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Prep & Serving

Here we take a look at the raw ingredients we use in outdoor cooking, the meat, herbs, spices, rubs, sauces, marinades and more.

We discuss food prep, storage, cooking, reheating, how to use rubs, sauces, and marinades.

We cover meat tenderizing techniques, how to thicken sauces, how and why to cut against the grain, making your own rubs, how to spatchcock a chicken and more.

A thick steak with a slice cut away and being held on a fork, in front of some veg on a plate.
Prep & Serving

The Best Thickness for Steak, and Dealing with Too Thin or Thick

It’s time to solve another mystery of grilling — what is the ideal thickness for a steak to get the absolute best results, and how do you grill it just right? What if you're faced with only very thin or very thick steaks? Which would be best? How best to cook them? We’re on the case!

Grilled onglet steak, partially sliced, sitting on a cutting board.
Prep & Serving

How to Season a Steak for the Best Possible Flavor

Opinions are like belly buttons (and other things); everybody has one! When it comes to grilling, though, most folks have more than one. And that includes the touchy subject of when and how much to season and salt your steak. Don't worry what anyone else says; we have the straight answers for you right here.

a frozen steak in vac pack, sitting on a wooden cutting board.
Prep & Serving

How to Defrost Steak Quickly and Safely, The Very Best Methods

Who doesn’t love knowing they have thick, delicious steaks at the ready whenever the craving hits? Stocking up on steaks means keeping them on ice, and that means thawing them out for grilling. What’s the best way to get it done without compromising on flavor or safety? We’ve got the answer.

Plastic wrapped meat in the bottom drawer of a meat freezer.
Prep & Serving

How to Store Meat in Your Fridge or Freezer Safely

Today, we try to answer all your questions about meat storage in the fridge, the freezer, the temperatures you must use, options for safe wrapping materials, how long you can store it for, what freezer burn is, and how to avoid it, and more.

Close up of a burger with tomato and lettuce.
Prep & Serving

How to Make Burgers — From Choosing the Right Meat to Perfect Grilling

Learn how to make delicious, moist, flavor-packed burgers from raw ingredients yourself, at home, to achieve perfect flavor and moistness…and no falling apart patties. We cover it all from meat selection to choosing binders and finally making and cooking the perfect burger.

Two spatchcock chicken on a kamado grill.
Prep & Serving

How to Spatchcock a Chicken (With Video) — And Why You Should Try it!

Spatchcocking a chicken allows us to get dry rub and flavor onto more surface area while reducing the grilling time of a whole bird by half. It also lowers the chances of us over or undercooking the bird for a higher chance at a better end result. Here’s how to do it.

A whole chicken defrosting on a white plate.
Prep & Serving

How to Defrost Chicken Fast — and Above all, SAFELY!

Cooking chicken from frozen is a recipe for disaster — or illness. But defrosting chicken can take from hours for small cuts to over 24 hours for a whole bird. But all is not lost: Here’s how to defrost chicken fast, for those inevitable times you were unable to prepare properly.

Dry aging beef in a refrigerator.
Prep & Serving

How to Dry Age Beef and Steak at Home — A Step-by-Step Guide

Try it to believe it! Dry aging concentrates and intensifies the flavor of meat, taking the flavor to a whole new level. Here’s how to dry age your beef and steak at home yourself, which can save you A LOT of money over buying it pre-aged from a butcher.

A mans hand liberally sprinkling dry rub over pork ribs.
Prep & Serving

How to Use Dry Rub — How Much, When, And on Wet or Dry Meat?

Using the right amount of rub in the correct way, can be the difference between a superbly complemented and elevated tasting piece of meat or an overpowered disaster. Learn how much rub to use, when to apply it, proper technique, and more in this guide.

Close up of two bits of hanger steak — tough and benefit from tenderizing.
Prep & Serving

How to Tenderize Steak — Turn Cheap Cuts Into Prime Equivalents!

Here are six popular ways to tenderize steak, to take even the cheapest of available steak cuts and make them feel like more expensive, higher-quality prime steaks than they are. You will be able to find at least one method using things you already have in your kitchen!

A diagram demonstrating cutting against the grain.
Prep & Serving

Cutting Against the Grain — What Does this Mean When Carving Meat?

Cutting against the grain gives an entirely different ‘mouthfeel’ to meat during eating. It can be the difference between the same cut of meat feeling tough or wonderfully tender. So learn how to cut against the grain in our guide to getting the best results from meats you cook.

Ingredients prepared for dry brining some partridge, all seen laid out on a chopping board.
Prep & Serving

Wet Brining — Complete Guide With Step-by-Step Instructions

Wet brining is a fantastic way to drive extra flavor into meat, while helping to retain moisture after cooking. Great for whole birds such as chicken and turkey, but can also be used for smaller cuts to add extra tenderness and a big punch of flavor.

Close up of a dry brining prime beef rib with ribs removed, sitting on a chopping board.
Prep & Serving

Dry Brining Guide — Turkey, Chicken, Steaks, Chops and More

Dry brining gets seasoning deep into the meat and not just sitting on the surface, which increases the flavor considerably. And contrary to belief, it does not lead to dryness! In fact, it helps meat hold onto moisture for a more tender and delicious result.

Close up, angled view of portions of meat in a counter.
Prep & Serving

How Much Meat Per Person? — A Guide for Planning any Meal or Feast

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.

A piece of chicken breast being prepared to marinate in herbs and lemon juice.
Prep & Serving

How Long to Marinate Chicken for Perfect Flavor Penetration

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.

BBQ ribs dripping in thick sauce with a paint brush laying beside them.
Prep & Serving

How to Thicken BBQ Sauce — 11 Easy Ways With Common Ingredients

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!