by Chet Womack from North Atlanta Fireplace, Inc., 07/01/07

Summer is the time for outdoor picnics, parties and family gatherings. Masterful outdoor grilling is key to the success of any outdoor gathering.

The following are a few helpful hints to insure your grilling results are perfect every time:

• Oil the Grids - Apply a light coating of cooking oil to your cooking grids before grilling, to prevent foods from sticking.

• Keep Portion Sizes Together - Cook similar portion sizes together, so that they all cook evenly.

• Use Tongs - Use tongs to turn foods on the Grill.

• No Piercing - Never pierce food while they are cooking on the Grill, as this will dry them out.

• Slit & Cut the Fat - On food such as pork chops and steak, slit the fat strip to prevent the meat from curling during cooking. Always trim excess fat from your foods to reduce the occurrence of flare-ups during cooking.

• Turn Foods Infrequently - Some chefs say that a good steak should never be turned more than once.

• Get Saucy Toward the End - Apply sugarbased sauces such as commercial barbecue sauces only during the latter stages of cooking to prevent charring.

• Soak the String - Soak the string you use to tie up roasts and poultry on the Rotisserie spit to protect it from burning.

• Soak & Oil the Skewers - When using wooden skewers, soak them in cold water for at least an hour before using them; this will prevent them from burning. Lightly oiling the skewers ensures that the food does not stick to them during cooking.

For year round grilling, North Atlanta Fireplace, Inc. offers Vermont Castings Signature Series LP and Natural Gas Grills and the BIG GREEN
EGG.