The summer may be over but grilling season is not. At least not in this house.
Grilling is the perfect solution to a quick weeknight dinner with minimal clean up or a great way to make multiple options for a dinner party while leaving your stove and oven open for making additional dishes (and dessert, of course!).
So rain or shine, snow or heat. We grill all year round and while I won’t take all of the credit as Steve is definitely the grill master here, I am the prep and serve master who observes with a glass of wine in hand. So you could say I’ve picked up a few tips and tricks here and there as well as picked his brain a little to help me on this post.
Essential BBQ and Grilling Tips for Beginners
- Gear Up. No need to invest a ton of money in fancy gadgets or top of the line gear but it will go a long way if you get some of the essentials including a grill set with extra long tongs, basting brush, a good set of knives and cutting boards.
- Prep and marinate your meat the night before. To get the most flavor out of your meat, put your raw meat and your favorite marinade in a ziploc bag and place it in the refrigerator over night to absorb the juices and flavoring.
- Have “raw” and “cooked” trays ready. To avoid putting cooked food on the same plate as the raw food bring out an additional tray like these “prep” and “serve” trays to put the food on when it’s done cooking.
- Clean the grill before you place your meat on it. To keep your grill clean and get those pretty grill lines on your meat, use a wire brush to clean the grates before hand.
- Keep the lid closed as much as possible. To keep the heat trapped in, try to avoid opening the lid as much as possible.
- Remove the meat right before completely cooked. The meat will continue cooking for a little after it is removed from the grill so it’s best to remove it a little early so it doesn’t overcook.
And when you’re done with grilling, don’t forget about dessert! I experimented in vegan baking the other week (it’s a lot harder than it looks) but I did finally perfect a vegan brownie that I think could change me. Well maybe not 100% because I’m not giving up on grilling quite yet but you’ll have to try it and tell me for your self – recipe is over on Reducetarian – Chocolate Fudge with Sea Salt Brownies and they will make for the best sweet treat after your meat coma.
