All About Grilling

Outdoor cooking should be a fun, relaxing and delicious activity; however, without the right equipment, grilling can be messy, disorganized and downright dangerous. Browse the menu to the left to view some of the essentials to barbecue successfully, along with several definitions of outdoor cooking terms!

Many cookbooks differ when giving advice on the correct temperature of food before being placed on a hot grill. Contrary to popular belief, foods should not be brought to room temperature before cooking on the grill. Especially foods like boneless chicken breasts, delicate fish and even the thicker chops, butterflied leg of lamb or whole butterflied chickens with bones. Foods that are grilled to perfection are those that attain a deeply caramelized exterior while remaining moist and succulent within. If foods that don't require lengthy cooking are brought to room temperature before cooking, chances are that by the time the exterior looks right, the interior will have become overcooked and dry. The exception here is when grilling a whole (uncut) leg of meat (lamb, veal or pork) or poultry. These larger cuts benefit by being removed from the refrigerator thirty minutes to one hour before grilling because they need longer exposure to heat in order to cook sufficiently. Most importantly, these cuts should always cook over indirect heat to prevent the exterior from burning. If, when almost cooked to your liking, the meat doesn't have the desired savory look, simply place over direct heat for a couple of minutes to intensify the color.

About the Grill

Grilling and Barbequing

Starting a Charcoal Fire

Hand-Held Equipment for Grilling Outdoors