Grilling 101

With the Memorial Day weekend just hours away, Americans across the country are uncovering their BBQ's and grills, stocking up on hamburger, chicken, and steaks, and lighting the coals. But most grill efforts fall short. Burned chicken, underdone steaks, charred hamburgers and hot dogs seem to happen more often than we'd like. So here are a few simple tips and techniques, to help you on your way to grilling like a pro. Your family and friends will worship your finely honed grill moves, and you'll be the envy of your neighbors.

Hamburgers

The number one mistake made by cooks when grilling hamburgers is pressing the meat while it's over the heat. Doing this squeezes all of the tasty juices out of the meat and onto the coals, causing sooty smoke and flareups. You're then left with dry, crumbly discs that resemble hockey pucks more than hamburgers. If you are a cheeseburger fan, try mixing crumbled bleu or cheddar cheese into the meat before cooking - it increases the cheese impact tenfold.

Hot Dogs

It's hard to beat a savory hot dog fresh from the grill, topped with all the trimmings and some spicy mustard. Cooking a hot dog is simple enough, remember to just keep the dogs moving while on the grill to keep them from burning and splitting. More importantly though - start with a quality hot dog. That pack that you saw on sale for .39 cents buy-one-get-one-free is probably not what you're after. Cheap hot dogs contain lots of non-meat binders, such as soy protein, potato starch, and yeast. Yuck! Consider fresh-made sausage from your local specialty or butcher shop. The higher-end grocery stores have several options to choose from as well.

Steaks

First, let your steaks come to room temperature before grilling. Tossing a steak right from the cooler onto a white-hot fire will result in a overdone exterior and a raw interior. Once at room temp, brush your steaks with a little olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. The key to grilling the steaks perfectly requires a 2-stage fire, so divide your lit coals into two piles, one larger than the other. Place the meat over the hot portion of the fire to sear the meat, then move it over to the cooler side of the grill to finish gracefully.

Chicken

Nothing ruins a good cookout faster than bad grilled chicken. Some people try to make up for greasy skin and raw centers by cooking the life out of the meat and then dousing it in overly-sweet BBQ sauce. Grilling chicken requires a different approach than hamburgers or steaks, one that involves some patience and using the cover. Remember that thing that came with your grill? After the coals are lit, divide them to each side, leaving a valley between them. Grill the chicken with the coals flaking each side, and cover. Let cook for approximately 20 minutes WITHOUT disturbing - this means no opening the lid for a peek, no poking, prodding or otherwise molesting the tasty bird. After 20 minutes, remove the cover and move the chicken directly over the coals to finish to a delicious golden-brown. Use a meat thermometer to confirm they are done. 160 for breasts, 175 for legs, thighs and drumsticks.


I hope these little bits of information help you on your Memorial Day BBQ. A few, small modifications will have a huge impact on the finished product. Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!