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Grilling/Cooking Tips
We’re not thinking that these tips will get you on the next cooking reality show, but they certainly will bring your cooking skills up a notch.
Enjoy!
Soaking meats in a marinade is a great method of adding flavor and helps tenderizing as well. Make sure that the marinade totally covers the meat.
The marinade should contain an acidic ingredient like wine or vinegar, oils (olive, canola, etc.), and plenty of herbs and spices. Tougher cuts of meat should be marinated for 4-6 hours or even overnight to make it incredibly tender. Marinate in a non-reactive container such as glass, plastic container, or sealed plastic bag and place in the refrigerator. Meats marinated for a long time will shorten your cooking time by 30% and will inhibit potentially carcinogenic HCA’s (heterocyclic amines) by as much as 95%!
Check out our recipe section for some great marinades!
A light coating of vegetable or olive oil on your grill will prevent food sticking.
Never…never use a fork to flip the meat on the grill! Piercing the meat allows all the juice to leak out and cause flare-ups.
Add olive oil to your meat before adding rubs or spices. This allows the food to absorb the flavors and helps hydrate the dehydrated spices
Leave a portion of your grill on low or no heat just in case you need to put a flare up piece or cooked piece of meat there while the rest finishes cooking.
Steaks and pork chops are best at 1” thick. Be sure to trim meat to 1/8 inch fat to reduce grease drippings to help minimize open flames.
If you like juicy burgers, go with ground beef that is about 15-20 percent fat. Be sure to press your thumb in the center of the burger after you form it. This helps retain moisture and prevents burger blow-ups.
Kabobs are so worth it. They cook quickly, veggies can be added, and they make great finger food. Try fruit with chicken, scallops, and shrimp; you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Let the meat rest after it comes off of the grill. The food temperature will rise another 5 degrees upon sitting and the juices will redistribute evenly.
High starch potatoes like Russet and Idaho make a puffier baked potato.
Turning food too often slows cooking and can result in tough, dry food.
Try to turn only once while cooking. Remember to only use tongs or a spatula when turning food.
Baste meat during the last 5-10 minutes to maximize the flavor. Fruit based sauces like ours will burn if placed on the grill. Coat the food with sauce after you have turned it over on the grill and after you remove it from the grill.
Smoking…A Good Habit…For Your Grill
Adding the unique flavor of smoke to your food is so easy anyone can do it. Whether you have a smoking grill, smoke box, or simply put together an aluminum foil pouch, you can add great flavors to your food with smoke. Soak the wood chips in water for several hours and place directly on the coals, add to a smoke box or pouch and place on your gas burner and place food on the grill upon seeing smoke. Here is some information on different types of wood chips.
Mesquite-This popular wood chip offers a strong flavor for red meats, poultry or lamb; be sure to soak chips for at least an hour to prevent a bitter taste.
Hickory-This great flavor works well with pork, ham and beef.
Alder-A delicate flavor that goes well with all seafood.
Pecan-A unique flavor that compliments all poultry.
Apple and Peach-Soft fruity flavor, most versatile wood chip, perfect with all types of meats.
Enjoy!
The Mighty Marinade
Soaking meats in a marinade is a great method of adding flavor and helps tenderizing as well. Make sure that the marinade totally covers the meat.
The marinade should contain an acidic ingredient like wine or vinegar, oils (olive, canola, etc.), and plenty of herbs and spices. Tougher cuts of meat should be marinated for 4-6 hours or even overnight to make it incredibly tender. Marinate in a non-reactive container such as glass, plastic container, or sealed plastic bag and place in the refrigerator. Meats marinated for a long time will shorten your cooking time by 30% and will inhibit potentially carcinogenic HCA’s (heterocyclic amines) by as much as 95%!
Check out our recipe section for some great marinades!
Good to Know
A light coating of vegetable or olive oil on your grill will prevent food sticking. Never…never use a fork to flip the meat on the grill! Piercing the meat allows all the juice to leak out and cause flare-ups.
Add olive oil to your meat before adding rubs or spices. This allows the food to absorb the flavors and helps hydrate the dehydrated spices
Leave a portion of your grill on low or no heat just in case you need to put a flare up piece or cooked piece of meat there while the rest finishes cooking.
Steaks and pork chops are best at 1” thick. Be sure to trim meat to 1/8 inch fat to reduce grease drippings to help minimize open flames.
If you like juicy burgers, go with ground beef that is about 15-20 percent fat. Be sure to press your thumb in the center of the burger after you form it. This helps retain moisture and prevents burger blow-ups.
Kabobs are so worth it. They cook quickly, veggies can be added, and they make great finger food. Try fruit with chicken, scallops, and shrimp; you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Let the meat rest after it comes off of the grill. The food temperature will rise another 5 degrees upon sitting and the juices will redistribute evenly.
High starch potatoes like Russet and Idaho make a puffier baked potato.
Turning food too often slows cooking and can result in tough, dry food.
Try to turn only once while cooking. Remember to only use tongs or a spatula when turning food.
Baste meat during the last 5-10 minutes to maximize the flavor. Fruit based sauces like ours will burn if placed on the grill. Coat the food with sauce after you have turned it over on the grill and after you remove it from the grill.
Smoking…A Good Habit…For Your Grill
Adding the unique flavor of smoke to your food is so easy anyone can do it. Whether you have a smoking grill, smoke box, or simply put together an aluminum foil pouch, you can add great flavors to your food with smoke. Soak the wood chips in water for several hours and place directly on the coals, add to a smoke box or pouch and place on your gas burner and place food on the grill upon seeing smoke. Here is some information on different types of wood chips.
Mesquite-This popular wood chip offers a strong flavor for red meats, poultry or lamb; be sure to soak chips for at least an hour to prevent a bitter taste.
Hickory-This great flavor works well with pork, ham and beef.
Alder-A delicate flavor that goes well with all seafood.
Pecan-A unique flavor that compliments all poultry.
Apple and Peach-Soft fruity flavor, most versatile wood chip, perfect with all types of meats.
 Sweet Blazes, Inc.
Specialty foods with an unmatched flavor PO Box 647 Tyngsborough, MA 01879 Phone: 978-649-2718 Hours: M-F 9am-5pm EST |
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