When it comes to summer fun, there’s absolutely nothing better than pulling out the grill, lighting up the coals, and creating delicious, hearty, summer-foodie combinations for your closest friends and family.
With the months of cookouts, pool hangs, and family gatherings coming your way, are you positive you’re ready to be the grill master? We won’t lie — that’s a ton of pressure.
Fortunately, you don’t need to worry. We’ve cooked up some of the latest and greatest hacks for your grilling pleasure! Check out our 25 favorite tips and tricks for becoming the grill master this year:
Spiral Hot Dog Fun
There’s nothing that compares to a good hot dog on the grill — but standard hot dogs are so last year. You want the next best thing, and we have it for you: Spiral Hot Dogs. Skewer your favorite hot dog, sausage, kielbasa, or even a zuchinni for you vegan folks out there. Roll as you cut pieces out to give it a curly, fun look. The best part? More compartments for condiments — bring on the ketchup! (Or mustard, whichever you prefer).
Muffin Tin Condiments
Be the hero at your next grill out by bringing out the muffin tin. No, not to hand out tasty treats (although, we’re sure your friends wouldn’t mind that either). Instead, use each muffin tin compartment to hold your favorite condiments. Relish? Check! Onions? Check.
Herbs, Spices, and Salts, Oh My!
You grill pretty well, sure, but we’re here to boost your grilling game, right? So, hear us out. Start using herbs, spices, and salts on your food while you grill. It’ll bring out the flavor, give your guests a fresh take on whichever food you’re grilling up, and make you look like a culinary genius.
Onion Cleaning
We bet you’ve never tried this, but we also bet that after doing it once, you won’t want to stop. Try cleaning your grill with an onion after you cook. When the grill is still warm from you delicious cooking frenzy, stick a fork in the halved onion, and rub the cut side all over the grate to get the residue off. Not only does it clean the grill, it adds flavor for next time.
Or Aluminum Cleaning
If you can’t get down with the onion cleaning, give a ball of aluminum a try. Ball up some tin foil and get to scrubbing on your grill grate. Be careful if the grill is still hot, but don’t be afraid to give it some elbow grease.
Condiment Labels
Tired of not knowing whose burger is whose? Give the patty a little pizzazz and use condiments to write out the names of your guests. It’s a quick, fun, and easy way to get creative, and more importantly, stay organized.
Banana S’more Deliciousness
We’re not saying that you can go wrong with a normal s’more, but we do suggest trying this treat to blow the minds of your grill guests. Take a banana, cut a slit down the middle, and with the peel still on, stuff marshmallows and chocolate chips inside. Use the skin as grill containers and voila, you’ve got the ultimate grill out dessert.
Do an All-Over Grill Check
This is less of a hack and more of a safety check (and a way to save you embarrassment). Make sure your grill is all good to go before you get to cooking. Check the coals, the knobs, the propane — does everything look good to go? You’re in the clear for grilling paradise.
Ice that Burger
If you find that you have a hard time maintaining moisture in your burger, you’re not alone. Keeping the meat moist is the key to a great burger, and serving something dried out and chewy to your guests just won’t do. We suggest giving your burger a little ice treatment before you cook it. Some people add a nice pat of butter to the burger while they cook, which also works. But for the more health conscious folks, we suggest adding ice chips to your burger while you grill to keep it moist as possible.
Do a Meat Check with Your Fingers
This is the grill hack of the pros. Ever wonder how people tell when the meat is done to a certain liking? Confuse well-done with medium-well no more with this simple trick. Check our photo above to get a clearer picture of the process.
Hobo Camping Dinners
Switch up what kind of food you cook at your grill outs. Instead of the normal burgers and dogs, try a hobo camping dinner. Take your favorites, potatoes, ground beef, fish, vegetables, anything you want, and cocoon them up in an aluminum wrap. Let them cook and forget about them while they simmer, then come back to the grill to unwrap deliciousness for your guests.
Consider a Healthy Alternative: Fish or Chicken
Grilling out doesn’t have to be a red-meat-only zone. Consider adding fish, chicken, turkey, and healthier, leaner meats to your menu. Your heart and a health-conscious guest will thank you!
Toasting Rack DIY
Don’t serve up those delicious dogs or burgers without a properly toasted bun! Create your own toasting rack on your grill by adding a smaller rack on top of a few tin cans. Place your bread on top of the rack and get to toasting!
Skillet Grillin’
Do you dream of cookin’ up a big, skillet pan of catfish on the grill? We think you should give it a go! Simply add a cast-iron skillet on top of your grill, get the fish on there, and grill up a delicious dinner. Careful touching the skillet when you take it off the grill!
DIY Grill Smoker
Turn your grill into a smoker in a snap! Try taking an aluminum bread pan, tossing in some soaked hickory chips, and cover with tin foil. Poke holes in the top of the contraption you’ve made to allow smoke to escape. Put your meat on the top shelf of your grill and put your contraption over just one heating element, leaving the rest of the heating elements off. This should keep your grill at about 225-250 degrees — the perfect smoking temperature.
Citrus Grillers
We’ll keep this short and sweet — add citrus to your grilling regimen. Trust us. Grilled citrus adds the perfect scent and taste to your grilled concoctions.
Egg Carton Coal Storage
Forget keeping your coals in a paper bag — get creative! Use an empty egg carton or two to store individual coals near your grill. It’s easy, organized, and fun!
Understand How to Tell When Coals Are Ready
Do you know how to test your coals? Check for red-hot coals with no smoke if you’re using a wood fire and look for ashy, grey coals if you’re using a charcoal fire.
Play Around with BBQ Temps
Try keeping one side of your bbq on a lower temperature with the other to create a dual-zone grill. Then you can sear your meats on the hotter side and then let them cook through on the cooler side.
Apple Juice Spray
It sounds weird, but give it a shot. Spraying apple juice over the meats you’re cooking periodically will keep the meat tender, improve the color, and add to the flavor.
Foil Tent Juiciness
Make your foil ten over your meats to keep the juices and flavors inside. The meat will still cook, but it will keep the juices collected in the foil.
Get Crazy- Make a Shopping Cart Grill
Want to get grill crazy this summer but lack the most important ingredient — aka a grill? No Sweat. Slap a sanitized shopping cart over a fire pit and get to grilling! (Alternatively, you could just purchase a grill grate to put over your fire pit, but c’mon, that’s a lot less fun).
Poach Sausages Before the Grill
Want to get your grillin’ going a little faster? Try poaching your sausages and kielbasas before you put them on the grill. This way, they’ll cook through faster and bring you to flavor town a whole lot quicker.
Keep a Habit of Checking your Propane Levels First
Don’t be caught unprepared! Check your propane levels before your grill out to make sure you’re ready to be the grill master! You’d hate to run out of propane a few minutes into cooking up those tasty burgers.
Skewer Your Shrimps
Impress your guests with some fancy shishkabobs. Skewer up some shrimp, fish, tender steak, vegetables and more to get you a fancy, delicious, grilled treat.
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Source: DIY N Crafts
