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Tips That Will Ease Your Barbecue Experience

Beef
/ By Tenderlicious

Check out these great tips from some of the expert grillers out there and get your creative juices flowing. Whether you’re a beginner or pro, learning how to grill correctly will ensure that you will satisfy friends and family and have them raving for more.

Barbecuing requires some easy creative strategies and other tried and true methods that you will learn from the following guide. It takes more than just lighting the fire and throwing a few steaks on the grill to produce a delicious meal.

Are you ready?

Let’s get started!

Knowing Your Grills

Knowing which type of grill to use can be a daunting task but knowing when to use a gas-grilled compared to a coal or wood-burning grill will increase the chances for more tender and flavorful foods.

Gas Grills

If you want a grill that fires up quickly with less mess and cleanup than charcoal grills then this is the grill for you. They can last for decades because many of them are made with aluminum bodies and can be left outside but they’re also more expensive than the other types of grills.

Also, porcelain-covered grates will give your steaks and food nice grill marks. They’re also very easy to clean. But if you like smoked meats then this is not the grill for you because the flavor produced from the gas isn’t as strong as the other types of grills.

Charcoal Grills

Charcoal grills use charcoal briquettes and they can be more expensive than gas. They take more time to prepare, there’s more cleanup and you have to dispose of the coals. It can take on average about 45 minutes before they’re ready to grill.

But, many people don’t mind because they impart such great flavor onto the food. Natural wood can be placed on the coals to give the food a delicious smokey flavor and it’s easier to sear meat.

Wood Grills

Wood grills are a must for those who have the time and enjoy the incredible flavors that wood can add to the food. Firewood smoke flavors like applewood, hickory, and mesquite, using a smoker box can enhance the natural flavors of your meat.

Wood grills create very hot embers which is why they provide a more intense wood smoke taste. The disadvantages are that it can take a long time to cook meat. You must continue to add wood and make sure that the burned wood has become embers and glows. Therefore, it can take up to two hours to cook meat.

The Scientific Method Of Barbecuing Meat

Using science to increase the success of your grilling is well worth the effort to produce the juiciest and most flavorful steaks and foods. Don’t let the word “science” scare you off.

Salt-Based Compared To Acidic Marinades

When working with meat, using salt-based marinades will create more tender meat by going deep within the meat, known as diffusion. Marinades made with vinegar, lemon juice or wine are acidic and will only penetrate a few millimeters below the surface of the meat. This will not make your meats tender and flavorful throughout.

Slow Grilling Vs Fast And Hot Grilling

Cooking at high temperatures will cause the meat to dry out and become tough. Lower temperatures and slower cooking will produce less shrinkage and more tender and juicy masterpieces.

It is also imperative when you are grilling vegetables and fruit that you cook them at a low heat. Also, to be sure that your meat is not raw for health reason, the meat must be cooked at lower temperatures and for longer periods of time to ensure that the food is safe.

When To Cut Into The Meat

Even though you cannot wait to put that first piece of juicy steak right into your mouth, you would be wise to wait 10 minutes to ensure the meat isn’t dried out. This creates a more juicy and flavorful steak.

Award-Winning Chefs Tell Their Secrets

Even though some expert grillers think a slow and low-heat method is the way to go, there are others who prefer the opposite and they swear by their methods.

Wood Chips

Using wood chips from fruit trees like apple, cherry or peach can give your food a completely different taste. They are milder in flavor, have higher sap levels and they have fewer impurities.

Don’t forget to soak your wood chips in water for at least one hour or overnight and then drain them. Put them in aluminum foil or use a smoker box. The water causes the chips to smoke enhancing the flavor of your grilled food.

Using Lighter Fluid

To ensure that you do not have that lighter fluid taste on your food it’s very important that the fire is completely out before you start to grill your food. Also, the charcoal should be an ash-gray color and be glowing red underneath. This can take about a half an hour.

Easy Cleanup

In order to make it to easy cleanup be sure to line the inside bottom of your charcoal grill with aluminum foil before you add your briquettes. This helps with cleaning up the coals and ash when the grill has cooled.

Charring The Meat Prior To Cooking

Charring or scoring the meat causing a smoke-flavored crust is the only way to go. As they say, more browning gives you more flavor. Try scoring the meat before you set it on the grill with a sharp knife. This provides a crustier and tastier crust.

Basting

When you baste with oil or any fat it fries the exterior of the meat. Adding in grated garlic, herbs and onion will impart a fuller flavor into any food that you are grilling. This goes beyond just meat, including vegetables and fruit.

Flipping Often

Flipping the food often provides rich browning, especially in the case of meat. Be sure to baste with the marinade before flipping. This causes uniform cooking and a more delicious flavored crust.

Air Circulation Is Critical

Make sure that your food that is grilling doesn’t touch the sides of the grill or other food. It needs plenty of air circulation on all of its sides So, be sure to purchase the correct size grill for what you plan to use it for.

Another Great Grilling Idea

Another great technique that you can use to enhance the flavors and juiciness of meats like beef brisket is to wrap the meat in pink butcher paper for the last few hours of cooking, while it’s in the smoker or on the grill. Butcher paper is FDA- approved and it’s perfect for cooking on. It’s non-coated and comes in an array of sizes. It also holds up very well against moisture.

Conclusion

In conclusion, no matter if you’re a first-time griller or you’ve been grilling for years, knowing how to grill the juiciest and most flavorful meat possible is the most important job of the grill master. So, brushing up on these grilling secrets that the experts use will not only enhance your cooking but will bring a smile to everyone’s face and stomaches.

Have any additional questions about barbecuing?

Let us know in the comment section below and let us know what you think!

Resources:

Vox
TheGuardian