We all make grilling and barbeque cooking mistakes. Sometimes we
don't even know what they are until we realize that the
barbequed and grilled food you cook is not as good as you've had
elsewhere. Make a mental note of these outdoor cooking tips and
get in the outdoor cooking game.
Your
average backyard cook is no expert in the barbeque
or grilling field. He has no television shows on the Food
Network. He has no grilling cookbooks out. Nor has any of those
been part of his lifetime goal.
No, your average outdoor cooking enthusiast makes more mistakes
with bbq grilling than you could ever imagine. The meat ends up
dry and tough time after time, despite marinating for hours. Or
the meat is burnt or cooked too long.
These mistakes are made time and time again because your average
backyard cook usually does not know any different.
Here are some of the more common mistakes and
do's and
don'ts made in bbq grill cooking:
1) If you started with frozen meat, make sure the meat
is thawed completely. Trying to cook the inside of a
still-frozen piece of meat is next to impossible without burning
the outside.
2) When using a charcoal grill, try to start the fire
without charcoal lighter fluid. Lighter fluid taste will always
get into your meat no matter how much you cook the coals down
first. A
chimney starter makes starting the fire a
breeze. It also allows you to add charcoal along the way should
should the coals burn out along the way.
3) Never poke the bbq meat with a fork after cooking has
begun. This is one of the most common mistakes and one of the
most deadly for your barbeque. When poking with a fork, the
juices will run out of the meat and right into the bottom of the
barbeque pit or grill. Your meat will be dry and less tender.
Use a long set of
tongs to turn the meat.
4) Lower the heat. Except for steaks, that need a quick
searing, cook slow over low to medium heat. Lower heat is much
more manageable and it will make the meat tender and juicy.
5) Quit lifting the lid to check the meat. Every time
you do that it changes the temperature inside the bbq grill or
pit. Air from you opening the lid acts like a sponge and dries
the meat up. Opening the lid also increases your chances of
flare-ups.
5) This is more of a food safety mistake. Do not put the
cooked meat back on the same plate or platter that the raw meat
was on without washing it first. Mixing the cooked with the raw
just begs for someone to get sick.
Of course, these are not all of the mistakes made by the
amateur outdoor cook, but are some of the more common. But if
you will prevent doing these yourself, you will eliminate many
of the things that cause barbeque failures.
Your guests and family will wonder how come your grilled or
barbequed food is so much better then it used to be. And, who
knows?...Maybe the Food Network will come looking for you.
About the author:
Billy Bristol is an outdoor barbeque and grill cooking fanatic
from Texas. He is the editor of
http://www.TexasBarbeques.com, a website devoted to
outdoor cooking and patio design ideas.
Billy is not a professional barbeque chef, and is not immune to
mistakes in outdoor cooking. But he believes learning and
correcting the mistakes for the next backyard experience is key
to great outdoor living success
