Grilling 101

Hello Blog readers!

I come to you from the land of failed debuts. Seriously. I posted one entry months ago and now there’s nothing. No readership or anything. Sucks for an aspiring blogger, right? Well, I’m here now and I’m jumping on the ball. I’m going to be writing a series on summer foods. The first entry, [Grilling 101]. That’s right folks, today we’re going to learn some grilling basics.

Yesterday at my house, we had an impromptu barbeque. We hadn’t used our grill in over 12 years, favoring other people’s houses when it comes to barbeque season. Despite this, I do actually know how to grill. I’ve been doing so at my grandfather’s house for years. And it’s a good thing too, since my mom is afraid of fire. I made typical cook out fair, Hot Dogs, Hamburgers, and Chicken. I had to cook in two rounds because my mom doesn’t eat red meat and she didn’t want her turkey dogs and burgers to get contaminated with our delicious beef. Fair enough, I put hers on first and cooked it as the grill heated up. She made her famous home made potato salad, and for me, some roasted potatoes. It was a good time and the food came out great.

Now on with the lesson! Well, let’s start at the beginning. Lighting a charcoal grill. I’m assuming you already have you grill and food things picked out, so if you don’t, then you better start shopping. It is vitally important to use fresh charcoal. We once tried using old charcoal and it would not light, even after we poured copious on amounts of lighter fluid on it. Go figure. So start with a fresh or relatively fresh bag. I suggest the new formula match light. It is a very quick start and it burns plenty long enough to thoroughly cook burgers, dogs, and chicken. As per the instructions, you should place the charcoal in a pyramid type formation. Now, my mom thought this meant we should put one bottom row of charcoal in the shape of a triangle. This is not the case, as I told her. You need to put in a nice bottom layer, then start building the charcoal up into a 3-D pyramid shaped concoction. I only did two layers since I used a lot on the bottom layer. Then, using MATCHES, not a lighter, just light the charcoal in several places. Just wait for the flames to die down and spread your charcoal. Voila! You have just lit your charcoal grill. Don’t you feel special? Hell, I know I do. It’s important to let the grill preheat before you start cooking. Just keep the lid on it for 15 minutes or so and then get cookin’!

Cooking on a grill really is one of the easiest ways to cook. It’s so simple even I can do it, and I can do it well. Simply slap the hamburger patties on, and LEAVE THEM ALONE for 5-10 minutes, depending on the amount of charcoal you used. You will hear some fun sizzling noises. That’s the sound of delicious being created on your grill. Worship it. After those crucial first minutes, flip the patties and you should see the grill marks on your patty. Repeat for the second side, and your patties should be done. They are done when everything is a nice dark brown color. If you haven’t yet reached this, keep them on until you judge them as done. Remember to always thoroughly cook your meat, lest you die of food poisoning. Add cheese to the top while cooking the second side if desired for a cheeseburger.
Hot dogs may seem more difficult to cook because of their shape. But if you have the standard hot dogs in a pack from the grocery store, don’t worry. They are precooked. The whole point of grilling them is to heat them up and give them a good grilled flavor. Just throw them on the grill at the same time as your hamburger patties in any little spaces you can find. They’re thin. They will fit somewhere. Now cook them as long as you cook your hamburgers and again, they should eventually grow those beautiful grill marks.

Put all of your cooked foods on a clean plate. At this point, I like to grill some buns too, because everything tastes better when it’s grilled. Just put them on the spots where your hamburgers once sat, so they can soak up the meat juices and keep a careful eye on them. Cook them for about 5 minutes on each side, or less if you have a more charcoal.

Now, onto the chicken. If using chicken breasts, simply cut slits along the length of the raw breast and then soak in your favorite marinade for 2-24 hours. Remember, when it comes to marination, longer is better. When you’re ready, toss your chicken onto the grill and cook each side until it looks like cooked chicken. It shouldn’t be too long, because the slits help it cook more thoroughly while reducing the cooking time, thus giving you juicy grilled chicken breasts. When you think the chicken is done, make a slice in the thickest part to make sure all of the pink is gone. If you’re cooking thighs or wings, you’re going to want to parboil the chicken before you grill it, otherwise the outside will burn while the inside is still raw, resulting in bad chicken. Just put some water to a boil, salt it, and place your chicken inside to boil for about 20 mins. Then soak it in whatever sauce or marinade you want, and grill it, same as the breasts.

Remember to use different plates for your raw foods and cooked foods. Never put cooked foods back on the same plate you used when it was raw unless you wash them in between. Cross contamination is BAD. When you’re done cooking, allow the coals to burn up into a dust and then properly dispose of it so you don’t set yourself on fire. I hope this guide has helped anyone who was reluctant to try grilling because they thought it was too complicated. It’s really very easy and worth it. Grilled food tastes a lot better than food cooked in an oven.