How To Barbeque - 10 Simple Rules

Nobody likes rules, I know, and if you don’t want to follow them, that’s up to you.  Maybe you want to consider them “best practices” instead.  Great grill masters are more like artists, anyway, but if you talk to them and watch them, you’ll see that they treat their barbecue the way a restaurant chef treats his kitchen…with precision.

Rule 1:       Keep your grill clean

• A clean grill will give you better tasting food and is less likely to cause your food to stick to the grate.
• If your grilling surface is cast iron, use mineral oil to keep it from rusting in the off season.  It's tasteless, odorless and natural, so it won't hurt anything  
• It’s easier to clean the grill after the coals have heated the grilling surface, so if you don't want to miss out on the food and conversation, you can do it when you fire up the grill the next time!

Rule 2:       Don’t turn your food too often when using direct heat

• It has a tendency to dry the meat out.  
• If it sticks, you are probably turning it too early, or the food was too cold when you put it on the grill.  Let meat get to room temperature for the best results. 
• Never turn a steak more than once, unless you’re searing!  You can sear in flavorful juices by turning the steak after a minute, then again, then leaving it to grill for six to eight minutes per side. 
• If you're doing a Tri-tip, or any cut of meat that's thick, like a roast, turn it after ten minutes on the meat side and eight minutes on the fat side, and baste it with marinade every time you turn it, so it doesn't char. 

Rule 3:       When using the indirect method, you must keep the lid closed. 

•  The temptation, while grilling, will be to keep opening the lid and checking on your progress.
• Remember, opening the lid allows heat to escape, so keep a balance between checking and flipping.
• Every time you open the lid, it's like opening your oven door, and it takes some time to recoup that loss of heat.
• A confident griller knows when to flip his food and minimizes heat loss.

Rule 4:       Don't leave your grilling unattended for any length of time.

• A flare-up can occur at anytime and leave you with charred food if you are not there to attend to it, and you don’t need that aggravation!
• Try not to leave your grill if you you are using the direct heat method
• If you are using the indirect method, you have more leeway, but if you don't have a pan beneath to catch drippings with something to absorb them, you can end up with a fire under your food.

Rule 5:       Know how many coals to use

• Most rookie barbecuers think, the more coals they use the better, probably because they like the taste of lighter fluid!
• Too many coals creates too much heat, burning everything, like putting a roast in the oven on broil, instead of bake.
• Learn how to control the temperature of your grill
• Build an area for direct cooking and an area for indirect cookin 

Rule 6:       Do not use a spray bottle of water to control a flare-up

• Stuff falling onto the coals, into a pan that doesn’t have something in it to absorb or dissipate the flammables, or just collecting on the grilling surface, represents a fire waiting to consume your meat.
• Trimming excess fat from the meat and moving the meat to a different area of the grill when turning is the best way to control flare-ups. 
• Water just moves the grease fire around, since oil and water don’t mix. 
• Move the food to a cooler area on the grill until the flare dies down.  
• Small flare ups can be controlled by closing the air vents (wear your gloves!) and closing the lid.
• Sometimes it’s better to leave the lid open if you have a large flare up and can move the food out of harm’s way.  The accumulation will burn off faster. 

Rule 7:       Most BBQ sauces contain sugar, which caramelizes and causes meat to burn 

• If you plan ahead, which I don’t, you can apply the sauce and let it sit overnight so the flavor gets into the food and the sugar is absorbed.
• If you don’t, then only apply it towards the end of the cooking process and monitor closely for flare-ups.
• Try to find a non-sugar based marinade that has great flavor and works on all kinds of meat.  Since applying the marinade to indirect cooking foods leaves the lid open too long, causing heat loss, I wait until the food is done, then apply the marinade generously, again, and throw it back on direct for twenty to thirty seconds before serving.

Rule 8:       Spice and marinate your food about one hour before grilling 

• Try to use marinades that don’t have too much sugar or oil in them.
• It’s ok to leave the food out.  It reacts to the grill better at room temperature and sticks less.
• Trying to spice things on the grill usually ends up missing the food, over applying in some places and wasting a lot of spice
• The best way to spice your meat, if you're not using a marinade, is to use a rub
• Aged beef requires no spices or marinades, just careful grilling and appreciative taste buds.

Rule 9:        Do not use a fork to turn your meats

• Only rookies, who know nothing, and pros, who know everything, use a fork to turn their meat.
• Forks puncture the food, releasing oils and fat that are stewing inside, so you'll never see a pro do that.
• Pros pre-poke sausages so that, as they heat up, the juices can seep out and not split or blister the skin.
• Same applies to whole poultry, which you shouldn't be turning to begin with!
• Poking some foods while on the grill, may cause juices to shoot out and either cause flare-ups or hit inquisitive little Johnny in the eye!
• A long set of tongs is the best for turning steaks, chicken and other cuts of meat. 
• A long handled spatula is best for burgers.

Rule 10:       Make sure that meats are completely thawed before grilling

• If you forgot to take the meat out of the freezer, but it didn't thaw in time and you decided the grill would cook it any way, whatever meat it is, will look great on the outside, but be raw on the inside.  
• You can cheat a little with chicken (but not much) as long as you’re cooking indirect, but you need to turn it more often and cook it a little longer.  Better to just go get more, fresh, or use the microwave to defrost.
• Frozen pre-made hamburger patties taste like cardboard anyway, and have a high fat content to help you burn them, so do those one more time…before you learn how to really cook!