Comment griller comme un pro : 24 conseils essentiels

Tip 1 – Preheat the Grill

Preheating the grill is essential for a great grilling experience. Whether you are using a gas or charcoal grill, it takes 15-30 minutes to reach the correct temperature. Once the grill reaches temperature, you can begin grilling your items.

Tip 2 – Use Gas Grills for Better Char

Gas grills produce better results because they heat more evenly and are easier to maintain a constant temperature. One of the flavours produced by grilling is called char, which is the caramelisation of natural sugars in the food.

Tip 3 – Close the Lid

One thing that happens with cooking on a grill, whether it is a gas or charcoal grill, is that it loses heat when the lid is open. Closing the lid on the grill helps maintain constant, even heat. If you want great char and thoroughly cooked items on the grill, then it is important to keep the lid closed.

Tip 4 – Use the Smoker

If you want the option to prepare multiple items that require different temperatures, use the smoker box as a secondary grill.

Tip 5 – Choose the Right Meats

Grilling is a fast-cooking technique, so it is important to choose meats suited to it. Lean cuts of meat will grill faster and require less cooking time because they have less intramuscular fat, also known as marbling.

Tip 6 – Use Top Quality Grass-Fed Meats

There is something to be said about you getting what you pay for. If you are grilling and want the absolute best-tasting meats, opt to spend more on prime cuts of grass-fed beef, and the whole experience will take you to the next level.

Tip 7 – Try Lesser-Known Cuts of Meat

There are many more options for you to try on your grill than you may realise. In recent years, the meat industry has begun offering lesser-known cuts that are incredibly tender and well-suited to grilling. The bistro filet and the flat iron steak are two of these cuts. They come from the chuck shoulder and are cut from the tenderloin’s major muscle, which is in the centre of the chuck, and produce meats as tender as filet Mignon and New York steak.

Tip 8 – Be Safe

Always use tongs and spatulas designed for grilling. They have longer handles to keep your hands away from the grill’s intense heat. They come in a variety of styles, but all share one key feature: extra-long handles.

Tip 9 – Keep the Grill Clean

A clean grill is a must for a great cooking experience. You should always clean the grill before and after each use. Preheat your grill, clean it, then season it before placing any grill items on the grill. Once you are done grilling, or as needed if you are doing a lot of grilling, clean the grill while it is hot, re-season it, then close it up. Food items stick to dirty grills.

Tip 10 – Make the Grill Non-Stick

Once you have cleaned the grill, before you place anything on it to grill, rub half a potato over the surface. This coating from the potato will make your grill non-stick and eliminate the need to rub it with beef fat or other oil.

Tip 11 – Grill with Room Temperature Meats

One of the biggest factors in a successful grilling experience is allowing the meat to come to room temperature before cooking, and quite honestly, this applies to your indoor kitchen as well. Cooking time is affected by the meat’s temperature; the colder it is, the longer it takes to cook. The longer it takes to cook, the greater the chance the meat will be dry and tasteless.

Tip 12 – Thumbprints for Ground Meats

When making burgers of any kind, it is important to keep the meat flat while cooking. The application of heat shortens the protein strands in the meat, so if you put a thumbprint in the center of the patty before cooking it on the grill, the melting fats will pool there, and it will keep the patty from soft-balling, which means the outer edges are cooking faster than the center and as the protein strands constrict, the center gets thicker and doesn’t cook evenly.

Tip 13 – Use a Good Meat Thermometer

Cooking temperature is key to successful grilling. To achieve accurate cooking temperatures, you need a great thermometer. The ChefsTemp X10 Instant Read Thermometer is designed specifically for this purpose.

Tip 14 – Use Tongs

Never use a meat fork; always use tongs or a spatula. Make sure they have long handles to keep your hands away from the heat. Do not use a meat fork, when you use a meat fork, you are piercing the meat and the moisture that is inside the meat will run out, and your meat will dry out. Use tongs or a spatula.

Tip: Click here to learn how to make the moistest, tenderest turkey, si cela vous intéresse.

Tip 15 – Make Grilling Zones

Grilling zones are easy to set up on either type of grill. On a gas grill, you simply turn down or off a number of the burners to create areas of lower heat. With a charcoal grill, move the charcoal to one side for hot grilling, then move the meat to the other side to create the right temperature zones for longer cooking.

Tip 16 – Low and Slow is the Key

The main reason people get meat burnt on the outside and raw in the middle, especially with poultry, is that the grill is too hot and doesn’t allow the centre to cook fully before the outside is done. Lower the temperature and monitor the internal temperature of what you are cooking.

Tip 17 – Resist the Urge to Constantly Flip the Food

With all items you are going to grill, if you resist the urge to constantly flip the food, the meats will release from the grill on their own, and any other items you are grilling will cook more evenly and completely. Use your thermometer to check temperatures rather than constantly flipping items on your grill.

Tip 18 – Use Skewers for a Change of Pace

Skewers have so many different uses. One thing you need to do is soak them in water before inserting them into any grill items. The Japanese technique of Robata is an awesome way to grill meats and vegetables, enhancing their flavours.

Tip 19 – When to Apply the BBQ Sauce

A major component of BBQ Sauce is sugar, so if you are going to apply BBQ Sauce to your cooked items, do so in the last few minutes of the cooking process so the sauce doesn’t burn and evenly coats the meat and seals in the juices.

Tip 20 – Dry Rubs

Dry Rubs are a method of adding spices to meats to enhance flavour. It is also called dry marinating, and it requires 12-24 hours to fully season the meat. Apply your dry rubs, then place the meat in a sealed container, return it to the refrigerator, and let it soak in naturally. The results will amaze you.

Tip 21 – Dip Grilling

Dip grilling is a method of grilling used to help keep meats like chicken breast and other extremely lean meats from drying out. Dip grilling requires thinning your sauce to the consistency of soy sauce. As you grill, remove the meat from the grill, dip it into the sauce, and return it to the grill. It is similar to basting.

Tip 22 – Cook for Presentation

Making beautiful grill marks, nice charred edges, and other things always make the food look better, it is important in the dining experience for the food to not only taste good but to also look good. As they say, “Presentation is Everything”.

Tip 23 – Under-Grill for Perfect Fish

Fish is one of the fastest-cooking proteins you can grill. If your pull temperature is 145˚F, pull the fish at 140˚F and allow it to rest for 5 minutes; it will reach the desired temperature.

Tip 24 – Let it Rest

The biggest tip for the best-tasting, most juicy meats is to let them rest. Once you have cooked the meat, especially thick cuts of steaks, place them on a platter and cover them with foil for twenty minutes. The juices will return to the centre, the meat will finish cooking through carryover cooking, and you will have the best-tasting, most amazing meat ever.