Email to Rick Ashford      

BBQ Tips

Source of Recipe

*


List of Ingredients





1. Be organized. Have everything you need—the food, marinade, basting sauce, seasonings, and equipment—on hand and at grill side before you start grilling.

2. Lighting a Charcoal Fire
To light charcoal, arrange them in a mound in the center of the grill. Add lighter fluid to coat the charcoal evenly, and let it soak in for about a minute before lighting it with a match. Never add more lighter fluid after the fire has started.

Several brands of self-starting charcoal are now available. These essentially are charcoal that have been pre-coated with the equivalent of lighter fluid. They are easier to start, that’s for sure. You may also want to consider an electric starter or a chimney starter, which will light the fire without the use of chemicals.

3. Knowing When Charcoal is Ready for Grilling
The charcoal is ready for grilling when the briquets turn ash gray in daylight or glowing red at night. This usually takes anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes.

If you need to add additional charcoal while grilling, here is the recommended method. Add 10 or 12 briquets to the outer edge of the fire immediately after it has been spread. Once these coals become 80% ashed over, add to the center of the fire as needed.


4. Gauge your fuel. There's nothing worse than running out of charcoal or gas in the middle of grilling. When using charcoal, light enough to form a bed of glowing coals 3 inches larger on all sides than the surface area of the food you're planning to cook. When using a gas grill, start with at least 1/3 of a tank of gas.

5. Direct grilling is a high heat cooking method. Use the "3 second" test to gauge the temperature: Place your hand about six inches above the grate. You should be able to hold it over a properly hot fire for 3 seconds.

6. Keep it clean. There's nothing less appetizing than grilling on dirty, old bits of burnt food stuck to the grate. Get a long-handled, stiff wire brush and use it to clean the grate. Brush after you've preheated the grill, but the food goes on. Brush again, when you've finished grilling.

7. Keep it lubricated. Always oil the grate before placing the food on it. Dip a folded paper towel in oil, grab it with tongs, and rub it over the bars of the grate. Or grease the grate with a piece of bacon. (The flavor is great; the amount of fat negligible.) A well-greased grate keeps food from sticking and gives you handsome grill marks.

8. Turn, don't stab. The proper way to turn meats on a grill is with tongs or a spatula. Never stab the meat with a carving fork—unless you want to drain the flavor-rich juices onto the coals.

9. Know when to baste.Oil- and vinegar-, citrus-, soy-, or yogurt-based bastes and marinades can be brushed on the meat throughout the cooking. (But not the last 5 minutes.) Brush on sweet barbecue sauces at the very end, so the sugar won't burn.

10. Keep it covered. When cooking larger cuts of meat, such as a whole chicken, leg of lamb, or prime rib, use the indirect grilling method. Keep the grill covered and resist the temptation to peek.

11. Give it a rest. Beef, steak, chicken—almost anything you grill—will taste better and be juicier if you let it stand on the cutting board for a few minutes before serving.

12. Never desert your post. Grilling is an easy cooking method, but it demands constant attention. Once you put something on the grill (especially when using the direct method), stay with it until it's cooked. Most of all, have fun.




Recipe