Grilling Basics (Tips for Beginners)
Fire up your grill because these grilling basics will give you all the confidence you need! Discover how easy it is to cook, entertain, and make incredible food on an outdoor grill.
Grilling isn’t just for burgers and steaks! There are so many delicious ways to use a grill. Try these shrimp skewers, the most incredible grilled pineapple, or simply grill up some zucchini!
Reasons to Start Grilling
You’ll Love This Beginner’s Guide: I’m here to help you feel confident on the grill! I walk you through all the grilling basics and teach you how to use your grill.
It’s Tasty: Grilling is one of my favorite ways to cook! It makes meat taste succulent and vegetables super tender. There are SO many recipes that can only be made on a grill.
Outdoor Entertaining: Summertime to me means hosting BBQ parties and grilling! I love cooking in the outdoors and enjoying the weather with friends and family.
What to Know Before You Grill
Grilling is a method of cooking food over an open flame. There are so many types of grills on the market these days, but I want to give you the grilling basics that are helpful for any grill that you use. I really want to focus on tips for beginners who are new to gilling. The most common household grills are propane and gas grills, so let’s focus on these! Cooking outdoors is convenient in the summer and a delicious way to quickly cook all kinds of recipes. Before you grill, there are some grill basics you should know! First and foremost, make sure your propane tank is full and hooked up properly. Whether it’s your very first time, or if you need some grilling reminders, then I have you covered.
Clean the Grill: The best way to clean the grill grates is with a grill brush. It’s safe to have a clean grill for sanitary reasons, and for it to work properly. See the manufacturer’s manual on how to clean the inside of your grill as well.
Oil the Grates: Oil the grates before grilling to avoid the food from sticking. I like to use tongs and a paper towel dipped in oil.
Preheat the Grill: Before you grill, preheat the grill. You want it hot and ready when it’s time to cook. Preheat the grill with the lid closed.
Prepare the Recipe: Prepare the food before you fire up the grill! Allow time to marinate the meat if the recipe calls for it. Make your burger patties, season the chicken, or thread the skewers. Everything needs to be ready to go because you don’t want your grill hot and waiting if you aren’t ready!
Clean the grill.
Oil the grill.
Useful Grilling Tools
Before you fire up your grill, you need to make sure that you have your grilling tools ready to use. The type of tool you use will depend on what you’re grilling. Here is a list of the most common tools you will need and when you will use them.
Skewers: Feel free to use wood or metal skewers for grilling! Both work great, but if you use wood skewers make sure to soak them before threading on the meat, veggies, or fruit. Soak the wood skewers for at least 30 minutes to prevent the skewers from getting dry and brittle as they cook.
Meat Thermometer: Invest in a good meat thermometer that reads the temperature of your meat correctly. I love using a wireless thermometer because it makes it so easy!
Tongs: Strong metal tongs are the best for grilling and flipping meat like steak and chicken. I also use tongs to cook brats, ribs, and hot dogs because you can grab ahold of them easily.
Metal Spatula: A large metal spatula is great for flipping burgers.
Basting Brush: A basting brush comes in handy for brushing on sauces or marinades while cooking the meat. Use a basting brush for recipes like my grilled huli huli chicken!
Grill Temperatures
It’s hard to know what temperature the grill should be when the recipe calls for low, medium, or high. Here is a list of grill temperatures to follow if needed.
Low Heat: 250-300 degrees Fahrenheit
Medium Heat: 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit
Medium-High Heat: 350-400 degrees Fahrenheit
High Heat: 400-450 degrees Fahrenheit
Grilling Tips For Beginners
I want you to be successful at grilling so you can enjoy summer dinners outside! Here are my helpful tips for beginners.
Don’t Flip Too Often: Be careful not to flip steak too often. You want the grill marks to give the steak the perfect outer crust. I’m also careful when flipping burgers. I find it causes them to shrink more and not cook as evenly. Flipping burgers too much can also cause the beef to crumble.
Allow the Meat to Rest: Giving your meat time to rest after it comes off the grill is important. The muscle fibers need time to relax and for the juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Your meat will be so TENDER!
Meat Thermometer: Know the temperatures to cook your meat to. Invest in a good meat thermometer that can measure the correct temperature of your meat.
Heat Zones on the Grill: Heat a portion of the grill to a higher heat and another zone on medium or low. This creates a hot and cooler zone for cooking. It also creates a place to quickly move the meat to a cooler zone if it’s starting to burn or cook too fast. This is also known as direct heat and indirect heat.
Don’t flip the meat too often.
Know the right cooking temperatures.
Allow the meat to rest before slicing.
Marinades VS. Seasoning
Grilling meat is a popular way to use an outdoor grill! And how you prepare the meat is totally up to you! Most people either marinate their meat or rub on seasonings. A marinade adds flavor and makes the meat super tender. And a dry rub or seasonings adds a flavorful crust to the meat. Both methods are delicious! You have to try my famous steak marinade or this chicken seasoning.
Meat Temperature and Grilling Time
Grilling basics start with knowing how long to cook your meat. I’ve created a fun temperature guide for steak that also includes the cooking time. It’s helpful to see the doneness visually as well. Below are additional meat temperatures for chicken, fish, and pork.
More Cooking Temperatures
Here are additional cooking temperatures for chicken, pork, and fish. All in one place to make it easy for you!
Chicken: 165 degrees Fahrenheit
Pork: 300-350 degrees Fahrenheit
Fish: 145 degrees Fahrenheit
More Recipes to Grill
Grilling isn’t just for meat! There are so many ways to use your grill and you’re going to love these ideas. I always look forward to these summertime grill recipes!
Skewers: Skewers hold meat, veggies, and fruit pieces perfectly! If you use wood skewers, soak them for 30 minutes before using them. This prevents the skewers from burning. Try these steak skewers or our favorite Hawaiian teriyaki skewers!
Fruit: Grilling fruit makes it tender and enhances the sweetness. Try grilling this pineapple or these peaches and serve with ice cream! So yummy!
Vegetables: Tender-grilled veggies are my favorite! Especially in the summer when my garden is bursting. These vegetables are the perfect side dish and my kids love these fun vegetable kabobs!
Foil Packets: We love to make foil packets in the summer! Everyone can make their packet just the way they like it. It’s a perfect dinner for when you don’t want to heat the kitchen with the oven. These shrimp packets or these easy potato foil packets are delicious!