Throwing your first outdoor BBQ of the summer is a great opportunity to have fun with friends and family in your backyard. You can enjoy cooking a range of meat and vegetables to create mouth-watering dishes that impress your guests. But, there are some common BBQ mistakes that can turn a delicious meal into a disaster.
While practice makes perfect, there is no need to make some of these mistakes in the first place.
Let’s have a more detailed look at some grilling errors you should avoid.
Table of Contents
1. Not Having a Clean Grill
When learning how to use grills, your first lesson should be in regular grill maintenance. When cooking food on a BBQ, it is easy for small bits of meat and fat to attach to the grates. If you do not wipe this debris off after each use, this can lead to flare-ups when the fat drips into the flames.
This can result in your food burning on the outside while being undercooked on the inside.
2. Common BBQ Mistakes and Heat Levels
Many people think you need heat to be as high as possible to grill food thoroughly. But this is not true and could actually contribute to your meats not cooking all the way through.
It’s a good idea to have sections of your BBQ that have a lower heat level as well as a warmer heat. This means you can move food that is ready to eat over to the cooler section. They can then stay warm until your other foods are ready for your guests.
3. Turning Food Too Often
It is tempting to stand at your grill and spend too much time flipping meats because you are trying to make sure you cook each item evenly. But, when you constantly lift the lid, this allows heat to escape. It can be more effective to close the lid and check on the food every 10-15 minutes.
You can use the extra time to chill out chatting with friends while enjoying party food and drinks at a separate table.
4. Guessing When Food Is Ready
You’ve probably seen someone cut into a piece of meat when it is on the BBQ and check that it looks like it is ready to eat. However, this may not be a particularly accurate way of making sure you have heated your meal thoroughly. By using a meat thermometer you can check the internal temperature of your food to make sure it is safe to eat.
This can give you peace of mind that you have heated your meat properly and killed any germs.
5. Not Getting Creative
When getting food for BBQs, many people will focus on staples such as burgers and hot dogs. While there is nothing wrong with this, you can up your grilling game and become more creative. For example, you could cook carne picada on a cast-iron skillet and prepare delicious tacos.
No matter what your BBQ party budget, you can use your imagination to make fantastic dishes.
Enjoy Your Summer BBQ
When you avoid making the most common BBQ mistakes, it’s easy to prepare your grilled food to perfection. You can spend more time relaxing and chatting with your guests, confident your meal will be ready at the right time.
If you’ve enjoyed reading this post, be sure to check out more articles in our Food Tips section.
