Our Best Tips for Summer BBQ’s
Grilling takes some skills to perfect your meats and other grilled dishes, so we are sharing our favorite Grilling Tips for your Summer BBQ’s.
Grilling Tips
- Let meat rest for half the amount o of cooking time used. For example, if you grill a steak for 6 minutes, allow it to rest for 3 minutes before cutting. This seals in all the juices.
- Grill fish fillets on top of slices of lemons, limes, or oranges for sweet citrus flavor.
- Add garlic and thyme to buttermilk for an easy marinade. Soaking meat overnight in buttermilk makes it softer, as well as enhances the flavor.
- The proper way to cook both sides of a piece of meat is to use tongs or a spatula. Never use a carving fork to turn. Stabbing grilled meat will let out all the flavorful juices and dry it out.
- Feel the heat. Give your grill plenty of time to preheat. If it’s hot enough, you shouldn’t be able to hold your hand over the grates for more than 2 seconds.
Tips for Perfect Burgers
- Keep Burgers Cold Until They Hit the Grill. Unlike other meats that will cook up better if brought to room temperature before hitting the grill, you want those patties cold so they stay together and stay as juicy as possible. Put the patties on a tray or platter, covered, in the fridge while the grill heats up. This helps more of the flavor-carrying fat stay in the meat.
- Start With a Clean Cooking Grate. Bits of debris encourage sticking, as does an un-oiled surface and too low a temperature. You
want your burgers to sizzle immediately, firm up quickly, and release from the grill. - Use a Hot Grill. Keep grill at a steady high heat (you can hold your hand 1 to 2 inches above grill level for 2 to 3
seconds). If using charcoal, you want ash-covered coals to produce even heat. With a gas grill, keep the lid down while cooking; with a charcoal grill, leave the lid off. - Season your hamburger. Don’t go too crazy with this simple is almost always better when it comes to hamburgers. Salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce is all you need.
- Grill each side for about 4 minutes. Grill each side until the meat is no longer pink. You want it to still be juicy, not overcooked.
- Don’t Push It. Thou shalt not press the patties flat with the spatula as they cook. This pushes the yummy juice out of it and your patty will be dry and sad.
- Flip Burgers Once and Only Once. Constant turning will toughen and dry out meat, and if you flip too soon, burgers will stick. Cook
2 minutes per side for rare, 3 for medium-rare, 4 for medium, and 5 for well-done. - Keep the Grill Covered. Once you close the top on the grill, keep it there! Frequent checks increase cooking time and will cause the heat to escape, resulting in food that is undercooked or overdone. Avoid moving the meat around or flipping too often. It needs time ON the grill to cook properly. Just remember to adjust your heat settings according to the cut and type of meat you’re grilling.
- Let Burgers Rest. Resting allows burgers, like all meat, to finish cooking and allows their juices, which have collected on the surface during grilling, to redistribute throughout the patty for maximum juiciness. Since burgers are generally somewhat small (compared to giant roasts), just 10 minutes will do it.
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