Grilling Essentials: The All-in-One Guide to Firing Up 5-Star Meals with 130+ Recipes

By Jackie Callahan Parente

Grilling food is something the whole family enjoys, and with a little extra guidance, you can become a grill master! Grilling Essentials is the complete guide to grilling tools, techniques, and recipes for the grill. Featuring expert advice and 100 savory recipes for appetizers, entrees, and side dishes – from spiced cranberry wings and chicken lollipops with cola BBQ sauce to smoked beef brisket and salmon skewers – this is a must-have resource for any and all lovers of the grill! Even if you don’t have much experience, this book will show you how to grill, from what tools to use to what meats to (and not to) sear. Learn the insider secrets to make the perfect backyard burger, how to achieve the best flavor of pork ribs, and more. Also included are helpful meat temperature charts, grill safety tips, clear guidance on grilling, searing, and smoking meat, and much more.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Nov 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781607658122

Book preview

1Pro Tips for a Grill-icious Meal

Grilling is really common sense. It's very simple. You should think of a grill as a burner—it just happens to have grates. You shouldn't be intimidated by it.

—Bobby Flay

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ESSENTIAL GRILLING TIPS

The plans are made, the guests are coming soon, and you volunteered for Grill Master duties. Then you realize that a backyard barbecue party, a family reunion with grilled burgers and dogs, or an elegant, alfresco grilled dinner may be more than you bargained for. How hot should the grill be? How much time does it take to grill a steak? Should you try using wood chips to smoke the meat? Don’t panic—read on! Here are some quick tips to help you become a true Grill Master with bragging rights.

PREP

Illustration Clean the grates with a metal coil brush or scrub them with a ball of aluminum foil before cooking. This is especially important when cooking delicate foods, such as seafood or ground chicken patties.

Illustration To prevent food from sticking to the grate, dip a folded paper towel in canola oil and rub it over grates until lightly coated with oil. If spraying grates with nonstick cooking spray, do it before lighting the grill. You may also brush meat and seafood lightly with olive oil before grilling.

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WARNING! A metal bristle from a traditional wire bristle brush could break off and end up in your grilled food.

PREHEAT

Illustration Preheat a gas grill for 10 to 15 minutes before cooking. If using charcoal briquettes, light them and allow briquettes to turn white before placing food on the grate (it will take approximately 20 to 30 minutes).

Illustration Use the following chart to determine the approximate temperature to heat your grill in order to match the heat level indicated by the recipe. (If, for example, the recipe calls for preheating the grill to high heat, the temperature of your grill should be approximately 400°F.) For accuracy, use a thermometer to measure the temperature inside the grill.

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GRILL

Illustration If making kebabs or grilling small pieces of food, thread food on metal skewers, or use wooden skewers that have been soaked in water for 15 to 30 minutes to prevent scorching. The food will twist less if threaded on a pair of skewers.

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Illustration Trim off excess fat from steaks, chops and roasts before grilling to prevent flare-ups. Cut off excess poultry skin before marinating or cooking.

Illustration Mix seasonings into ground meats before grilling, using hands as needed.

Illustration When making ground meat patties, gently shape the meat with a fork to avoid compressing the meat too firmly.

Illustration Use a spatula or tongs to turn meats such as chicken breasts or steaks. Avoid forks, which pierce the meat and cause juices to run out.

Illustration Soak meats in a brine or marinade to increase flavor and juiciness.

Illustration If basting meats with melted butter, avoid flare-ups by grilling one side first and turning the meat over before brushing with butter.

Illustration Clean the grates well before cooking sides and sweets. You don’t want your pineapple to taste like a ribeye.

Illustration When using saucepans or bakeware on the grill, keep in mind the bottom may get charred. Be sure to use heat-proof cast iron, stainless steel or disposable foil pans.

FOOD SAFETY TIPS

Illustration Wash hands and cutting boards thoroughly after handling raw meat or poultry. Never place cooked meats on the same surface previously used to hold raw meats unless it has been washed well.

Illustration On picnics, use well-insulated coolers and ice packs to keep foods cold and prevent bacteria growth before and after cooking (40°F or below).

Illustration Serve grilled foods hot, and chill leftovers as soon as the meal is over.

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GAS VS. CHARCOAL

Most dishes can be prepared equally well on a gas or charcoal grill, allowing you to enjoy all kinds of recipes using the equipment you have on hand.

Grilling without a lid on a charcoal grill may require a slight increase in temperature and cooking time. Grilling food with the lid on can enhance the grilled flavor and shorten the cooking time, even with a slightly lower temperature.

To change the temperature of a charcoal grill, use fewer coals to reduce the heat or add more briquettes around the edges to make it hotter. The grate of the grill may also be moved closer or further from the heat source to increase or decrease the heat.

Gas grills usually have a built-in temperature gauge and dials to regulate the heat and number of burners turned on, but check the accuracy of that gauge before relying on it. A barbeque-safe oven thermometer may be more accurate.

Flare-ups occur when fats/oils drip on the heat source. To extinguish flames on a charcoal grill, squirt water on them. On a gas grill, just close the lid to remove the source of air.

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Kebabs on a charcoal grill

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Kebabs on a gas grill

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Propane tank ready for grilling

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DIRECT OR INDIRECT HEAT?

When food is placed on the grate right over the heat source, it will cook quickly by direct heat. This is best for small, tender foods that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes. The grill does not need a lid unless otherwise directed.

To cook foods more slowly, use indirect heat. This is accomplished by heating only one section of the grill and placing the food on the grate over the remaining cooler section before closing the lid. The heat will circulate inside the grill to cook the food slowly at a lower temperature (low and slow). Avoid opening the lid to peek at the food. It is best to use a thermometer to measure the temperature inside the grill when cooking this way.

To lock in the juices of larger cuts of meat, sear all sides over hot direct heat for 1 to 2 minutes per side. Then reduce the heat, close the lid and move the food on the grate as needed to finish cooking over direct or indirect heat.

Placing an aluminum drip pan (holding a small amount of water) in the bottom of the grill also reduces flare-ups and provides moisture for indirect cooking. The pan should be set underneath the cooking area, with heat surrounding the pan.

After cooking on any grill, burn off residue on the grates and when cool, scrape off baked-on food before putting the grill away.

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Steak cooking over direct heat

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Thick pork chops cooking over indirect heat

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WOOD CHIPS & SMOKING

To get a smoked flavor in grilled meats, add fully dried (not green) wood chunks or chips to the charcoal or gas grill before cooking. Fruit woods, such as apple, plum or cherry, complement turkey. Hickory is a good choice for almost any type of meat, especially pork. Mesquite works well if used sparingly. Wood chunks tend to smolder rather than burn, which produces steadier smoke than chips. Never use treated lumber scraps or wood from high-sap trees like pine or fir, though cedar planks can be used to smoke salmon on the grill.

Soak one or two handfuls of the wood in water for 1 hour and then drain well. In a charcoal grill, place the damp wood directly on the briquettes, around the outer edges. In either a charcoal or gas grill, wood can also be placed in a smoke box, small disposable foil pan or a heavy-duty foil pouch poked full of holes. Set this container on the lava rocks in a gas grill or directly on the charcoal before preheating, locating it near the back or to one side of the grill. When the grill is hot and smoke is produced, reduce the grill’s temperature and place meat on the grate away from the smoke. (Never place meat directly over the smoke.) Close the lid and let the smoke seep into the meat as it cooks. If food requires a long grilling time, add more wood as needed, especially during the first two hours of cooking.

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