How to Grill
Grilling is a dry-heat method of cooking that typically uses very high temperatures. Because of the extreme environment on the grill you need to be extra careful of what and how you cook.
Be mindful of the actual product you use. For example, a delicate fish filet will rapidly burn and become crusty on the outside well before the inside is cooked. Nobody wants burnt, mushy fish.
Know the approximate cooking times needed for different items on the grill, especially if using skewers. Some vegetables, such as carrots, need much more time to fully cook, so in the interest of achieving a consistent texture you will probably want to blanch the tougher items before adding them to the skewer.
My final recommendation before getting into the actual how-to of grilling is a simple one: Buy an instant-read thermometer! How can you tell if your steak is done?
- Well, you can cut it open and look releasing large quantities of delicious juices. As reliable as that is it really makes for a poor quality product, so please, for the sake of the food, don't do it.
- You can use the old technique of comparing the feel of it to the meaty part just next to your thumb, but every cut of meat will be different, every thickness will be different, you can't get a good reading that's even close to being reliable that way.
- The only way to tell if your steak is done to your liking is with a thermometer. They're only a few dollars and they're used everywhere in the kitchen, not just on the grill. So buy one!
Now, finally the how-to of grilling. Here are the basics steps that you should follow:
- Prepare the item to be grilled. Seasoning or marinating it if you so desire and blanch any heavy-duty vegetables. You can also brush your item with oil to help keep it from sticking to the grill if desired.
- Prepare the grill. Using a wire brush, scrape off any burnt particles from the grill, you can also wipe the grill with an oiled towel to remove any extra particles or add a bit of flavor.
Preheat the grill or get the charcoal started, if using gas close the lid and let the grating get hot before adding your food.
- Place the food on the preheated grill, presentation side down. If cooking an item with a large flat surface such as chicken or steak you can rotate it 90 degrees, using tongs, giving the food items a nice hatch work design.
When it comes time to flip the item, try for about a 75% total doneness level without burning anything of course, make sure you use tongs, don't use a fork or you will lose vital juices.
- Adjusting either the heat or the grating level, cook your food to the desired doneness, using your thermometer to check. See the table on meat doneness on the temperatures page for appropriate temperatures. Remember to remove your item about 5°F before it's actually done as carryover cooking will raise the temperature another 5°F or so.
- If grilling meat be sure to let it rest for 5 minutes before serving it, this allows the juices to be redistributed throughout the meat. If you don't provide resting time the instant you cut into it a ton of juices will come flowing out.
For aesthetic purposes you should let the meat rest on a different plate from the one that the meat will be eaten from.
