The Art and Science of Grilling: Tips and Tricks from a Seasoned Pro

As we dive into the world of grilling, it's essential to understand that there's more to it than just turning on the grill and cooking. A good grill is an extension of your kitchen, and with the right techniques and tools, you can achieve perfect results every time. In this article, we'll explore some expert tips and tricks to help you elevate your grilling game.

**Using Wood for Flavor**

While gas grills are convenient, they often lack the rich flavor that comes from cooking over an open flame. To overcome this, you can use wood chunks or chips to add smoky flavor to your grilled food. The key is to create a good smoke by setting the wood on the hot side of the grill and allowing it to smolder. Once the fire reaches the right temperature, move the wood to the cooler side of the grill and place your meat there. As the smoke circulates around the meat, you'll be able to achieve that elusive flavor from cooking with real wood.

**Maintaining Your Grill**

Regular maintenance is crucial for keeping your grill in top condition and ensuring it continues to perform well over time. One essential step is preheating the grill before each use. This involves building a fire and getting the grates hot, which helps to clean them and prevent rust. While wire brushes are a common tool used to clean the grates, some experts swear by alternative methods like rubbing an onion on the grates or using steel wool or a hard sponge with a brillo pad texture. These methods not only clean the grill but also add flavor.

**Cleaning the Grill**

After each use, it's essential to clean the grill thoroughly to prevent food residue and debris from building up. One trick is to use a wire brush to scrape off any food particles, followed by a gentle cleaning with a steel wool or sponge to remove any remaining residue. For tougher grime, some experts recommend using a mixture of cooking oil and acid (like lemon juice) to break down the stains before scrubbing them away.

**Using the Right Utensils**

When it comes to handling food on your grill, having the right utensils can make all the difference. A good spatula is essential for flipping and serving food, but be sure to choose a tool that's large enough to handle the food without tearing or damaging it. Applying cooking oil to the spatula before using it can also prevent sticking and make cleanup easier.

**Tips from an Expert**

Our seasoned grilling pro offers several additional tips to help you take your grilling game to the next level:

* Always preheat the grill before cooking.

* Use a wire brush or alternative cleaning methods to keep the grates clean and rust-free.

* Apply cooking oil to utensils before using them to prevent sticking.

* Take care when handling fish, as it can be delicate. Use a spatula with a curved edge to help guide it without tearing.

