WASHINGTON – Many of you are just dusting off the grill and getting ready for the season. In case your grilling skills are a little rusty, here are some reminders to get started.
Let’s start at the beginning: Clean the grilling surface. No one wants to taste the remnants of Aunt Martha’s tofu turkey from last year’s Labor Day cookout. (And if you’re in the market for a new grill, be sure to get yours for a good price.)
Once you have your grill ready to go, Reader’s Digest recommends using a brush with stiff bristles before and after you grill. Then afterward, use a non-stick cooking spray. Those burgers will come off the grill easier than a duck leaving the water.
When do you apply the barbecue sauce? This is going to be controversial, because everyone does it differently. Some say it should go on the meat during the last 10 to 15 minutes of cooking. Others say there’s no such thing as too much sauce.
According to Reader’s Digest, you can grill anything your heart desires. Burgers, fish, ribs, steak, vegetables – even fruit. You can cut the fruit in half, brush it with butter and sprinkle it with brown sugar.
To make pizza on the grill, put the dough on first for a few minutes, flip it over and then top it. If you’re grilling fish, lightly oil the fillets before putting them on the grill.
One of the biggest grilling questions is knowing when the food is done. Don’t cut into the food – use a meat thermometer instead.
WTOP’s David Burd contributed to this report. Follow WTOP on Twitter.
(Copyright 2012 by WTOP. All Rights Reserved.)
