Grilling Tips

• There are two ways of cooking on a grill; searing and grilling indirectly.
  Searing is when whatever you're cooking is directly over the coals! (Yes coals - propane is for amateurs! - you may as well use an oven!) Grilling indirectly is when you place your items away from the coals, but rely on the surrounding heat to act as an oven. However, this method gives your food a rich, smokey flavor.
• There are also two ways to align your coals; centered or half and half.
  Either way, your coals should be stacked pyramid-style.
• If you are using mesquite wood chips, allow them to soak in water at least an hour before using. This ensures the wood will release its smokey flavor without burning out right away
• If you use lighter fluid, be sure you give them a good wet-down. Use no more than a quarter of the bottle, though, unless you plan on starting off your barbeque with a *BANG!* Allow the fluid to sit at least five minutes before lighting. Otherwise, you won't really be lighting the coals; you'll be burning off the lighter fluid
• Don't start putting food on the grill until the coals turn white. This ensures your food will not have that funny lighter-fluid taste *g*
• Hamburgers and hot dogs are usually the first things to go on, since they cook the fastest. This way your guests are always being fed something. It's also nice because the fat from the burgers sets off the coals beneath them and really kicks in the taste!
• Always make sure your burgers are well-done! Also, use 75-80% lean instead of the higher grades. I find the fat from the meat ensures a juicy but well-done burger.
• Some people like to put little slits on their hot dogs. I find this to be waste of time, since hot dogs cook so quickly anyway. But, to each their own
• If you like really thick, meaty burgers, keep them a touch off the coals. If you don't, you'll have the outsides black and the insides still red, which defeats the purpose!
• All meats should be allowed to sit in a covered container and marinate overnight, or at least two hours prior to grilling. The marinade recipie calls for vinegar; you may substitute with beer if you like.
• Should you decide to add barbeque sauce, do not dip the meat into the sauce until ten minutes prior to the end of cooking. This allows the sauce to carmelize on the meat, and it prevents your food from turning into charcoal as well!
• All meats should reach a core temperature of 180ºF. Pork chops, chicken and hamburgers must always be well-done.
• Feel free to marinate Italian sausages and bratwursts before throwing them on the grill. This will make the casings moist, which is very important. Unlike hot dogs, sausages and brats should be grilled indirectly. The reason is because they are made primarily with pork. Also, they are alot thicker than hot dogs, too! If you sear them, the outsides will be charred before the insides will be thoroughly cooked.
• Ribs are almost everyone's favorite, but it seems so many people just don't cook them right! Before you throw a slab on the grill, you need to boil them at least 15 minutes first. Of course, you can marinate them overnight if you like. Baste them with barbeque sauce while they grill indirectly. You can sear them near the end, but not during.
• Shish kabobs are so pathetically simple to make, and everyone loves them! Basically it's cubed meat, small onions, cherry tomatoes, green pepper chunks and whole mushrooms. Some people go the carnivore route, while others go strictly veggie. As long as the meat is marinated and the vegetables are kept moist, there's nothing easier to make!
• Speaking of veggies on the grill, how could I go without a word on roasted corn? Do not remove the husks! Boil about six ears with a stick of butter and a tablespoonful of salt for about 15 minutes. Then grill them indirectly, peeling back some of the husks. Make sure the husks and the corn stay moist by basting it with butter, or else you'll have corn flakes!