How To Grill Properly & Have Your Guests Begging For More!

If you haven’t cooked for a BBQ party yet, you’ve missed out. I have such fond memories of afternoons heralded by golden roasted corn on the cob, grilled Portobello mushrooms on spinach and grilled lean meat such as chicken and fish slathered in vegetables and enjoyed outside in the gentle sun. I love how you don’t use a lot of fats to grill food. In fact, during the grilling process, most of it slides right off.

Defrost Furiously

It’s much safer to defrost meat in the fridge than out in the open, where food can spoil. Frozen meat really needs to thaw completely before it can be grilled. If it’s still icy when you grill it, then the meat will become hard and tough, and could even become tasteless since the marinade won’t sink through.

Marinate with a Vengeance

A good rule of thumb is to marinate meat 12-24 hours before grilling for best results. You can cheat and marinate 4 hours before, but you need to kick the spices up a notch to make up for it. A basic marinade consists of a tart citrus (lemon or limes), pepper, olive oil, garlic and an herb such as thyme or rosemary. You can also use ketchup, Worcestershire sauce and low-sodium soy sauce, but adjust it to your taste. There are many marinades out there, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Many clear salad dressings can double as marinade helpers, but watch their sugar content. Marinating also helps keep the meat juicy and tender while grilling, so if in doubt, steep deeply. If you want to brush on a sweet honey-based sauce, do it at the very last stages of grilling or else the flavor will change and the sauce will char.

Microwave to Destroy Cancerous Agents

The burnt, blackened parts of grilled food should be avoided, because it contains HCA, a carcinogen. It can be decreased by pre-cooking meat in the microwave beforehand. Studies have shown that meat placed in the microwave for 2 minutes before grilling decreased the HCA content by 90%. If you do burn the grilled food slightly, trim off the charred portions. Avoid overcooking as much as possible. If you want the center to cook well, pierce the meat with a fork while grilling. You can also cook it on a lower flame for a longer time.

Non-Stick Grilling Fun

Rub cooking oil on the grills using a paper towel to avoid raw food sticking on the grills. Of course, do this before you turn the heat on J

Pre-heat the Grill

Pre-heat the grill before placement of meat. If charcoal is used, let it burn for 30 minutes before actual grilling.

Grill on the Warm Zone

Watch where the flare-ups are occurring on your grill, and mentally divide it into warm and hot zones. Only place seafood and cooked meat on the warm zone to avoid overcooking.

Use That Juicy Vegetable Secret Sauce

If you’re grilling with skewers (best to soak in water first so the skewers don’t burn), add vegetables for prime flavor so it can spread to the meat for extra juiciness. The best vegetable add-ons are mini potatoes, whole mushrooms, sweet corn, whole tomatoes, onions,garlic, and bell peppers. You can also marinade these vegetables along with the meat, or just brush them lightly with olive oil and herbs while grilling.

Was it tasty? Tell me more!

I’d love to hear if these grilling tips were of any help. Please share your party stories, other grilling tips and success stories below.