This is what summer is all about. Grilling or “cooking” out as some say, finally. We love grilling outside for many reasons.

1. The convection heat of the grill providing texture and tons of flavor to meat, vegetables, fruits, and fish and found to benefit our health, of some sorts, especially when the fat renders and drips away, that makes it healthful. Chances are you own a gas grill and this article, can also apply to charcoal grills as well, as I mesh the two together to enhance your BBQ experience.

Cleaning:

2. Once a year you need to clean the inside of your grill with warm, soapy water, rinse well and preheat it on high for 30-40 minutes to burn off any residue. Always brushing your grates after cooking should make this easier for you.

3. With a proper dose of preheating on high heat for ten minutes or so before and after using it, brushing the hot grates clean, should extend the life of your outdoor cooking gem. With a charcoal grill, let the coals burn down with the lid on until it is cool enough to brush the grate clean.

To make it easier on yourselves, I recommend a Basic Grilling Tool Kit:

1. A heat proof tray, such as a large baking sheet to carry all your tools on.

2. Resealable Zip-Lock Bags, for preparing, oiling and transporting your meat to the cooking grill.

3. Heavy duty aluminum foil, acts as a cleaner for the grates when balled into an orange size round, covering cooked food, keeping juices and heat from escaping.

4. Insta-Read Thermometer to check the correct temp. on your meats. Cut down on overcooked or under cooked meat.

5. Heavy Duty Mitts, you need to protect your hands and forearms from getting burned when flipping or reaching over to baste.

6. Two pairs of long handle, locking tongs, one for cooked foods so you have no cross-contamination.

7. Basting brush, to apply (brush) your sauces.

8. Fire starters mainly for non-gas grills, non-toxic, odorless cubes.

**You must preheat your grill, (also first step in cleaning your grates) or thinks of it as a sterilization process.

**Turn heat on high for at least 10 minutes, If you don’t have a sturdy metal bristled brush handy, crumble a ball of foil and use it to clean the grates. Ahh, the wonders of foil! And after all of this, reduce your heat and start cooking.

The process for a charcoal grill is slightly different but the ending plan is to clean it. It would work better if you had a burner chimney so that you can build a fire in it, let it burn down until your charcoal or briquettes are white-gray ash, remove the chimney, spread the ashes, open the lids and let it burn silly for about 5 minutes to clean your grates. Adjust your vents to reduce the heat and start cooking.

Indirect vs Direct Heat

These are two distinctive methods of cooking on your grill.

1. The first with direct heat, food is flat over the heat source, especially foods that take less than 20 minutes, for example, burgers, hot dogs, cooked sausages, vegetables and shrimp. Short cooking time items.

2. The second, indirect heat, this is where the heat is on the side of the food and the burners under are off. Here we’re cooking with the heat. This method is used for longer cooking time items such as roast, whole chickens, sometimes turkeys, fresh sausages. Since indirect heat is gentler (is that a word?) and more forgiving, the exception would be fish/seafood.

Sticking to the grate is so common for grilling fish, especially when cooking whole fish, large seashells, crabs, lobster. In order to avoid the “sticking”, you can cook your fish on a “plank”. It works well, doesn’t make waste and presents itself extremely appealing on your table. Using skin on fish can also help reduce the stickiness. Cut your fish into serving size portions, season well, place skin down and cook until crispy. Slide a thin spatula under the fish and serve. You don’t need to turn it over, besides you don’t want rubbery fish, especially like shrimp on a skewer which only takes 3-4 minutes, cooked on direct heat.

Several years ago, a “self” proclaimed “so-called-skillful-cook” who could not accept nor support directions on cooking the steaks and shrimps on the grill, blurted out, “I know how to cook fish!, not my first time!”, but yet, kept flipping the steaks and shrimps over and over and over and what did we have for that feast that day? Rubbery, dried shrimps and steaks.

I would not recommend using foil to cook on, because fish can and will stick to it, plus it will reduce the amount of grilled and smoked flavor that grilling gives you. Firm seafood such as, sword, tuna, oysters, whole clams and mussels are best cooked on indirect heat.

Burgers are a different story, use the best mixture of ground meat available which includes a combination of brisket, chuck, sirloin, hanger steak, or aged rib eye trimmings. Don’t add any fillers, breadcrumbs or eggs, just straight up beef!. The taste will be worth it. Use a light hand to form your patties and season before grilling. Keep your burgers from inflating (known as fat-belly-syndrome), place your thumb in the center of the patty and press down, this has many benefits besides bloating in the middle, it will ensure your meat is cooked evenly and remain juicy and delicious.

So now the “T” of grilling. Let me introduce you to the seasoning “Trilogy” of grilling.

1. “Olive oil” prevents sticking, has many health benefits and keeps your food juicy, but oiling your food not the grill will prevent flare ups that potentially cause burns. Your meat won’t stick to the grill if brushed with a light coating of oil and then placed on a clean grate, and act as a barrier preventing natural juices to evaporate, resulting in not so dry meat.

**Here using the resealable zip lock bag can save you many steps, it will coat your food, marinate and keep your hands free of grease and acts also as a safe vessel from fridge to grill. Place your meat in the bag, seal it and massage it well to coat all over. Keep refrigerated until cooking time at the grill.

2. “Salt” brings out the flavor in just about anything, season after you have played “shake and shake” with the oil and right before it goes on the grill. Start with a pinch, there’s a fine line between too much and too little. It’s easier to add than to have to remove or subtract.

3. “Pepper” not quite as essential as the oil wipe down or the salt, but I’m a huge fan of black pepper for grilling. A coarse flaky grind won’t bring as much heat to your food as finely ground white or black pepper would.

As far as vegetables, remembering to clean and best to cut in larger pieces, large enough laying them lengthwise as not to have them slip through the grates. Direct heat veggies include asparagus, bell peppers, squash, zucchini, eggplant, corn in the husk, steak sliced onions. On indirect heat, using firm whole potatoes, carrots, artichokes, portabella mushrooms which can widen your palate and make use of seasonal vegetables. By prepping them using the grill trilogy, these will benefit by short amount of time directly over heat to get grill marks and then will continue to cook on indirect heat.

Enjoy the beginning of summer, Happy Fooding, Happy Grilling. Next column, part II of our hot dog adventure.

As always, you are welcomed to send your comments, thoughts, ideas to: [email protected]~and the last words- from Guy Fieri~ ”There are two different things: there’s grilling, and there’s barbecue. Grilling is when people say, “We’re going to turn up the heat, make it really hot and sear a steak, sear a burger, cook a chicken”. “Barbecue is going low and slow.”~