Instructions

1. Thaw all of your meats thoroughly before grilling. Meats that are frozen or partially frozen will cook unevenly, the outside finishing faster than the inside. This can lead to drying out or burning some parts while still having raw parts on a single cut.

2. Prepare your meats the night or morning before grilling if they need to be brined, dry rubbed or marinated. Have them wrapped and ready to go directly from the fridge to the grill when ready. This will prevent them from waiting out at room temperature as you are preparing your grill or gathering your other ingredients and supplies.

3. Gather all of your grilling supplies before you light the coals. In the time it takes you to run and get that spatula or barbecue sauce, your food could burn. Be sure to have a fire extinguisher on hand for safety as well.

4. Clean your grill grate ahead of time with a sturdy wire brush. The more food bits you remove from your grate, the less you will have to worry about contamination, and food will not stick as much to the grate when you are grilling. After cleaning your grill, dip a paper towel in vegetable oil and rub it onto the grate to further prevent sticking.

5. Use a charcoal chimney starter or electric charcoal lighter and follow the instructions on the package to ignite your charcoal. Avoid lighter fluid and instant-light charcoal. These produce unhealthy fumes that get into your food, affecting the flavor of food.

6. Decide if the food you are cooking should be cooked over direct heat, or indirect heat. Direct heat is when you place the food directly over the coals. Indirect heat is when the coals are moved to one side and the food is placed on the other side of the grill so that the heat from the coals cooks the food. Cook thin meats, such as hamburgers, hot dogs, and sausages, over direct heat. Corn on the cob and potatoes also cook better over direct heat. Cook thicker meats, such as roasts and chicken quarters, delicate foods like lobster tails, or vegetables that can char and burn quickly, on indirect heat.

7. When ignited coals are glowing red, spread them on the bottom of the barbecue with metal tongs. Allow them to burn approximately 20 minutes until they are white and ashen looking.

8. Add some aromatics or smoking agents to your coals so that they flavor your food. If cooking by direct heat, place cedar wood chips or dried herbs directly onto the coals. If cooking by indirect heat, place them in a foil pouch in the space under where the food will go. Make holes in the top of the foil pouch to let the smoke escape.

9. Use tongs or a spatula rather than forks. Sticking a fork into hot meat creates an exit for juices and leave your meat dry. Avoid pressing down on burgers or other meats to prevent squeezing out the juices.

10. Stay near your grill while the food cooks, but try to avoid touching it more than necessary. Try to let one side finish cooking before turning it so that you won't have to turn it again. Remove cooked foods with a clean spatula or tongs, not one that has touched raw meats. Use a separate utensil for vegetables.

11. Check the meat temperature with a meat thermometer for doneness. Allow meats to rest for 10 to 20 minutes before cutting into them or eating. This will give the juices time to redistribute and settle.