I love to grill, and barbecue, and I have devoted my career to outdoor cooking for more than two decades. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of mistakes and people tend to make them over and over. So I put together a list of the biggest grilling don’ts and how to avoid them. Print this list and refer it the next time you get ready to grill!
Never Oil The Grill
Any people oil the cooking grates—big blunder! Follow my mantra: “Oil the food, not the grates!” If you brush oil on hot cooking grates (and a lit grill), you run the risk of a big flare-up. The oil that you have brushed on will instantly burn leaving a sticky residue that will “glue” your food to the grates, making it stick, break apart and dry out like dehydrating food. If you oil the food, it will stay juicy and promote caramelization. And help to prevent “stickage.”Don’t Put Food On A Cold Grill
Always preheat a gas grill with all burners on high or wait until charcoal briquettes are covered with a white-gray ash. Preheating also burns off residue and makes it easier to clean the grill. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t ever need to cook on a grill that is hotter than 550 F. The hotter the grill, the more likely you will burn the outside of the food before the inside is cooked.
Hamburgers on a grill. Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo
