When food sticks to the grill, it tears, falls apart, can be lost into the void below, and ruins the presentation. It happens to us all but is something we can easily prevent with a bit of preparation. Here’s how to avoid sticking food happening.
Did you know you can grill steak from frozen? It can actually result in fantastic steak, done to perfect doneness levels if you keep in mind these few little tips. Maybe not surprisingly, it can even help avoid overcooking the center while you build a deliciously tasty crust!
Ever defrosted some food, reheated it, but then found out you didn’t eat all that you reheated? Can you re-store it, then reheat it AGAIN? How many times can you safely reheat food? Does the quality suffer? We explore this in depth below.
Every recipe advises to leave a fat cap on your brisket, for flavor and to protect the meat from drying out. But they rarely say whether to cook it with fat side up or down. It does make a difference, so read on to find out which way is best.
Liquid smoke is made by condensing down real smoke into a liquid form. It’s often used in place of cooking food on a smoker to add a smoky flavor. This article looks in-depth at how it’s made, its flavor profile, and what the experts think about its use.
Why do we rest meat? What is the science behind it? Is it worth doing, or is it pointless and just somehow ingrained into our psyche? This guide digs into the facts, dispels the odd myth, and answers all your questions on resting meat.
Brisket can weigh 7KG or more, so there’s often leftovers. But reheated brisket can be dry and undesirable if not done with care and proper technique. So use the storage and reheating methods in this guide to get the best results possible.
Open up many more possibilities on your grill by learning how to set up for indirect cooking. In this configuration, you can grill, smoke, roast, and even bake, pretty much enabling you to cook anything on your grill that you would in your kitchen. Here’s how to do it.
Not all pork ribs are created equal. They are different sizes, yield different amounts of meat, and need different techniques and times to cook them. Learn all about spares, baby backs, St Louis ribs, and more in our guide to the different types of pork ribs.
Thermometer accuracy can drift over time, so they need calibration to prevent false readings that can lead to woefully under— or over-cooked food and potentially even unsafe food. So follow the steps below to calibrate your thermometers, so you can trust them.
Many people mistakenly call a griddle a grill…and vice versa. But they are different cooking surfaces, suited to different food types, requiring different techniques to use. This guide answers all your questions on griddle vs. grill, so you know how to use each and when you should pick one over the other.
Most chefs sear a steak on both sides, then put it into a low oven to cook slowly up to their desired finished temperature. The reverse sear flips that backward by cooking low n slow first, before searing the outside for a tasty crust. Here’s how and why.
Wood comes in logs, chunks, chips, and dust. Each serves a different purpose and needs to be used differently. In this guide, we focus on chips and how to use them properly to smoke on a charcoal or gas grill, to add smoky flavor to your food.
Can you roast and bake on your outdoor grills and smokers? Of course, you can! You can perfectly mimic your kitchen oven outdoors and cook anything on your grills and smokers you can in your oven with the proper technique. Here we look at exactly how.
Prime rib, also known as a standing rib roast, is cut from the rib primal. It’s usually roasted bone-in as an impressive centerpiece for a dinner party, and it’s a fantastic cut for grilling or smoking if your aim is to impress. Learn all about it here.
Porterhouses are T-bones, but not all T-bones are Porterhouses. Confusing?! We do away with the confusion in this guide by discussing the differences between these two premium steaks. We also discuss how to buy, select and prepare each, and how to cook them.
Flare-ups are not only scary, but they can also be damn well dangerous too! In this guide we cover tips for preventing flare-ups, as well as what to do in case you’re faced with one, for both charcoal and gas grills.
The charcoal snake method of fire management is one you need to learn if you want to do low n slow smoking on your standard kettle-style grill. It’s an easy-to-use, reliable, and highly effective way to smoke food controllably for many hours. So, brisket and ribs, here we come!
The Texas crutch is used to help keep meat moist during very long cooks, and also to speed up cooking time by pushing through the stall instead of waiting. You lose some crunch in the bark, but the extra tender meat more than makes up for it.
The minion method is a way to configure, light, and burn charcoal in your smoker to get many hours of controlled, low-temperature cooking and smoking.
Grilling on a charcoal deck comes with some issues. Not only can you easily ruin your decking by dropping charcoal and charring it, but it’s an obvious fire hazard too. So you need to protect it and manage the fire risk. Here’s how to grill on your decking safely.
When planning a meal or party, you need to know how much meat to buy and cook per person. It’s not always obvious and depends on the type of meat, whether a main ingredient or side and how much weight is lost during cooking. That’s where this guide will help you.
You can’t just buy a brisket, rub it up and throw it on the smoker. For the best results, you need to trim it first. And though it’s a big, intimidating piece of meat, trimming a brisket properly is easy if you follow the advice below.
What is the definition of grilling? How does it differ from BBQ, or smoking, or any other outdoor cooking technique? In this short piece, we define grilling, how it differs from other techniques, and why we love it so much (Hint: Flavor!)
Here’s how to take any cut of meat from tough to melt-in-your-mouth tender. With five different methods to choose from that suit any kind or size of cut, there’s bound to be a way for you, using stuff you already have in your kitchen.
