Have all of your utensils and marinades ready and waiting beside the grill. The one thing to remember when grilling is that you have to man the grill for the entire time you are cooking. It is not like an oven that you can walk away from and come back in fifteen minutes.
A grill that is working at its optimum temperature will cook the food faster than you think. Closing the lid also increases the heat and decreases cooking time.
So, prepare your area ahead of time. Don’t forget to bring along your favorite drink and maybe even a snack to nibble on, since you will be the happy gourmet griller for the day.
Try to have someone who can run back and forth and help you, and perhaps put things in the oven to keep warm until everyone is ready to eat.
Learning to grill can be a lonely job, but one whose product will be greatly appreciated by everyone when it comes time to eat.
Remember, the more you grill, the better you’ll get at it, so cook out as much as your heart desires this summer. Learn about your grill, the correct times for the meats and vegetables and fish, with foil, or without (with is very handy for quick clean ups, and you can still get the BBQ’d smoky taste if you prick holed in the foil.
Your network of family and friends will grow once the word starts spreading that you are the king (or queen) of the neighborhood grill.
