8 Mistakes to Avoid When Grilling and Grilling, According to a Pro

Pointing out and correcting grilling mistakes is a risky proposition because grilling and barbecuing are two of the most belief-based forms of cooking. People have strong opinions about outdoor cooking; Sometimes those opinions are more deeply held convictions, passed down generationally, than based on facts. I’m not here to convince you that pouring your half-drunk beer over your burgers is bad technique (because it’s science), but there are some areas where we can safely move forward without starting a bloody feud.

However, if you are interested, we know little about grilling and we will be happy to share it. I’ve made some suggestions to improve your technique more indirectly, such as maintaining your grill or smoker and using a tool better suited for the job. For every mistake, there’s an easy solution, and we’ve included some of the best gear we’ve tested to help.

Grills are an investment. Whether that investment is under $100 or over $1,000, it benefits from protection from the elements. Sunlight destroys the finishes; Moisture insidiously infiltrates any porous substance, like ash or charred food, and (at least where I live) little beasts like lizards or hornets often feel at home on outdoor grills. You can move your grill in and out of covered storage if you have it, or you can use a grill cover.

The type and size to use, of course, depends on the size of your grill and your budget. We like the Grillman Premium BBQ Grill Cover for its UV resistance, waterproof and windproof qualities, and the variety of sizes, from 30 to 72 inches wide, that fit almost any grill, whether gas or coal.

Cleaning is certainly the least glamorous part of grilling, but if you want your grill, especially grates, to last, cleaning it at the right time makes a significant difference in longevity. In the past, I wasn’t kind to my grills and didn’t feel the need to clean them thoroughly immediately after cooking, leaving the task for the next time I heated up the grill.

That thought process changed after I left my grill slightly dirty for a few months and then put some chicken thighs on the grill. After cooking, I was confused by the tough bits embedded in the chicken skin and closer examination showed they were bits from my cast iron grates.

Yes, I brushed the grates (a little) after the last grill and brushed them before cooking, but in the meantime, the charred bits clinging to them acted like microsponges, absorbing ambient moisture from the air. corroding the grates, which then peeled off into my food. That situation could have ended much worse, but I clean my grill more diligently now. After cooking, I burn the grill grates for a few minutes and brush them vigorously with a GrillArt grill brush and scraper (our top overall pick), then scrape them again before cooking. Dual cleaning keeps moisture-attracting deposits at bay, extends the life of the grates, and keeps unwanted supplemental iron out of my meals.

At the risk of having a “get off my lawn” moment, I will tell you that until recently I never had options for using grill gloves. I’ve endured minor (sometimes more significant) burns and considerable amounts of singed hair on my arms, staying over the fire too long trying to roll sausages in the right place while grilling with my bare hands. I am past the point of indulging in such activities.

The Grill Armor Heat Resistant Oven Gloves were the top pick in our testing, providing over-the-wrist protection for sensitive areas that are frequently exposed to heat while grilling. Let’s be clear: They protect your hands from radiant heat and allow you to pick up some hot objects, but they’re not the only thing that does it all. I picked up a chimney charcoal lighter with these gloves and accidentally touched the side with my thumb. Long story short, there is now a hole in the thumb of my glove and I had an irritating burn on mine. Armed with the experience gained after that incident, I have no complaints about the Grill Armor gloves.

The tongs are frustrating when grilling. They are usually either too short, which exposes your hands to heat (unless using a grill glove), or comically long, which keeps your hands safe but sacrifices dexterity. These OXO tweezers solve those problems. First, they’re long enough (about 16 inches) to keep your hands safe without looking cartoony. “I even feel comfortable using them to move food when outbreaks occur,” says Commerce editor Mary Claire Lagroue. Second, the tapered, scalloped heads allow for easy, delicate gripping, but have no problem gripping thicker items like skewers or corn on the cob. The non-slip handles are a plus, as they do the job even with gloves, and there’s a built-in bottle opener.

I won’t look down on anyone for buying a cheap grill, but there is a difference between cheap and cheap. A cheap grill has little heat retention, allowing the heat generated by the gas or charcoal to dissipate without contributing to the cooking process, and has little heat control via deflectors or sensitive temperature knobs. In short, a cheap grill will burn (or worse, barely cook) your food and burn fuel doing so. You can’t afford a cheap grill.

We’ve reviewed many gas and charcoal grills that balance quality and low prices. The Weber Original Kettle Premium Charcoal Grill is a great example of a grill that retains and distributes heat well without demanding half your bank account in tribute. It’s also a versatile grill that allows you to grill high, slow grill, or smoke using the same settings and simply adjusting the top and bottom deflectors to make changes.

Charcoal is burned wood, so why does it matter what type you use? Testing of various brands told us that not all charcoal is created equal and that cheap works better than cheap. Good charcoal, whether lump or briquetted, simply burns, while cheap charcoal breaks down, explodes, and belches dark smoke.

I’m not typically a fan of briquettes, but Royal Oak Premium Charcoal performs well at an affordable price; again, economical, but not cheap. Briquettes are pressed from more hardwood than other leading brands and therefore tend to burn hotter with a distinctive woody aroma and flavor. The briquettes benefit from a specific cross design that increases airflow for even burning and easy lighting.

People who grill rely on cooking by “feel” or intuition more than any other technique I can think of. People who grill often rely on cooking temperatures and the doneness of their food because they can feel it: by placing their hand over a flame, poking meat, or removing a bone from a pork butt, for example. . However rooted in tradition, these methods leave a lot to interpretation, and my position is that balancing art with science can still maintain the art.

We’ve tested many meat thermometers and I can safely say that if you don’t have other thermometers, at least buy a model with a probe that monitors the food and the ambient temperature of the grill. My current favorite is the ThermoPro Twin TempSpike, a wireless two-probe set with a food sensor and an environmental sensor built into each probe. It gives me the freedom to monitor different types of food or multiple grills or smokers.

There are an alarming number of videos on the Internet showing an exaggerated process of grilling a steak, usually with several kilos of butter and many images of cross contamination, before cutting said steak with a knife straight from the grill and placing the halves on it. one on top of the other, and squeezing. (What’s with squeezing?) Slicing and stacking are, honestly, the least egregious issues at play, or they would be if the cook allowed the meat to rest before slicing.

One of the best tools for resting is a carving board, which differs from a cutting board in that it has channels to collect the liquid that drains from the meat while it rests and carves, preventing it from running down the counter and falling into the floor. Our winner of our tests was this wooden model from Made In which features deep channels, ample spacing, and is quite stable thanks to its substantial 8-pound weight.

our experience

Greg Baker is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, and food writer with four decades of experience in the food industry. His written work appears in Food & Wine, Serious Eats and other publications.