The Top 10 grilling season do's and don'ts

Grilling Season Do’s And Don'ts From Cookbook Author Jamie Purviance

(NAPSI)—If you're like 25 percent of grill owners, you can expect to host five or more barbecues in the next few months, according to the new Weber Grillwatch Survey. So now may be the right time to brush up on the do’s and don’ts of grilling.

To help, New York Times best-selling author and James Beard Award nominee Jamie Purviance reveals his Top 10 Grilling Do’s and Don’ts from his latest cookbook, “Weber’s New Real Grilling”:

1. Do preheat the grill. If cooking grates aren't hot enough, food will stick and won't have a chance of searing properly or developing grill marks. Even if a recipe calls for medium or low heat, you should preheat the grill on high first to at least 500° F.

2. Don’t start with dirty grates. Leftover “stuff” on the grates acts like glue, binding both your new food to the old and all of it to the grates. After preheating the grill for about 10 minutes, brush the grates off with a sturdy, long-handled brush with stainless steel bristles. Clean grates will provide a smooth surface to perfectly grill steaks, burgers, chicken and more.

3. Do get your act together. Bring everything you need near the grill before grilling. If you have to run back into the kitchen while your food is cooking, you might overcook or burn the food.

4. Do give yourself at least two heat zones. If you set up your grill for one type of heat only, your options are limited. Have at least two heat zones: one for direct heat (where the fire is right under the food) and one for indirect heat (where the fire is off to the side of the food). Many foods, such as steaks, are seared quickly over direct heat and then finished over indirect.

5. Don’t overcrowd the grill. Packing too much food into a tight space restricts your flexibility. Leave at least a quarter of the cooking grates clear, with plenty of space between food for easy maneuverability.

6. Do use the lid. When the lid is closed, the cooking grates are hotter, the grilling times are faster, the smoky tastes are stronger and the flare-ups are fewer. So put a lid on it. Just don’t forget to open the charcoal grill’s lid vent at least halfway to allow proper airflow.

7. Don’t touch the food much. Most people like food seared to a deep brown color with plenty of beautifully charred bits. The trouble is, many move their food so often it doesn’t get enough time in one place to reach that color and flavor. In nearly all cases, turn food just once or twice.

8. Do take charge of the fire. A charcoal fire climbs to its hottest temperatures first and then loses heat either quickly or slowly, depending on the type of charcoal and how you tend the fire. Refuel before losing too much heat, rearrange coals, sweep away the ashes that could clog the bottom vents, and adjust the vents on the lid for ideal airflow.

9. Don’t serve rubbery chicken. If you specialize in chicken breasts so overcooked they bounce, it’s time to learn some doneness clues. A correctly grilled chicken breast should gently yield when you press the surface with your fingertip. Get an instant-read thermometer for an even more reliable test of doneness.

10. Do use the grill for more than grilling. It used to be that grilling meant one thing: meat charred over open flames. Today, everything from appetizers through desserts can be prepared on a grill.

For the Hickory Smoked Beer Can Chicken recipe, visit newrealgrilling.weber.com. Purviance’s new cookbook can be purchased at www.weber.com.

The Ins And Outs Of Safe Outdoor Cooking

(NAPSI)—Your next barbecue may be better if you follow these 10 tips from the experts at the United States Department of Agriculture on keeping food safe when cooking outside:

When shopping, buy meat and poultry last. Choose packages that feel cold and are not torn. Separate raw meat and poultry from other food in your shopping cart to guard against cross-contamination. Plan to go directly home from the grocery store.

At home, freeze or refrigerate meat and poultry immediately. Freeze poultry and ground meat that won’t be used in a day or two; freeze other meat within four or five days.

Completely thaw meat and poultry before grilling so it cooks evenly. Use the refrigerator for slow, safe thawing or thaw sealed packages in cold water. You can microwave defrost if the food will be placed immediately on the grill.

Keep meat and poultry cold until you’re ready to put it on the grill. If you’re carrying food to another location, keep it in an insulated cooler with sufficient ice or ice packs so it stays at 40° F or below. Keep the cooler out of the direct sun and avoid opening the lid too often.

Start with clean hands-wash them for at least 20 seconds with warm, soapy water—and a clean grill and utensils.

Be sure the grill is hot enough to safely cook your food.

Remember, meat and poultry cooked on a grill often brown very fast on the outside.

Use a thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe minimum internal temperature—poultry: 165° F; ground meats: 160° F; beef, pork, lamb and veal, steaks, chops and roasts: 145° F-and allow to rest at least three minutes before carving or consuming.

Keep hot food hot. After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served—at 140° F or warmer. Refrigerate perishable food within two hours (one hour if the temperature is 90° F or above).

When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don’t put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than two hours (one hour if temperatures are above 90° F). Bacteria can grow rapidly between 40° and 140° F.

Learn More

If you have any food safety questions, you can call the USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline and speak with a food safety expert, in English or Spanish, at (888) 674-6854, M-F, 10 am-4 pm EST. Ask a food safety question 24/7 at AskKaren.gov or via smartphone at m.askkaren.gov. Also, visitwww.fsis.usda.gov for safety information on all types of foods.