Summer, how I love you. That special time of year when those good spatula-wielding folks who only cook for one season a year (let's call 'em what they are: dads) dust off the old grill to burn a few steaks and serve up some medium-rare chicken dust off the old grill to burn a few steaks and serve up some medium-rare chicken. Okay, maybe I'm being a little harsh here. There are plenty of amazing backyard cooks who take a structured, scientific approach to good grilling and reap the flavorful rewards as a result, but there are also plenty of people who believe that all it takes to throw together a successful backyard cookout is the ability to buy steaks and light a fire.
I've attended enough cookouts to know the telltale indications of rough, sooty, or downright deadly meat on the way. Here are some of the most typical blunders made by new grillers, as well as tips on how to prevent them.
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Mistake #1: You Used Lighter Fluid or Match-Light Coals
The Thought: Of course, if I smother my coals with liquid fuel, they'll light up quicker! It's logical, and it's a common mistake made by new grillers. It doesn't help that lighter fluid and match-light coals are prominently promoted in the grilling aisles of home stores and supermarkets. It's simple to see why so many people purchase lighter fluid: You won't go very far if you try to light a match below coal.
The Reality: The flames immediately fade after exploding in a mushroom cloud of fire. In a frantic effort to keep the fire going (and perhaps even after the fire is alive and kicking because it's just so damn fun to set stuff on fire), you wind up squirting more lighter fluid on the coals. Everything seems to be going swimmingly until you take your first mouthful of gasoline-scented hamburger. The truth is that you can taste lighter fluid on your meal no matter how long you let a fire start with a lighter fluid burn.
The Solution: You'll need a chimney starter. You put some crumpled newspaper below it, fill the top with coals, light the newspaper with a single match or lighter, and then sit back and watch as oxygen is pulled up and through the coals, effectively igniting them without the need for any lighter fluid.
Your coals will be ignited in no time, and there will be no chance of off-flavors in your cuisine.
Mistake #2: The Coals Were Spread Before They Were Fully Gray
Thinking: I understand. Everything looks like a burger when you have a spatula in your hand. You're itching to get that stuff on the grill, gray ash and all.
The Reality: You begin cooking before your coals are ready, resulting in uneven heat, off-flavors, and unpredictably long cook times.
The Solution: Be patient! There's a reason the bag says to wait until the coals are completely coated in gray ash before proceeding. As the coals continue to burn, a fire that seems fairly hot while the coals still have some black may quickly escalate to inferno levels. When it comes to grilling, temperature management is paramount, and waiting until the coals have stabilized is the best way to prevent any unpleasant shocks.
Mistake #3: You Didn't Preheat the Grill
The Thought: That fire is scorching. It's ready to use right now.
The Reality: That fire may be creating a lot of radiant heat—the infrared heat you can feel on your hand when you hold it over the grill—but the grill grates are still chilly, which means your food won't get much conductive heat—heat transmitted directly via the grill slats. Your food will cling to the metal rather than building up dark, beautiful grill marks and release easily. And the chemical link between flesh and metal is almost tough to break cleanly. Your food rips and shreds instead of coming out clean.
The Solution: After lighting your fire, cover the grill and allow it to warm for at least five to ten minutes so that the heat from the fire may pass to the grill grates. Your meal has a far lower risk of sticking on pre-heated grill grates because its proteins change form before coming into close contact with the metal.
Cleaning hot grills are also easy, which leads us to...
Mistake #4: You Forgot to Clean the Grates, Dummy!
The Concept: Everything is destroyed by fire. Food that has been charred increases taste. Nobody is going to notice. Pick your poison.
The Reality: Your chicken comes off the grill with carbonized parts of yesterday night's pork chops clinging to it, or, even worse, tonight's chicken sticks to last night's pork chops, leaving just the outer layers on the grill. Part of your asparagus is going to cling to that chicken tomorrow night. The burnt-on coating of food will expand and grow like katamari until it becomes so thick that whole prime ribs and turkeys will get attached to it.
The Solution: Clean those pesky grill grates! You'll just need a grill brush and a smidgeon of elbow grease.
Pro-tip: If you often cook on your grill, don't bother cleaning it after you're done cooking since all you want to do is serve your hungry visitors and go to the next beer. Also, don't attempt to clean the grill after it's cooled down and the muck has solidified towards the end of the evening. Instead, clean your grill after it has been preheated and before you begin cooking. The hot fat and food residue should easily scrape away.
