This truce was formed out of need, mainly my family’s need for grilled food all summer long. You see, for us, nothing says summer quite like grilled veggies, fish or burgers and there are just some nights my husband doesn’t get home early enough to grill, enter my truce. It started with me getting every thing ready so the second he walked in the door he could drop his briefcase and get to grilling. Then he started calling when he was twenty minutes away so that I could light the grill, and honestly from the first time I successfully lit the grill it was a slippery slope to full on grilling. Between you and me, I still like to let him grill but during the week or if he is away it’s nice to know I can do it if I follow my five simple tips.
1. Be Prepared
This probably comes from my preparing everything for my husband before he got home but I don’t light the grill until everything is laid out and ready to go. Food prepped and waiting, tools cleaned, table set, serving platters at the ready. As opposed to cooking on the stove or in the oven where you can start and stop I have found once you start on the grill you have to see it through to the end.
2. Clean Your Grate
It is important to clean your grill grate each time you want to barbecue. Preheat your grill and when it gets up to temperature grab your grill brush and scrub away. This will ensure that anything left over from the previous grilling session is brushed away before you start anew.
3. Tools
Tools are a big part of making grilling easy. I recommend long handled tongs for turning, well pretty much everything. Spatulas are also important to have on hand especially when grilling fish, again I highly recommend a long handled spatula. The last tool you absolutely must have is a grill brush for cleaning your grate.
4. Don’t Rush It
An oven needs time to get up to temperature and so does a grill. It usually takes about ten minutes with the cover on and vents open to bring your grill up to cooking temperature. Take the time to allow the grill to get up to temperature, your food will cook much better for it.
5. Use A Thermometer
When grilling meat don’t trust a finger poke or timer, use a thermometer. A thermometer will guarantee that your meat is not underdone. For medium you want the thermometer to read 130 degrees in the middle of the cut of meat.
