Grilling: How to become an expert in five minutes!

Grilling is not difficult at all, but we are going step by step. There shouldn’t be any reason for you to have trouble using this relatively easy cooking method.

1) Preheating your grill:

You must preheat your grill for at least 15 minutes with the lid closed. I have seen people fire up their grills and 10 seconds later they add their food. This just won’t work. If you’re not willing to preheat for at least 15 minutes, you really shouldn’t waste your time because it won’t grill at all. Grilling means browning marks on the food and a nice smoky flavor. If your food looks pale, the reality is that you have steamed it and not on the grill. If you don’t hear that sizzling sound when your food hits the grill, your grill isn’t hot enough to grill your food properly.

2) Chimney starters:

If you use charcoal, chimney starters are a must. And I don’t sell them nor am I affiliated with anyone who sells them either. Add charcoal to your fireplace and crumple a couple sheets of newspaper in the bottom of your fireplace. Light the paper and in about fifteen minutes your coals should be perfect. I’m not a big fan of adding all these liquids to light charcoal and I don’t see any reason for it. Always buy the largest fireplaces that hold around 5 to 6 quarts of charcoal. They cost around $20 and are worth every penny.

3) Common sense:

A lot of grilling is common sense. Let’s use steak for example. If your steak is 3 inches thick and you grill it over very high heat, there’s a good chance it will be burned on the outside and undercooked on the inside. On the other hand, if your steak is 1-inch thick, you need to be much more aggressive on high heat. Steaks should be cooked on very high heat whenever possible, but if they are very thick, you will need to lower the heat.

4) Ambient temperature:

All foods will grill best if they are removed from the refrigerator 15 to 30 minutes before grilling. If the food is ice cold, you risk that the outside of the food will be cooked, but the inside will not be fully cooked.

5) Seasoning:

A very common mistake is that people do not season their food when grilling. The key here is to be very aggressive. Quite often, most of the seasoning will run off, so don’t be shy. Always season to your liking. You might like basic olive oil and salt and pepper. Another time, you may want to use olive oil with Cajun spices. Never limit yourself. Be free and do what you like. I’m sorry, but I have to say it one more time. Be very aggressive when seasoning!

6) Chest open or closed?

This often gets too confusing. A good rule of thumb to follow when using a gas grill is to close the hood during cooking for anything that takes 5 minutes or more to cook.

7) Cleaning:

It’s a lot easier than most people think. As soon as you finish grilling, brush the grill for 10 seconds to remove excess food debris. Close the hood with the grill on high for about 15 minutes. During that time, any food particles caught on the cooking surface should turn to ash. Brush your grill for another 10 seconds. Get a couple of paper towels or an old rag that is damp (not drippy) and spend another 10 seconds and wipe down your grill. You have now worked a total of about 30 seconds. Turn off the grill and leave the chest open. When completely cool, close the hood and cover your grill. It will be ready for the next time.

Don’t limit yourself to grilling just beef, pork, chicken and seafood. The vegetables are also outrageous. Here is a list of some of my personal favourites:

Corn on the cob:

I think all that leaving the shells on and all that jazz creates extra and unnecessary work. Microwave your “ears”, drain, and brush with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Play with them for a couple of minutes on your grill to give them a nice color and serve. Done deal. And trust me, you won’t hear any complaints at all. Maybe some moans but no complaints.

Potatoes:

Partially cook your potatoes in the oven. When cool, slice them and season again with olive oil, salt and pepper and grill about 5 minutes per side or until well charred. Instead of salt and pepper, I usually go for a bit of Cajun spice. You’re in charge here, so season with whatever you like. Do you like thyme? cheer up. Or chili powder, dry mustard, oregano, etc.

Peppers:

Remove the stem. Cut into quarters. Remove the membrane and seeds. Brush with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. (I like cumin in my peppers). Play with them on the grill for 10 minutes or so. Done deal. If you want to go a step further, you can spare a minute and make a very quick vinaigrette. Two or three parts of olive oil for one part of vinegar. Do you want to add a tablespoon of mustard? Go for it! You can pour this over your potatoes or peppers.

In short, remember to preheat for at least 15 minutes with the top down. Allow food to come to room temperature before grilling. Season very generously! Use common sense. I’m pretty sure you’ll be fine and I wish you good luck. Now you should be well on your way to becoming an official “grill master” and I’m getting hungry!