Troy's Tips

Clean Your Grates!

I know, some of you think that there is flavor in that dirty grill grate of yours. There might be some flavor, but I’m not sure it would be healthy to use them.

Always make sure that your grates are clean before putting any meat on the grill. This does two things. One, it allows for fat being rendered from the meats to help sear the meats. Two, it keeps your meats from sticking. Most meats that stick to the grill do so because they are being cooked on top of leftovers from your previous grilling session.

An easy and cheap way to clean your grill grates is to crumble up a large piece of aluminum foil and scrub the grates. This works much better than a grill brush and is less messy than a grill stone. When the grates are free of all the leftovers, spray the grates with a non-stick cooking oil and scrub one last time. You’ll be amazed at how simple it is to clean the grates.
 

Low & Slow, or Hot & Fast?

To determine how hot to grill or smoke your meats, you must first know what food you’re grilling....or smoking. Items such as steak, hamburger, boneless chicken breasts, and vegetables do well at medium, medium high, to high temperatures and cooking over a direct heat source. Meats such as ribs, pork shoulders, Boston butts, whole turkeys and whole chickens need longer to cook and will require a lower temperature and cooking with an indirect heat source.