It happens like clockwork every spring — the birds come back in earnest. The flowers begin to bloom. Lawnmowers rev up after a winter of hibernation. And everybody brings out their grills.
If you judge the calendar by whether it’s time to fire up the grill, this post has your name written on it. In fact, you probably already know that July has the honor of being National Grilling Month!
Here, we’ll discuss some of the top grilling tips to keep in mind this summer season. Whether you’re grilling sausage recipes for a family picnic or whipping up healthy sweet Italian chicken sausage links for a solo lunch, you’ll appreciate having these helpful hints.
Re-Read Your Grill’s Owner’s Manual
Maybe it’s been a while since you opened the owner’s manual for your grill. Perhaps you never bothered to read it at all. Now’s the perfect time to take a few minutes and get familiar with it.
Your owner’s manual will help you learn how best to balance the grill’s temperature using the dampers and how to care for the equipment properly. Do this step at the beginning of every grilling season for maximum benefits.
Remember: A Clean Grill Makes the Best-Tasting Food
Grills, like all cooking utensils and appliances, get dirty. That’s why you need to take time at least once every few grilling sessions to clean yours thoroughly.
Once used, your grill will never look brand new, but that’s okay. You just want to lift off any grime or lingering debris that can cause strange odors. If you don’t have time to scour your whole grill before dinner, at least scrub the grill grates with a stiff-bristled brush and brush them with an oil-soaked paper towel to reduce sticking.
Test All Foods for Doneness
No matter how long you’ve been cooking, you can’t see if a chicken leg has reached the appropriate internal temperature. Do yourself a favor and get a trusty electric cooking thermometer. They aren’t expensive and will save you from possibly serving undercooked meats and seafood.
You should also let all meat, sausage, poultry and fish settle before serving. The rest period allows the meat to continue to marinate in the juices and lets the cooking process finish.
Don’t Peek
Tempting though it may be, you should stop lifting your grill lid to check on the food constantly. Every time the lid goes up, the temperature of the grill starts to waffle.
Need to take a peek now and then? Bring the lid up just enough to get a glimpse of your ingredients so you lose less heat and smoke.
Make Use of Foil Pouches
Worried that your ingredients will fall apart on your grill grates? Cook anything from sliced vegetables to chicken sausage in foil boats. The foil helps keep everything intact and cooks the foods evenly.
Let Your Food Sit on the Grate Without Always Turning It
You may have seen other grillmasters turn their sausages or hamburgers dozens of times. All that does is reduce the tenderness of the meat and interrupt the caramelization process.
Ideally, you should only need to turn most foods two times. In the case of certain dishes, such as kebabs, you might want to twist them around three or four times to catch all the ingredients’ sides.
Keep a Water Spritzer Bottle Handy
Are you getting annoying flare-ups from flames that seem to leap up to taste the food? Solve this problem by having a water dispenser on hand to spritz overheated briquettes.
What are you waiting for? Your grill is calling, and it’s ready to create some new signature dishes to make the neighbors wish they had an invite to your place tonight. To find the Premio sausage you need to add to your recipes, check out our store locator!