To Grill or not to Grill... Cooking on a BBQ
Everyone loves a good BBQ, but have you ever been to one, or have even been the person at the grill... and the turn out was less than desirable? The food was under cooked, tough, or even chard to the point of crunchy.
If you have ever ran into this problem, that's ok... we have all been there one time or another. So here are a few good tips, to ensure a GREAT Bbq.
Golden Rule #1: Never leave the grill alone when you are cooking food. Flare ups can quickly become a fire, and it's very easy to overcook or burn food on the grill. Once you start, stay there and pay attention!
Adding wood chips and chunks can add marvelous flavor to your food. Soak mesquite, alder, hickory and pecan chips for one hour before scattering over the hot coals.
Wooden skewers should be soaked in water for an hour before use. They are best used for very quickly cooked foods, like veggies and fruits.
Metal skewers should be flat, with long handles. (Round skewers cause the food to roll when turned, so foods won't cook evenly). Use metal skewers when cooking meat kabobs.
Follow any unfamiliar recipes carefully, and make sure to cover the grill if the recipe calls for it. Sauces containing sugar and fat will cause flareups and the food may burn. Unless the recipe instructions are different, apply sauces and glazes during the last 10 minutes of cooking time.
Grilling times are affected by the weather, and how long the food is being cooked. Maintaining cooking temps is an art, but there are some rules to follow. When you want to lower the cooking temperature, raise the cooking rack, spread the coals apart, or close the vents on the outside of the grill pan halfway. To raise the temperature, lower the cooking rack, tap ash from the coals, move the coals more closely together, or open the vents. You can also gradually add more charcoal to the outer edges of the coals. If the weather is cold, you will need more briquettes to reach an ideal cooking temperature. Grilling will take longer. Wind will make the fire hotter, but may cool your top temp. On a humid day, the coals will burn slower. The temperature and thickness of the food when it's placed on the grill will affect the cooking time. Cold and thicker foods will take longer to cook. The closer the cooking rack is to the coals, the faster the food will cook. Hardwood fires will burn hotter than charcoal briquettes.
The most reliable way to test when food is done is by using a thermometer. There are many types available on the market, from instant read thermometers to complicated thermometer forks.
Last but certainly not least... Move the food around on the grill for the most even cooking results; this is where building a two-level fire is handy. Don't turn food too often, and use tongs to handle the food instead of a fork. Piercing the food with a fork will release juices that you want in the food, and can cause flareups.
source: L. Larson @about.com