What You Need to Know to Grill Any Kind of Food
The best thing about grilling is that you really have to try hard to screw things up. Unlike your finicky stovetop or your mysterious oven (what, really, goes on in there?), your grill is straightforward. Place food over flame. Let flame cook food. Eat delicious flame-cooked food.
Yes, you can carbonize a meal if you’re distracted. Yes, you can undercook meats that should not be undercooked (“Who would like their chicken medium-rare? Anyone?”) if you’re hurried. And, yes, you can singe your eyebrows if you’re too many beers deep to be operating anything involving a spark.
But beyond those risks, grilling is easy. The techniques are simple, cleanup is basically non-existent, and grilled food tastes amazing.
If you’re new to all this, welcome to the fold. If you just need a refresher course, have at this one.
1. Choose a Grill
Grilling purists agree charcoal provides the most flavorful meals, but the convenience and speed of gas grills has made them far and away the most popular choice for home grills.
Grilling purists agree charcoal provides the most flavorful meals, but the convenience and speed of gas grills has made them far and away the most popular choice for home grills.
Let’s tackle gas grills first. Unlike charcoal, gas grills require nothing beyond a 20-gallon propane tank and a button-press to start things heating. For some gas grills, you can even run a gas line into your home, bypassing the need for a tank. Gas grills are easier to clean (no leftover charcoal ash) and you can buy propane pretty much anywhere nowadays.
The big downside: Propane doesn’t lend grilled foods the flavor of charcoal. You can try to replicate the smokiness of charcoal by grilling with wood planks or wood chip packets, but that requires extra prep and cleanup-things you might not mess with if you’re looking for convenience and speed.
Charcoal grills deliver that flavor cooking session after cooking session. Sure, you have to light the charcoal before you cook, but with a chimney starter that’s nearly as easy as starting a gas grill. Using a charcoal grill is convenient and speedy too.
And charcoal itself has come a long way since the chemical-clogged briquette days. Hardwood charcoal, which burns fast and clean, is now nearly as available as propane tanks. This less adulterated charcoal still produces ash, and ash requires more cleaning than that involved with a gas grill, but it’s a small sacrifice to make for the amazing flavors produced by charcoal cooking.
(If you really want to get into this whole debate, you can dive deeper down the rabbit hole, but you still have grilling to get to.)
We've done the homework for you and selected the best grills and smokers we could find. Don't forget your grilling accessories as well, including a digital meat thermometer which is one of the best investments you can make. It removes the guessing game of whether meat is done, and meals are never undercooked.
2. Prepare Your Grill and Grill Space
Just as you would preheat your oven, always preheat your grill before cooking. This applies whether you are using a gas grill or a charcoal grill. Gas grills do not insta-heat! No matter what temperature you will be cooking at, it's best to preheat your grill on high and then turn it down to whatever setting you need to grill at.
After your grill grates are smoking hot, take to them with a grill brush to clean off all the remaining gunk from your last session. Clean grill grates prevent food from sticking to them, which results in better sear.
After your grill grates are clean, oil them with a neutral-flavored oil (canola is fine), using tongs and an oiled paper towel. This also helps prevent that dreaded food stick.
It helps to have a side table to prep and plate your food as you place it on the grill. Many grills include a small side table and possibly even an extra burner to cook food in a pan or pot, alongside your grilled food. Make sure you have a clear area to set down a plate of food, and hold any accessories you'll need like a brush, tongs, and thermometer.
3. Select a Meal
There are three basic settings to consider when grilling food. The first is whether you will be using direct or indirect heat, second is how hot the grill should be, and third is how long you should cook your food. You can also choose to grill with the lid on or off which regulates the temperature.
The only thing that really needs explaining from that last paragraph is “direct” versus “indirect” heat. “Direct” heat means that you’ll cook the food directly over the heat of the grill. You do this with the grill lid open. “Indirect” heat mans that you’ll place the food off the heat of the grill. For gas grills, you’ll fire up only one side of the grill. For charcoal, you’ll only fill one have of the grill. Then-and here’s the key-you close the grill lid.
Indirect heat is essentially turning your grill into an outdoor oven, allowing the heat inside to circulate and cook your food in a more gentle fashion.
