BBQ Basics

• Brush food with oil. This will prevent sticking. Olive oil is my choice. Don?t brush the grill, it will burn your brush!
• For most meats, sear over high heat first, then move to lower heat to finish.
• Turn often. I don?t care what the "experts" say! Don?t let too much juice accumulate on the top of the meat?you will only lose that juice once you turn it over.
• When seasoning, larger roasts should be seasoned and then wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated overnight. Smaller cuts of meat should be seasoned 1- 2 hours prior to cooking.
• If using a marinade to baste, BOIL it first!

• For burgers??.
• Mix the spices (salt, pepper, etc) before forming into patties.
• Use only ground beef that has at least 20% fat (usually ground chuck). You need it for the juices!
• Make an indentation in the center of the patty. This will eliminate the "plumping" in the middle.
• Make 6 ounce patties that are 3/4-inch thick.

• For steaks??..
• Use only Choice or better cuts of meat.
• Trim all surrounding fat.
• When slicing, cut against the grain.
• "Rest" the meat before and after grilling. Allow the meat to come up to room temp prior to grilling. After grilling, let the meat rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
• Salt just prior to grilling?..too soon and all the juices may be drawn out.

• For poultry??.
• Whenever possible, keep the skin on. It will help to keep the meat from drying out.
• Season all parts of the chicken. Work your fingers up under the skin and apply your rub/seasonings underneath. Then replace the skin. Also, apply rub to the cavity area.
• As far as flipping, generally, bone-in pieces need not be flipped, while boneless pieces should be flipped half way through cooking. Trim all fat from exterior.
• Use a meat thermometer to avoid overcooking skinless, boneless breasts. 165 degrees F is done and that is attained very quickly.
• Try brining or injecting for dispersing extra flavor and moistness inside the bird. See article on brining.

• For seafood??.
• Use fresh when possible, but "fresh-frozen" is just as good and sometimes better than fresh!
• Fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (this includes shellfish). This is a better indicator than the old test of flakiness. Place a sharp knife between the meat sections
  and check.
• When grilling shrimp use the jumbo variety. You are less likely to overcook.
• Don?t use foil to cook your fish. You need to get that flame broiled taste. There are a couple exceptions?.sole, dory and flounder are very thin fillets and will need some foil.