| Reliable equipment and an appropriate fire are the | | | | on page 306. |
| basic needs for successful grilling. The tips outlined in | | | | For indirect grilling on a gas grill, light the grill according |
| the article below are suitable for gas or charcoal grills | | | | to your owner's manual. Turn the setting to high and |
| and include directions for both. | | | | let preheat for 10 to 15 min- utes. If your grill has |
| Sparking the Fire | | | | two burners, reduce the heat on one burner to |
| If you have a gas or electric grill, follow the directions | | | | desired temperature and turn the other burner off. |
| in your owner's manual for lighting and preheating it. | | | | With a three burner gas grill, turn the center burner |
| When building a charcoal fire, start with enough coals | | | | off. Place food over the unlit burner. Adjust the gas |
| on the bottom grate to cover an area about 3 inches | | | | flow to the burner that's on to maintain the desired |
| larger on all sides than the size of the food you plan | | | | temperature. Most gas grills have a built-in drip pan |
| to cook. Add a few more briquettes if the weather | | | | under the fire box, so generally no drip pan is needed. |
| is humid or windy. Mound the briquettes or put them | | | | We recommend placing whole birds and roasts on a |
| in a chimney starter (see photo 1, below) and ignite | | | | rack in a roasting pan and placing the roasting pan |
| them, leaving the grill's lid off. After lighting the coals, | | | | directly on the grill over the unlit burner. |
| leave them in a pile or in the starter until they're | | | | Controlling Flare-Ups |
| glowing red (about 20 minutes), then spread them | | | | Fat and meat juices dripping onto hot coals may |
| over the grate in a single layer. Let the coals burn for | | | | cause sudden small blazes, called flare-ups, which can |
| 5 to 10 minutes more or until they are covered with | | | | make your meat taste charred. To control flare-ups, |
| gray ash before putting the food on the grill. | | | | just raise the grill rack, cover the grill, space the hot |
| 1. Light charcoal briquettes: Arrange briquettes in a | | | | coals farther apart, or remove a few coals. As a last |
| mound in the center of the bottom grate. Placing | | | | resort, remove the food from the grill and mist the |
| them close together helps the fire to ignite | | | | fire with water from a spray bottle. When the flame |
| Instant-lighting briquettes, which ash over in about 20 | | | | subsides, return the food to the grill. |
| minutes, are saturated with a petroleum product that | | | | To prevent flare-ups on a gas grill, after each use |
| lights easily with a match. Besides electric starters | | | | turn the grill setting to high for 10 to 15 minutes with |
| and liquid lighter fluids, fire-starter gels and paraffin | | | | the lid closed. Use a brass bristle brush to remove |
| fire starters are both environmentally safe ways to | | | | any baked-on food from the grill rack. This will also |
| make the job of starting a charcoal fire easier. Wait | | | | burn off some of the residue on the lava rock or |
| about 1 minute after adding a liquid, gel, or wax | | | | ceramic briquettes. |
| starter before igniting the briquettes. Never use | | | | Adjusting the Heat |
| gasoline or kerosene as a fire starter. | | | | If the coals are too hot, raise the grill rack, spread |
| Direct vs. Indirect Grilling | | | | the coals apart, close the air vents halfway, or |
| Before arranging the coals, know whether you're | | | | remove some briquettes. For a gas or electric grill, |
| going to grill directly or indirectly. Any grill can be used | | | | adjust the burner to a lower setting. |
| for direct grilling, including braziers (the basic shallow | | | | If the coals are too cool, use long-handled tongs to |
| firebox on legs) and hibachis. For indirect grilling, you | | | | tap ashes off the burning coals, move the coals |
| need a grill that has a cover. These grills can be either | | | | together, add briquettes, lower the rack, or open the |
| kettle- or wagon-shaped and have gas, electric, or | | | | vents. For a gas or electric grill, adjust the burner to |
| charcoal heat sources. | | | | a higher setting. |
| With direct grilling, the food goes on the grill rack | | | | Not everyone judges the temperature of coals |
| directly over the heat. Direct grilling is best-suited to | | | | exactly alike. Therefore, the time ranges in our |
| foods that are tender, small, or thin and can be | | | | recipes are recommendations. For perfectly done |
| cooked in less than 30 minutes, which include steaks, | | | | food, use our timings as guides and watch all foods |
| burgers, kabobs, hot dogs, boneless poultry, fish, and | | | | on the grill closely. |
| most vegetables. For a charcoal grill, use long-handled | | | | What is the Ideal Cooking Temperature? |
| tongs to spread the hot coals evenly in a single layer | | | | One key to successful grilling is determining when the |
| (see photo 2, below). To set up a gas grill for direct | | | | charcoal or gas grill has obtained the ideal cooking |
| grilling, preheat it, then adjust the gas flow settings | | | | temperature. No matter what type of grill, you can |
| to the desired heat level. | | | | judge the temperature the same way. Hold your |
| 2. Direct grilling with charcoal: Rake out the glowing | | | | hand, palm side down, at cooking level and time how |
| coals evenly directly under the section of the grill | | | | long you can comfortably keep it there (see photos |
| rack where food will go. To test the temperature, | | | | 2 and 3, page 305). A hot fire allows a 2-second hand |
| count as directed on page 306. Indirect grilling means | | | | count. A medium-hot fire is considered a 3-second |
| placing the food over an area on the grill with no | | | | hand count. A medium fire equals a hand count of 4 |
| direct heat source and the grill is covered during | | | | seconds. And a low fire is considered a 5-second |
| cooking. | | | | count. When grilling indirectly, hot coals will provide |
| Indirect grilling is the choice for cooking whole birds, | | | | medium-hot heat and medium-hot coals will provide |
| ribs, large roasts, and whole fish. To set up a charcoal | | | | medium heat. |
| grill for indirect cooking, use long-handled tongs to | | | | Cleaning Your Grill |
| arrange the hot coals around a drip pan (see photo 3, | | | | Soak the grill rack of your charcoal grill in hot, sudsy |
| below), which collects the fat drippings from the | | | | water after every use to loosen cooked-on grime. If |
| foods, mini-mizing flare-ups. Use a disposable foil | | | | the rack is too large for your sink, let it stand for |
| roasting pan or make one out of heavy-duty foil. | | | | about 1 hour wrapped in wet paper towels or |
| 3. Indirect grilling with charcoal: Move the coals to | | | | newspaper, then wipe it clean. If necessary, use a |
| accommodate a drip pan; rearrange the coals as | | | | stiff brush to remove stubborn burned-on food. |
| needed. To test the temperature, count as directed | | | | |