Grilling Fillets And Tips For Effective And Safe Grilling

Picnics, cooking outdoors on a barbecue grill; and potlucks are fantastic ways to celebrate spring and summer vacations, but in whichever manner you plan them, ensure that you prepare your food and organize their transport safely. When you plan to grill food for a few friends or relatives, a little planning and a few safety tips can go a long way in preventing food borne maladies and fire-burn accidents that are commonly seen when grilling or barbequing foods during the summer months.

Tips For Safe Grilling:

Understand and study the grill manufacturer’s operating instructions before switching on and lighting the grill. Do not keep the lid of the grill closed when kindling a propane grill, and ensure that it is kept open until you are certain that the grill has been lit.

Marinate and flavor the meat prior to cooking with a light hand. Whether you are applying condiments such as salt, pepper, or a custom marinade, maintain a distance of a foot above the meat over the open flame to help spread the spices evenly on the meat.

Always place the meat on a hot grill.

When the meat in placed on the grill, it should sear with a sizzling sound. Causing the meat to sizzle seals in the meat juices and the zest and helps keep meat from clinging to the grill. The grill must be turned on as high as possible, the meat must then be placed on the grate and the lid should then be closed. The meat should be seared on each side for approximately 5 minutes. Afterwards, bring down the heat to medium for the rest of the cooking time.

Nearly all grilling is executed with direct heat, or at elevated temperatures. Foods such as beef or ham burgers, beefsteaks, or tender beef cuts must be placed directly over the grill burners. Make use of indirect heat when grilling less tender cuts of beef, such as cuts of meat from the breast or lower chest.

When you are done with grilling, remove the cooked meat from the grill, and place it on a clean plate, and let it remain for a few minutes. Allowing the cooked meat to rest helps the juices to spread across the meat so that they do not break loose after it is sliced.

Switch off the burner control of the grill; also shut down the cylinder valve. When a grill is not in use for extended periods of time, cover unplugged hose-end pipe fittings with plastic coverings or protective caps to keep them from accumulating dirt and grime.

Submitted on September 10, 2009