Grilling Tips from Kingsford

I love grilling and the even though gas grills are so easy to use, I would much rather have a burger, steak, chicken, just anything cooked over charcoal. Here are some tips for cooking perfectly over a charcoal grill.

Basic Grilling
1. Keep food from sticking by rubbing grill with vegetable oil or non-stick cooking spray.
2. Leaving space around each food item on the grill allows for even cooking and smoke penetration.
3. Turn meat just once on the grill—for steaks, turn them when the juices start to bubble on the uncooked side (the clearer the juice, the more well done the meat).
4. Apply sauces containing honey, brown sugar or molasses during the last 10 minutes to prevent the sauce from burning.
5. Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy so you can spritz flare-ups, which can blacken your food.
6. Place cooked foods on a clean plate, not one that has previously held raw meat, fish or poultry. Bacteria from raw food can contaminate the cooked food and cause food poisoning.
7. Brush the grilling surface (once it's cooled) with a wired brush to remove any stuck on food.

Direct Grilling
Cook foods that take less than 30 minutes directly over the coals.
Examples: boneless chicken, steaks, fish fillets, hamburgers and hot dogs.

Generally, use 30 briquets (just over 1lb) to grill 1lb of meat or poultry. The size and type of your grill, type of food and the weather all affect the amount of charcoal you need.

Indirect Grilling
Foods that take longer than 30 minutes and are higher in fat are best cooked over indirect heat, in a way similar to oven roasting.
Examples: whole turkeys, bone-in chicken, ribs and briskets.

Here's how:

* Bank charcoal briquets on one or both sides of a drip pan on the lower grid.
* Place food on the grill, centered over a drip pan.
* Close the grill lid to contain heat and seal in smoky flavor.
* Add water, apple juice or other flavored liquids to the drip pan to provide extra moistness and flavor to food, if desired.
Use approximately 25 briquets on each side of the drip pan for the first hour of cooking time. After each additional hour, add 8 new briquets to the outside edges on either side. Move them to the center when they're ashed over.

Happy Grilling!