With the outdoor cooking season kicking off this week, barbecue guru Steven Raichlen offers some grill tips in Esquire you shouldn’t have gone so long without:
- Get the grill screaming hot: Put your hand 3 inches off the grate, and if “ouch” comes in 2-3 seconds, you’re good.
- Keep it clean: Scrub the grate down before and after cooking, ideally with a stiff wire brush.
- Keep it lubricated: Before the food hits, rub the grate with vegetable oil, bacon fat, or an oil-dipped onion.
- Use edible skewers: Fresh rosemary, cinnamon sticks, or lemongrass stalks impart great flavor.
- Baste with beer: Cover a long-neck with your thumb, shake it, and spray the meat.
- Be indirect: Use the indirect method of heat to cook large or tough cuts, or fattier ones that flare up under direct heat. The meat roasts on a grate over a drip pan surrounded by coals.
For more tips, including how to use your hand to gauge when meat is done, click the link below. (More
grilling stories.)
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
