10 Must-do Things to Master The Grill
Have you ever done camping in the woods? If yes, then you must know the taste and fun of grilled food eaten with the group of close friends under a full moon. Grilled food is eaten on many other special events as well but in order to make it tasty, one must get to know about the basics of grilling which will add taste to your food. However, the darker side is that according to scientific studies, heating meat at high temperature, which is done in grilling, may give birth to carcinogenic materials in the meat. This can, however, be avoided to some extent by proper marination of the food before it is grilled. So below are the 10 tips on how to master the grill
10. Make use of wood
Don’t get into any other debate except for using wood as a fuel for grilling. The reason is that it allows your guests or family to savor the real flavor of the food. The pertinent option is to use whole hardwood logs but if that’s not possible then using hardwood chunks will also do it for you. NO GAS or CHARCOAL DEBATE PLEASE!
9. Refrigeration is preferred
Don’t keep the meat in room temperature with a view that it will cook early as compared to when it is kept in a refrigerator. There is no significant difference in cooking time, so keeping your meat refrigerated is stringently advised.
8. Orderly arrangement is what is required!
Don’t put the meat haphazardly on the grill rather always try to arrange them sequentially so that you know which one you put first in the line. This is necessary because the meat which you put first needs to be turned and put off the grill accordingly.
7. Carefully flip the meat
Flipping the meat ad nauseam doesn’t give a professional touch in grilling. Moreover, it also damages the taste which ought to be there in a good grilled food. Preferably, rotate the steak at 90 degrees after a few minutes.
6. Season before grilling
Always keep in mind to sprinkle a modicum amount of raw salt on the meat to give it even better taste. It is a popular theory that salt makes the ‘juice’ come out of the meat and render it tasteless. Don’t be worried by this! Just ignore it…
5. Maintaining the hot grate
Mastering grill doesn’t only rotate around doing things with the food. You have to maintain your hot grate also to obtain good grill marks on the meat. So here is the magic mantra; scrub the hot grate with a wire brush rather I’d recommend that you keep a wire brush separate for this purpose. Then dip in a paper towel in oil and scrub the grate with this. When you will take care of the aforementioned things, it will prevent the food from sticking to the grate.
4. Trick with the vegetables
Make two categories of the veggies; one is tender and watery vegetables such as onions and bell papers and the other category is dense and starchy vegetables such as eggplant and sliced potatoes. Category one veggies should be directly heated over the grill but indirect heat should be used to heat up the category two veggies.
3. Grip the food with care!
Let me make a clear distinction here between a ruthless butcher and a professional grill-master. The former uses a large and ugly knife to cut the meat whereas the later employs delicate skills and uses a tong to grab the grilled meat. Moreover, using knife can also result in holes in the meat which will let the valuable juices out of the meat.
2. How to know it is done?
There are two ways to check whether the food is ready to be served or not. One, touch the meat with fingers and if it is firm and springy; you are good to go. Two, there is an instant-read thermometer used even by professionals. This will tell you about the readiness of the meat when you will touch it to the meat. REMEMBER not to touch any bones in the meat or else you will end up in inaccurate results. Don’t spoil your girlfriend’s party especially when her parents are there to check their son-in-law’s cooking!
1. Even meat wants rest
Yes it is true and there is a logical reason behind this which everyone should know. Immediately after the meat is put off the grill, the muscles of meat contract resulting in the absorption of juices to the center which is not appropriate. Let it rest for about 10-15 minutes so that the juices have enough time to flow back to the meat thus making it tender and nutritious to eat.
