Gas Grilling Tips

Most people see grilling as a summertime activity. In fact, most women see it as a man’s job. However, grilling is a great way to prepare many meat cuts any time of year. At JustGreatSteaks, I always recommend safety first. Cook safe and eat safe as I say.

A few grilling tips will help you get the most from your grill.

Keep the juice in the meat.

Use a spatula or tongs to turn your meat. Never poke grilling meat with a fork. Poking your meat will cause juice to drip from the meat onto the flame. This will result in flare ups and charring.

Keep your grill’s drip pan clean.

Flare ups are not only dangers; they can char your food. While grilling is an overall healthy way to cook meat, recent studies are suggesting the charring caused by flare ups may promote colon cancer.

Keep your cooking temperature even.

You can successfully cook just about any cut of meat on a grill heated to 350 degrees. A grilling thermometer will help you achieve and maintain this temperature. Not only will an steady temperature allow your food to cook more evenly, but it will also help you avoid over or undercooking your meal.

Season your meat.

While some prefer unseasoned meat, most people feel a light seasoning enhances the meat’s flavor. Seasoning the meat before grilling allows the flavors to penetrate the meat rather than remaining on the surface.

Start frozen.

While most people would never throw frozen meat on the grill, you have never tasted moister chicken breast than one prepared this way. The trick is to place a frozen boneless, skinless chicken breast on the grill. Although it takes longer to cook, the meat cooks from the outside in, sealing the juice inside the breast. One Caution: Check the meat for doneness. It takes a little practice to figure out when a frozen chicken breast is fully cooked.

Use cast iron grates.

Many grills come with stainless steel grates. However, for a nice even cooking surface which is less likely to burn your meat, you cannot beat cast iron grates. Like cast iron cooking pans, cast iron grates handle heat better and distribute it more evenly.

Keep your grates clean.

You would never cook in a dirty pan. Do not grill on dirty grates. Keep a stiff wire brush with your grill. Preheat the grill and the stuck on food will scrape off easily.

Know your fuel level.

Since propane tanks do not come with gauges, many people rely on guesswork to determine their tank’s ‘full level’. However, there is a more reliable way to determine how much propane is left in the tank. Pour a cup of boiling water down the side of your propane tank. Touch the tank’s side with your bare hand. To the point the metal is cool to the touch, the tank is full. Where it feels warm, it is empty.

Soak your kabob skewers.

One grill favorite is shish kabobs. However, the wooden skewers can catch fire, cause charring, or even fall apart. If you soak your skewers in water 30 minutes before adding your meat and vegetable mixture, your skewers will not burn.

Watch the time.

If you have a good grill which heats evenly and can maintain a steady 350 degree temperature, you can produce a perfect steak, hamburger, or grilled chicken breast every time. The trick is in the time.

Cook evenly.

Another ‘trick’ to producing perfect grilled meat is to cook the meat the same amount of time on both sides. If you get into a habit of using a timer when you grill, it is easy to divide the total grilling time in half to determine the necessary time per side.

Line your drip pan.

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