By following these expert tips and tricks, you'll be well on your way to becoming a master griller. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, the key is to experiment, practice, and have fun with the process. Happy grilling!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey thank y'all for stopping by the backyard don't you know meet my best friend the grill yes it is and I'm gonna give you my top ten grilling tips to help you grill all summer long come on I'll get the fire started hey thank y'all for stopping by and we welcome you here if this is your first time stopping by my name is Kent Rollins y'all might have seen me on chopped grill masters or maybe some other Food Network show or even CBS Sunday morning but hey let's just get right into it folks cuz we're gonna teach you about grilling Dutch oven cooking tips and tricks have a video for you every week and today what are we doing talking about my ten best grilling tips so folks I think the first thing we need to talk about is how we're going to get that piece of meat that you're grilling tinder and let's talk about limes and lemons I'm talking about the juice you get from each one of them now I for Lee using lemon juice and I'm not soaked in a minute I mean I'm not drowning them I'm just talking about a little bit on both sides of whatever you're grilling lemon for fins or feathers that's chickens or fish or birds that fly and if we talking about lime juice I'm talking about pork I'm talking about beef I'm talking about wild game that way it's going to break down cuz what does that acid do it breaks down muscle connective tissue which makes it more tender but we're not masking the flavor of meat and making it taste like lemons and limes we're just enhancing that so you got that lime juice or that lemon juice on there the least amount of time I'm going to let that sit folks is about three hours because that's what it needs to do to make that meat tender so after you put that lemon or lime juice on there I ask you that you season it and a lot of times folks the biggest mistakes were made under seasoned overcook so make sure you get enough of that seasoning so let's talk about grilling some chicken and I'm talking about them big old chicken breasts hey first thing I like to do put them in a baggie take me a rolling pin tool and pound them good two or three times to break that membrane down you may think you can't not see it but there's a little bit of membrane there break that down it accepts seasoning even better and it's also going to give you a more even cook time because you're flattening it out to where it's all the same thickness so let's talk about grilling some big old pieces of pork chop I'm talking bone-in about this thick what are you gonna do so you've got it tenderize you've got it seasoned you drug it out there let's take that big old pork chop wrap it in some tinfoil put it on the direct heat and let's cook it about four minutes each side what are we doing we're steaming that making it tender to where you're gonna cook it a little less time over the open fire so after about four minutes each side then you're gonna take it out of that tin foil put it right over that heat that thing is gonna be so tender well that meats out of the fridge warming up you better go light that grill hey what you're gonna use lighter fluid don't eat black just go get a pizza I'm thinking folks if you're gonna light that grill do it natural do it with propane do it with a chimney and newspaper are you some of these little folk Oh deals put them in there one little old click format slider and then things will burn there's no aftertaste it's natural it's just resin and pine it is a good thing so you got that grill lit you got it ready to go the meat is ready to throw on the grill but are the coals ready are they hot are they good white and ashy now folks you don't want to start too soon to wear them things are not as hot as they can be you want to start at the peak performance that that hardwood or that hardwood lump is giving you wait till you see that good white hot stuff burning and then it is time to go to town and if you want more information about cooking woods or hardwood lump we'll have you a link right up there bub to where you can check it out and folks when we're talking about direct heat and indirect heat indirect heat is where there's nothing under that side of the grill all them coals have been pushed to one side I like to do this if it's on getting a longer cook time for a piece of meat let it get some of that good smoke flavor in there on the grill so folks the way I like to grill is I like to have a really hot side I mean smoking hot other side not so much and I use them both one is you can start something out on that side when it's a little cool warm it up then throw it over on the hot side but if you've got one of them sites that's done on that side and it's nearly get him off put him on that cooler into the grill always run two ends so let's talk about a gas grill sure they're convenient at times they are and I have used them when I've been so tired of cooking over a live fire go out to our turn that propane Oh mash that button let it get hot clean the grill throw a piece of meat on there I wouldn't even have a fire started about that time but folks what do you not get out of it you don't get that flavor you get from cooking with wood so how do you get more flavor out of that gas grill I know a lot of you got one of them first of all get you some wood I'm not talking about chips I'm talking about wood maybe this thick I'm not talking about very much but I want you to set it over there on the hot side of that fire to where that gas grill can get that stuff caught to where you can get some smoke and once it gets to smolder and once it gets hot you can move it over at the cooler side put your stuff out there that you're going to grill let that smoke circulate