BBQ Tips for Beginners + Giveaway

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Photo by Martin Steiger; Wikimedia Commons

One of my favorite things about warm weather is grilled food. Some people shy away from grills and barbeques because they're not sure how to make a successful meal. With the right tools and know-how, you can be a master of the flames. The following BBQ tips will get you on the right track to grilling-up a great meal.

Basic BBQ Tools

• Long tongs, spatula and meat fork: Regular kitchen tools have handles that are too short to use over open flames. (I speak from experience.) Plus, you can't use them if they're made of plastic. Purchase tongs, a spatula and meat fork made of stainless steel that have long handles. The Flamen 5-Piece Stainless-Steel BBQ Set is affordable and has all the basics you need.
• Meat thermometer: Nothing is worse than meat that's over- or under-cooked. Instead of cutting into your food to see if it's cooked (and butchering its appearance), use a simple meat thermometer. I like this type of ovenproof meat thermometer because it tells you the appropriate temperatures for different types of red and white meat.
• Grill brush: Always clean the grate (the surface where you cook the food) after you finish cooking and the grill cools. A grill brush makes this task simple.
• Chimney: If you have a charcoal grill instead of a gas grill, use a BBQ chimney to quickly and evenly heat the coals. The chimney takes the hard part out of grilling with charcoal and eliminates the need to use lighter fluid.  

BBQ Tips 

• Prepare the grill: Before you start cooking, preheat a gas grill for at least 10 minutes. If you have a charcoal grill, empty the old ashes and let it heat up for 20 minutes with the new charcoal you prepared in the chimney. 
• Grease the grate: Use an oil with a high smoking temperature, like canola oil, to grease the grate. To do this, fold a paper towel and dip it in the oil. While holding the paper towel with the long tongs, pass it over the hot grill grate.
• Adjust the heat: Adjust the flames on a gas grill so your food doesn't burn. If you have a charcoal grill you may need to moves the coals to one side using the tongs or spatula so you cook your meat over indirect heat.
• Check the temperature: Cook your meat until it has a safe internal temperature. Keep in mind that if you let your food rest after you take it off the grill, it may rise in temperature over the next 10 minutes.
• Fresh lamb, veal and beef (rare): 145° F
• Fresh lamb, veal and beef (well-done): 160° F
• Turkey, chicken and other poultry: 165° F
• Raw pork or ham: 145° F
• Precooked ham: 140° F
• Seafood: 145° F or until the flesh is pearly and opaque 
• Ground beef, lamb, pork or veal: 160° F
• Ground chicken or turkey: 165° F

•  When to leave the grill cover off: If the meat is thinner than the depth of the top and bottom of your hand, don't use the grill cover.
• Grill clean-up: After you finish grilling, always clean the grate. Then oil the grate so it doesn't rust. Don't leave bits of food on the grate because they can build harmful bacteria, the grate will rust (and won't last as long), and the food you cook is more likely to stick to it.

Grill Accessories

The best accessories for a grill are those that enhance safety, such as a heat-proof pad that you use under the grill to catch hot oil or charcoal. 

A new favorite accessory of mine is the Kuisiware Barbecue Grill Light. The light is heat-resistant, has 10 LEDs and easily clamps onto the grill's handle. It swivels 180° vertically and horizontally and the included batteries last up to 12 hours.

The LED lights are super bright, making the grill light ideal for cooking in the evening or at night. I also like that the light is super simple to turn on and off; you barely have to touch the power button. This is a nice feature when my hands are full. The one thing I found tricky is that it's more difficult to clamp the light onto handles that are square instead of rounded.

If you want to try this grill light, enter the giveaway for a chance to win one of your own. The giveaway ends September 2, 2014.

 I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. This post contains affiliate links, meaning that I receive a small commission if you click on an Amazon.com link and make a purchase.