1. The Potato Trick
Cut a potato in half and stab one half with a fork. Rub the hot grill with the cut surface of the potato. The heat removes starch from the potato, which creates a kind of non-stick coating on the grill. Now you can grill your meat without worrying about it sticking to the grill.
2. The Ice Cube Trick
Press a small hole in the patty and place an ice cube inside. As the meat cooks, the ice will melt and all that moisture will be retained by the patty, which ensures a nice and juicy burger. It gets even better when you add a piece of butter on top of the ice cube. A flavor explosion awaits!
3. The Apple Juice Trick
To make sure your steak is nice and tender on the inside but gets a beautiful crust on the outside, we’re going to let you in on a secret: Spritz it with some apple juice. You’re not going to believe the amazing results!
4. The Charcoal Trick
If you get your coals too hot, the result might be disappointingly dry or burnt meat. The coals are ready when they’re covered with white-gray ash and glowing evenly, which can take up to 30 minutes. To gauge the ideal cooking temperature, hold your hands about 6 inches above the grill. If you can’t take the heat anymore after about 2 seconds, the charcoal is too hot.
5. The Rosemary Skewer Trick
Instead of using regular wooden skewers, simply use sprigs of rosemary. This also has the added benefit of injecting some nice rosemary flavor into your shish kabobs.
6. The 3-Zone Fire Trick
Divide the grill into 3 coal zones. The hottest zone (Zone 1) is where the coals are stacked closely together. The area with fewer coals is going to give off medium heat (Zone 2). The final section (Zone 3) does not get any coals. These 3 distinct temperature zones are going to help you cook your meat perfectly every time.
7. The Onion Trick
Cleaning your grill can be a pain, but there’s actually an easy way to do it. Cut an onion in half, stab one half with a fork, and rub it over the surface of the dirty grill. The onion juice acts as a disinfectant while also removing the invisible dirt from the grill.
8. The Sausage Trick
Never stab or cut into a sausage while it’s still on the grill. On the one hand, you’re going to stab it to shreds, and on the other hand, all the fat will drip out. This will cause the grill to give off a lot of smoke, produce harmful toxins, and make the meat lose all its flavor.
9. The Lemonade Trick
Cut a few lemons in half, dunk the cut surface into sugar and then grill them for 10 minutes until the sugar has caramelized. Now squeeze the lemons into a pitcher and add some ice cubes. Add a few more lemon slices to the pitcher, and voila, the perfect lemonade, straight from the grill!
10. The Resting Trick
When you take a steak off the grill, cover it with aluminum foil for 1-2 minutes to let it rest. The result is going to be a super juicy, delicious steak. But if you’re grilling brats, you can eat those right away or they’re going to end up losing too much moisture and flavor.
11. The Newspaper Trick
Do you still have to wrestle with a dirty and rusty barbecue rack? If the onion wasn’t enough, try this one: grab an old newspaper and wrap the dirty barbecue rack in it. Spray the newspaper with water and let everything soak overnight. Then the next morning, you can just wipe the rack down with a dish towel.