Summer is a favorite time of year for foodies-fresh produce is bountiful, and the weather is finally warm enough to get grilling! Using your grill is a great way to cook flavorful, healthy food without a ton of prep work. If you’re watching calories, it’s also very easy to make delicious meals on your grill without having to add a lot of extra fats from oil and butter.
Grilling can be intimidating if you’ve never tried it, but it’s actually very easy if you know some of the basics. These helpful tips and tricks will get you well on your way to becoming a grill master in no time!
Preheat your grill for longer than you think is necessary
Once you light up your grill, you’ll want to preheat for at least 20-30 minutes without opening your lid. Not only will this kill off the ghosts of bacteria and food-borne pathogens of BBQs past, it will ensure that your food cooks evenly once you place it on the grill.
Choose lean cuts of meat
If you’re looking for lean BBQ options, McLean turkey sausages are a great choice. As they are fully cooked, just re-heat and eat. Unlike grilling a skinless chicken breast or lean steak, our McLean Turkey Grills, and Turkey Frankies will stay juicy on the BBQ. Lean meats are a good choice for more than one reason- not only will you skip out on calories from saturated fats, you’ll reduce BBQ flare-ups from fat drippings, which cause charring that contains carcinogens.
Check your internal meat temperature
The primary challenge of grilling is knowing when your food is perfectly cooked. If you’re a beginner, it’s easy to over or under-cook grilled foods if you’re not familiar with cooking time for various foods. The safest way to figure it out is by checking the internal temperature of your food with a food thermometer. For poultry, the recommended cooking temperature is 75℃. For beef, 63-77℃, and for pork, lamb, and veal, 74℃.
Put a lid on it
The most common mistake that people make when grilling is to keep the lid of their grill open, or checking their food too many times by opening it up. The key to perfectly cooked food is keeping a consistent temperature. Most foods only need to be turned one time! If you’re worried about whether or not your meat is cooked properly, buy a remote thermometer that will sound an alarm when your meat reaches the right temperature.
Once you master these basics of grilling, you’ll find that it’s probably the easiest way there is to prepare flavorful food- and it’s a great excuse to invite some friends over!