hey it's the next best thing to cooking with real wood so let's talk about maintenance of that grill and cleaning them grates and taking care of it to where it performs and last a long time it does now I always like to preheat my grill now you need to do that I'm not talking about turning the burn around I'm talking about going and building that fire and getting it started to wear them grill grates are hot because when they're hot they clean and they old better now with mine I just usually take a wire brush to it and just run across there a lot of times but also a great trick that you can use that I've done many times and it so easy and it flavors the grill at the same time we're talking about cut you an onion in half rub him up and down them grates he's gonna clean and he's gonna season now they make all kind of oils that you can spray on a grill and I've used them too that you can put out there but folks try that onion trick you won't be disappointed and let's talk about cleaning that grill when you're done don't wait till the next day when you take that meat over while it is resting go ahead crank that heat plumb up there next to that grill let it get good and hot clean it good all it let the heat down way to the bottom you're in good shape ready to go next time now I have used a wire brush and I know how lot of you have but a lot of times some of that wire will transfer off there I've used steel wool and use that in a white but I've also disused a hard sponge that is fire resistant they make them they just look like a big old square like a brillo pad you can clean that grill with that but if you clean it you season it well you ain't gonna have no trouble cleaning it with that onion so what's talking about using the right utensils to take care of what you're cooking on that there agree so you got a piece of fish on there and fish is bad to stick because when you're grilling salmon your meat side down first and in turning it back over the skin so make sure that that grill is cleaned and old well but also make sure that the tool you're using the pick it up with as big as what you're cooking I've seen a lot of people reaching there with a little old spatula trying to get a piece of fish and turn it over in a tear plumb apart so make sure but another tip I'm gonna give you and this is the final one folks spray that spatula with any good cooking oil before you slip it in there hey it's like Teflon things will slide right out well we hope this helped y'all out cuz man it is grilling season all year round but right now my I mean in the summertime gather them folks up get that grill smoking hot and let's get it to go it I hope you enjoyed this we'll have you some links down there below for more helpful resources about this we appreciate you tuning in every Wednesday and every Saturday and as always i tip my hats to our veterans and our servicemen and women for keeping that old flag flying over camp god bless you each and every one and i'll see you down i'm gonna be every day trick this is hard being me it really is no this is just a little guy who cooks wearing a hathey thank y'all for stopping by the backyard don't you know meet my best friend the grill yes it is and I'm gonna give you my top ten grilling tips to help you grill all summer long come on I'll get the fire started hey thank y'all for stopping by and we welcome you here if this is your first time stopping by my name is Kent Rollins y'all might have seen me on chopped grill masters or maybe some other Food Network show or even CBS Sunday morning but hey let's just get right into it folks cuz we're gonna teach you about grilling Dutch oven cooking tips and tricks have a video for you every week and today what are we doing talking about my ten best grilling tips so folks I think the first thing we need to talk about is how we're going to get that piece of meat that you're grilling tinder and let's talk about limes and lemons I'm talking about the juice you get from each one of them now I for Lee using lemon juice and I'm not soaked in a minute I mean I'm not drowning them I'm just talking about a little bit on both sides of whatever you're grilling lemon for fins or feathers that's chickens or fish or birds that fly and if we talking about lime juice I'm talking about pork I'm talking about beef I'm talking about wild game that way it's going to break down cuz what does that acid do it breaks down muscle connective tissue which makes it more tender but we're not masking the flavor of meat and making it taste like lemons and limes we're just enhancing that so you got that lime juice or that lemon juice on there the least amount of time I'm going to let that sit folks is about three hours because that's what it needs to do to make that meat tender so after you put that lemon or lime juice on there I ask you that you season it and a lot of times folks the biggest mistakes were made under seasoned overcook so make sure you get enough of that seasoning so let's talk about grilling some chicken and I'm talking about them big old chicken breasts hey first thing I like to do put them in a baggie take me a rolling pin tool and pound them good two or three times to break that membrane down you may think you can't not see it but there's a little bit of membrane there break that down it accepts seasoning even better and it's also going to give you a more even cook time because you're flattening it out to where it's all the same thickness so let's talk about grilling some big old pieces of pork chop I'm talking bone-in about this thick what are you gonna do so you've got it tenderize you've got it seasoned you drug it out there let's take that big old pork chop wrap it in some tinfoil put it on the direct heat and let's cook it about four minutes each side what are we doing we're steaming that making it tender to where you're gonna cook it a little less time over the open fire so after about four