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Instead of hit and miss when it comes to getting the perfect grilled meal, here are a few tips and tricks to keep in mind.
Getting the perfect grilled meal is a wonderful way to spend the summer meals outside but grilling can also great all year long.
What foods can be grilled?
Most foods that can be cooked inside are fine to grill outside as well. Grilling is perfect for steak, chicken, fish, vegetables and even some fruits.
Although there are a variety of methods and techniques for grilling, here are the basics
Always keep your grill clean
Before you begin cooking, heat your grill to the appropriate temperature.
Coal cooking will take about 45 minutes of pre-heating. Thick ash on the coals indicates low heat; a light grey ash indicates medium heat, and glowing red means high heat. Put three coals on one side and one layer on the other to give you hotter and cooler zones for cooking.
Check your heat zones with your hand -- place it palm-down at cooking height over the grill area you want to check and see how long you can keep it there. Five seconds is low heat, four seconds is medium heat, three seconds is medium-high heat, and two seconds is high heat.
Direct cooking, place the food right over the flame or coals.
Use indirect grilling for more delicate foods.
Keep a hot zone for searing and marking
Keep a medium/cooler zone for cooking the food through.
Use marinades for direct grilling to lock in flavor and moisture. Marinades without sugar can be added throughout cooking. If your marinade contains sugar, add it at the end of cooking, so it doesn't burn.
Check doneness with a meat thermometer or with pressure. Then, press the steak with your index finger or the flat of your fork -- a rare steak is soft, a medium steak is firm but yielding, and a well steak is firm.
And above all else, remember to let steaks rest 5-10 minutes before serving.