Beef
Steak, hamburgers, and hot dogs are the most popular foods to grill, and, unless it’s a massive cut like brisket, beef products should be cooked over direct heat and with the grill on the high setting (or with your coals a blazing white-hot). Turn the heat down slightly for hot dogs and thin-cut steaks to avoid blackening them.
Steaks and burgers cooked to medium are typically finished in less than 10 minutes. Steak in particular needs time to "rest" after you've removed it from the grill, so let it sit covered in foil for about five minutes before cutting into it. Resting helps the moisture within meat redistribute, resulting is juicer bites.
For more evenly-cooked, tender, and flavorful steaks off the grill, try scoring your meat. Using the tip of a sharp knife, first make shallow (about 1/8 inch deep) cuts across the grain one way, then the other way (perpendicular to first set of cuts). Repeat on the other side. Season the steak, then grill it on medium-high for a minute or two less per side.
Chicken
Grilling chicken requires a bit more patience than beef. Chicken can easily dry out on a grill, so you want to adapt your approach according to the type of poultry cut you’re cooking.
People love grilled chicken breast, but it’s actually one of the most difficult cuts of chicken for beginners to grill well. That’s because it has so little fat, which helps moisten and protect the protein as it cooks.
You have two ways to address this. One, you can brine the bird overnight. Basically, to brine, you stir up a simple salt-water solution, submerge the meat in said solution overnight (the protein takes in water with the salt), and then cook the brined chicken breast the next day. Two, you can buy skin-on chicken breasts. These also usually come with the bones attached, but that doesn’t matter. Just eat the meat off the bone with a fork and knife.
Medium to medium-high indirect heat works best for chicken breasts. Usually they’ll take at least 30 minutes to reach the required doneness of 165°F. Always use your meat thermometer to determine when the chicken is ready.
For chicken thighs, use the same approach, but worry less about brining. Their higher fat content helps prevent dry-out and carries flavor. They’re better suited for a marinate or baste.
For a whole chicken (you fancy now), that requires a bit more time and energy. This guide will help you navigate the involved, though delicious, grilled whole bird.
Pork
Grilling pork is similar to beef in that your more pre-portioned steaks and chops are best grilled over direct high heat, but your bigger roasts are better suited for indirect medium to medium-low conditions.
Pork chops can cook quickly and depending on the thickness only require 2 to 4 minutes per side before they're done. (The USDA recommended internal temperature for pork is 145°F.)
Whole pork tenderloin, pork butt, pork shoulder, and other massive, meaty cuts of pork require indirect heat, medium to medium-low temperatures, and a lot more time and attention. If you’re adding wood smoke to all this, you’re barbecuing.
Seafood
This is a big category that includes fish, shellfish, cephalopods, and so much more deliciousness. Techniques differ depending on the exact type of seafood you’re cooking. However, in general…
…for fish
Use direct medium to medium-high heat and make sure that your grill grates and your fish are well oiled before grilling to help prevent the fish from sticking to the grill. You can also cook fish in a foil packet to avoid the mess. Fish is done when it is flaky.
…for shellfish
Use direct medium to medium-heat heat. Shrimp should be cooked shell-on to help prevent dry-out. (Peel and eat them at the table for a fun meal.) Lobsters are best split and cooked still in their shell. Clams and mussels can go directly on the grill grates and are done when they open.
…for cephalopods (squid, octopus)
Use direct high heat. If it’s squid, they’ll cook quickly so keep an eye on them. When they’re opaque, pull them. For octopus, if it’s par-boiled, just singe those suckers on all sides till they pickup a little char. Look at you, grilling octopus.
Vegetables
With a gas grill you can grill asparagus, eggplant, and zucchini, right next to your steak or chicken, just make sure you have the heat set to medium and be prepared to quickly remove your veggies as they can overcook quickly.
Corn is great on the grill but be patient as it can take about 30 minutes for corn in husk to cook on the grill.
4. Cleanup
Proper cleanup is the key to your next successful grilling session. Use a wire brush immediately after cooking to remove excess oil and food particles. Keeping the grill grates clean prevents the buildup of bacteria, discourages bugs and pests from trying to check out your grill, and prevents carbon buildup which can eventually alter the performance of your grill.
Use a grill cover when not in use, which will protect it from the elements and prolong it's life.
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