A few months ago, I got everything ready for our first outdoor barbecue of the season.
I pulled the cover off the grill and got a shock — and not the electrical kind. The grill was a mess, inside and out. Yuck!
My only explanation is that the cold days of fall prompted me to just throw the cover on while my inner procrastinator assured me that I would clean it later.
Assuming I'm not the only one who fails to do a deep clean of the outdoor grill after every use, today I have lots of really great grilling tips and tricks for cleaning and great grilling.
CLEANING
ALL-PURPOSE DEGREASER. In a 16-ounce spray bottle, mix 2 cups hot tap water, 2 tablespoons baking soda, 2 teaspoons blue Dawn dishwashing liquid and 20 drops lemon essential oil. Shake well to mix, and label clearly. Use freely and liberally. Spray on; scrub as needed; wipe dry.
NEWSPAPER. This is a method to use once you're done grilling for the day and you have turned off the grill. Soak a stack of newspapers in water to get them quite saturated, and lay them on top of the hot grate. Close the lid. The heat and wet newspaper will create a steam-cleaning action so that when you're finished eating, you can simply remove the soggy newspapers and wipe the grate clean.
HEAVY-DUTY CLEANING. For really tough situations, you won't find a better option than Dawn Dish Power Dissolver Spray. If your grill has seasons of buildup inside, under, around and even on top of the unit, this is the product you've been looking for. It is fantastic for situations where grease and gunk have been allowed to build up and burn on.
GRILLING
GRILL MAT. I bless the day someone invented the grill mat. Made of silicone, it's a thin piece of flexible material that keeps hot surfaces clean. I lay a mat right on top of the grill and then the burgers on top of it. I don't know how it happens, but the burgers don't stick; they grill up beautifully; and the grill below stays perfectly clean.
THERMOMETER. I'm convinced that the secret to good grilling is temperature control. I'm not talking about a dial on the grill itself, although that is handy. I mean the internal temperature of whatever you're grilling. Keeping an eye on that is the secret. The easiest way is with a quick-read food thermometer. And it needs to be accurate. The best inexpensive option of chef-quality thermometers is a ThermoPop from ThermoWorks. It fits in your pocket, which is super handy. But more than that, it rotates so you can read it at any angle. And it is spot-on accurate.
MARINADE. It's the secret to making a tough cut of meat as succulent and tender as a prime cut. Just make sure your marinade of choice contains acid like vinegar, lemon or wine. Acid breaks down the meat to make it tender. Enzymatic action from wine, beer, cider and soy sauce also helps.
SAFETY
Outdoor grilling always brings visions of groups of people hanging around a blazing hot heat source — some of them children. Common sense and reasonable safety measures are mandatory.
Keep children and pets away from the grill area.
Keep your grill clean by removing grease or fat buildup from the grill and trays below the grill.
Never leave your active grill unattended.
HEALTH
The National Cancer Institute now warns that the way we grill meats may be contributing to cancer risk. Generally, experts at this institute recommend the following:
—Avoid direct exposure of meat to an open flame or a hot metal surface, and avoid prolonged cooking times.
—Use a microwave oven to cook meat prior to exposure to high temperatures to substantially reduce the time it must be in contact with high heat to finish cooking.
—Continuously turning meat over on a high heat source can substantially reduce risks compared with just leaving the meat on the heat source without flipping it often.
For resources found in this column including my favorite marinade recipes, go to EverydayCheapskate.com/grilling.
Mary invites questions, comments and tips at [email protected], or c/o Everyday Cheapskate, 12340 Seal Beach Blvd., Suite B-416, Seal Beach, CA 90740. This column will answer questions of general interest, but letters cannot be answered individually. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com, a personal finance member website and the author of "Debt-Proof Living," released in 2014. To find out more about Mary and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.
View Comments