Grilling Basics Tips For Beginners

Grilling isn’t just for burgers and steaks! There are so many delicious ways to use a grill. Try these shrimp skewers, the most incredible grilled pineapple, or simply grill up some zucchini!

What to Know Before You Grill

Grilling involves cooking food over an open flame, and with so many types of grills available, it’s helpful to know the basics for any grill you use. Here are some essential tips, especially for beginners. We’ll focus on the most common household grills: propane and gas grills.

Meat Temperature and Grilling Time

Understanding how long to cook your meat is essential for perfect grilling. To help, I’ve created a handy temperature guide for steak that includes cooking times and visual cues for doneness. This makes it easier to achieve your preferred level of doneness. Here are additional recommended temperatures for other meats: Here are the approximate temperatures based on the time you can hold your hand over the grill:

2-3 seconds: High heat (450°F to 550°F or 230°C to 290°C) 4-5 seconds: Medium heat (350°F to 450°F or 175°C to 230°C) 6-7 seconds: Medium-low heat (325°F to 350°F or 165°C to 175°C) 8-10 seconds: Low heat (250°F to 325°F or 120°C to 165°C)

This method gives you a rough estimate to help ensure your grill is at the right temperature for cooking.

Skewers: Use wood or metal skewers for grilling. Both work well, but if you use wood skewers, soak them in water for at least 30 minutes before threading meat, veggies, or fruit. This prevents them from burning or becoming brittle. Meat Thermometer: Invest in a reliable meat thermometer to ensure your meat is cooked to the right temperature. Wireless thermometers are especially convenient and easy to use. Tongs: Strong metal tongs are essential for grilling and flipping meats like steak and chicken. They’re also great for handling brats, ribs, and hot dogs. Metal Spatula: A large metal spatula is perfect for flipping burgers. Basting Brush: A basting brush is useful for applying sauces or marinades while cooking. It’s particularly handy for recipes like grilled huli huli chicken.

Don’t Flip Too Often: Be careful not to flip steak too often. You want the grill marks to give the steak the perfect outer crust. I’m also careful when flipping burgers. I find it causes them to shrink more and not cook as evenly. Flipping burgers too much can also cause the beef to crumble. Allow the Meat to Rest: Giving your meat time to rest after it comes off the grill is important. The muscle fibers need time to relax and for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Your meat will be so TENDER! Meat Thermometer: Know the temperatures to cook your meat to. Invest in a good meat thermometer that can measure the correct temperature of your meat. Heat Zones on the Grill: Heat a portion of the grill to a higher heat and another zone on medium or low. This creates a hot and cooler zone for cooking. It also creates a place to quickly move the meat to a cooler zone if it’s starting to burn or cook too fast. This is also known as direct heat and indirect heat.

Chicken: Cook to an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C). Fish: Cook to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C). Pork: Cook to an internal temperature of 145°F (63°C) and allow it to rest for at least 3 minutes.

Skewers: Skewers hold meat, veggies, and fruit pieces perfectly! If you use wood skewers, soak them for 30 minutes before using them. This prevents the skewers from burning. Try these steak skewers or our favorite Hawaiian teriyaki skewers! Fruit: Grilling fruit makes it tender and enhances the sweetness. Try grilling this pineapple or these peaches and serving them with ice cream! Vegetables: Tender-grilled veggies are my favorite, especially in the summer when my garden is bursting. These vegetables are the perfect side dish and my kids love these fun vegetable kabobs! Foil Packets: We love to make foil packets in the summer! Everyone can make their packet just the way they like it. It’s a perfect dinner for when you don’t want to heat the kitchen with the oven. These shrimp packets or these easy potato foil packets are delicious!