4 Common Grilling Problems and How to Easily Solve Them

Grilling is about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. Okay, there’s golf and beer drinking, but the grill is definitely up there. However, it’s never much fun to find trouble. Fortunately, several of the most common grill problems are incredibly easy to fix. Here are four common problems along with their solutions from the grilling experts at Weekend Grillers.

PROBLEM: Grilled foods get too dry.

SOLUTION: Smoke from a charcoal fire gives grilled food great flavor, but also tends to dry it out.

The simplest solution to this is to buy thicker cuts. For the most part, thicker foods are easier to grill than thinner ones and retain their juices longer. Look for medium thickness steaks, fish fillets, or chops. It’s also helpful (and tasty!) to marinate food before cooking it on the charcoal.

PROBLEM: Burgers and fish stick to grill and fall apart.

SOLUTION: Always keep your grill clean. The best way is to heat the grates and then scrape them down with a scraper before cooking anything. Grilling on a dirty rack clogged with burned and stuck-on food is like frying in a dirty skillet.

Then, before putting any food on the grill, oil the grill. There are two very easy and effective ways to do this. If you are grilling steaks or chops, cut off a small piece of fat and, using a grill fork, run it up and down the preheated grates. If you’re cooking something else or don’t want to cut through the tastiest part of the steak, grab a couple of paper towels with your flip-flops, dip them in vegetable oil, and rub the oil over the hot grill. Be sure to wait until the flames are out if using charcoal or turn the flames down if using gas before using any method. Never, EVER use nonstick cooking spray.

PROBLEM: Food burns on the outside before it’s gone on the inside.

SOLUTION: Move most of your charcoal to one side of the grill or set one side of your gas grill to hot and the other to low to build a two-zone fire. You can seal food on the hot zone (and help lock in the juices), then transfer it to the warm zone to finish cooking on the inside without burning yourself.

Also at the first sign of a fire, quickly move food directly over the flame to the cooler area and wait for the fire to die down. Use a sprayer if you must, but it will only throw ash onto your food. It is better to let the fire burn out naturally.

Finally, never apply barbecue sauce, barbecue or any other sauce that contains sugar or honey until the end of cooking and do it in the warm zone. If you apply it too soon, the sugar will burn and give the food an unpleasant, burnt taste. Better yet, offer several sauces on the table and let your guests choose their favorites.

PROBLEM: It is difficult to control the temperature when roasting or broiling|broiling or roasting.

SOLUTION: Insert a grill thermometer into the vent on your grill lid. Rotate the lid to check the different heat zones. Do not let the stem touch the food.