Grilling is an art form that takes a decent amount of practice to get right. Make sure you aren’t making these very common amateur grilling mistakes.
Many people see grilling as one of the easiest methods of cooking food that almost anyone will enjoy. While most people can utilize a grill to a decent extent, there are a few things you can do to ensure that your food is better than average. There are also things you could do regularly that make your food worse without you knowing. Here are some amateur grilling mistakes you need to watch out for if you want your food to be as good as it can be.
Putting Cold Meat on the Grill
Pulling your meat right out of the fridge and putting it onto the grill is not going to give you the perfect flavor you want. The best thing to do is to let your meat reach room temperature before you put it on the grill. When you put cold meat on a grill, you immediately lower the temperature of the grate it’s on, and your cooking time will be completely off because of the time it takes for your meat to fully warm up. For more accurate cooking times, let your meat thaw a little more before it hits the heat.
Not Letting Meat Rest
On the other end of the spectrum, you also don’t want to cut into your meat too early once you take it off the grill. Forgetting to let your meat rest before you start to serve it is a very common amateur grilling mistake you need to watch out for. You want to give your meat between 10 and 20 minutes to let the juices incorporate into it before you cut it up to serve.
Only Using Direct Heat
Direct heat is a great tool for getting those appetizing grill marks on your meat. However, when you only use direct heat, you aren’t letting the inside of the meat cook at the same time. This can lead to a burnt exterior and an undercooked interior. Move your meat to more indirect heat on the grill when you want it to get fully cooked without burning the outside of it.
Not Seasoning Beforehand
Preparing food on a grill requires good seasoning, even more so than most other cooking methods. The way that your seasonings interact with the flames will give you the unique, grilled flavor you want. However, you need to make sure you use high-quality seasonings before your meat hits the grill. Trying to add the seasoning once the food is on the heat won’t be as effective.
Using Dirty Grill Grates
Dirty grates on your grill won’t add more flavor to the food, no matter what anyone tells you. All they will accomplish is adding a burnt and charred flavor to your food as the accumulated grease gets reheated and falls into the flames, utterly burning it to an unpleasant crisp. Ensure that you clean both the top and bottom of your grates to get the best and cleanest flavor.
