Tipful Tuesday - Getting Ready for Grilling Season

Since tomorrow is the 4th of July holiday - I wanted to share some tips I found in a recent magazine.   

Before the grilling season starts, give your barbecue it's annual checkup.  We use our grill year round; so now that I've found this I will try to follow the how-to advice to keep my grill up to snuff.  

Deep-clean inside and out

Interior - dry-scrub crud from grates, burners, and inside surfaces with a nonscratch sponge or a nylon brush

Exterior - Sponge off both stainless-steel and enameled surfaces with warm soapy water and wipe dry (to prevent streaking)

Don't just 'burn it off' - after cooking you shouldn't turn up the gas, close the top and walk away. L (I believe most of us are guilty of that).  Instead, run the burners on HIGH for only 5 minutes before turning them off.  Then scrub the grates with a grill brush or a ball of foil pinched between thongs.  Or you can try this next day trick:  fill a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water, coat the interior of the grill and close it, and let sit for an hour.  This will soften the residue for you to brush right off.

Prep the Propane - Run a leak test.  Coat the regulator, valves, and hoses with soapy water, then turn on the tank to pressurize the system.  Look for bubbles, which indicate escaping gas.  Use a brush to clear out debris or insect nests from the tubes.  Fire up the burners without the grates in place and look for spots that aren't flaming evenly.  Once cool, clear any blockages in the burners with a paper clip.

Check Gas Levels - it's smart to always have an extra full tank on hand; store it upright and outdoors in the shade

Find and Fix your grill's hot spots - to identify the heat pattern, cover grates with slices of white bread and run burners on HIGH for a few minutes.  Cut the flame and flip the slices to see which toasted most, indicating where the hot spots are.  To even out the heat, add grates of hard-anodized aluminum.

Touch, don't pierce - I found this one MOST interesting.  J However, I'm not sure how many individuals will actually use this test.  I know my hubby won't.  

Most meats require a food thermometer for gauging doneness.  But to conserve juices in steak the way pro chefs do, try this touch test.

Rare - the outside consistency of beef with a cool red center should be about that of the spot between the thumb and forefinger of a relaxed hand

Medium - To gauge if steak is just pink inside, compare how it feels with the density of the center of you palm when you hold your hand flat

Well - Meat that's cooked all the way through should be firm but with a slight give, similar to the texture of the tip of your nose

Learn your burger basics - achieving a juicy delectably charred burger requires a certain degree of skill.  Check out these pointers......

Think thin - the best burgers are three-quarters to an inch thick. Too plump and they tend to char on the outside and undercook on the inside.

Make an impression - use the back of a spoon to make a shallow, inch-wide dent in each patty (unless it's stuffed). That'll help them cook flat so they don't look like oversize meatballs.

Pat your patties - Dab each burger with a paper towel and sprinkle with salt. Both will wick moisture from the surface, allowing for better browning.

Start hot - A temperature of 450 degrees is just right for cooking burgers. Place patties over direct heat. 

Go easy on 'em. - stabbing burgers with a fork when turning them drains their precious juices. Instead, use a spatula and flip when you see moisture rising to the surface.

Know when to stop - grilling times vary, so getting a temperature reading is key. Medium-rare burgers are ready at 130 degrees, medium at 140 degrees. For safety, Martin recommends the USDA guideline of 160 degrees—well-done. 

Now lets get grillin'!

Linking to some of these fab parties!