How to Grill {Tips For Beginners}

Yumna Jawad
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Get the most out of your grill this summer with these easy grilling tips and tricks! Find out how to grill chicken, steak and veggies for delicious cookouts

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Summer is in full swing, and no doubt many of us are heading into our backyards and firing up the grill, but do you know how to grill to get the most out of it and get the best results? Follow these top grilling tips to elevate you to pit master status!

Yumna grilling outside in outdoor kitchen patio

How to grill – tips for prep

Prep your meat or veggies

It’s so important to prep your meat well to get the best results on the grill. Be sure to season your food well, whether that’s burgers, ribs, chicken of vegetables. Seasoning really helps to bring the flavors out, so don’t skip this.

If your recipe calls for a marinade, leave it as long as the recipe suggests. Chicken will need less time than ribs, so be sure to plan ahead. And leave some of the marinade to add a couple minutes before your recipe is complete. This is especially important for sugary marinades, which can flare up when cooked too soon.

Hand seasoning asparagus before grilling

Prep your grill

Be sure to clean your grill once you’ve pre-heated it, unless you’ve cleaned it after your last grilling session. It’s worth investing in a good grill brush and giving it a good scrub to remove any leftovers from your last cookout. Once you’ve brushed it down, wipe some oil over the grate using tongs, and a piece of kitchen towel dipped in oil.

Be sure to give your grill plenty of time to pre-heat. This will help cook the meat evenly.

Create heat zones

If you are using a kettle grill, bank the coals in the middle so that the center is hotter. You can then sear in the center and then move the meat to the edges to cook through. On a gas grill, have one burner on high and another on medium.

Let your meat come to room temperature

Be sure to take the meat you are cooking out of the fridge for about half an hour before you cook it to allow it to come to room temperature. This will result in tender and juicy meat.

How to grill – during cooking

What to do when you have a flare up

Flare-ups are an inevitable part of grilling with charcoal. When this happens, move the meat from the hot zone to the outside of the grill so that it doesn’t scorch, you can move it back once the flames die down. You can also try putting the lid down and closing the vents to restrict the oxygen.

Leave the protein alone

Resist the temptation to move and flip the meat too much – if you try to lift the meat before it is ready. It will stick to the grates. Let the meat develop a crust before you try to move it.

When checking if your meat is done, don’t keep stabbing at it with a fork or prongs. This cause the juices to escape, leaving you with a less flavorful and juicy piece of meat. A thermometer is a great investment, and it’s the best way to guarantee the meat or poultry is cooked through to proper temperatures.

Plate of 4 salmon fillets grilled served with lemon wedges

Adding sauces

If you are adding sauce or extra marinade to the meat, don’t add it too early as the sugars can burn. If you are adding a sauce with sugar, wait until closer to the end of cooking.

How to grill – getting ready to serve

Remove the meat or vegetables

Timing is crucial when you cook meat on the grill. Meat will continue to cook after you’ve removed it, so it’s best to take it off before it’s reached its preferred level of doneness. Be sure to grab this grilling guide from The Spruce Eats, which has some great timing charts to ensure perfectly cooked food every time.

Let it rest

As tempting as it is to serve the meat straight away, be sure to let it rest so that all those delicious juices don’t escape too quickly. It gives them time to redistribute and keep the food tender. Loosely cover in foil and let it sit for at least 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the meat. Vegetables can be served immediately, though.

Grilled Lemon Chicken breasts on a plate with lemons and parsley

delicious recipes to try on your grill this summer:

Grilled Chicken Recipes

Grilled Beef Recipes

Grilled Fish & shrimp Recipes

Grilled Veggie Recipes

Other Grilled Recipes

I really hope this guide has helped you to get the most out of your grilling sessions this summer!

If these how to grill tips have helped you, or you have any to share with me, be sure to leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experiences! And if you snapped some shots of you grilling share them with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories!

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Yumna grilling outside in outdoor kitchen patio

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  1. Thanks for sharing these useful tips. Recently I bought a grill and i was looking for some tips related to grilling. I have read many articles but your article explained to me very well.

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