Fire Up Those Grills, Folks!

It may only be March 2nd and we may have had a blizzard once in March, but my senses (and my flower garden) are telling me that spring is in the air. And I am not mad about it.

Sure I love winter, but only when there is snow; which we see far too little of here in the south. I have learned to accept the fact that we may only see one good episode of snow here in Georgia annually (that is, if we are lucky) and I have also learned that I need to fill this void somehow. How do I do this? By grilling in the winter, of course!

There are few things as satisfying as the smell of hot coals charring a delicious cut of meat. The pluming smoke; the sound of sizzling anything really, veggies and fruits; oh and the taste of perfection of course. How do you make any food great (perfect even)? You grill it. Duh.

Grilling is not everyone's forte though because, who am I kidding, there is an art to it. I am not the best griller myself, but lucky for me my husband is the master of the BBQ pit. <swoon>

I have learned a thing or two from watching him grill that I believe can make any novice griller look like an expert and I am here to share! You'll thank me later. :)

5 Things I learned from watching my hunk of a husband grill:

1.) Many variables affect cook time. This may seem obviously, but trust me, there is more to it then you think. Like saying that you should cook a 1 inch steak for two to three minutes on each side for a perfect MED-RARE. This is true, yes, most of the time. But there are many factors that must also be considered. Like: How hot is your grill? Which direction is the wind blowing (yes, this matters). Are you using gas or charcoal?

2.) Always use charcoal when available. Charcoal allows you to get your grill to a much higher temp, which is the secret to those beautiful grill marks and a crispy char. Take care to treat your coals with respect. You cannot simply light them and throw a steak on. Oh hell no. Instead, allow them to prove their magic. After about 15 minutes of being lit they should be at their peak temp (not on fire) and this is when you should jump into action! Fun fact: A very hot grill minimizes flare ups. Why? Because a very hot grill seals the flesh before the fat from the meat has time to melt and drip.

3.) Do not underestimate the power of the lid. Not only will the lid of your grill help you to diminish flames should they ignite, but it will also help you to to achieve your desired doneness faster than you might have envisioned. The lid of your grill will help to surround your food with heat, thus decreasing cook time. Essentially the lid turns your grill into an oven. Sear your meat and then (for larger cuts) pull out that lid to cook to desired temp.

4.) Pay attention to the weather. Not all weather is good grilling weather; but that is not to say that you cannot grill in all weather. Like winter, for example. :) The main weather factor that can affect your grilling is wind. Strong breezes can either increase the temp of your grill or decrease it. I have yet to master the science behind this, but I am pretty sure that it is the strong breezes that decrease and the mild breezes that increase. Just a thought.

5.) Learn to control your grill. Grilling is kind of like building and maintaining a campfire. It is vital that you understand how to manipulate your fire in both instances. For grilling, it is important that you know how to control the heat (for charcoal mainly). Spreading out the coals and allowing a specific amount of oxygen in to decrease and increase heat, for example. Know how to control the heat in certain areas of your grill. Have hot spots and cooler spots. Hot spots for searing (step one) and cooler spots for achieving desired temp (step two - pull out the lid!).

There you have it. May not seem like much, but read and reread these steps and I promise that next time you decide to fire up that grill you will feel a tad more confident.

Happy grilling!