Grilling is so fun and delicious – clearly a high point of any summer. Follow these easy tips for even tastier meals.
Start with a clean grill.
Starting with a clean grill will allow the flavor of whatever you’re cooking to shine through and not mix with flavors left behind from whatever you grilled last. It also helps prevent food from sticking. Clean the grill with a sturdy brush while it’s hot, as it will be much easier to clean.
Oil the grill grates.
Oiling the grill grates will help prevent lean meats from sticking to the grill. Pour oil on a paper towel, then use tongs to rub the oil on the grill grates – don’t use cooking spray as it will flare up. Or try this fun grill hack: cut a potato in half and rub the cut side of the potato on hot grill grates, this will make the grill naturally non-stick!
Always make sure your grill is hot.
Adding food to a hot grill will give it a wonderful sear on the outside, while keeping it perfectly juicy in the center. It will prevent food from sticking to the grill, and it’s important for cooking safety.
Use an instant-read meat thermometer to check for a safe and desired temperature.
You always want to make sure that food on the grill is cooked to a safe temperature. Use an instant read thermometer to make sure meat is cooked to the proper temperature. Food safety is extremely important, as undercooked food can cause illness.
Use a grill basket.
For foods that might fall through the grates and cause flare-ups, use Basquettes. These are incredibly handy for grilling vegetables, seafood, fish, kabobs, stuffed sliders, cheese and fruit. You can use Basquettes with a top so you can flip a whole basket of food over in one motion.
Always let meat rest after removing it from the grill.
Depending on the meat, allow it to rest for at least 5-15 minutes before slicing into it. A large piece of meat, such as a tri tip will need more rest time than a smaller steak, like a tenderloin.
Resting the meat allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat for a juicier, more tender piece of meat and tenting under foil helps keep it warm.
Experiment with different cooking techniques.
Grills can easily become smokers or rotisseries! Make a flattened foil packet of aromatic hardwood and pierce it a few times. Use your Basquettes with the legs on and slip the foil packet beneath. Or put the baskets together and make a rotisserie cage for delicious chicken!
Know whether to cook your foods directly or indirectly.
Smaller pieces of meat, like a New York strip steak, that take 20 minutes or less to cook should be grilled over direct heat. Large pieces of meat, like ribs, that take more than 20 minutes to cook should be grilled over indirect heat.
Add sauce to meat at the end of the grilling process.
Adding a glaze or barbecue sauce, especially one with sugar, too early in the cooking process can cause your meat to burn and stick to the grill. If you plan to baste meat with a sauce or glaze, do it in the last 5 minutes of cooking, if the total cooking time is 30 minutes or less. If the total cooking time is over 30 minutes, baste the meat in the last 15 minutes of cooking time
Bonus tips!
- Never flatten meat with a spatula when it’s on the grill. This will release all of the juicy flavor in the middle of the meat.
- Avoid putting cold foods on the grill. Bringing meat to room temperature for 30 minutes will help it cook more evenly.
About Basquettes
Basquettes can be purchased at https://basquettes.cooking or on Amazon Prime, for the sale price of $135. Basquettes are constructed of uncoated stainless steel making them PFOA and PTFE free, scratch and corrosion resistant, and safe for metal grill tools and dishwashers.
See this story on: PR Newswire, Yahoo! Finance, Morningstar, Fox 43 Knoxville, The Cowboy Channel, and more.
Other stories about grilling with Basquettes: Hanging Off The Wire, Forbes