Easily Solve Common Grilling Problems

The Weekend Grillers Show You How

Common Grilling Problems should not suck the fun out of your next Barbeque.

After all, grilling is just about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. Okay -- there is golf. And drinking beer. But grilling is definately up there!

But when grilling problems happen it can take the fun out very quickly. Luckily there are several common problems that are easy to fix. Below are four very common problems along with their solutions.

Now if I could only figure out how to golf and grill at the same time.
 

PROBLEM: Grilled foods are too dry.

SOLUTION: The smoke from a charcoal fire adds great smokey flavor to food, but it also tends to dry it out. The easiest fix for this is to grill thicker cuts. For the most part, thicker foods are easier to grill than thinner ones and hold their juices inside better. Look for moderately thick steaks, fish fillets, and chops. It is also often helpful (and tasty!) to marinate foods before cooking them over charcoal.


PROBLEM: Burgers and fish stick to the grate.

SOLUTION: Always keep your grill clean. The best way to clean it is to heat the grill then scrape it with a wire grill brush before cooking anything. Grilling on a dirty grate clogged with burnt, stuck-on food is like to frying in a dirty pan.

Then before you put the food on, oil the grate. There are two easy ways to do this. If you are cooking steaks or chops, cut off a piece of fat and, using a grill fork, run it up and down the hot grates. If are cooking anything else or do not want to cut off the best part of the steak, grab a wad of paper towels with your tongs, dip it in vegetable oil and rub the oil onto the hot grate. Never, NEVER use none stick cooking spray.


PROBLEM: The food burns on the outside before it cooks all the way through.

SOLUTION: This is one of the most common grilling problems. The fix is easy -- Build a two zone fire (or turn one end of your gas grill to low and the other to hot) so that you can sear food over the hot zone and then move it to the cool zone to finish cooking it through without scorching. At the first sign of a flare-ups, move the food that is over the flame to the cooler zone and wait for the fire to burn out. Never apply barbecue sauce or any other sauce that contains sugar or honey until the very last minutes of cooking. Or, better yet, offer sauces at the table.


PROBLEM: It’s hard to check the temperature when roasting or barbecuing.

SOLUTION: Insert a grill thermometer through the lid vent of your charcoal grill. Rotate the lid to check different heat zones. Do not let the stem touch the food for an accurate measurement.

That's all the common grilling problems we have for now. But we will add to this page as we hear from more weekend grillers. If you have any common grilling problems that are vexing you, please write to The Weekend Grillers below and I will try to help you solve them.

Jamie

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