If you marinate chicken too long, it can go soft and mushy. If you don’t marinate long enough, the flavor doesn’t penetrate. So in this guide, we look at just how long you should marinate chicken to achieve perfect tenderness and flavor penetration.
Your new grill comes with oils and contaminants from the factory it was made in that when burned, produce nasty smoke and taint the taste of any food you cook. Seasoning is all about burning this off before it gets on your food. Here’s how.
Reheated food often suffers a loss of quality, and particularly moisture. But it doesn’t have to if you follow the tips in this guide to reheating pulled pork. If you store it properly, then reheat it carefully, it can be as good as if you just cooked it. Here’s how.
Curing — or seasoning — A new smoker, is a must-do process before cooking your first food that burns off all the oils and contaminants picked up or leftover after manufacturing. The seasoning also helps protect your smoker from corrosion, so it lasts longer. Here’s how to do it correctly.
In this guide, we talk you through 5 different ways to light your charcoal grill or smoker without lighter fluid. Some methods are more efficient, effective, and quicker than others. We also talk you through using lighter fluid correctly, just in case and for completeness.
The Maillard reaction is what we traditionally call ‘browning.’ It adds incredible flavor and is something you need to master if you wish to serve food at its very best. Grilling is one of the very best ways to create a seared crust via the Maillard effect, and today we learn all about it.
Hitting and maintaining consistent temperatures inside your grills and smokers is probably the most essential skill you will learn toward mastering outdoor cooking. So in this guide, we look at how to control the temperature in your charcoal grill precisely. It’s easy when you know how!
After hours of nursing a brisket through a low n slow smoke until perfect doneness, you don’t want to miss any trick when it comes to serving. You need to slice a brisket against the grain to get the most tender mouthfeel. Here’s how to cut a brisket correctly for the best results.
Beer can chicken causes many disagreements in the BBQ world: Does the beer actually impart any flavor? Is it safe to eat chicken that’s been stuffed with a beer can? Is the ink from a beer can food safe, or is it toxic? Today, we answer all your beer can chicken questions.
When it comes to charcoal, you have one main choice to make: Lump or briquettes? In this guide, we compare and contrast the pros and cons of each. We discuss when to use one or the other and the benefits gained from switching between the two at the correct times.
Different types of pork ribs take different times to cook. And how hot your smoker is makes a big difference too. And so does how you like them, and the way you cook them! So there’s no simple, fits all answer. However, we have all the answers below.
Can you reuse unburned charcoal for your next cook? Is it advised? If so, how? And are there any other uses for only partially used charcoal? Yes, you can reuse unburned charcoal, there are other uses too, and we detail 8 of them in this guide.
Despite what some people say, that horrible baked-on grease and old food on your grates is NOT extra flavor. It’s dirty, acrid-tasting junk. Get it cleaned off! Here’s how to get your stainless steel grates looking like new and how to keep them that way.
What is searing? What happens to meat during searing? Why do we use this technique so much? Hint: It’s all about added flavor! Learn how to sear meat properly and why you really should bother to, in our look at this essential cooking technique.
If your BBQ sauce is a little too runny, but you don’t want to change the flavor, try these eleven awesome tips for thickening. All use common ingredients you already have in your kitchen, so no need to go shopping. You’re bound to have one at hand!
Cast iron grill grates can last more than a lifetime if they are adequately cared for. This means regular cleaning, oiling, and ongoing general maintenance and care. Here are the four most effective, easy-to-use ways to restore your CI grates to their former glory.
Countless tips and tricks get passed around the BBQ community, becoming widely believed as gospel truth, despite many being wrong. So in this article, we list many things people believe — that are wrong — and then say what is actually right. There’s some great learning in here!
Which is the best material to cook on when it comes to grill grates? Or are different grates preferred at different times? What are the pros and cons of different grate materials? Let’s compare cast iron vs stainless steel to see if you should choose a clear winner.
Do you know the cooking technique of broiling? It’s similar to grilling, yet also very different because the heat comes from above, not below. Can this be achieved on our standard BBQs and grills? Why would we even want to bother? Find out below.
To make the best brisket, create the most delicious bark, to bring out, accentuate and highlight that big beefy flavor, you need to add a rub. But not just any rub. You need one that perfectly marries up with the stated goals. Here are our favorites.
It’s best to cook multiple racks of ribs to make the best of your time and fuel, which leads to storing and reheating them later. But how do you reheat ribs? What is the best way? Here’s how to reheat ribs, keeping quality high as if fresh off the smoker.
Chicken, the blank canvas of BBQ that pairs with an incredibly wide variety of flavors. In this guide, we look at 3 of our favorite dry rub recipes that you can use to elevate your smoked chickens' flavor to incredible heights that is sure to impress.
The worst fear of any outdoor cook when tackling brisket is it drying out. Injecting adds moisture, as well as ramps up the flavor profile. See 3 of the best beef brisket injection recipes below, as well as a guide and tips on how to inject the right way.
