Yeah, yeah...the title may be a little tongue in cheek. Of course, I'm not suggesting that girls are the only ones who can grill. In fact, I know there are a ton of women out there who deem the grill as the "man's territory". Heck, no! I want to inspire you to don your most stylish checked apron, grab a pair of tongs and settle on the back patio for a long summer of burgers, steaks, kebabs and corn on the cob. These are some of my best tips for honing yourself into the meanest, leanest grilling machine. By the end of the summer, your husband will be begging for a turn to wield the tongs. I don't want to start any marital spats, but I have a feeling you won't be willing to relinquish control.
For those of you who live in Utah, I'll also be talking about some of these tips and making my Grilled Mushroom Sliders with Cilantro Almond Pesto on Studio 5 (NBC) this Monday, in the 11am hour.
Now let's move on to those tips.
How to: Grill Like a Girl...My Best Tips
1) Learn how to turn the darn thing on Last summer, I wrote about the fear I used to harbor of blowing up the neighborhood by lighting the grill. Fear of propane can be a powerful thing. Ultimately, I got over myself and asked my husband to teach my the tricks of the trade. I wrote a detailed step-by-step on How to: Turn on a Gas Grill.
The response to this post was fantastic! I received comments and emails from grilling virgins who bit the bullet and turned on their grills by themselves for the first time.
Tayelor said:
Thank you so much! It is September now that I finally have found this article, but I just got the grill turned on for the first time myself!!! Yeay! Now the ribs are cooking away and I can’t wait for next year!
Jhonna said:
I did it! Thank you...had no clue.
Now get out there and turn that darn thing on!
2) Preheat the grill If you are a baker, you know the importance of preheating the oven to the desired temperature before popping in that batch of cookies. It insures even cooking, and adherence to the recommended baking time. Grilling is no different. Turn on your grill, close the lid and preheat to the desired temperature. This typically takes 10 to 15 minutes.
Greek Grilled Lamb Chops with Tomato, Cucumber & Kalamata Olive Salad
The ideal temperature depends on what you are grilling. Usually, however, you want to achieve a sear on your steak, chicken or ribs. Not only will searing over high heat produce those picture-perfect grill marks, but it also helps to insure that much of the meat's moisture is sealed in.
So, how do you do this? I preheat my grill to 500 to 550 degrees F. Screeching hot! Then I turn off the middle burner to produce an effect called indirect heat. Place your meat on the hot part of the grill, cooking it for about 2 to 3 minutes per side to achieve a good sear. Then move the meat to the cooler part of the grill until it is cooked to the desired temperature.
3) Clean and oil There is more than one reason to clean your grill. The first is obvious - no one likes to find chunks of leftover charred meat sticking to their perfectly grilled steak. The second reason is just as important. Cleaning the grill will help to avoid the meat from sticking to the grill. Once the grill is preheated to the desired temperature, give it a good scrub with your grill brush to remove any unsavory bits.
Before placing the meat on the grill, give it a brush with some oil. It's best to choose oil that has a high smoke-point, such as canola or grapeseed oil.
4) Forks out, tongs in You know those enormous American Gothic-sized fork that comes in every grilling set? Toss it! As tempting as it may be to turn your flank steak with that fork, there is one very important reason you want to avoid that at all costs. When you pierce the meat, you release the juices. If the juices are now dripping into your barbecue, they are no longer inside of the meat, which means you will end up with dry, chewy meat. Butch, your bulldog, may approve but your guests probably won't. Use your tongs to do any necessary turning.
Grilled Tri-Tip Steak with Molasses Chili Marinade
5) Step away from the grill! Okay, I'm not saying that it's just men that do this, but...well, you guys may be guiltier of this one than most women grillers. You know who you are. You know that tendency to continuously open the grill to take a peek at the steak or those sizzling burgers? The peeking then turns into flipping. I promise, it's not necessary to flip the steak five times (once is enough, my grilling friends) or to randomly move it around on the grill. Peeking also leads to the ol' spatula press on the burgers. *Gasp* (Spatula press = leaking juices)
Smoky Sliders with Grilled Pineapple & Chipotle Mayonnaise
The more you lift the lid and peek at the grill, the further the temperature drops. Not only will this add to the total cooking time, but it also stops the meat from cooking evenly.
6) Let it rest The smell of that grilled meat is wafting to your nose and it's all you can do to resist ripping into it with your teeth. Believe me, I get it. However, if you can just curb those carnivorous tendencies for a mere 10 minutes before cutting that meat, you will be rewarded with a much juicier product. That short resting period allows the juices of the meat to redistribute throughout the entire cut of meat. If you cut into it too soon, you'll find that all the juices will run higgledy-piggledy onto the cutting board, rather than staying in the meat.
If you have any tried and true grilling tips, I'd love to hear them. Feel free to share your ideas in the comment section.
Now, get out there, take control of those tongs and get grillin' like a girl!
I'm sharing this in Tidy Mom's I'm Lovin' It round-up this week.
