Summertime eating is all about food on the grill and cool drinks in hand. When you’re invited to a friend’s house for a backyard barbecue, do you help man the grill or mingle with guests? If you’re intimidated by cooking on the grill, we have 7 tips to help you become a grilling master for your next party.
1. Marinate Your Meats
Achieve delicious flavor and tender meat with acidic marinades, like lemon juice and vinegar.
A 1:3 ratio of acidity to oil is recommended to tenderize, moisturize and enrich natural flavors. It is not necessary to let meat marinade for more than a few hours; when using a glaze, wait until the last few minutes of cooking to brush it on.
2. Get Your Grill Hot
Take your meats out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before grilling. In the meantime,
get your grill nice and hot. Famous grill master and chef Bobby Flay knows a grill is hot enough when he cannot hold his hand over the grates for more than a couple seconds.
3. Clean the Grill Rack
Just as you use clean pots and pans to cook on the stove-top, you want your grilling surface to be clean. A hot grill is easier to clean, so before adding your food, scrape away debris from past meals with a grill brush. We recommend scraping the grill down again after use.
4. Oil It Up
When grilling, there is nothing more frustrating than a piece of meat that sticks. Avoid this mishap by oiling up a hot grill with vegetable oil. Soak a paper towel and rub it across the grill rack with a pair of tongs. Do not use cooking spray; this could cause a grill fire.
5. Open or Closed?
When you keep the grill top down, the heat is trapped, which leads to faster cooking. Leaving the top up for long periods of time can cause meats to lose heat and dry out.
6. Check Internal Temperature
Rather than repeatedly cutting into your meats to check for doneness, flip when you see grill marks, then test the internal temperature with an instant-read meat thermometer. Keep in mind that bone-in meats will take longer to cook evenly.
7. Let It Rest
When you remove meat from a grill, it’s important to let it sit before slicing. For individual steaks, the rule of thumb is about five minutes. For large roasts, wait 15 – 20 minutes to cut and serve. Rest time allows the meat juices to redistribute and keep the pieces succulent.
At Colony Diner, it is our passion to create delicious foods that remind our patrons of a home-cooked meal. To have a taste for yourself, stop by Colony Diner in Wallingford today.