There are many great things about summertime. School's out, the beach is the hot place to
be, 4th of July, summer movies, baseball, the Olympics, and many more.
One of the greatest things is cookouts.
Whether going to them, or hosting your own, it is an easy way to get
friends and family together. The next
best thing is when you purchase your own grill, get your own tools, meat, and start grilling yourself.
Granted I will start grilling out myself around April and
will grill up until (and even after) October.
But during the summer months is grilling season, where most folks will
show up to eat your food, and you can just sit outside and relax while your
meat cooks and simmers on the grill. It's
not only a great stress reliever, but a huge satisfaction to cook healthy,
delicious food that people enjoy. However, I still work to perfect my craft, and
have become quite adept at grilling over the past few years.
This will not be an article filled of grilling tips and dos
and don'ts. However, there are some
things I've learned that are more effective than others, and things I refuse to
do while grilling.
1.
I have to use charcoal. I feel that using gas is the equivalent of
cooking on the oven inside the house.
There's nothing like that smoky, chargrilled taste.
2.
Absolutely no foil on the grill frame, except
for a few exceptions. One, if I'm using
a public grill at a park or something.
Two, if I'm cooking a certain meat that may dictate that foil is better,
such as fish or vegetables. I mean,
let's be honest, if you thoroughly clean your grate after (and even before)
each cookout, you should not need foil 90% of the time. Foil is annoying, messy, and takes away from
that beloved charcoal flavor (or greatness as another grill master friend of
mine refers).
3.
Furthermore, one must take care with certain
meats. Just like cooking, not all meats
are grilled the same. Linked meats such
as hot dogs, brats, Italian sausages, and
Rogerwoods, will typically not take long and will require one to
carefully watch them. Burgers and steaks
vary in technique and style, but one must not grill too long on one side
depending on how you want the meat cooked.
Closing the grill can also help.
Chicken can be hard to cook, as it is better cooked on a slower,
indirect heat. I personally take a
hammer or mallet and mash down my chicken breasts to assist with that. Ribs are something that takes the longest but
plenty of precision, a proper grill, and a good temperature. Ribs are easy to burn, especially if you
don't pay attention to what you're doing.
Since they take so long, it's easy to abandon them for hours and forget
you're still grilling them.
I still feel like I'm learning but I've gotten good enough
to cook many of the more popular meats well.
I can host my own cookouts with confidence now. I continue improve my grilling skills to a
higher level, and eventually buy a bigger grill with a smoker. My small, kettle grill does the trick but I'm
ready to move on to something else.
The Food Network is always a nice source for those that care
to learn more about grilling. There are
plenty of cookbooks and how-to literature available in Wal-Mart and bookstores. One of my personal favorite tutorials is The
BBQ Pit Boys on YouTube. These Southern
fellas give step-by-step visual instructions on grilling a variety of dishes,
and are very thorough. Look them up;
they can help take your grilling to another level.
It has been a couple of weeks since I last grilled, so I'm a
little anxious. Plus I know there aren’t
many good days left for grilling this year.
It's something that I feel blessed and privileged to be able to do. I hope to continue it when I'm older, and
pass my expertise to my younger cousins, and maybe someday my children.
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