Grilling tips to help you master your barbecue

It’s summertime and in Manitoba this means you just have to know your way around a barbecue, which may well be our most genius invention.  

Harnessing the greatness of cooking on an open flame is key to summer-time culinary enjoyment.  

The first thing you need to know is that you don’t need to break the bank with your new barbecue purchase but I would suggest you get one that is already assembled.  Putting together a barbecue by yourself or with a loved one is potentially a recipe for divorce and/or disaster. Spend the extra money and bring your grill home ready to use.  

These main rules apply to any back yard cookout:

1) Have sufficient fuel on hand — Nothing is more disappointing than running out of propane halfway through that juicy tenderloin and having to finish it off in the oven.  

2) Make sure to grease your grill before you fire it up — You may not think that this makes that much of a difference but it will save your meat from sticking and you will avoid tearing chunks off that chicken breast. 

I like to keep olive oil in a spray bottle and simply give the grill a once-over just before I start. You can also dip a barbecue brush in oil and apply it that way.  

3) Cook food evenly — Be sure to rotate items around the grill to encourage even cooking and to avoid some sections being burnt to a crisp and others bloody as hell due to uneven heat. After a while you will learn where the hot spots are on your grill, and you’ll also learn where the sweet spot is.

4) Always be prepared — Marinating meat helps bring out its flavour and prepping all other parts of your meal is important so you can give the grill your undivided attention.  

Be brave and experiment with these educated tips and your summertime meals with be a success.

Dan Sylvestre is a community correspondent for Fort Rouge.