Grilling 101: A Beginner’s Guide to Grilling
For over 100,000 years, people have grilled and smoked foods, beginning with early man cooking meats and vegetables on long sticks atop a fire. Since then, we’ve developed more sophisticated methods for preparing food, but the art of cooking over an open flame has never gone out of style.
The technique of cooking food on a grill probably came to the United States by way of a tiny island called Hispaniola in the Caribbean. During the seventeenth century, hundreds of shipwrecked sailors and vagabonds sought refuge on the island. They learned a method of cooking from the native islanders who dried smoked meat over hot coals on large, green wooden mats. The Spanish named the mat a barbacoa, taking it to Mexico and America. By the nineteenth century, cattle ranchers were using a metal version of this tool to cook large pieces of meat. Eventually, this metal rack became known as "barbecue."
During the early twentieth century, the barbecue was used mostly in cooking for large social gatherings. It wasn’t until the forties and fifties that the backyard became a place for entertaining and barbecuing. In recent times, the barbecue has evolved into a way for us to rediscover and interpret foods. Through grilling, we are able to cook high-quality and fresh-tasting dishes without adding extra fat.
Ready to carry on this delicious, age-old tradition? Let’s dive in!
Setting the Stage
Grilling isn’t only about building a fire and cooking the food. There are a few things that you need to know about your grill before even grabbing your meat or seafood. This means answering the age-old question: gas vs. charcoal. Both grills produce great food, so choosing is basically about convenience and timing.
Gas
• Preheats and is ready to cook quickly
• Easy to start-up and control cooking temperature
• Inexpensive to maintain
Charcoal
• Requires building, starting, and maintaining the fire (are you ready to stoke the fire?)
• Requires cleaning out the grill
• Less expensive
Tools of the Trade
Like any great carpenter, you will need good tools to be a master of the grill.
The Essentials: To start, choose a good, uniform set of tools: a spatula, a fork, a basting brush, and some tongs. You will also need a thermometer for the grill grates (an oven thermometer will also work), a thermometer to check the internal temperature of the food, and finally, a great wire brush to clean the grill.
Open-Topped Grill Trays: You'll never lose a stalk of asparagus to your grill grates again! But veggies aren't the only thing these tools are good for—they are also helpful for cooking small items, including shrimp, clams, and mussels!
Skewers and Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil: Kebabs on the menu? Bamboo and even flat metal skewers are very helpful, as is heavy-duty aluminum foil because it doesn’t tear as easily and is bigger than standard foil.
Wood Chip Box: Especially good for gas grills, this small metal box holds wood chips that burn as you cook the food, adding enormous flavor to your grilled dishes.
Wood Chips: Pick flavors that will complement the food you grill. Generally speaking, poultry pairs well with sweet, fruit-flavored wood chips, whereas pork and beef are better suited for more intense, savory-flavored wood chips.
Cooking Methods: Direct vs. Indirect Heat
To begin, always purchase the best quality, raw ingredients. But in the end, the secret to great grilling is the cooking method that you use. Knowing which food needs which cooking method can be the difference between an over-seared fish that sticks to the grill and one that easily lifts from the grates and is cooked to perfection.
Cooking on gas and/or charcoal grills can be divided into three cooking methods: direct, indirect, or combo. As the names imply, the difference between the three methods is simply where the food is placed in relation to the fire. The direct method cooks foods using the direct heat of the flame. Indirect cooking uses reflected heat to cook; foods are placed away from the source of the flame. Combo cooking is a combination of the two methods.
The Direct Method is used primarily for searing and cooking foods that take less than 20 minutes to cook, such as shrimp, steaks, hamburgers, chops, and most vegetables. Food is placed directly above the heat source and must be turned once halfway through the cooking time to expose both sides of the food to the heat. The direct method can be done on any grill, but works best with the grill lid closed during cooking. It’s like an oven, you cannot bake the cookies with the oven door open!
The Indirect Method is used for larger cuts of meat and other foods that require longer cooking times at lower temperatures such as whole turkey, brisket, chicken pieces, ribs, and other roasts. Foods are cooked by radiant heat just like your indoor oven. This also allows for juicier meats without having to turn the food. This method can only be used on a grill that is covered. Make sure to place the food between the heat source – never directly above lit gas burners or charcoal. Refrain from opening the lid if you can help it, as it will take longer to cook the food and will release the even temperature you have created on the grill.
The Combo Method is the two cooking methods put together. It is used to sear foods over high heat before finishing the cooking process slowly by indirect heat. Place food directly over the heat source until well-seared, generally only a few minutes, and then move it to the area of the grill that is set up for indirect heat, generally the center of the cooking grate, and complete cooking. This method is perfect for chops, steaks, whole tenderloins, and chicken pieces that benefit from a seared, caramelized exterior and a juicy, tender interior. It’s also the secret to making grilled pizza!
Photo by Nevada Berg
Ten Rules to Go By
Always bring your foods to room temperature before grilling them (fish and hamburgers are the only exceptions).
Always preheat your gas grill with all burners on high or wait until charcoal briquettes are covered with a gray ash.
Never cook on a grill that is hotter than 600 F.
Clean the grill grates twice with a wire bristle brush: after the grill has gotten hot and as you finish.
Oil the food, not the grates. Use a high heat oil such as grapeseed oil.
Cook with the lid down – it lowers the cooking time and reduces flare-ups.
Turn the food only once halfway through the cooking time.
Brush with BBQ sauce only during the final 10-15 minutes of the cooking time.
Always let your food rest before cutting into it.
Now, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get grilling. We recommend trying this Grill Steamed Salmon Over Spicy Ginger Baby Bok Choy or these Honey Garlic Sriracha Buffalo Salmon Wings!