Krista
I love these tips Dara! I admit, I am one of those who relinquishes control to the grill master aka mr. Time back to take back the tongs. Although, I do love it when a man cooks dinner!
cookingrookie
Great tips! I only get to use grill on picnics. This post really makes me wish we had one at home...
KalynsKitchen
Great tips! I would love to taste anything you'd grilled.
Jennifer
Great tips, Dara! Thanks for all the extra help you give us.
Emilie @ Emilie's Enjoyables
such a great post Dara! I was just telling my mom yesterday how I don't really understand grilling because it never seems to work right for me. I can't wait to try again with these new tips 🙂
Baker Street
Great tips Dara! That's a super cute picture of you in that apron. I'm totally in charge of grilling at my house!
Sukaina
STEP AWAY FROM THE GRILL! I need to say that to myself over and over and over. Great advice and very timely piece Dara 🙂 Have fun on TV!
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
Sound advice, nobody wants to see fireballs and flare ups so the indirect part is super important! I'm about to throw some blue cheese burgers on for dinner.
Great post..
Kimby
Dara, thanks for your grilling tips! We still use an ol' charcoal grill, but your suggestions about indirect heat no doubt apply... next time I grill, I'm going to try building a "ring" of hot coals around the outside with a "blank middle" for indirect heat. Hadn't thought of that and it's a valuable tip!
Roz@weightingfor50
Great tips Dara, thank you. Girl power on the grill!!! 🙂
Pam
Great tips! Quick funny story. When my husband and I first started living together, a LONG time ago, I had a smal habatchi on the porch of our apartment. It was the first time we were going to use the habatchi, and I asked him if he wanted BBQ hamburgers. He said yes. So I made up the hamburger patties and said "ok, ready!"
My husband said "ok, go for it". I said "what do u mean? Aren't u going to BBQ?"
He said, "no, I don't know how". We laughed about it because I just assumed every man was born with the BBQ gene. From that day forward, I have been the BBQ pit master in our house, and to this day, my husband still does not BBQ! 😉
Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen
I love the pic of you grillin in your cute apron 🙂 Now I just need a grill...what is wrong with us that we don't own one yet. Sigh...
Minnie(@thelady8home)
Thanks a lot for the tips. 😀 😀
TidyMom
GREAT tips Dara! I'm the grill master at our house, I'm always telling my hubby what to do when he tries to grill! lol
Thanks so much for linking up to my party! I featured your post in my wrap up http://tidymom.net/2012/great-ideas-that-caught-my-eye/
Have a fabulous weekend!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks for featuring my post, Cheryl! I love hearing how many women are the official grill masters at their homes.
Denise @ Creative Kitchen
Great tips!! Hubby just bought ME a new grill. The first grill we had....he was in charge. You know because he is the guy and that's what guys do. 😉 Well he can grill and I'm certainly not complaining about the food produced.....BUT he wasn't into it like most guys. Which means food was done haphazardly at best, grill was never cleaned and he just wasn't motivated to learn more or improve. I never did much because like most ladies shared on your other post...I was also nervous about the propane.
The grill eventually ended up in bad shape, but by then we had gotten an old boat. So we bought a small inexpensive portable gas grill for $30. It did the job and was great. It's how hubby and I cook all the kabobs for date night. Problem was that I could never get it going. It took the small canisters and if hubby didn't unscrew them and take them off, all the propane leaked out. Well even if he could show me I wasn't interested in hooking up propane every time I wanted to use the grill....too nervewracking.
And now this year.....I was bound and determined that I was going to get a new grill. The big kind again so the tank was already hooked up and ready to go. I'm SO excited to have started my grilling adventures. 🙂 Hubby didn't really want another big grill but I talked him into it. Now he keeps talking about what a nice grill it is and what a great deal I found. LOL! Bet my enthusiasm will spill over to him, and I'll have to fight him for grill use.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
That's so great to hear that you've stuck it out and come out on the other side as a grilling enthusiast. Enjoy that new grill!
Maureen @ Orgasmic Chef
I do the grilling 'round these parts except when we have guests. Then John "helps" so it looks like he knows what he's doing. He's so funny.
Perfect tips!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
I love it, Maureen!
Jen @ Savory SImple
Thanks for this! We just moved and I finally have a back deck. I don't think I've ever actually grilled outdoors before. Any brand recommendations?
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Jen, I'm a Weber gal myself (okay, I've only ever used a Weber), but I know there are plenty of good brands out there. You might want to look at Consumer Reports ratings.
Rachel @ Baked by Rachel
Thanks for the great tips! 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
You're welcome, Rachel. I hope you get a chance to do plenty of grilling this summer.
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
Great tips, Dara! I want to get into grilling this summer so I know I'll refer to this guide again :).
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Laura! I warn you - as soon as you start grilling, you'll be hooked.
Julia {The Roasted Root}
LOL, you're too funny...you have some GREAT tips here....I need to work on the step-away-from-the-grill tip. I'm such a peaker! Your slider with the pineapple chipotle mayo sounds (and looks) fabulous! Have a great weekend!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Thanks, Julia! I used to be a peeker too, but found that grilling became a much more relaxing activity when I learned to walk away.