minutes each side then you're gonna take it out of that tin foil put it right over that heat that thing is gonna be so tender well that meats out of the fridge warming up you better go light that grill hey what you're gonna use lighter fluid don't eat black just go get a pizza I'm thinking folks if you're gonna light that grill do it natural do it with propane do it with a chimney and newspaper are you some of these little folk Oh deals put them in there one little old click format slider and then things will burn there's no aftertaste it's natural it's just resin and pine it is a good thing so you got that grill lit you got it ready to go the meat is ready to throw on the grill but are the coals ready are they hot are they good white and ashy now folks you don't want to start too soon to wear them things are not as hot as they can be you want to start at the peak performance that that hardwood or that hardwood lump is giving you wait till you see that good white hot stuff burning and then it is time to go to town and if you want more information about cooking woods or hardwood lump we'll have you a link right up there bub to where you can check it out and folks when we're talking about direct heat and indirect heat indirect heat is where there's nothing under that side of the grill all them coals have been pushed to one side I like to do this if it's on getting a longer cook time for a piece of meat let it get some of that good smoke flavor in there on the grill so folks the way I like to grill is I like to have a really hot side I mean smoking hot other side not so much and I use them both one is you can start something out on that side when it's a little cool warm it up then throw it over on the hot side but if you've got one of them sites that's done on that side and it's nearly get him off put him on that cooler into the grill always run two ends so let's talk about a gas grill sure they're convenient at times they are and I have used them when I've been so tired of cooking over a live fire go out to our turn that propane Oh mash that button let it get hot clean the grill throw a piece of meat on there I wouldn't even have a fire started about that time but folks what do you not get out of it you don't get that flavor you get from cooking with wood so how do you get more flavor out of that gas grill I know a lot of you got one of them first of all get you some wood I'm not talking about chips I'm talking about wood maybe this thick I'm not talking about very much but I want you to set it over there on the hot side of that fire to where that gas grill can get that stuff caught to where you can get some smoke and once it gets to smolder and once it gets hot you can move it over at the cooler side put your stuff out there that you're going to grill let that smoke circulate hey it's the next best thing to cooking with real wood so let's talk about maintenance of that grill and cleaning them grates and taking care of it to where it performs and last a long time it does now I always like to preheat my grill now you need to do that I'm not talking about turning the burn around I'm talking about going and building that fire and getting it started to wear them grill grates are hot because when they're hot they clean and they old better now with mine I just usually take a wire brush to it and just run across there a lot of times but also a great trick that you can use that I've done many times and it so easy and it flavors the grill at the same time we're talking about cut you an onion in half rub him up and down them grates he's gonna clean and he's gonna season now they make all kind of oils that you can spray on a grill and I've used them too that you can put out there but folks try that onion trick you won't be disappointed and let's talk about cleaning that grill when you're done don't wait till the next day when you take that meat over while it is resting go ahead crank that heat plumb up there next to that grill let it get good and hot clean it good all it let the heat down way to the bottom you're in good shape ready to go next time now I have used a wire brush and I know how lot of you have but a lot of times some of that wire will transfer off there I've used steel wool and use that in a white but I've also disused a hard sponge that is fire resistant they make them they just look like a big old square like a brillo pad you can clean that grill with that but if you clean it you season it well you ain't gonna have no trouble cleaning it with that onion so what's talking about using the right utensils to take care of what you're cooking on that there agree so you got a piece of fish on there and fish is bad to stick because when you're grilling salmon your meat side down first and in turning it back over the skin so make sure that that grill is cleaned and old well but also make sure that the tool you're using the pick it up with as big as what you're cooking I've seen a lot of people reaching there with a little old spatula trying to get a piece of fish and turn it over in a tear plumb apart so make sure but another tip I'm gonna give you and this is the final one folks spray that spatula with any good cooking oil before you slip it in there hey it's like Teflon things will slide right out well we hope this helped y'all out cuz man it is grilling season all year round but right now my I mean in the summertime gather them folks up get that grill smoking hot and let's get it to go it I hope you enjoyed this we'll have you some links down there below for more helpful resources about this we appreciate you tuning in every Wednesday and every Saturday and as always i tip my hats to our veterans and our servicemen and women for keeping that old flag flying over camp god bless you each and every one and i'll see you down i'm gonna be every day trick this is hard being me it really is no this is just a little guy who cooks wearing a hat\n"