How to Grill Like You Know What You're Doing
2024-12-05 · 5 min read
The single biggest mistake home grillers make is not preheating long enough. A charcoal grill needs at least 20 minutes after the coals are ashed over. A gas grill needs 15 minutes on high with the lid closed. The surface needs to be hot enough that a drop of water vaporizes instantly. If you skip this step, food sticks, steaks do not sear, and you end up with gray meat that disappoints everyone.
Two-zone fire is the most important grilling concept. Push your coals to one side of the grill, creating a hot zone for searing and a cooler zone for indirect cooking. This lets you sear a steak over high heat then move it to the cool side to finish gently. It is the difference between a charred outside and raw inside versus a perfect medium-rare throughout.
Stop flipping so much. A steak needs to sit on the hot grate for three to four minutes before you touch it. If it sticks when you try to flip, it is not ready. The meat will release naturally when the crust has formed. One flip for steaks and burgers. Chicken thighs get a few more because they need to cook through. Resist the urge to prod, press, or constantly rearrange.
A chimney starter is the only acceptable way to light charcoal. Lighter fluid leaves a chemical taste that no amount of cooking will eliminate. Stuff two sheets of newspaper in the bottom of the chimney, fill it with charcoal, light the paper, and wait 15 to 20 minutes. The coals are ready when they are covered in gray ash. This is not optional.
Let your meat rest after grilling. A steak needs five minutes off the heat before cutting. A chicken breast needs at least three. During rest, the juices redistribute throughout the meat. Cut too soon and those juices end up on the plate instead of in the meat. Use this time to dress a salad, pour another drink, or accept compliments on the smoke aroma coming off your grill.
