The Essential Grilling Guide - Big Y® World Class Market®

Everything You Need to Know to Become a Grilling Pro

The good, old-fashioned backyard grill can be an endless source of delicious, crowd-pleasing, easy meals. It imparts an incomparable flavor like no other cooking method can. The intense heat, the savory smoke, and cooking outdoors all enhance the natural flavors of whatever you are grilling.

However, before you ignite the flames, it is always a good idea to brush up on some basics. From lighting the fire to maintaining the perfect temperature to cooking everything perfectly (and everything in between) — we have what you need to know to become a grill pro right here in one place.

HOT, HOT, HOT!

Believe it or not, you can’t just light the grill and fire away. Different foods require different temperatures. Try to cook a chicken breast and a lamb chop at the same intensity and you’ll end up with one charred and one raw. Here’s a guide to which temperature is best for which food:

Medium Heat (300°F - 350°F)
Vegetables and fruit
Chicken breasts, duck breasts and turkey fillets
Most pork, including pork chops and pork ribs
(if you oven bake until tender first)
Veal chops

Medium-High Heat (350°F - 375°F)
Most shellfish and fish, such as mahi-mahi, sea bass, trout and red snapper

High Heat (375°F)
Salmon or tuna steaks
Scallops and peeled shrimp
Hamburgers and hot dogs
(switch to medium after a few minutes of cooking)
Beef and pork tenderloin
Chicken thighs and drumsticks
Beef or venison steaks
Lamb chops
Uncooked sausage

The Right Direction

You might notice that some grill recipes call for direct heat, others call for indirect heat, and some use a combination of the two. What’s the difference, and what does it mean for your grilled food?

Direct Heat/Fast Cooking

Most barbecuing is done using direct heat — putting your food directly over the flame with the grill grate set about 4 to 6 inches above the heat source. This method cooks food faster and quickly sears the surface, locking in flavor. It is best used for relatively small, tender pieces of food such as salmon, tuna, shrimp, mahi-mahi or halibut; hot dogs, sausages and hamburgers; steaks and chops; chicken breasts and thighs; vegetables.

Indirect Heat/Slow Cooking

Cooking using indirect heat is similar to roasting something in your oven. The food is placed away from the fire, and the grill is covered to contain the heat. This allows you to cook large or tough cuts of meat without burning the outside. If you’re preparing a roast, tenderloin, rack of ribs, an entire chicken or turkey, or any other large food, the only way to do it on the grill is to use indirect heat.

Is It Done Yet?

When you’re trying to determine if your food is ready to serve, how will you be sure it’s really done? Don’t rely on how it looks. Your chicken may look completely cooked but still be pink inside, and that steak you were trying to get to medium rare might have long since made its way past well done. Your best bet is to use an instant-read thermometer to make sure it’s reached the proper temperature. Just make sure you’ve placed the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, and that it isn’t touching any bones or fat. Also keep in mind that any meat continues to cook for a few minutes after you remove it from the grill. Here are the temperatures to shoot for at serving time:

Beef, Lamb and Veal: For rare, 125ºF; medium-rare, 130ºF, 135ºF for veal; medium, 140ºF; medium-well, 150ºF; well done, 160ºF

Pork: Medium, 145ºF; medium-well, 150ºF; well done, 160ºF

Poultry: 165ºF

Seafood: Most fish fillets should be cooked to 145ºF; tuna or swordfish can be cooked to 125ºF

The Grilling Guide

Cleaning Up

While you won’t have pots and pans to scrub after barbecuing your dinner, there’s still a certain amount of cleaning up involved. Keeping your grill and accessories clean will make cooking easier and ensure that your barbecued food won’t pick up flavors from the remnants of past meals. Fortunately, it’s easy to keep everything squeaky clean by taking a few simple steps.

* Start the grilling season by giving your grill a good once-over. Dump any leftover ashes and clean the inside of the grill with warm water and a mild detergent. If you need to scrub off any cooked-on food, use steel wool. Rinse completely. After everything has dried, clean your grate. Light the grill and let it heat up for about a 1/2 hour, then scrape the grate with a grill brush.

• To help prevent food from sticking and to “season” the grate, rub vegetable or olive oil on it after preheating, just before cooking. (Add oil sooner and it will just burn off.) Put some oil on a thick stack of paper towels, grab the towels with long-handled grill tongs and rub over the grate.

• After cooking, keep the grill hot for a while to let excess food burn off the grate, which will make it easier to clean.

• Cleaning your basting brushes can seem almost impossible. To make sure they’re completely rid of sticky sauce residue, first wash them very thoroughly with dish soap and very hot water. After you’ve rinsed them, shake the bristles dry. Then put the brushes, bristle side down, in a cup, and fill the cup with coarse salt until you’ve covered the bristles. The salt takes moisture out of the brush and will keep it dry and fresh. The next time you’re ready to grill, just grab a brush and shake off the excess salt before using.

Essential Equipment

You’ve got the grill. Maybe a bag or two of charcoal or a propane tank. You might even have a special apron you like to wear. But to really achieve grilling greatness, there are a few pieces of essential equipment you’ll want to have on hand. Here are the key pieces:

Start It Up

If you grill over charcoal, having a starter is key.

You have two choices:

Chimney Starter — A chimney starter is an open-ended, tall metal tube with a heatproof handle. Using one eliminates the need for lighter fluid. You simply crumple up some newspaper and place it in the bottom of the metal tube, top it with charcoal briquettes, and light the newspaper through an opening in the bottom. The charcoal will heat up quickly and burn to ash-covered readiness. Now you are ready to grill.

Electric Starter — An electric starter can be a good option if you grill frequently and have a power outlet close by. It’s a metal coil that you place among the coals and plug in. The coil heats up, and after about 30 minutes, your charcoal is ready to go. Just remove the starter before cooking, and be sure to place it in an out-of-the-way, fireproof place until it cools off.

Other Tools of the Trade

Tongs — Invest in good tongs to turn everything from sausages and chicken to steaks and pork.

Spatula — You’ll want a wide, flat spatula with a long handle for flipping burgers.

Skewers — Pick up some metal skewers for kebabs, veggies and shellfish — unlike wooden skewers, they require no soaking, won’t char, and they’re reusable.

Grill Basket — You can use a grill basket for fish, vegetables or any small food.

Grill Topper — For grilling delicate food like fish and vegetables, use a grill grid or topper. It’s a perforated metal sheet or wire screen that sits right on top of the grate.

Brush — For brushing and basting, look for a long-handled brush with natural boar bristles. Avoid nylon bristles, which could melt if they get too hot.

Thermometer — Don’t forget an instant-read meat thermometer. You may also want to get a grill thermometer, which will tell you the temperature of your fire.

Cleaning Up

Grill Brush — A good grill brush is absolutely necessary, because a clean grill grate is a must. Look for one with a long handle and brass bristles (rust-resistant) or a stainless steel pad.

Safety First

Grill Mitts — You’ll need a good set of grill mitts — these are like heavy-duty oven mitts that will protect your hands and arms from the heat of the grill.

Spray Bottle — Get a spray bottle for water to use in case of flare-ups.

At the Big Y’s Butcher Shop, we grind our hamburger fresh throughout the day!

Grilled Cajun Cheeseburgers