Man, it’s been a while since I’ve written up anything for the site. I have been really busy lately, and by that I mean I’ve been really lazy lately.

I hope everyone had a great fourth of July– I had a great time just grilling and chilling. Over the years I have barbecued so many times, that I’ve learned a few tricks to make things turn out well every time. Here’s a few that will hopefully make you look like a grilling pro to all your friends…

• You look like an idiot if you can’t light the grill on the first try… So here’s a little trick to get them lit perfectly every time. Buy one small bag of match light charcoals, then a bag of regular charcoals and lighter fluid. Before anyone shows up, lay some of the match light charcoals down in your grill. Then when your friends show up, make a big show of putting in the charcoals and the lighter fluid. Let them soak up for a few minutes then light em up. The match light ones on the bottom should hold the flame really well and help the regular charcoals stay lit. Of course if you were truly a lazy man, you’d have a gas grill which you can light perfectly every time by pressing a button or turning a knob…

• You’ll look like a grilling pro if you can cook ribs with meat that falls off the bone every time. To do this, you can cheat and prepare a day ahead of time. You can either do this in the oven or in a pot on the stove. I usually use the pot. I buy a 40 ounce of the cheapest beer I can find, then toss it into a big stock pot, along with about 2 bottles full of water (or enough so that your ribs will be just barely covered). Add salt, pepper, minced garlic, and half an onion if you have it. Boil the water then add the ribs to the pot, and simmer for at least an hour. Toss it in the fridge. On the day of your barbecue, toss them on the grill and coat them with barbecue sauce. You don’t really need to cook them long. All you are looking for is the ribs to be heated through, the ribs to gain some smoky flavor, and the sauce to be a little bit browned.

• Try to learn to flip your burgers only once. First of all, it’s less work that way… second of all, I think they come out less dry that way. The way I do it is I wait until the blood shows up, wait about 7 seconds, then flip.

• In general, chicken is difficult to cook on a charcoal grill. Drumsticks are especially hard because the skin burns easily and they’re thick and irregularly shaped. Instead of drumsticks, boneless skinless thighs are much easier to cook, and taste just as good. And I find that most people peel the skin off anyways. If you use a good marinade, they come out really great, and cook quickly since they’re relatively thin.

• If you’re into kabobs, invest in some flat kabob skewers. They make life easier because the food doesn’t rotate on them, so it’s easier to flip them and make sure the food cooks evenly. If you’re really really into kabobs, they might even save you money in the long run since they’re reusable.

• A great side dish to grill is pineapples. They’re a nice sweet compliment to all the salty meat, plus they’re really really easy to prepare. Pop open a can of pineapple rings, then toss em on the grill. They look great with the grill marks, and taste great with chicken or pork. Use the juice for mixing into drinks or marinades. (see below for a great easy marinade using the juice).

• When you’re all done at the end of your barbecue, toss the ice and water from your cooler onto the grill along… you need to empty the cooler anyways, might as well use it to extinguish the coals.

That’s all I can think of for now. I hope everyone can use these tips for a great summer barbecue. I’ll finish off with a really simple marinade. I like to use it with boneless chicken thighs, I think it has a great combination of sweet, savory and tangy that goes great with chicken.

what you will need:

• a bottle of teriyaki sauce
• a can of pineapple rings
• a bottle of minced garlic, or fresh garlic if you’re unlazy
• some kind of meat
• a freezer bag

what do do with this stuff:

• Toss some teriyaki sauce in a freezer bag– use a little bit less than what you need for marinading the meat you have.
• Pour some of the juice from the can of pineapples into the teriyaki sauce, I use about half as much pineapple juice as teriyaki sauce, but you can experiment to find out how much is right for you.
• Add a tablespoon of minced garlic to the bag.
• Toss in the meat.
• Close the bag, then shake it around until all the meat is coated well. Put the bag in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, preferably overnight.

Trackback This Post | Subscribe to the comments through RSS Feed