Dear Home Ec 101,
I think I’m going to bite the bullet and fire up the grill this weekend. I’m tired of waiting for my spouse to cook something. Do you have any tips for a beginner?
Signed,
Grilling in Groten
Heather says:
Hands down, the most important tip I have for a noobie grill chef is learn the hand test. What’s the hand test? It’s simply the most useful judge of a grill’s heat known to mankind. Even if you have a snazzy grill with propane and knobs that indicate the level of the flame I’m willing to bet your grill sits outside exposed to destructive elements and possibly more destructive children. I don’t trust the knobs on my grill one bit. Sure it says I’ve turned it to low, but that flame looks more like a medium or on another burner the opposite is true. Aside from that, every grill whether charcoal or propane will have areas that are hotter than others. Use the hand test to become familiar with the zones or settings of your grill. (With a charcoal grill the zones will vary depending on how you spread the coals, a propane grill is fairly consistent).
With a clean, dry hand hold your palm an inch over the grate. The length of time you can comfortably keep your hand in this position is a good indication of the grill’s temperature.
| 1 – 2 seconds | Hot (duh) |
| 3 – 4 seconds | Medium |
| 5 – 7 seconds | Medium Low |
| 8+ seconds | turn up the burner or add more charcoal |
OK, now remember this isn’t the time to play hero or prove your man / womanhood. Seriously. We will point and laugh if you hurt yourself by trying to not wimp out holding your hand over a flame. That’s asking to be mocked. Move your hand as soon as it becomes uncomfortably hot.
My other suggestions for succesfull grilling:
Keep a spray bottle of water handy.
Use this to control flare ups. Remember to squirt the flare ups, not the food.
Know the difference between direct and indirect grilling.
Not every recipe you come across was intended for a grilling novice. Many times the recipes assume the cook has some knowledge of grilling.
Direct grilling is straightforward, you grill over the heat source and is appropriate for many items that benefit from fast cookingt: burgers, fish, boneless poultry, vegetables, and of course steaks. Keep the lid down, except when turning.
If you are preparing a cut of meat that is more than 2 inches thick, poultry (with the exception of boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs), or roasts indirect grilling is more appropriate. The outside of these items would burn long before the center reached a safe temperature. To grill indirectly on a charcoal grill, mound the charcoal off to one side or in the center. Place the items away from the pile. For a propane grill with multiple burners, turn on one burner but cook over the other. For a small propane grill you may need to place a drip pan under the grate to deflect the heat. When grilling indirectly, it is vital to keep the lid closed as much as possible. Think of it like baking, you wouldn’t open the oven every two minutes to check on a cake, don’t do it to your grill.
Prepare the side dishes in advance.
Just trust me on this one, it’s not fun to monitor the grill for flare ups, while dashing back in the house to stir something on the stove. It’s not my idea of a good time and I inevitably manage to let in flies going in and out.
Keep the grill clean.
I have a deal with Mr. Heather, I grill, he cleans the grill. Always check. It’s no fun to have steaks ready to go only to find the grill is crusted in yuck.
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Our new grill arrives on Wednesday…..so I appreciate the tips! I did not not know abuot the hand test but will definately try that out.
Take the meat out of the fridge twenty minutes before you put it on the grill. This allows the entire cut of meat to come up to room temperature, and thus get more even cooking. I ruined countless pieces of perfectly good steak before I stumbled upon this tip.
If you have a charcoal grill, consider getting a charcoal chimney to start your charcoal. This avoids having to use charcoal fluid to start it, which avoids getting that awful chemical smell in your food and is cheaper in the long run.
Nancy, excellent tips. I need to be more observant of my own habits so I can pass them along. Some things like bringing the meat to room temperature have been habitual that I fail to note them.
oh man, you have to clean these… I thought that was where some of the flavor came from:) I swear if I did not have to clean everything I would like cooking a lot more.
It’s why I’m glad my grill has two sides. If you see pics of me grilling on the wavy lined side, it’s because a certain spouse failed in his clean up duties.
Spouses never fail at clean up duties. Spouses are perfect. (At least that’s what my Ex said.)
Quite sad, but we have not used our grill since before my daughter started school. She is now 19 and working full time. Still, it lurks in a dark corner, having been hauled around thru 4 moves since it was last used.
I’m going to go cry now.
Don’t cry, clean it up and use it! You’ll be all set for Fearless Friday.