on the grill, either in a rack or on a rotisserie and surprise your family and guests with a tender and juicy roast that didn't require heating up the house with hours in the oven.

Grilling chả. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Instead of your usual cut up chicken pieces, wings, or legs, try grilling a whole chicken.  The juices stay in a little better when the chicken is whole.  Not sure you have time for a whole chicken?  You can also “butterfly” a chicken by cutting out just the backbone and pushing it down flat, keeping the chicken whole but providing a flattened version that cooks up in no time.

Fish is another grilling favorite at picnics.  Use fish that is firm and solid so it grills well and doesn't fall apart or become dry.  Oily fish like salmon is perfect on the grill, but there are many other types of fish that work equally well.  Fish grills best when you don't have to flip it with a spatula, that's why you want to invest in a grilling basket which encloses the fish and you flip the basket over easily with the fish inside it.

Other seafood that's perfect picnic food for the grill includes shrimp, scallops, and lobster.  Shrimp can be grilled unpeeled to help keep them from overcooking.  Lobster can be grilled in the shell, as well.  Use a tray made for the grill with smaller slots to keep smaller seafood, like shrimp and scallops, from falling through.  Marinate the seafood in a variety of flavors for a different flavor each time you have a grilling picnic.

You say your taste for a juicy grilled burger is too powerful to ignore?  You've still got lots of choices for variety at your picnic. You can dress up your burgers inside-and-out with many different flavors.  Remember; beef isn't the only burger in town!  Ground turkey, pork, or chicken are great substitutes for those who want a different kind of burger at this year's picnic.  But, don't stop there.  Salmon and crab meat make great grilled patties, too. And of course there's my favorite - venison.

Besides what goes into the actual patty, think beyond conventional recipes and marinate your ground meat or fish with anything from red wine to a mixture of Worcestershire, soy sauce, or steak sauce, lemon juice, or balsamic vinegar.  Add to the inside of the burger, or as condiments, a variety of flavorful cheeses, hot or mild peppers, nuts, and salsa.  Instead of throwing a raw onion on top, caramelize some onions in a cast iron skillet on top of the grill over low heat.  The incredible sweetness will surprise and delight you and your guests.  These are no longer your grandpa's burgers!

Brussels Grill: Mixed vegetables (Photo credit: batigolix)

Sometimes, you need to rethink the way you prepare your main dishes at a grilling picnic to make serving simple. Think shish-kabobs and you hardly even need to bring plates!  These bite-size pieces are a great way to cook, serve, and eat your favorite foods easily at a grilling picnic.  Alternate cut up meat, meat balls, poultry, or seafood with grape tomatoes, chunks of sweet onions, peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, or mushrooms.  Some foods lend themselves very well to a tropical taste, too.  Include pineapple chunks or citrus with chicken or seafood for a taste of the islands.

Rethink the Dessert

Sure, you can serve popsicles and watermelon, but the grill is right there, all fired up.  Isn't there something you can do to put it to work creating delightful desserts?  You can start with the old stand-by and toast marshmallows, but don't stop there.  Keep going and put together 'S'mores' using the classic ingredients of toasted marshmallows, graham crackers, and a chocolate bar.  Or, you can create unique varieties using toasted marshmallows with things like oatmeal cookies, peanut butter cups, white chocolate, and flaked coconut as possible ingredients. You'll have lots of fun coming up with your own distinct creations here.

Expanding on the dessert theme is easier than you might think with a grill.  For instance, go ahead and cut up that watermelon you brought... but wait.  How about grilling it before serving?  Yes, you can grill watermelon, too.  Cut it off the rind, into about one inch thick pieces.  Grill quickly on both sides until grill marks show.  Put it on a plate and drizzle a tiny bit of balsamic vinaigrette over each piece.  The tangy saltiness of the vinaigrette compliments the sweetness of the watermelon in an unbelievable way.  Now THAT'S a grilled picnic delight!

You can also choose dessert classics that can be grilled, like pound cake with fruit compote or simple berries tossed together in a grilling basket until just lightly charred.  You can make banana boats in foil filled with mini marshmallows and chocolate chips, or perhaps your tastes lean toward grilled apple slices topped with a syrup of brown sugar and raisins.  Grilled pineapple rings is another classic.  Serve these simply on a plate as they are or use them to top slices of angel food cake or pound cake with a drizzle of chocolate.

As you can see, you can grill just about anything you want to serve at your picnic.  Even if you choose to serve sandwiches, why not grill them?  When you fire up your grill for your picnic, don't limit the menu to hotdogs and hamburgers.  Use your imagination.  If you can cook it, you can grill it!


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